Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The purpose of this study is to determine some of the effects of self-directed learning in elementary science on the growth of fifth grade pupils. It was attempted to measure pupil growth in four areas: A. Fact absorption B. General Science Knowledge C. Liking for science D. Learning to generalize Printed materials instructed pupils in the use of simple apparatus to collect data and solve elementary science problems. The approach was inductive and required making generalizations on observed phenomena. A need exists for facilitating the use of activity science in classes where the teacher is unfamiliar with the content and process of science. Teachers who are unfamiliar with science do not deal adequately with the tactics and strategy of science investigation. Materials directed to the student which lead him through the experience of actual investigation might help to overaome some of the reluctance to engage in science activities evidenced by teachers untrained in science. If it can be shown that students are able to learn as much factual material by self-instruction as through the average textbook oriented study, then schools might be able to carry on a science activity program using the processes of science investigation without extensive teacher retraining programs and without loss of subject matter learning. Four self-directed science studies were tried on 128 students of six classes selected at random from schools of a mixed factory-suburban town. One hundred thirty-two students in seven classes were used as a control group. The study was conducted over a period of six months. Experimental and control groups were equated as to I.Q. ratings and scores on a standardized reading test. Teachers were equated on the basis of a town wide supervisors' survey. It was decided to investigate the comparative performance of the experimental and control groups using four different measuring instruments. 1. Growth in specific subject matter knowledge as measured on a prepared fact test. 2. Growth in general science knowledge as measured on a standardized science test. 3. Changes in possible liking for science as measured on a standardized attitude survey. 4. Growth in ability to generalize as measured on an organizational ability test. The four different tests were administered before and after the study and the change in performance was compared across groups for statistical differences. experimental and control groups were also compared in upper and lower I.Q. halves and by sex. The results of the experiment were as follows: 1. Fact absorption There was no significant difference between the experimental and control groups in gain of factual knowledge, nor was there difference when groups were compared according to sex and I.Q. 2. General Science Knowledge The upper I.Q. pupils of the control group enlarged their general science knowledge significantly more than did the experimental group. Between the two main groups there was no significant difference in gain of general science knowledge. 3. Liking for Science. After self-study activities the upper I.Q. groups expressed a liking for science significantly greater than the corresponding control group. The girls of the experimental groups gained in choices for science more than did the girls of the control group. There was no significant difference in the scores of the total groups. 4. Learning to Generalize. There were no significant differences in gains in organizational abilities between the experimental and control groups and none between the sex groups and I.Q. groups. SUMMARY: Although the present study showed no advantage for self-study activity science over traditional science studies,there is indication that the students learn the factual content as well when learning by themselves as when taught by a teacher. If longer exposure to science self-study activities is needed to show results in behavior of the students, there is much to gain and little to lose by allowing the student to pursue his science studies on his own. / 2031-01-01

Student Number : 0392307 PhD thesis Faculty of Science / In this study I explore concepts of relevant science, curriculum and development through participation and engagement with two schools and their community in the rural area of Chibini in Kwa-Zulu Natal. During a three-year involvement a research team, students, teachers, parents and farmers, supported by traditional leaders and NGO1s, developed a communitybased science curriculum. Amongst urgent concerns for health care, employment, traditional values – even survival, profound lessons in understandings of appropriate science, practical skills-development and ubuntu emerged. Western conventions of frameworks, protocols, goals, identity, even ways of researching are challenged through engaged transformation. Relevant science has parallels with relevant research in its purposes and processes of contributing to both knowledge and community well-being. The research drew upon interdisciplinary pedagogy as well as interdisciplinary methodological paradigms, moving from learner-centred education to communitycentred education and from the research paradigm of mindful inquiry to ubuntu. Rural communities can benefit from community-centred, project-based learning which contributes to immediate needs, draws on community strengths and is centred in ubuntu. Rural communities, in turn, have valuable contributions to make to science education transformation. This study formed part of a collaborative project: ‘Human Rights, Democracy, and Social Justice: Science and Mathematics Literacy in Disadvantaged Communities’ led from the Centre for Educational Research, Evaluation and Policy, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, Durban, South Africa.

