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胡維政. "澳門中學理科教師的教學觀念與教學實踐之調查研究." Thesis, University of Macau, 2009. http://umaclib3.umac.mo/record=b2098545.
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Lloyd, Sharon Henry. "Preschool Teachers' Attitudes and Beliefs Toward Science." ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/3175.
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In the United States, a current initiative, Advancing Active STEM Education for Our Youngest Learners, aims to advance science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education in early childhood. The purpose of this study was to understand preschool teachers' proficiency with science and address the problem of whether or not science learning opportunities are provided to young children based on teachers' attitudes and beliefs. A theoretical framework for establishing teachers' attitudes toward science developed by van Aalderen-Smeets, van der Molen, and Asma, along with Bandura's theory of self-efficacy were the foundations for this research. Research questions explored preschool teachers' attitudes and beliefs toward science in general and how they differed based on education level and years of preschool teaching experience. Descriptive comparative data were collected from 48 preschool teacher participants using an online format with a self-reported measure and were analyzed using nonparametric tests to describe differences between groups based on identified factors of teacher comfort, child benefit, and challenges. Results indicated that the participants believed that early childhood science is developmentally appropriate and that young children benefit from science instruction through improved school-readiness skills. Preschool teachers with a state credential or an associate's degree and more teaching experience had more teacher comfort toward science based on attitudes and beliefs surveyed. The data indicated participating preschool teachers experienced few challenges in teaching science. The study may support positive social change through increased awareness of strengths and weaknesses of preschool teachers for the development of effective science professional development. Science is a crucial component of school-readiness skills, laying a foundation for success in later grades.
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Russo, Sharon. "Early childhood educators' attitudes to science and science education." Curtin University of Technology, Science and Mathematics Education Centre, 1999. http://espace.library.curtin.edu.au:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=12079.
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It has long been acknowledged that pre-service Early Childhood teachers enter university with a notable lack of confidence, high levels of anxiety and an aversion to science and mathematics. Unless redressed during their time spent at university, such negative attitudes may ultimately influence the quality of science education these teachers offer to young children. This study considers the affective attitudes to science and science education of those people considered to be central to the education of young children.Specifically the study investigates the attitudes and backgrounds in science/ science education, of academics, pre-service and in-service teachers together with their attitudes towards teaching science to young children. The attitudes to science of a group of young children, aged between 4 and 8 years, were also investigated in the study. The potential links between the attitudes held by each group was of great interest to the researcher who considered the ways that academics promoted the teaching of science to young children, the factors influencing the willingness of pre-service and in-service teachers to present science to young children and the effect that teachers have on the responses of young children to science.The findings suggest that in contrast to the attitudes towards science of pre- and in-service teacher groups in the study, the young children and academics displayed attitudes such as interest, curiosity, confidence and enjoyment towards their experiences in science. There was a strong link between the memory of prior experiences in science and the present attitudes to science of the adult participants. The implications of the study are that science education in the early years will be enhanced if ways can be found to provide more positive science related experiences for pre-service and in-service teachers.
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Sunger, Mustafa. "An Analysis Of Efficacy Beliefs, Epistemological Beliefs And Attitudes Towards Science In Preservice Elementary Science Teachers And Secondary Science Teachers." Master's thesis, METU, 2007. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12608601/index.pdf.
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The purpose of the study was to analyze preservice science teachers at
elementary science teaching and secondary science teaching with respect to
their self efficacy beliefs, epistemological beliefs, and attitudes towards
science teaching. Preservice elementary science teachers and preservice
secondary science teachers who enrolled in Middle East Technical University
in Ankara were the sample of this study.
Participants of this study were third grade of preservice elementary science
teachers and preservice secondary science teachers. The instruments which
are, efficacy beliefs, epistemological beliefs, and attitudes towards science,
were utilized this study.
v
The analysis indicated that moderately positive self efficacy beliefs,
epistemological beliefs and attitudes towards science teaching were
expressed by most of the preservice elementary and secondary science
teachers regarding science teaching. Moreover, preservice elementary and
secondary science teachers believe that effective teaching can influence their
teaching abilities and students'learning. Furthermore, many preservice elementary and secondary science teachers express a positive attitude toward science teaching. The analysis indicated that there is a relationship between self efficacy beliefs and attitudes towards science teaching in preservice secondary science teachers, and there is another relationship between epistemological beliefs and attitudes towards science teaching in preservice elementary science teachers.
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Sonmez, Sema. "Preschool Teachers'." Master's thesis, METU, 2007. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/3/12609188/index.pdf.
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This study aims to explore preschool teachers'attitudes toward science teaching and its impact on classroom practices through the frequency of science activities provided in the classroom. In addition, attitudes of preschool teachers'
toward science were investigated in terms of affecting factors such as age, educational level, years of teaching experience, undergraduate course work on science, number of children in classroom, and the age group they work with. The present research was conducted with 292 preschool teachers who work in public and private schools in different districts of Ankara during the second semester of 2006-2007 academic years. The data were collected by administering Early Childhood Teachers'
Attitudes toward Science Teaching Scale (ECTASTS). Analysis of the data indicated that there is a statistically significant relationship between preschool teachers'
attitudes toward science and the frequency of science activities that they provide in the classroom. Also, all factors were found highly related with the teachers'
attitudes toward science teaching and the frequency of science activities except for age and in-service training.
