Floating and sinking (FS) is a key topic in science education, both at primary and secondary levels. The interpretation of FS phenomena, however, is challenging due to the difficulty of the scientific concepts and explanatory models involved (e.g., density, buoyancy), along with students' everyday experiences, which conflict with scientific explanations. Consequently, many studies over the last few decades have investigated how FS could be taught effectively to students of different ages while utilizing multiple teaching approaches. This meta-analysis summarizes findings from 69 intervention studies on teaching FS conducted between 1977 and 2021. Over all studies, we estimated a mean effect size of g = 0.85 (95% CI = 0.71, 0.99). This large effect size demonstrates that, although FS is a challenging concept, teaching FS is effective even in elementary school. Moreover, in a moderator analysis, we investigate the effect of intervention characteristics, students' age, as well as study design, and assessment features on the mean study effect size. To analyze the effect of these moderator variables, we use a three-level hierarchical meta-regression model for dealing with multiple effect sizes from single studies. We found two intervention characteristics that explain variance in study effect sizes: longer lasting interventions result in larger effect sizes and interventions where hands-on experiments are applied are more effective than those utilizing virtual experiments. Furthermore, studies with a treatment-control group comparison have significantly smaller effect sizes than studies with a pre-post design. We discuss the implications of our findings regarding the moderator variables for effective teaching of FS and further research on FS.
浮沉(FS)是中小学科学教育的一个重要课题。然而,由于涉及的科学概念和解释模型(如密度、浮力)难度很大,加上学生的日常经验与科学解释相冲突,对浮沉现象的解释具有挑战性。因此,在过去的几十年里,许多研究都在调查如何利用多种教学方法,有效地向不同年龄的学生教授FS。本荟萃分析总结了 1977 年至 2021 年间进行的 69 项关于金融学教学干预研究的结果。在所有研究中,我们估计平均效应大小为 g = 0.85 (95% CI = 0.71, 0.99)。如此大的效应量表明,虽然金融服务是一个具有挑战性的概念,但即使在小学阶段,金融服务教学也是有效的。此外,在调节因子分析中,我们研究了干预特征、学生年龄、研究设计和评估特征对平均研究效应量的影响。为了分析这些调节变量的影响,我们使用了一个三级分层元回归模型来处理来自单项研究的多个效应量。我们发现有两个干预特征可以解释研究效应大小的差异:持续时间较长的干预会产生较大的效应大小,而采用动手实验的干预比采用虚拟实验的干预更有效。此外,采用治疗-对照组比较的研究的效果大小明显小于采用前后设计的研究。我们将讨论我们的研究结果对金融服务有效教学的调节变量和金融服务进一步研究的影响。
{"title":"Teaching and learning floating and sinking: A meta-analysis","authors":"Martin Schwichow, Anastasios Zoupidis","doi":"10.1002/tea.21909","DOIUrl":"10.1002/tea.21909","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Floating and sinking (FS) is a key topic in science education, both at primary and secondary levels. The interpretation of FS phenomena, however, is challenging due to the difficulty of the scientific concepts and explanatory models involved (e.g., density, buoyancy), along with students' everyday experiences, which conflict with scientific explanations. Consequently, many studies over the last few decades have investigated how FS could be taught effectively to students of different ages while utilizing multiple teaching approaches. This meta-analysis summarizes findings from 69 intervention studies on teaching FS conducted between 1977 and 2021. Over all studies, we estimated a mean effect size of <i>g</i> = 0.85 (95% CI = 0.71, 0.99). This large effect size demonstrates that, although FS is a challenging concept, teaching FS is effective even in elementary school. Moreover, in a moderator analysis, we investigate the effect of intervention characteristics, students' age, as well as study design, and assessment features on the mean study effect size. To analyze the effect of these moderator variables, we use a three-level hierarchical meta-regression model for dealing with multiple effect sizes from single studies. We found two intervention characteristics that explain variance in study effect sizes: longer lasting interventions result in larger effect sizes and interventions where hands-on experiments are applied are more effective than those utilizing virtual experiments. Furthermore, studies with a treatment-control group comparison have significantly smaller effect sizes than studies with a pre-post design. We discuss the implications of our findings regarding the moderator variables for effective teaching of FS and further research on FS.</p>","PeriodicalId":48369,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Science Teaching","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2023-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/tea.21909","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136211878","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Teaching to support students' sense-making is challenging. It requires continuous, context-dependent decision-making about which student ideas to pursue, when, how, and why. This paper presents a single case study of an experienced teacher, Nadine, as an illustrative case in order to provide a rich description of this teacher's decisional episodes. Specifically, we characterize Nadine's pedagogical reasoning for decisions to make space for or close down student sense-making while facilitating whole-class discussions. We analyzed video recordings of (1) Nadine's classroom