The study was conducted at the largest public sector nursing college in the Gauteng province. The South African Nursing Council (SANC) regulation, R425 paragraph (f) stipulates that Biological Nursing Science (BNS) shall be included in the curriculum taught in the four-year diploma nursing programme, leading to registration as a professional nurse. BNS is an ancillary subject in the four year diploma programme in nursing. However, SANC does not stipulate that Biology should be a prerequisite for entry into the nursing programme. Biology as a school subject is neither a prerequisite nor a selection criterion for entry into the four year diploma nursing programme. Since the selection criteria have been widened for entry into nursing, the funders of nursing education seem to consider Biology even less important than before. Hence, the entry criteria are based on the matric score that the applicant achieves following the consideration of symbols obtained in different subjects. Poor performance in Biological Nursing Science (BNS) of students registered for the 4-year Diploma in Nursing is of grave concern to educators, students and funders of nursing education. A preview of nursing students’ summative results in BNS over a two year period showed a drop in the overall pass rate from 89% to 50%. It was hypothesised that prior biology knowledge or lack thereof might be a reason why BNS is difficult for first and second level nursing students; there is, however, no evidence to support this. Hence, it was intended to establish the factors that contribute to or are related to the performance of students in BNS in their first and second years of the four year diploma in nursing. The purpose of the study was to analyse the performance in BNS 1 and BNS 2 of student nurses at a public nursing college. In this study the sample comprised two groups of third and fourth year nursing students who have studied BNS 1 in their first year and BNS 2 in their second year of the programme (N=424); 312 (73.6%) agreed to participate; 175 were third year students and 137 fourth year students. A quantitative, survey research design was used. A retrospective record review and a questionnaire were used to collect data.. Students’ academic records were used to obtain BNS 1 and BNS 2 tests and summative examination results. Students’ admission records were used to obtain the socio-demographic data. A total of 364 records were reviewed and constituted the records sample (n=364). Data were entered onto an Excel spread sheet. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data and to present the results. Chi square (X²) was used to test for significant differences between study variables. The p-value was set at 0.05 level of significance. The study found that age is the only demographic variable that influences BNS performance; with the age range between 17 to 50 years, older students have lower mean scores in BNS than younger students. The results showed that for every 1 year increase in age, a 0.28% mark decrease in the BNS 2 main examination mark could be expected. The most popular subject choices in high school are Biology and Physics, however, only Physics was shown to have a significant positive influence on the performance of students in BNS examinations. Among the least chosen subjects are Business Studies and Business Economics which were also shown to have a positive effect on BNS performance. It may be concluded that the subjects Physics, Business studies and Business Economics enhance students’ performance in BNS. On the contrary Biology, was shown not to have an effect on the performance of students in BNS (p=0.15). Previous Biology knowledge did not significantly influence lecture attendance and students’ use of prescribed material but those who had studied Biology more than five years ago or not at all, were more inclined to use recommended material.

Orientador: Lizete Maria Orquiza Carvalho / Banca: Rejane Aurora Mion / Banca: Ana Maria de Andrade Caldeira / Resumo: Este trabalho analisou um projeto desenvolvido por três professores do Ensino Médio, um de Física, um de Química e um de Biologia, que consistiu em preparar uma situação- problema a partir da complexidade de um caso de tratamento radioterápico de câncer de colo uterino, e desenvolvê-la em sala de aula, o que representou não somente trazer, para a sala de aula, fatos que estão mais próximos da realidade do aluno, mas também percorrer caminhos inversos àqueles do ensino institucionalizado, os quais normalmente partem dos conteúdos disciplinares e se desenvolvem no sentido da exemplificação. Nossa contribuição consistiu em construir um ponto de vista externo, a partir da análise das gravações de reuniões e de aulas, procurando evidenciar aspectos que se referem à formação dos professores envolvidos. Os dados foram analisados sob três pontos de vista: compromisso, autonomia e interdisciplinaridade. Enquanto as reuniões dos professores se sucederam sem que houvesse contato com alunos, eles não tiveram sucesso em "compor o quadro interdisciplinar". No entanto, a situação armada no início do ano somente encontrou terreno para se desenvolver no segundo semestre, quando os professores tinham o desafio de responder aos alunos. Assim consideramos que as condições que garantiram a experiência como formação de professores foram: a potencialidade para a interdisciplinaridade devido à escolha de um caso real como ponto de partida; uma situação problema, representada pelo desejo dos professores de ampliar os conhecimentos dos adolescentes em torno da questão do câncer do colo do útero e HPV; uma situação de ensino, que impôs a necessidade de eles responderem a adolescente reais; o bom domínio do conteúdo disciplinar, por parte de cada um deles; e o comprometimento de todos com o trabalho coletivo e com a aprendizagem dos alunos. / Abstract: This work analyses a Project developed by three high school teachers, one of Physics, one of Chemistry and one of Biology, that consisted of both preparing a situation-problem from the complexity of a case of radiotherapical treatment of uterine col cancer, and developing it in the classroom. This fact represented both to bring to the classroom students real world and to walk contrary to the institutionalized teaching ways, which normally start from a determined subject-matter and go toward exemplification. Our contribution consisted of constructing an external point of view, by analyzing transcriptions of meetings and lessons in order to look for aspects referring to the teachers' education. The data had been analyzed under three points of view: commitment, autonomy and interdisciplinarity. While the teachers meetings occurred far from the interaction among teachers and students, they did not succeed in composing the "interdisciplinary picture". However, the situation that was set at the beginning of the year only found room to develop later, when the teacher already had the challenge to respond to students. The conditions that established the experience as a teacher education one were: the potentiality for the interdisciplinarity to occur due to the choice of a real case as starting point; a situation problem, represented for teachers desire to enlarge adolescents knowledge around the issue of the uterine col cancer and HPV; an actual educational situation, that imposed the necessity for the teachers to respond to real adolescents; teachers' mastering of their own disciplinary content; and the commitment of all with collaborative work and students learning. / Mestre