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Greenfield, Norma Beth. "Perceptions and attitudes of students, teachers, and parents about middle school science fairs." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1996. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/1283.
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The problem addressed in this study was to determine what students, parents, and teachers perceive to be the main reason a school has a science fair, and whether they believe science fairs accomplish their goals. Attitudes toward competition, awarding of prizes, voluntary versus required participation, and alternatives to science fairs were also examined and compared among the groups.
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Corcoran, Dana Allard. "The relationship among elementary teachers' knowledge of nature of science, content background, and attitudes toward science." Related electronic resource: Current Research at SU : database of SU dissertations, recent titles available full text, 2009. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/syr/main.
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Lange, Alissa A., and Q. Tian. "Changing Preschool Teachers’ Attitudes and Beliefs about STEM." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2017. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/4688.
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Wateed, Maryam M. F. Al. "Attitudes of science teachers in primary schools in Kuwait towards the educational reform." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2014. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.684748.
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Studies conducted indicate that teacher's acceptance and readiness to change must be given the appropriate attention in all phases of the educational reform process. Educational recommendations in this field assume that education reform efforts sometimes fail because there is simply not enough attention given to all stages of the improvement process. Coupled with this is the increasing interest among policy makers and educators that educational reforms require teachers not ' only to update their skills and knowledge, but also transform their roles, their responsibilities and understanding the complex nature of the change required (Kennedy, 1996; Villegas- Reim, 2003; Fullan, 2001). This study investigates the value and importance of teacher's attitude towards educational reform. Explicitly, this research explores how a sample of science teachers in primary schools in Kuwait think about change and how they perceive and respond to educational reform. Data were collected by means of a large-scale questionnaire specifically addressing the views of (187) primary school science teachers toward the implementation of educational reform in Kuwait and their experiences and problems in their daily working life. In addition, focus group interviews with selected science teachers were used to understand in depth why and how science teachers possess the attitudes they hold towards educational reform implementation. A literature review was carried out to obtain a comprehensive view of previous research focused on the concept of reform, science education reforms and teachers' attitudes and responses toward change. The literature review also examined reforms in other countries which have remarkable educational system there were: Finland, Canada, Chile, Japan, Singapore, USA, UK and South Korea and some regional countries such as Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which represent a model for educational reforms in the Arabic region. Recommendations are made from this study based on the findings related to issues of teachers' attitudes to educational change and approaches to helping teachers to equip themselves to more effectively prepare for successful reform implementation. A further outcome, from this research is seen as providing guidelines for educational leaders in the Ministry of Education and in schools in Kuwait to develop public understanding and awareness of the importance of teachers' acceptance and readiness for the support and success of an educational reform.
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Puckett, James L. "The effects of integrated educational technology and science methods course on first year elementary teachers' educational technology attitudes and usage /." free to MU campus, to others for purchase, 1997. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/mo/fullcit?p9840028.
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Bisogno, Janet L. "College science teachers' inquiry beliefs and practices in the science classroom." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2011. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/4847.
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Lecture was the primary instruction in the science classroom, and the labs were scripted and shown to be "cookbook" with little or no evidence of inquiry noted in the labs obtained. There was more evidence of inquiry at the private four-year college and community college than at the large research institution; what was observed in the classroom mirrored what the professors believed about inquiry. There was a difference in the beliefs between institutions with the professors at the research institution holding an incomplete view of inquiry while the professors at the private college and community college included many aspects of the inquiry continuum in their view of inquiry. There were no differences noted between disciplines.; The purpose of the study was to examine college science professors' beliefs regarding the use of inquiry in the college science classroom, how these beliefs impacted their instructional choices and how these beliefs were enacted in the classroom. Additional questions were how teachers' beliefs vary across institution types (community college, private, four year college, and large research institution), and how beliefs vary across disciplines (life sciences and physical sciences). A case study design was required for this study due to the complexity of the topic and different data sources needed to answer the fore stated research questions. These data sources included surveys, interviews, classroom and laboratory observations and written records such as laboratory activities and syllabi. Twelve college professors at three different institutions; large research institution, small, private four year college and community college were interviewed. In addition to interviews, classes and labs were observed, a questionnaire on the five essential features of inquiry was given and samples of labs and syllabi were obtained. A laboratory coordinator was also interviewed as she was responsible for the laboratory section for two of the professors at the research institution. All schools were located in the southeast United States. The perception of inquiry by college science professors has been found to be a barrier to the inclusion of inquiry in college classrooms and was supported in the current study. While the professors described constraints to inquiry such as large class size, lack of time, disinterest of students, and lack of equipment, these limitations were due, in part, to the professors' incomplete view of inquiry as what researchers do. This view was most pronounced with the professors at the large, research institution. At the research institution, observations in the classroom mirrored the beliefs of inquiry.ID: 029809264; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Central Florida, 2011.; Includes bibliographical references 9p. 155-172).
Ed.D.
Doctorate
Education
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梁仲民 and Chung-man Luke Leung. "Course effectiveness evaluation by in-service teachers in an in-service primary school teacher education program in Macau." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1992. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B38626160.
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Alatoai, Ataallh. "SAUDI PRESERVICE ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD TEACHING SCIENCE: EXPLORATION OF COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE, AND PERCEIVED CONTROL BELIEFS." OpenSIUC, 2016. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/dissertations/1170.