teaching over the course of two instructional units, (2) classroom moments tagged by Nadine or researchers in the midst of her teaching capturing her rationales for instructional decisions, and (3) interviews about those tagged moments. Using constant-comparative analytic methods, we identified three dimensions of criteria that Nadine considered in her decisions about whether to pursue student ideas: (1) disciplinary potential, (2) potential for fostering the classroom community, and (3) curricular considerations. We present four episodes that feature Nadine's reasoning, two in which she intentionally made space for student sense-making and two in which she intentionally closed down lines of student reasoning. Regardless of the decision, the criteria Nadine considered were sometimes aligned, supporting a straightforward decision, and other times created tensions. Across four episodes, we show how Nadine navigated multidimensional criteria; considered students' long-term trajectories; and considered for whom pursuing sense-making would be beneficial. We argue that these navigational considerations might serve as focal points as teachers, researchers, and professional learning facilitators make sense of teachers' instructional decisions as they occur during instruction and that leveraging them to open opportunities for discourse with teachers can support complex teaching practices.
{"title":"Which ideas, when, and why? An experienced teacher's in-the-moment pedagogical reasoning about facilitating student sense-making discussions","authors":"Christina (Stina) Krist, Soo-Yean Shim","doi":"10.1002/tea.21908","DOIUrl":"10.1002/tea.21908","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Teaching to support students' sense-making is challenging. It requires continuous, context-dependent decision-making about which student ideas to pursue, when, how, and why. This paper presents a single case study of an experienced teacher, Nadine, as an illustrative case in order to provide a rich description of this teacher's decisional episodes. Specifically, we characterize Nadine's pedagogical reasoning for decisions to make space for or close down student sense-making while facilitating whole-class discussions. We analyzed video recordings of (1) Nadine's classroom teaching over the course of two instructional units, (2) classroom moments tagged by Nadine or researchers in the midst of her teaching capturing her rationales for instructional decisions, and (3) interviews about those tagged moments. Using constant-comparative analytic methods, we identified three dimensions of criteria that Nadine considered in her decisions about whether to pursue student ideas: (1) disciplinary potential, (2) potential for fostering the classroom community, and (3) curricular considerations. We present four episodes that feature Nadine's reasoning, two in which she intentionally made space for student sense-making and two in which she intentionally closed down lines of student reasoning. Regardless of the decision, the criteria Nadine considered were sometimes aligned, supporting a straightforward decision, and other times created tensions. Across four episodes, we show how Nadine navigated multidimensional criteria; considered students' long-term trajectories; and considered for whom pursuing sense-making would be beneficial. We argue that these navigational considerations might serve as focal points as teachers, researchers, and professional learning facilitators make sense of teachers' instructional decisions as they occur during instruction and that leveraging them to open opportunities for discourse with teachers can support complex teaching practices.</p>","PeriodicalId":48369,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Science Teaching","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2023-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/tea.21908","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136359374","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Socioscientific issues (SSIs) can provide a context to address societal decision-making processes in school. In recent years, studies have demonstrated that one effective way to deal with these topics is through role play. However, role plays may induce an unreflected attitude change based on the roles the participants take on, which raises ethical concerns about indoctrination. To explain this change of attitude, we applied the Transportation-Imagery Model. We asked if transportation into a role play would bring about a change of attitude and behavior. Furthermore, we investigated whether the perspective of the prepared or performed characters affected transportation and the direction of an attitude change. The research was conducted in Germany with a sample of 256 secondary-school students (Mage = 16.9 years, SDage = 1.5, 68% female). We found that transportation affected neither attitude change nor behavior. There was also no effect of the prepared or performed characters' perspective on transportation or attitude change. This suggests that role play does not constitute a form of manipulation and can be used as a learning method for SSIs without reservation.