Thesis advisor: Richard Jackson / This study examined organizational change in science museums toward practices that are inclusive of people with disabilities. Guided by two overarching frameworks, organizational learning and the social model of disability, this study sought to answer the following: What are the contexts and processes that facilitate, sustain, or impede a science museum's change toward practices that are inclusive of people with disabilities? The research orientation was a qualitative, multiple case study. The cases featured three science museums that varied in size and location, but shared a documented history of efforts to include people with disabilities. Data were collected through observations and interviews with people with disabilities, interviews with staff members, observations of museum work, and documentation. Data analysis focused on generating descriptions and interpretation of the individual cases and the collection of cases. Findings demonstrate that change toward inclusion in these three museums is an on-going process that is embedded within the work of a broad range of organizational areas. Findings also suggest actions science museums can take to facilitate change toward inclusion, including involving people with disabilities in organizational work, engaging in experimentation and reflection, promoting the idea that practices that benefit people with disabilities also improve the museum for others, and embedding information about inclusive practices into internal communication, professional development, and large projects. These actions appear to promote organizational learning and sustainment of inclusive practices by concretizing the purpose of inclusion, developing staff who serve as internal resources, providing mechanisms for on-going feedback, and raising staff awareness of the importance of inclusion. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / This study was an examination of how science teachers' teaching abilities- content and pedagogical knowledge and skills- were affected by an inquiry-oriented science education professional development program. The study researched the characteristics of an inservice program, Microcosmos, designed to equip teachers with new perspectives on how to stimulate students' learning and to promote a self-reflective approach for the implementation of instructional practices leading to improving teachers' and students' roles in the science classroom. The Microcosmos Inservice Program, which focused on the use of microorganisms as a vehicle to teach science for middle and high school grades, was funded by the National Science Foundation and developed by the Microcosmos Project based at the School of Education, Boston University. The teacher-training program had as its main objective to show teachers and other educators how the smallest life forms-the microbes--can be a usable and dynamic way to stimulate science interest in students of all ages. It combines and integrates a number of training components that appear to be consistent with the recommendations listed in the major reform initiatives. The goal of the study was to explore weather the program provoked any change(s) in the pedagogical practices of teachers over time, and if these changes fostered inquiry-based practices in the classroom. The exploratory analysis used a qualitative methodology that followed a longitudinal design for the collection of the data gathered from a sample of 31 participants. The data was collected in two phases. Phase One - The Case History group, involved 5 science teachers over a period of seven years. Phase Two - The Expanded Teacher sample, involved 26 teachers-22 new teachers plus four teachers from Phase One-contacted at two different points on time during the study. Multiple data sources allowed for the collection of a varied and rigorous set of data for each individual in the sample. The primary data source was semi-structured interviews. Secondary data sources included pre- and post- on-site visits, classroom observations, teacher's self-report protocols and questionnaires, and documents and examples of teacher-work developed during the inservice training. The data was examined for evidence of change on: teachers' self-reported content-specific gains, teachers 'self-reported and observed changes in their teaching methods and approach to curriculum, and the teachers ' self-reported and observed changes in classroom practices as a result of the content and the pedagogy acting together and supplementing each other. A major finding of the study confirmed the benefits of inservice activities with an integral focus of science content and pedagogy on enhancing teachers' approach to instruction. The findings give renewed emphasis to the importance that inquiry-based practices for working with teachers, combined with a specific subject-matter focus, have in designing effective professional development. This combined approach, in some instances, contributed to important gains in the pedagogical content knowledge that teachers needed in order to effectively implement the Microcosmos learning experiences. / 2031-01-01