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Science education studies show that many preservice science teachers have negative attitudes toward teaching science, yet they are expected to teach it in an effective manner. Previous studies on preservice science teachers’ attitudes have focused on studying their attitudes toward teaching science as a single concept, yet the literature shows that attitudes should be studied as a psychological construct consisting of cognitive beliefs, affective states, and perceived control beliefs. There is a dearth of research on preservice science teachers’ attitudes toward teaching science. Specifically, no such study has been conducted before in Saudi Arabia using this manner of exploring attitudes. As such, this convergent parallel mixed-methods study had threefold aims: to explore Saudi preservice elementary teachers’ attitude dimensions toward teaching science, including their cognitive beliefs, affective states, and perceived control beliefs; to establish the relationship between preservice elementary teachers’ cognitive beliefs, affective feelings, and perceived control dimensions; and to determine the underlying reasons for preservice elementary science teachers’ attitude dimensions toward teaching science. The data was collected by using a questionnaire made up of two sections: the quantitative section was a DAS survey developed by van Aalderen-Smeets and Walma van der Molen (2013), and the qualitative section comprised open-ended questions. The reason for using a mixed-methods design was to gain a comprehensive understanding of the collected information. The study was conducted among 92 Saudi preservice science teachers at a large university in western Saudi Arabia. Data was analyzed by using T-tests, ANOVA, and the Pearson correlation for the quantitative data, and a thematic analysis approach for the qualitative data. The results of the survey showed that most preservice science teachers have positive attitudes’ dimensions toward teaching science. The results of the qualitative data also supported these results and yielded 19 themes regarding the factors that impact preservice science teachers’ attitudes’ dimensions. The implications of these results for future research and practicum training are discussed herein.
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Ndodana, Cynthia Bulelwa. "A comparison of science teachers' and engineering students' rankings of science and technology related global problems." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17501.
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Bibliography: pages 73-82.Using 262 acknowledged science educators from 41 countries, Bybee developed a scale for measuring the ranked priorities of scientists, and others, with respect to twelve major global problems related to science and technology in 1984. In 1993 this scale was re-administered to samples of 76 Cape Town science educators, 55 Transkei science educators and 129 chemical engineering undergraduates at the University of Cape Town. High correlations ranging from r = 0.68 to r = 0.90 were obtained among the four samples' mean ranked priorities on the scale as a whole, over the ten year period. Among the top six global problems in 1984, five still received consistently high overall prioritisation in 1993, namely: population growth; world hunger and food resources; human health and disease; air quality and atmosphere; and water resources. The mean ranking of war technology as a priority declined by seven places over the ten year period. Educators surveyed in follow-up studies in 1993 made numerous recommendations for teaching these global problems. These included the use of the science-technology-society (STS) approach in science education; the introduction of a core school curriculum on environmental education; the encouragement of student participation in projects which help to reduce or eliminate such global problems; and the re-allocation of money spent on nuclear arms towards the satisfaction of human basic needs such as food, housing, health and water services. In a follow-up survey of twenty lecturers in engineering at the University of Cape Town in 1993 and 1994 important goals and issues singled out by individuals included the provision of mass housing and infrastructure; sanitation; urbanisation; job creation; the abuse of high technology in communications; technological illiteracy among decision makers; abuse and reduction of oceanic resources; photochemical smog; the prediction and possible control of droughts and floods; demands on the human race of the information explosion; electromagnetic wave hazards and pollution; resource depletion education and the dissemination of knowledge; the emergence and separation of C.P. Snow's "Two cultures"; and the myth of the peace dividend. Several of these issues were then subsequently included in 1995 in an updated, modified and extended form of the Bybee Scale. Currently a reliable and validated 15-item Scale -emerging from the findings of this dissertation - is being employed by other research workers in various parts of the new South Africa. During 1995 its chief use has been offering relevant input into, and providing empirical justification for, fundamental aspects of the policy of the current Reconstruction and Development Programme, as set out in the 1995 White Paper of the Government of National Unity.
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Hartshorne, Charles Richard. "Integrating hypermedia into elementary teachers' science professional development opportunities the effects on content knowledge and attitudes toward science /." [Gainesville, Fla.] : University of Florida, 2004. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/UFE0006320.
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Lombaard, Deidré. "Natural Science teacher attitudes and Pedagogical Content Knowledge for teaching Botany." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/45870.
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This South African study investigated a sample of Grade 4 to 7 Natural Sciences teachers’ attitudes towards botany and botany teaching and these teachers’ botany Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). It explored whether a relationship exists between teachers’ attitudes towards botany teaching and their PCK. The study provides an overview of international and South African literature and research on the underrepresentation of botany and the teaching of botany in Natural Sciences classes. Throughout the study insight is provided on the universal problems of plant blindness and negative attitudes towards botany and botany teaching in the Natural Sciences classroom.
Data were collected during teachers’ interviews, class observations and analyses of lesson plan documents. The results indicated that most teachers harbour negative attitudes towards botany and botany teaching. There are various reasons for this negativity such as past experiences in botany training, zoochauvinism and plant blindness. The Pedagogical Content Knowledge of teachers in this study was insufficient. It was found that teachers’ attitudes towards botany teaching influence their PCK and teachers’ PCK can, in turn, influence teacher attitudes towards botany, which can affect the teachers’ ways of teaching.