{"title":"Does role play manipulate students? Persuasive effects of role play on students' attitude and behavior regarding a socioscientific issue","authors":"Moritz Steube, Matthias Wilde, Melanie Basten","doi":"10.1002/tea.21910","DOIUrl":"10.1002/tea.21910","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Socioscientific issues (SSIs) can provide a context to address societal decision-making processes in school. In recent years, studies have demonstrated that one effective way to deal with these topics is through role play. However, role plays may induce an unreflected attitude change based on the roles the participants take on, which raises ethical concerns about indoctrination. To explain this change of attitude, we applied the Transportation-Imagery Model. We asked if transportation into a role play would bring about a change of attitude and behavior. Furthermore, we investigated whether the perspective of the prepared or performed characters affected transportation and the direction of an attitude change. The research was conducted in Germany with a sample of 256 secondary-school students (<i>M</i><sub>age</sub> = 16.9 years, <i>SD</i><sub>age</sub> = 1.5, 68% female). We found that transportation affected neither attitude change nor behavior. There was also no effect of the prepared or performed characters' perspective on transportation or attitude change. This suggests that role play does not constitute a form of manipulation and can be used as a learning method for SSIs without reservation.</p>","PeriodicalId":48369,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Science Teaching","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2023-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/tea.21910","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136359967","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lisa M. Marco-Bujosa, Lauren Baker, Krista M. Malott
First-generation college students (FGCSs) are a growing population in undergraduate education. Research on FGCS primarily focuses on the challenges and barriers they encounter in college. While important, this literature offers a limited view of FGCS as learners. Moreover, minimal literature has examined these students' lived experiences within sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This study explores the learning experiences of FGCS (N = 17) in undergraduate STEM programs at a mid-sized, private, predominantly white institution. Guided by the frameworks of intersectionality and social cognitive career theory, the researchers utilized a qualitative, phenomenological research methodology to hear the perspectives of FGCS to and to identify problematic higher educational structures in STEM. Findings point to an elitist stance underlying STEM programs based in general disciplinary norms that restricted FGCS access to STEM majors and careers across social, academic, and professional elements of the academic experience. FGCS who were multiply minoritized based upon race, gender, and social class experienced the compounding of marginalization, and academic success and persistence came at a personal cost. Students also reported relying predominantly on personal strengths and motivations to overcome elitism in STEM rather than on institutional supports. Findings also highlight the variation in the first-generation experience and identify the unique barriers FGCS encounter within STEM fields. Implications for dismantling inequitable structures for higher education in STEM attending to the social, academic, and professional inclusion of FGCS.