<p> Science teachers in the United States are not prepared to teach the students in their classrooms. Teachers are most often White females, while the children in their classrooms are from diverse backgrounds. Multicultural pedagogies exist, but teachers must be educated during their teacher preparation courses to understand their own relationship with race before they can enact such pedagogies in their classrooms. This qualitative study sought to examine the lived experiences of eight science education doctoral students in a course called Critical Voices in Teacher Education, through the qualitative method approach of transcendental phenomenology. The participants&rsquo; experiences were examined through three theoretical frameworks: transformative learning theory, White racial identity, and racial literacy. Interviews, field notes, and student reflections were used to collect data for this phenomenological study. The findings showed that through the process of critical reflection and group discussion, participants had a transformative experience in which their racial identities developed, and perceptions of students and curriculum shifted to include multicultural pedagogical approaches. The findings from this study supported the idea that teacher education programs must use racial identity development and multicultural curriculum as a foundation for all education programs.</p><p>

<p> Although research is limited on the effectiveness of co-teaching as a service delivery model for students with disabilities, through observation, many educators have reported positive outcomes with co-teaching (Beninghof, 2011). This case study was designed to examine the implementation of co-teaching in an elementary magnet school in a Midwestern school district driven by science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) and with a strong emphasis on personalized learning. General education teachers, special education teachers, and administrators were interviewed three times during the initial implementation school year. In addition, journaling was documented by three of the participants, and co-teaching fidelity checks were completed by the school district&rsquo;s Executive Director of Special Services. After information was gathered and analyzed, it was discovered both students with and without disabilities benefit from co-teaching as a service delivery model. It was also noted there are similarities between the benefits and challenges in a traditional co-taught classroom and a co-taught class in a STEAM elementary school with an emphasis on personalized learning. The benefits of co-teaching far outweigh the detriments. It was further discovered the success of co-teaching is attributed to the pairing of co-teaching partnerships. Finally, the participants shared the need for special education administrators to play a more active role in professional development and the sustainability of co-teaching.</p><p>

This study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between student reading performance and achievement in science. Many students have difficulties comprehending written materials presented to them in science and many tests used to measure achievement in science rely heavily on reading ability. Students may have trouble demonstrating their science knowledge due to their lack of reading skills.In this study, the reading ages and science achievement scores of students were calculated. Twenty activity cards used to teach the science topic Plants and Animals were modified to reduce the language difficulty level. All students in two Year 8 science classes used the modified activity cards and modified science achievement measures. Five students were selected to form a sub-sample of the class group for in-depth observations, interviews, and analysis. These students were low performance readers who achieved poorly on science topic tests even though they had excellent work habits. The student reading ages in the class groups ranged from 8 years 1 month to above 16 years 10 months.The reading performance data were found to correlate significantly with science achievement as measured on topic tests. Class 1 produced a correlation coefficient of 0.46, while Class 2 produced a correlation coefficient of 0.75. In this study it appears that science achievement is related to reading performance.Qualitative analysis of data from the five students in the sub-sample showed that the modified activity cards were relatively easy to use. Students could work on the cards independently. This study demonstrated that textual material needs to be presented at an appropriate reading level for independent learning to occur.All of the students in the sub-sample demonstrated improved science achievement on the modified Plants and Animals topic test. In addition, most other students in the ++ / study improved their performance on the modified science test. Thus, the modiifications appeared to make it easier for most students to demonstrate their science achievement.A positive correlation was found between student reading age and science achievement. Reading performance may be a critical factor in achievement on science tests. If this is the case, learning strategies must be developed that focus on helping students to utilize textual materials effectively.

This thesis addresses the problematic relationship between teacher personal philosophies of science and teacher pedagogy. The research literature on philosophy of science and its impact on science education identifies the persistence and pervasiveness of traditional philosophies of science, such as inductive-empiricism and positivism, that misrepresent the practice of science. Although researchers have expressed concern about the influence of teacher beliefs in inductive-empiricism and positivism on teacher practice in the science classroom, the results of research in this field are inconclusive.This thesis reports an interpretive research study of three high school science teachers. An interpretive framework was developed in order to assist in the identification of teachers personal philosophies of science. The framework comprises philosophical theories of ontology, epistemology, and theory building, and the key assumptions of major philosophers of science.Interpretive analyses were conducted on classroom discourse in order to examine the influence of the three teachers personal philosophies of science on their teaching practice. Data were collected by means of participant-observation, audio-tape recordings, and teacher and student interviews. The validity of the research was optimised by using triangulation methods.The results of the thesis in the form of general assertions, indicate that experienced teachers personal philosophies of science comprise well-established and strongly integrated networks of ontological, epistemological, and theory building beliefs based on the traditional philosophies of science of inductive-empiricism and positivism. The results indicate also that a strong relationship exists between teachers traditional personal philosophies of science and teacher-centred classroom roles and teaching practices, and that this relationship is reinforced ++ / by institutional factors such as curriculum policy and teaching resources, and laboratory design and classroom organisation.These results have important implications for the implementation of constructivist-oriented curriculum reforms in school science.