This study confirms that problems of plant blindness, zoochauvinism and negativity towards botany and botany teaching that occur elsewhere in the world are also prevalent among South African teachers. This confirmation casts doubts on Natural Sciences teachers’ botany PCK. This study adds to the literature on botany teaching and PCK in the South African contextDissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2014.
tm2015
Science, Mathematics and Technology Education
MEd
Unrestricted
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Govett, Aimee L. "Teachers' conceptions of the nature of science analyzing the impact of a teacher enhancement program in changing attitudes and perceptions of science and scientific research /." Morgantown, W. Va. : [West Virginia University Libraries], 2001. http://etd.wvu.edu/templates/showETD.cfm?recnum=1972.
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Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2001.Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 183, 2 p. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 156-158).
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Fowler, Shannon Marie. "Forestry Education Attitudes and Teaching Practices Among High School Science Teachers in the Southern Piedmont." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/42584.
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Forestry education in high schools can be an effective method for introducing students to forest management. To study its use and purpose, we conducted a web-based survey of high school science teachers in the Southern Piedmont region of the United States investigating their forestry education attitudes and teaching practices. A total of 1024 surveys were delivered and 324 returned for an adjusted response rate of 32%. Results indicate that most teachers (82%) agree forestry should be taught in high schools and do so most frequently by presenting forestry concepts in the context of ecosystem services, followed by physical and physiological characteristics of trees. Concepts related to products, uses, and management are taught least frequently. Variables that predict teaching frequencies for each of these three concept groups include classes taught in the last 5 years, environmental education program training, and childhood location in addition to attitudes toward and knowledge of forest management. Also, it was found that over half (57%) of the teachers surveyed do not take field trips to forests and less than 25% do so multiple times per year. Variables that predict whether or not teachers take field trips to forests include confidence in teaching forestry concepts, involvement in school natural resources related extra-curricular activities such as 4-H and Envirothon, and the presence of a forest within walking distance of the school. The most widely reported constraints to teaching forestry concepts and taking field trips to forests are mandated standards or curriculum (60%), money (40%), time (32%), mandated testing (19%), and training, interest, and infrastructure (19%).Master of Science
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Tinnin, Richard K. "The effectiveness of a long-term professional development program on teachers' self-efficacy, attitudes, skills, and knowledge using a thematic learning approach /." Digital version accessible at:, 2000. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/utexas/main.
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Martin-Dunlop, Catherine S. "Perceptions of the learning environment, attitudes towards science, and understandings of the nature of science among prospective elementary teachers in an innovative science course." Curtin University of Technology, Science and Mathematics Education Centre, 2004. http://espace.library.curtin.edu.au:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=16565.
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The major purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a science course for prospective elementary teachers on their perceptions of the learning environment, attitudes towards science, and understandings of the nature of science. The sample consisted of 525 female students enrolled in 27 classes of A Process Approach to Science (SCED 401) at a large urban university in Southern California. Also comparisons were made between SCED 401 and the students' previous laboratory course with regard to the learning environment and attitudes. Perceptions of the learning environment were measured using scales from the Science Laboratory Environment Inventory (Open-Endedness and Material Environment) and the What Is Happening In this Class? (Student Cohesiveness, Instructor Support, Cooperation, Investigation). Attitudes towards science were assessed using the Enjoyment of Science Lessons scale from the Test of Science-Related Attitudes (TOSRA). Students completed the Nature of Scientific Knowledge Survey (NSKS) based on their entire science education experience-not just the one laboratory class which they had taken previously. Comparisons were then made with their understandings after having completed SCED 401. Finally, associations between the learning environment and the student outcomes of attitudes and understandings of the nature of science were explored. This study embraced the current trend in classroom learning environments research of combining quantitative and qualitative methods. Qualitative components included items from the open-ended questionnaire, Views of Nature of Science, interviews with students, and an analysis of concept maps. The qualitative findings expanded and complemented the quantitative results and, in several cases, supported the construct validity of scales assessing the learning environment and attitudes.Another purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of using real research data for growth rates of four species of Antarctic seabirds (i.e., implementing an 'intervention') in six classes of SCED 401. The objective of the intervention was to increase the authenticity and quality of an experimental design project. In addition, the wildlife biologist who collected the data guided the students during the project. Although the intervention did not lead to an appreciable improvement in students' perceptions of the learning environment, differences between intervention and nonintervention classes were statistically significant for Enjoyment of Science Lessons from the TOSRA and for Creative from the NSKS (effect sues were 2.64 and 2.06 standard deviations, respectively). Results of this study indicated that during a factor analysis, the large majority of learning environment items belonged to their a priori scale (43 out of 46 items had factor loadings above 0.40) A valid instrument for use with prospective elementary teachers was produced by combining relevant scales from the Science . Laboratory Environment Inventory and the What Is Happening In this Class? A weaker factor structure was found for the Nature of Scientific Knowledge Survey. However, by moving close to half of the -faulty' items from the NSKS, the internal consistency reliability of scales improved considerably. This study also found large and statistically significant differences between students' previous laboratory class and SCED 401 for all six leaning environment scales. The largest difference was found for the level of Open-Endedness (effect size was 6.74 standard deviations).