{"title":"“Why am I here?”: A phenomenological exploration of first-generation college student experiences in STEM majors within a predominantly white institution","authors":"Lisa M. Marco-Bujosa, Lauren Baker, Krista M. Malott","doi":"10.1002/tea.21911","DOIUrl":"10.1002/tea.21911","url":null,"abstract":"<p>First-generation college students (FGCSs) are a growing population in undergraduate education. Research on FGCS primarily focuses on the challenges and barriers they encounter in college. While important, this literature offers a limited view of FGCS as learners. Moreover, minimal literature has examined these students' lived experiences within sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This study explores the learning experiences of FGCS (<i>N</i> = 17) in undergraduate STEM programs at a mid-sized, private, predominantly white institution. Guided by the frameworks of intersectionality and social cognitive career theory, the researchers utilized a qualitative, phenomenological research methodology to hear the perspectives of FGCS to and to identify problematic higher educational structures in STEM. Findings point to an elitist stance underlying STEM programs based in general disciplinary norms that restricted FGCS access to STEM majors and careers across social, academic, and professional elements of the academic experience. FGCS who were multiply minoritized based upon race, gender, and social class experienced the compounding of marginalization, and academic success and persistence came at a personal cost. Students also reported relying predominantly on personal strengths and motivations to overcome elitism in STEM rather than on institutional supports. Findings also highlight the variation in the first-generation experience and identify the unique barriers FGCS encounter within STEM fields. Implications for dismantling inequitable structures for higher education in STEM attending to the social, academic, and professional inclusion of FGCS.</p>","PeriodicalId":48369,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Science Teaching","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2023-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135482124","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ari Krakowski, Eric Greenwald, Natalie Roman, Christina Morales, Suzanna Loper
The role of computation in science is ever-expanding and is enabling scientists to investigate complex phenomena in more powerful ways and tackle previously intractable problems. The growing role of computation has prompted calls to integrate computational thinking (CT) into science instruction in order to more authentically mirror contemporary science practice and to support inclusive engagement in science pathways. In this multimethods study, we present evidence for the Computational Thinking for Science (CT+S) instructional model designed to support broader participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) pathways by (1) providing opportunities for students to learn CT within the regular school day, in core science classrooms; and (2) by reframing coding as a tool for developing solutions to compelling real-world problems. We present core pedagogical strategies employed in the CT+S instructional model and describe its implementation into two 10-lesson instructional units for middle-school science classrooms. In the first unit, students create computational models of a coral reef ecosystem. In the second unit, students write code to create, analyze, and interpret data visualizations using a large air quality dataset from the United States Environmental Protection Agency to understand, communicate, and evaluate solutions for air quality concerns. In our investigation of the model's implementation through these two units, we found that participating students demonstrated statistically significant advancements in CT, competency beliefs for computation in STEM, and value assigned to computation in STEM. We also examine evidence for how the CT+S model's core pedagogical strategies may be contributing to observed outcomes. We discuss the implications of these findings and propose a testable theory of action for the model that can serve future researchers, evaluators, educators, and instructional designers.
{"title":"Computational Thinking for Science: Positioning coding as a tool for doing science","authors":"Ari Krakowski, Eric Greenwald, Natalie Roman, Christina Morales, Suzanna Loper","doi":"10.1002/tea.21907","DOIUrl":"10.1002/tea.21907","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The role of computation in science is ever-expanding and is enabling scientists to investigate complex phenomena in more powerful ways and tackle previously intractable problems. The growing role of computation has prompted calls to integrate computational thinking (CT) into science instruction in order to more authentically mirror contemporary science practice and to support inclusive engagement in science pathways. In this multimethods study, we present evidence for the Computational Thinking for Science (CT+S) instructional model designed to support broader participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) pathways by (1) providing opportunities for students to learn CT within the regular school day, in core science classrooms; and (2) by reframing coding as a tool for developing solutions to compelling real-world problems. We present core pedagogical strategies employed in the CT+S instructional model and describe its implementation into two 10-lesson instructional units for middle-school science classrooms. In the first unit, students create computational models of a coral reef ecosystem. In the second unit, students write code to create, analyze, and interpret data visualizations using a large air quality dataset from the United States Environmental Protection Agency to understand, communicate, and evaluate solutions for air quality concerns. In our investigation of the model's implementation through these two units, we found that participating students demonstrated statistically significant advancements in CT, competency beliefs for computation in STEM, and value assigned to computation in STEM. We also examine evidence for how the CT+S model's core pedagogical strategies may be contributing to observed outcomes. We discuss the implications of these findings and propose a testable theory of action for the model that can serve future researchers, evaluators, educators, and instructional designers.