Science--Study and teaching

The decline of science education in elementary schools has been well documented. While numerous efforts have been made for the purpose of reforming science education, most of those efforts have targeted science programs, assessment techniques, and setting national, state, and local standards, stressing teacher accountability for meeting those standards. However, inadequate science content knowledge of preservice teachers limits their ability to master effective teaching strategies, and also may foster negative attitudes toward science and science teaching. It is, therefore, highly unlikely that any significant reform in science education will be realized until this major underlying problem is addressed and resolved. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an experimental elementary science methods course, which employs the use of laser videodisc technology and instructional implications from cognitive science and instructional design, in terms of preservice teacher gains in Earth and physical science content knowledge and locus of control in science. The experimental elementary science methods course was compared to a more traditional approach to the same course which focused primarily on methods of teaching in the physical sciences and other science domains. The experimental and traditional groups were compared before and after treatment in terms of preservice teachers' content knowledge in Earth and physical science and locus ofcontrol in science. Results indicated that the experimental and traditional groups were comparable prior to treatment. The experimental group (89 preservice teachers) responded correctly to 45% of the items on the Elementary Science Concepts Test (ESCT) pretest and the traditional group (78 preservice teachers) responded correctly to 42% of the pretest items, the difference between groups being nonsignificant. Further, the experimental and traditional groups scored similarly on the pre-assessment of locus of control in science with scores on the Preservice Teacher Information and Science Opinion Questionnaire (ISOQ) of 162.12 and 163.65, respectively, the difference also being nonsignificant. The pre- and post-administrations of both the ESCT and ISOQ were all found to be statistically significant (F (4, 162) = 271.18343, p<0.05) in predicting group membership. Analyses of variance indicated significantly greater gains in Earth and physical science content knowledge (F (1,165) = 743.7746, p<0.025) and locus of control in science (F (1,165) = 45.7477, p<0.025) for the experimental group compared to the traditional group. A significant difference (F = (2,162) = 31.82279, p<0.05) was found between the combined effect of locus of control in science and Earth and physical science content knowledge in respect to treatment, indicating that the curriculum and instructional design of the experimental course significantly influenced preservice teachers' science content knowledge and locus of control in science. Suggestions for further research included: (a) determining whether the results of this present research may also apply to inservice teachers, (b) determining the effects of such preservice and inservice training on actual classroom practice, (c) relating increased science knowledge with improvement in science lesson planning and mastery of pedagogical skills, and (d) more detailed analysis of instructional implications from cognitive science and instructional design in regard to their application to the teaching of science (as well as other content areas).

This study investigated the effect of teaching reading through the content area of science on the reading achievement test scores of middle school below level readers when the science teachers received extensive staff development. Therefore, the staff development model developed and implemented by the researcher was an important part of this study. Participants were 811 seventh and eighth grade students who scored between the 21st and 50th percentile on a standardized measure administered each spring. Four hundred and five students served as the experimental group and 406 students served as the control group. The control group received reading instruction in separate reading classes taught by certified reading teachers. There were 16 teachers from 10 middle schools who volunteered to be a part of this study. The 10 science teachers received 60 hours of staff development that included modeling, coaching, and feedback. There were four full days of training prior to school opening, after school seminars, on site assistance with lesson planning, modeling of lessons, coaching, and feedback. A 2X2 ANCOVA was used to determine statistical relationships between the method of instruction (reading taught through science and reading taught in separate classes) and the grade level of the students (seventh and eighth grades). Informal qualitative data was gathered on the teachers' knowledge base for teaching reading and teacher attitudes regarding their responsibility for teaching reading. A pre- and posttest of teacher knowledge and a pre- and post survey of teacher attitudes were administered to each teacher involved in this study. The results indicated that there was no significant difference in the reading achievement test scores of seventh and eighth grade below-level readers who received reading instruction in science and those who received reading in separate classes of reading taught by certified reading teachers. The informal data showed that the science teachers who were involved in the study did significantly increase their knowledge base about teaching reading through their content area. This was reflected in the difference between their pretest and posttest scores on the test of teacher knowledge. There was also a change in their attitudes about the responsibility for teaching reading. On the pre survey they indicated that the science content should be their main instructional responsibility. On the post survey they indicated that teaching reading should be a major focus of their instruction.

The purpose of this research study was to explore the academic effectiveness of a dropout prevention science course code modification (Environmental Earth Science) when compared with the regular dropout prevention course (Fundamental Earth/Space Science). Academic achievement of at-risk students enrolled in both the regular and the course modification class was measured by their performance on two subscales (process and recall skills) of the district's achievement test in Fundamental Earth/Space and Fundamental Environmental Science. The modified curriculum integrated the curriculum frameworks and performance standards of Fundamental Earth/Space Science and those of Fundamental Environmental Science to produce an interdisciplinary unit of instruction that enabled students to earn two credits (Earth/Space and Environmental Science) in one year of study. The course featured an integrated approach to instruction with emphasis on hands-on and process skills. The 274 subjects of this study represented the entire population of dropout prevention students in the Broward County School System enrolled in both dropout prevention Fundamental Earth/Space Science and Fundamental Environmental Earth Science for the 1990-91 school year. A 3 x 2 x 2 factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) design was used to examine main effects due to type of curriculum, gender, and race as well as all possible interactions among these independent variables. Analyses revealed that there was a significant difference in student academic performance for each of the independent variables that was not moderated by the interactions of these variables. Students in the course modification curriculum of either gender and of all race/ethnicity groups performed significantly better (p <.05) on both subscales (process and recall) of the district's achievement examinations than students in the regular dropout prevention curriculum.

The study was designed to determine the effect of an organized, conceptually-oriented set of lessons involving the concept of gravity on the immediate and delayed achievement of fourth-grade students. Two demographically similar schools were selected for the study, with two "Treatment" classes in one school and two "Comparison" classes in the other school. The sample included 91 fourth-grade students in the four classes who were taught the concept of gravity for two weeks involving three 30-minute lessons per week. The Treatment Group teachers taught the concept of gravity using six prepared lessons. Within the same time frame, Comparison Group teachers used the text book as a guide to teach six lessons on gravity. At the end of the two weeks of lessons on gravity, a 20-question posttest was administered to each class. After another three weeks, a delayed posttest was given. Results of the Cronbach's alpha procedure showed that the two tests were reliable and appropriate for use with fourth grade students. Results of a student opinion question concerning how much the students thought they learned about gravity during the two week period showed that the students in the Treatment Group had more positive answers concerning their learning than the Comparison Group students. The ANOVA results confirmed there was no significant interaction between gender, socio-economic status, reading ability, or ethnicity and the treatment. An independent t-test found that the mean differences between the Treatment Group and Comparison Group scores on both the posttest and delayed posttest were large (4.6 and 5.2). The Treatment Group results were higher, which points to a greater retention of the concept of gravity over time by students. Cohen's Effect Size resulted in a large effect for the posttest and delayed posttest (1.8 and 2.3), suggesting that the intervention may have had a significant effect on student learning of the concept of gravity. This study suggested that having well organized, conceptually-oriented instructional lessons may assist the teacher in improving student learning of scientific concepts and aid in the retention of the concepts over time.