A statistically significant difference also was found for Enjoyment of Science Lessons (effect size was 2.98 standard deviations). Differences were not as dramatic with regard to understandings of the nature of science, although differences for two scales (Creative and Unified) from the NSKS were positive and statistically significant. This study replicated past research by finding statistically significant positive correlations between all six learning environment scales and Enjoyment of Science Lessons. However, by far, Instructor Support had the largest independent association with enjoyment, using both the individual and class mean as the units of analysis. A positive link between a favorable leaning environment and the student outcome of understanding nature of science also was found. This research makes a distinctive contribution to the learning environments field because it is the first study to investigate laboratory classroom environments at the university level with prospective elementary teachers. The study is also the first to build a bridge between the classroom learning environment and the student outcome of understanding the nature of science. The study has implications for undergraduate laboratory course instructors, for science teacher educators who develop and instruct in elementary teacher preparation programs, and for future elementary teachers and the science learning of their future students.
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Meiring, Leslie Frank. "The development of a typology of science teachers' views on the nature of science and science practical work: an evaluative pilot study." Thesis, Rhodes University, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007607.
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Many theories on the nature of science and the nature of learning have been proposed. In particular, two theoretical orientations have been identified as having a decisive impact on activities in the school science classroom, namely "Inductivism" and "Constructivism". Inductivism views observations as objective, facts as constants and knowledge as being obtained from a fixed external reality. The constructivist view sees all knowledge as "reality" reconstructed in the mind of the learner. Each view predisposes certain orientations towards the science curriculum and within it particularly to assessment. It is postulated that teachers' views on science will influence how they teach and assess it. An "inductivist" teacher is more likely to reward certain approved responses from learners whereas a "constructivist" teacher is more likely to attend to learners' unique observations as evidence of their thinking. In this study a questionnaire was developed in an attempt classify science teachers according to their views on the nature of science and learning, and during this process encourage them to reflect on these views. It is hoped that the instrument could measure any changes in teacher's views as a result of the teachers becoming more reflective practitioners over time. Research indicates that the majority of teachers have a predominantly inductivist view of science. The study confirmed the results of other researchers by showing that a majority of non-tertiary science educators could be classified as being strongly inductivist. However, the overall proportion of these teachers was not as high as expected. Of possible concern was the indication that the strongly constructivist group showed very strong inductivist tendencies when assessing written tests which involved pupils' responses to laboratory observations.
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Robertson, Laura, and M. Gail Jones. "Chinese and US Middle-School Science Teachers' Autonomy, Motivation, and Instructional Practices." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2013. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/765.
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This study examined Chinese and US middle-school science teachers' perceptions of autonomy support. Previous research has documented the link between teachers' perceptions of autonomy and the use of student-oriented teaching practices for US teachers. But is not clear how the perception of autonomy may differ for teachers from different cultures or more specifically how motivation factors differ across cultures. The survey measured teachers' motivation, perceptions of constraints at work, perceptions of students' motivation, and level of autonomy support for students. Exploratory factor analysis of responses for the combined teacher sample (n = 201) was carried out for each of the survey assessments. Significance testing for Chinese (n = 107) and US (n = 94) teachers revealed significant differences in teachers' motivation and perceptions of constraints at work and no significant differences for perceptions of students' motivation or their level of autonomy support for students. Chinese teachers' perceptions of constraints at work, work motivation, and perceptions of student motivation were found to significantly predict teachers' autonomy support. For the US teachers, teacher motivation was the only significant predictor of teachers' autonomy support. A sub-sample of teachers (n = 19) was interviewed and results showed that teachers in both countries reported that autonomy was important to their motivation and the quality of science instruction they provided to students. The primary constraints on teaching reported by the US teachers related to materials and laboratory space while the Chinese teachers reported constraints related to the science curriculum and standards.
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Helding, Karen A. "Effectiveness of national board certified teachers in terms of classroom environment, attitudes and achievement among secondary science students." Curtin University of Technology, Science and Mathematics Education Centre, 2006. http://espace.library.curtin.edu.au:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=16716.
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A United States organization, called the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), was initiated to strengthen the pedagogy of teaching and, subsequently, improve student achievement. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the NBPTS in terms of whether National Board Certified (NBC) teachers are effective in promoting positive classroom environments and student attitudes and in enhancing student achievement. The sample consisted of 927 Grade 8 and 10 science students from 12 secondary schools. Altogether, 443 students in 21 classes comprised the NBC teacher group and 484 students in 17 classes comprised the non-NBC teacher group. Students completed a learning environment questionnaire, the What Is Happening In this Class? (WIHIC), and an attitude scale based on the Test Of Science-Related Attitude (TOSRA). Scores from the science portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test FCAT, a state-mandated examination, were collected to measure achievement. This research is unique in that it is the first time that a learning environments study has included a sample of National Board Certified (NBC) and non-NBC teachers in order to compare their effectiveness in terms of secondary students' perceptions of their science learning environment, attitudes toward science, and science achievement. The study revealed that the revised version of the WIHIC and the modified attitude scale are valid and reliable instruments for assessing perceptions of the classroom environment and attitudes toward science among secondary science students in Miami-Dade County, Florida.In addition, a much stronger association with learning environment was found for students' attitude than for students' achievement. The contributions and significance of this study are not only that it adds to the area of research that pertains to the efficacy of NBC teachers, but it also adds to the field of learning environments research. This study is useful because it could be replicated to provide additional empirical evidence about the effect National Board teachers have on students in the classroom and add to the growth of educational data on the impact of National Teacher Certification and classroom learning environments research.