</p>","PeriodicalId":48369,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Science Teaching","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2023-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/tea.21907","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135591272","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chemical bonding is central to explaining many phenomena. Research in chemical education and the Framework for K–12 Science Education (the Framework) argue for new approaches to learning chemical bonding grounded in (1) using ideas of the balance of electric forces and energy minimization to explain bond formation, (2) using learning progressions (LPs) grounded in these ideas to support learning, and (3) engaging students in 3D learning reflected in integrating the three dimensions of scientific knowledge to make sense of phenomena. The dimensions include disciplinary core ideas, scientific and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts. While the Framework describes the theoretical basis of 3D learning, empirical evidence for the development and validation of LPs for 3D learning is limited. This work addresses that issue for the topic of chemical bonding. We develop and validate a 3D construct map for chemical bonding grounded in the idea of balance of electric forces and energy minimization. A construct map represents a finer-grained LP spanning a shorter period and focusing on specific aspects of a larger-scale LP. An NGSS-aligned validated 3D LP has never been reported for the topic of chemical bonding. The LP is based on data from 9th grade Mid-Western and Western students who used the NGSS-aligned curriculum. Multiple validity evidence sources, including interview and item response theory analysis using an assessment tool developed to probe the 3D construct map levels, were used. We demonstrate the feasibility of using the assessment tool for assigning levels to individuals and groups of learners, which is essential for the practical applicability of the 3D construct map and provides teachers with information on how to promote learning. We hope that the 3D LP presented here will serve as a guide to develop instructional and assessment approaches for chemical bonding grounded in the fundamental scientific principles and aligned to NGSS.
{"title":"Developing and validating an Next Generation Science Standards-aligned construct map for chemical bonding from the energy and force perspective","authors":"Leonora Kaldaras, Hope O. Akaeze, Joseph Krajcik","doi":"10.1002/tea.21906","DOIUrl":"10.1002/tea.21906","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Chemical bonding is central to explaining many phenomena. Research in chemical education and the Framework for K–12 Science Education (the <i>Framework</i>) argue for new approaches to learning chemical bonding grounded in (1) using ideas of the balance of electric forces and energy minimization to explain bond formation, (2) using learning progressions (LPs) grounded in these ideas to support learning, and (3) engaging students in 3D learning reflected in integrating the three dimensions of scientific knowledge to make sense of phenomena. The dimensions include disciplinary core ideas, scientific and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts. While the <i>Framework</i> describes the theoretical basis of 3D learning, empirical evidence for the development and validation of LPs for 3D learning is limited. This work addresses that issue for the topic of chemical bonding. We develop and validate a 3D construct map for chemical bonding grounded in the idea of balance of electric forces and energy minimization. A construct map represents a finer-grained LP spanning a shorter period and focusing on specific aspects of a larger-scale LP. An NGSS-aligned validated 3D LP has never been reported for the topic of chemical bonding. The LP is based on data from 9th grade Mid-Western and Western students who used the NGSS-aligned curriculum. Multiple validity evidence sources, including interview and item response theory analysis using an assessment tool developed to probe the 3D construct map levels, were used. We demonstrate the feasibility of using the assessment tool for assigning levels to individuals and groups of learners, which is essential for the practical applicability of the 3D construct map and provides teachers with information on how to promote learning. We hope that the 3D LP presented here will serve as a guide to develop instructional and assessment approaches for chemical bonding grounded in the fundamental scientific principles and aligned to NGSS.</p>","PeriodicalId":48369,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Science Teaching","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2023-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/tea.21906","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135388804","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lori Rubino-Hare, Brooke A. Whitworth, Francis Boateng, Nena Bloom
Advances in online geospatial technologies (GST) have expanded access to K-12 classrooms which has implications for the support teachers require to effectively integrate GSTs to promote learning. Previous studies have shown the impact of GST-integrated lessons on student engagement, spatial thinking skills, and/or content knowledge; however, most of these studies have been small in scope and scale and frequently focus on the affordances of the technology, without addressing the context of the implementation and student characteristics for whom GST is most impactful. We attempt to address some of these gaps. Our program scaled an effective GST-focused professional learning and development program to a national audience through a facilitator development model. This paper explores the student characteristics and lesson factors that resulted in student interest in science and technology and careers in those fields. After teaching a Geospatial Inquiry lesson created during a teacher workshop, teachers (n = 82) submitted the lessons and surveys on the implementation of Geospatial Inquiry lessons. The implementation surveys and lessons were scored for alignment to the principles of high-quality Geospatial Inquiry. Students (n = 1924) completed a post-lesson retrospective survey and indicated the extent to which their perceptions and attitudes toward science and technology changed because of the lesson. Results indicate that teacher GST performance is associated with increases in student outcomes. Students with previous exposure to science activities were more likely to have increased interest and excitement in science and careers in science but decreased interest in technology careers. Students who had previous exposure to technology activities had increased interest and excitement in technology and careers in technology but decreased interest in science careers. Geospatial Inquiry lessons also had a significant impact on students who are traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields. After participating in the lessons, students who identify as female reported higher engagement and interest in science and higher interest in science careers. Students who identified as Black or Hispanic also reported higher interest and excitement in science and technology, and students who identified as Black reported marginally higher interest in science careers.
{"title":"The impact of Geospatial Inquiry lessons on student interest in science and technology careers","authors":"Lori Rubino-Hare, Brooke A. Whitworth, Francis Boateng, Nena Bloom","doi":"10.1002/tea.21904","DOIUrl":"10.1002/tea.21904","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Advances in online geospatial technologies (GST) have expanded access to K-12 classrooms which has implications for the support teachers require to effectively integrate GSTs to promote learning. Previous studies have shown the impact of GST-integrated lessons on student engagement, spatial thinking skills, and/or content knowledge; however, most of these studies have been small in scope and scale and frequently focus on the affordances of the technology, without addressing the context of the implementation and student characteristics for whom GST is most impactful. We attempt to address some of these gaps. Our program scaled an effective GST-focused professional learning and development program to a national audience through a facilitator development model. This paper explores the student characteristics and lesson factors that resulted in student interest in science and technology and careers in those fields. After teaching a Geospatial Inquiry lesson created during a teacher workshop, teachers (<i>n</i> = 82) submitted the lessons and surveys on the implementation of Geospatial Inquiry lessons. The implementation surveys and lessons were scored for alignment to the principles of high-quality Geospatial Inquiry. Students (<i>n</i> = 1924) completed a post-lesson retrospective survey and indicated the extent to which their perceptions and attitudes toward science and technology changed because of the lesson. Results indicate that teacher GST performance is associated with increases in student outcomes. Students with previous exposure to science activities were more likely to have increased interest and excitement in science and careers in science but decreased interest in technology careers. Students who had previous exposure to technology activities had increased interest and excitement in technology and careers in technology but decreased interest in science careers. Geospatial Inquiry lessons also had a significant impact on students who are traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields. After participating in the lessons, students who identify as female reported higher engagement and interest in science and higher interest in science careers. Students who identified as Black or Hispanic also reported higher interest and excitement in science and technology, and students who identified as Black reported marginally higher interest in science careers.</p>","PeriodicalId":48369,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Science Teaching","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.6,"publicationDate":"2023-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/tea.21904","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135959231","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract Demand for engineering‐interested and proficient high school graduates continues to grow across the nation. However, there remains a severe gap in college participation and employment in engineering fields for students with learning disabilities (SWLDs). One potential way to encourage SWLDs to consider engineering as a profession and promote the development of key science attitudes may be through engineering and technology career and technical education (E‐CTE) coursework. In this study, we address the following research questions: Do SWLDs take E‐CTE courses in the early years of high school at different rates compared to students without learning disabilities? What is the relationship between early E‐CTE coursetaking and science attitudes (self‐efficacy, utility, identity), and does this differ for students with and without learning disabilities? How do specific engineering career expectations change with respect to enrollment in early E‐CTE coursework, and do these differ for students with and without learning disabilities? We utilize the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS) to respond to the research questions through moderation models and a student fixed effects methodology. Ultimately, we found no evidence of SWLD underrepresentation in E‐CTE in high school. However, SWLDs were expected to benefit more than the general population from E‐CTE participation with respect to higher levels of science self‐efficacy and science identity. Implications from these findings include how to encourage persistence along the engineering pathway, the growth of career pathway policies at the state level, and how to incorporate E‐CTE practices in academic courses.