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A, Helding Karen. "Effectiveness of national board certified teachers in terms of classroom environment, attitudes and achievement among secondary science students /." Full text available, 2006. http://adt.curtin.edu.au/theses/available/adt-WCU20061129.143734.
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Fanning, Ashley. "Learning Through Nature: A Study of a Next Generation Science Standards Based Teacher Workshop that Blends Outdoor Learning Experiences with Formal Science." PDXScholar, 2016. http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/2731.
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Many teachers lack the confidence and knowledge to transition their classroom science lessons to an outdoor setting. Very few teacher professional development (PD) programs focus on improving teachers' self-efficacy and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) that is needed to enhance their science curriculum with outdoor lessons. This study examined an exception: The Connect2Science workshops, which provided elementary teachers the opportunity to experience nature-based science lessons. My research question for this study is: In what ways does a professional development workshop focused around the Next Generation Science Standards influence teachers': a) self-efficacy in teaching science outdoors and b) science pedagogical content knowledge? Data was collected using a retrospective pre and post survey, a reflection piece on participants’ pedagogical content knowledge and semi-structured interviews. The results showed that participants’ self-efficacy was positively affected by the Connect2Science workshops. As for pedagogical content knowledge, the results give a small insight into how participants viewed and thought about student misconceptions and how the instructional strategies presented in the workshops equipped them to better address science content in an outdoor setting.
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Lange, Alissa A., Kwanghee Jung, Irena Nayfeld, Hebbah El-Moslimany, Hagit Mano, and Alexandra Figueras-Daniel. "Preliminary Effects of a Preschool Stem Professional Development Model on Teachers’ Attitudes and Beliefs." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2018. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/4188.
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Preschool science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is important for later learning for all children, including dual language learners (DLLs). However the preschool workforce is generally not well prepared to teach STEM or to work with DLLs, and attitudes and beliefs may play a role in teachers feeling challenged to provide high quality STEM teaching. The objectives of the SciMath-DLL professional development (PD) model are to improve attitudes and change beliefs of educators, increase preschool teachers’ knowledge, and improve classroom instruction around STEM and supports for dual language learners (DLLs). This paper provides preliminary results from a randomized trial of participation in the SciMath-DLL PD on preschool educators’ attitudes and beliefs.
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Dietz, Laura Elizabeth. "Effect of the Science Teaching Advancement through Modeling Physical Science Professional Development Workshop on Teachers' Attitudes, Beliefs and Content Knowledge and Students' Content Knowledge." Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1404125737.
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Szyjka, Sebastian. "Cognitive And Attitudinal Predictors Related To Graphing Achievement Among Pre-Service Elementary Teachers." OpenSIUC, 2009. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/dissertations/43.
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The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which six cognitive and attitudinal variables predicted pre-service elementary teachers' performance on line graphing. Predictors included Illinois teacher education basic skills sub-component scores in reading comprehension and mathematics, logical thinking performance scores, as well as measures of attitudes toward science, mathematics and graphing. This study also determined the strength of the relationship between each prospective predictor variable and the line graphing performance variable, as well as the extent to which measures of attitude towards science, mathematics and graphing mediated relationships between scores on mathematics, reading, logical thinking and line graphing. Ninety-four pre-service elementary education teachers enrolled in two different elementary science methods courses during the spring 2009 semester at Southern Illinois University Carbondale participated in this study. Each subject completed five different instruments designed to assess science, mathematics and graphing attitudes as well as logical thinking and graphing ability. Sixty subjects provided copies of primary basic skills score reports that listed subset scores for both reading comprehension and mathematics. The remaining scores were supplied by a faculty member who had access to a database from which the scores were drawn. Seven subjects, whose scores could not be found, were eliminated from final data analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted in order to establish validity and reliability of the Questionnaire of Attitude Toward Line Graphs in Science (QALGS) instrument. CFA tested the statistical hypothesis that the five main factor structures within the Questionnaire of Attitude Toward Statistical Graphs (QASG) would be maintained in the revised QALGS. Stepwise Regression Analysis with backward elimination was conducted in order to generate a parsimonious and precise predictive model. This procedure allowed the researcher to explore the relationships among the affective and cognitive variables that were included in the regression analysis. The results for CFA indicated that the revised QALGS measure was sound in its psychometric properties when tested against the QASG. Reliability statistics indicated that the overall reliability for the 32 items in the QALGS was .90. The learning preferences construct had the lowest reliability (.67), while enjoyment (.89), confidence (.86) and usefulness (.77) constructs had moderate to high reliabilities. The first four measurement models fit the data well as indicated by the appropriate descriptive and statistical indices. However, the fifth measurement model did not fit the data well statistically, and only fit well with two descriptive indices. The results addressing the research question indicated that mathematical and logical thinking ability were significant predictors of line graph performance among the remaining group of variables. These predictors accounted for 41% of the total variability on the line graph performance variable. Partial correlation coefficients indicated that mathematics ability accounted for 20.5% of the variance on the line graphing performance variable when removing the effect of logical thinking. The logical thinking variable accounted for 4.7% of the variance on the line graphing performance variable when removing the effect of mathematics ability.
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Joern, William T. "Investigating the relationships between seventh and eighth grade science teachers' background, self-efficacy toward teaching science as inquiry, and attitudes and beliefs on classroom control." Diss., [Missoula, Mont.] : The University of Montana, 2009. http://etd.lib.umt.edu/theses/available/etd-05192009-111233.
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Campbell, Coral, and mikewood@deakin edu au. "Science education in primary schools in a state of change." Deakin University, 2000. http://tux.lib.deakin.edu.au./adt-VDU/public/adt-VDU20050815.101333.
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Through a longitudinal study of one teacher's science teaching practice set in the context of her base school, this thesis records the effects of the structural and policy changes that have occurred in Victorian education over the past 6-7 years - the 'Kennett era'. Initially, the purpose of the study was to investigate the teacher's practice with the view to improving it. For this, an action research approach was adopted. Across the year 1998, the teacher undertook an innovative science program with two grades, documenting the approach and outcomes. Several other teachers were involved in the project and their personal observations and comments were to form part of the data. This research project was set in the context of a single primary school and case study methodology was used to document the broader situational and daily influences which affected the teacher's practice. It was apparent soon after starting the action research that there were factors which did not allow for the development of the project along the intended lines. By the end of the project, the teacher felt that the action research had been distorted - specifically there had been no opportunity for critical reflection. The collaborative nature of the project did not seem to work. The teacher started to wonder just what had gone wrong. It was only after a break from the school environment that the teacher-researcher had the opportunity to really reflect on what had been happening in her teaching practice. This reflection took into account the huge amount of data generated from the context of the school but essentially reflected on the massive number of changes that were occurring in all schools. Several issues began to emerge which directly affected teaching practice and determined whether teachers had the opportunity to be self-reflective. These issues were identified as changes in curriculum and the teaching role, increased workload, changed power relations and changed security/morale on the professional context.
This thesis investigates the structural and policy changes occurring in Victorian education by reference to documentation and the lived experiences of teachers. It studies how the emerging issues affect the practices of teachers, particularly the teacher-researcher. The case study has now evolved to take in the broader context of the policy and structural changes whilst the action research has expanded to look at the ability of a teacher to be self-reflective: a meta-action research perspective. In concluding, the teacher-researcher reflects on the significance of the research in light of the recent change in state government and the increased government importance placed on science education in the primary context.
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So, Wing-mui Winnie, and 蘇詠梅. "A longitudinal investigation of Hong Kong primary school teachers' thinking about science teaching and learning." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2001. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31242303.
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Koopman, Oscar. "Teachers’ experiences of implementing the Further Education and Training (FET) Science Curriculum." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/79884.
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Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013.Bibliography
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigated a single research question, that is: How do teachers experience the implementation of the Further Education and Training (FET) National Curriculum Statement (NCS) for Physical Science? The focus of the study was on searching the inner consciousness of Physical Science teachers as they engaged with the teaching of the subject on a daily basis. It is in the inner consciousness where one finds the truth about people’s perceptions, beliefs, emotions, challenges and convictions about/towards phenomena that the study sought to determine. In so doing, this study searched for phenomenological truth about the daily realities Physical Science teachers are faced with, as they implement the NCS. Phenomenological truth is floatable, precarious in nature, and subject to an individual’s perception of truth. It is important to note that phenomenological truth makes no reference to absolute truth. At the time this study was conducted the NCS was the only policy document with legal status for schools in South Africa. As a result the NCS influences and directs the pedagogical practices of teachers. This is because the NCS has a specific expectation of Physical Science teachers with regards to their understanding of the content, the delivery of the content, the learning environment, and professionalism. Through searching the consciousness of teachers, they revealed how they experienced what they do in the Physical Science classroom. In other words, how they experience what, how, when and who they teach. Probing into the consciousness of teachers and how they experience the implementation of the NCS provides valuable insight into the quality of curriculum delivery. This study did not only focus on the implementation of the NCS, but also examined why it might be difficult for teachers to change their practices. Phenomenology is both a theory and a method. The study was guided by the ideas of Edmund Husserl - who is regarded by many phenomenologists as the father of phenomenology, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and many other phenomenologists. Husserl (cited in Derrida, 1967) believed that we should begin any explanation with experience, which is a scientific description that does not presuppose any significance of the existence of the metaphysical