{"title":"Exploring the role of high school engineering courses in promoting science attitudes for students with learning disabilities","authors":"Jay Plasman, Michael Gottfried, Filiz Oskay","doi":"10.1002/tea.21905","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21905","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Demand for engineering‐interested and proficient high school graduates continues to grow across the nation. However, there remains a severe gap in college participation and employment in engineering fields for students with learning disabilities (SWLDs). One potential way to encourage SWLDs to consider engineering as a profession and promote the development of key science attitudes may be through engineering and technology career and technical education (E‐CTE) coursework. In this study, we address the following research questions: Do SWLDs take E‐CTE courses in the early years of high school at different rates compared to students without learning disabilities? What is the relationship between early E‐CTE coursetaking and science attitudes (self‐efficacy, utility, identity), and does this differ for students with and without learning disabilities? How do specific engineering career expectations change with respect to enrollment in early E‐CTE coursework, and do these differ for students with and without learning disabilities? We utilize the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS) to respond to the research questions through moderation models and a student fixed effects methodology. Ultimately, we found no evidence of SWLD underrepresentation in E‐CTE in high school. However, SWLDs were expected to benefit more than the general population from E‐CTE participation with respect to higher levels of science self‐efficacy and science identity. Implications from these findings include how to encourage persistence along the engineering pathway, the growth of career pathway policies at the state level, and how to incorporate E‐CTE practices in academic courses.","PeriodicalId":48369,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Science Teaching","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136313821","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Paul P. Martin, David Kranz, Peter Wulff, Nicole Graulich
Abstract Constructing arguments is essential in science subjects like chemistry. For example, students in organic chemistry should learn to argue about the plausibility of competing chemical reactions by including various sources of evidence and justifying the derived information with reasoning. While doing so, students face significant challenges in coherently structuring their arguments and integrating chemical concepts. For this reason, a reliable assessment of students' argumentation is critical. However, as arguments are usually presented in open‐ended tasks, scoring assessments manually is resource‐consuming and conceptually difficult. To augment human diagnostic capabilities, artificial intelligence techniques such as machine learning or natural language processing offer novel possibilities for an in‐depth analysis of students' argumentation. In this study, we extensively evaluated students' written arguments about the plausibility of competing chemical reactions based on a methodological approach called computational grounded theory . By using an unsupervised clustering technique, we sought to evaluate students' argumentation patterns in detail, providing new insights into the modes of reasoning and levels of granularity applied in students' written accounts. Based on this analysis, we developed a holistic 20‐category rubric by combining the data‐driven clusters with a theory‐driven framework to automate the analysis of the identified argumentation patterns. Pre‐trained large language models in conjunction with deep neural networks provided almost perfect machine‐human score agreement and well‐interpretable results, which underpins the potential of the applied state‐of‐the‐art deep learning techniques in analyzing students' argument complexity. The findings demonstrate an approach to combining human and computer‐based analysis in uncovering written argumentation.
{"title":"Exploring new depths: Applying machine learning for the analysis of student argumentation in chemistry","authors":"Paul P. Martin, David Kranz, Peter Wulff, Nicole Graulich","doi":"10.1002/tea.21903","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21903","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Constructing arguments is essential in science subjects like chemistry. For example, students in organic chemistry should learn to argue about the plausibility of competing chemical reactions by including various sources of evidence and justifying the derived information with reasoning. While doing so, students face significant challenges in coherently structuring their arguments and integrating chemical concepts. For this reason, a reliable assessment of students' argumentation is critical. However, as arguments are usually presented in open‐ended tasks, scoring assessments manually is resource‐consuming and conceptually difficult. To augment human diagnostic capabilities, artificial intelligence techniques such as machine learning or natural language processing offer novel possibilities for an in‐depth analysis of students' argumentation. In this study, we extensively evaluated students' written arguments about the plausibility of competing chemical reactions based on a methodological approach called computational grounded theory . By using an unsupervised clustering technique, we sought to evaluate students' argumentation patterns in detail, providing new insights into the modes of reasoning and levels of granularity applied in students' written accounts. Based on this analysis, we developed a holistic 20‐category rubric by combining the data‐driven clusters with a theory‐driven framework to automate the analysis of the identified argumentation patterns. Pre‐trained large language models in conjunction with deep neural networks provided almost perfect machine‐human score agreement and well‐interpretable results, which underpins the potential of the applied state‐of‐the‐art deep learning techniques in analyzing students' argument complexity. The findings demonstrate an approach to combining human and computer‐based analysis in uncovering written argumentation.","PeriodicalId":48369,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Science Teaching","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136308117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Heather Perkins, Emily A. Royse, Sara Cooper, Jennifer D. Kurushima, Jeffrey N. Schinske
Science identity, or one's sense of recognition and competence as a scientist, is an invaluable tool for predicting student persistence and success, but is understudied among undergraduates completing preparatory work for later studies in medicine, nursing, and allied health (“pre-health career students”). In the United States, pre-health career students make up approximately half of all biology students and, as professionals, play important roles in caring for an aging, increasingly diverse population, managing the ongoing effects of a pandemic, and navigating socio-political shifts in public attitudes toward science and evidence-based medicine. Pre-health career students are also often members of groups marginalized and minoritized in STEM education, and generally complete their degrees in community college settings, which are chronically under-resourced and understudied. Understanding these students' science identities is thus a matter of social justice and increasingly important to public health in the United States. We examined science identity and engagement among community college biology students using two scales established and validated for use with STEM students attending four-year institutions. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were used on two sub-samples drawn from the pool of 846 participants to confirm that the factor structures functioned as planned among the new population. Science identity values were then compared between pre-health career students (pre-nursing and pre-allied health) and other groups. Pre-health career students generally reported interest and performance/competence on par with their traditional STEM, pre-med, and pre-dentistry peers, challenging popular assumptions about these students' interests and abilities. However, they also reported significantly lower recognition than traditional STEM and pre-med/dentistry students. The implications for public health, researchers, and faculty are discussed.
{"title":"Are there any “science people” in undergraduate health science courses? Assessing science identity among pre-nursing and pre-allied health students in a community college setting","authors":"Heather Perkins, Emily A. Royse, Sara Cooper, Jennifer D. Kurushima, Jeffrey N. Schinske","doi":"10.1002/tea.21902","DOIUrl":"10.1002/tea.21902","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Science identity, or one's sense of recognition and competence as a scientist, is an invaluable tool for predicting student persistence and success, but is understudied among undergraduates completing preparatory work for later studies in medicine, nursing, and allied health (“pre-health career students”). In the United States, pre-health career students make up approximately half of all biology students and, as professionals, play important roles in caring for an aging, increasingly diverse population, managing the ongoing effects of a pandemic, and navigating socio-political shifts in public attitudes toward science and evidence-based medicine. Pre-health career students are also often members of groups marginalized and minoritized in STEM education, and generally complete their degrees in community college settings, which are chronically under-resourced and understudied. Understanding these students' science identities is thus a matter of social justice and increasingly important to public health in the United States. We examined science identity and engagement among community college biology students using two scales established and validated for use with STEM students attending four-year institutions. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were used on two sub-samples drawn from the pool of 846 participants to confirm that the factor structures functioned as planned among the new population. Science identity values were then compared between pre-health career students (pre-nursing and pre-allied health) and other groups. Pre-health career students generally reported interest and performance/competence on par with their traditional STEM, pre-med, and pre-dentistry peers, challenging popular assumptions about these students' interests and abilities. However, they also reported significantly lower recognition than traditional STEM and pre-med/dentistry students. The implications for public health, researchers, and faculty are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":48369,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Science Teaching","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2023-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/tea.21902","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135063091","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}