world. By delving into the complexities of experience one can locate the flowing life of an individual’s consciousness as it occurs. Husserl posited the belief returning to the things themselves (cited in, Derrida, 1967; Spanos, 1976; Groenewald, 2004) to describe the purity of experience as data. In this study I sampled three teachers and employed a phenomenological methodological framework to capture their lived experiences. I used one-on-one semi-structured face-to-face interviews to construct the data. In addition, field notes were used to turn the direct experiences and observations of the participants into vivid descriptions. In phenomenology researchers use field notes to make the voice of people heard in the text. I drew on Husserl, Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty’s philosophical pathways that a person must be understood from his position within a specific time and place to present the findings. The major finding in this study showed that the teachers’ consciousness, with respect to Physical Science teaching was negatively influenced by the legacy of apartheid-education. This negative consciousness through which they framed their thoughts and filtered their ideas became the collective mindset through which they personified their teaching. The study revealed that the delivery of the NCS (by the teachers) was mostly axiomatised by old habits and images in their thoughts engrained in their memory under apartheid education. The findings also showed that their (teachers’) consciousness with regards to the NCS unconsciously oscillated between the present and the past and that they continuously and unconsciously bring the past (old ideas and beliefs) into the present. The teachers constantly have to struggle against the phenomenological self or attitude and ceaselessly suppose and follow thoughts of pre-comprehension or preconception.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doelwit van hierdie studie was om die volgende navorsingvraag te beantwoord: Hoe ervaar onderwysers die implementering van die Verdere Onderwys en Opleiding (VOO) Nasionale Kurrikulum Verklaring (NKV) vir Fisiese Wetenskap? Die hoofdoel was om meer insig te verkry oor wat binne onderwysers se psige plaasvind soos hulle op ‘n daaglikse basis hul uitleef in die Fisiese Wetenskapsklaskamer binne die raamwerk van die NKV. Dit is binne die psige waar hul persepsies, diepgewortelde waardes, emosies, en uitdagings rondom die NKV rus. Om hierdie rede is die studie geïntresseerd om die fenomenologiese waarheid van die alledaagse realiteite waarmee hulle aanhoudend gekonfronteer word, te myn. Fenominologiese waarheid is vloeibaar en verskil van persoon tot persoon en hou geen verwysing met absolute waarheid nie. Toe hierdie studie plaasgevind het, was die VOO NKV die enigste wettige beleidsdokument vir die deelnemers. Die onderwysers was dus verplig om die voorgeskrewe beginsels soos in die NKV saamgevat toe te pas in die voorbereiding en aanbieding van hul lesse. Die NKV beskryf in diepte die inhoud vir elke graad (10-12), hoe die inhoud aangebied moet word, die klaskamer atmosfeer, asook die professionalitiet van die opvoeders. Al die antwoorde soos saamgevat in laasgenoemde, lê bine die psige van die onderwysers. Die ondersoek van die psige van die onderwysers lei tot ‘n begrip van hoe, wat en waarom Fisiese Wetenskaps-onderswysers doen wat hulle doen. Alhoewel die fokus van hierdie studie op die implementering van die NKV is, dra dit ook by tot groeiende kennis aangaande hoekom onderwysers dit moeilik vind om hulle praktyke te verander wanneer dit kom by die hernuwing van ‘n kurrikulum. Fenomenologie is beide ‘n navorsingsmetode en ‘n teorie. Die literatuuroorsig van hierdie studie is geinspireer deur die idees van Edmund Husserl, wat bestempel word as die vader van fenomenolgie, asook Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, en veskeie ander fenomenoloë. Derrida (1967) is oortuig daarvan dat enige verduideliking akkuraat beskryf kan word indien geleefde ervaring in ag geneem word. Geleefde ervaring spreek direk tot die onderliggende psige van ‘n individu, en deur die psige te ondersoek, is dit moontlik om ‘n individu se oortuigings ten opsigte van sy/haar geloof, persepsies en uitdagings, asook hoe die individu reageer op hierdie aspekte te verstaan. Husserl gebruik die uitdrukking ‘returning to the things themselves’ wanneer hy verwys na die belangrikheid en oorspronlikheid van ervaring (vermeld in, Derrida, 1967; Spanos, 1976; Groenewald, 2004). Om hierdie rede is ‘n fenomenologiese metode gevolg om die lewenservaringe van drie swart onderwysers vas te vang. Hierdie fenomenologiese vertolkende ondersoek word deur veelvoudigemetodes van inligtingsinsameling gekenmerk. Inligting in hierdie studie oor die deelnemers se ervaringe is vekry deur middel van individuele onderhoude, en die ontleding van die inhoud daarvan. Addisionele inligting is verkry deur veldnotas. Die doelwit van die veldnotas was om die deelnemers se direkte ervaringe en waarnemings in besonderhede te beskryf. Die ontledingsbenadering van elke deelnemer is gedoen binne die raamwerk van Husserl, Heidegger en Merleau-Ponty wat gegrond is op teorieë wat die belangrikheid van plek en tyd uitbeeld. Die resultate van hierdie studie het getoon dat die onderliggende psige van elke deelnemer deur die nalatenskap van apartheid negatief beïnvloed is. Hierdie negatiewe denkpatrone waardeur die onderwysers se idees formuleer vorm die kollektiewe ingesteldheid waardeur hulle hul onderrigswêreld skep. Verder het die studie onthul dat hul aanbieding van die NKV meestal gedryf word deur ou gewoontes wat binne hul denke gekristalliseer het. Hulle vind dit dus moeilik om deur hierdie ou gewoontes te breek. Hul denke wissel gedurig tussen die verlede en die hede en roep die verlede voortdurend binne die hede. Alhoewel die bevindinge van hierdie studie gekoppel is aan plek en tyd is daar ‘n konstante struweling tussen die fenomenologiese self en hul ou gesette denke.
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Niedo, Noelle Frances Garcia. "A Pilot Study on Methods to Introduce Teachers to New Science Standards." Thesis, Portland State University, 2017. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10250061.
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With the recent adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards in Oregon, there is a great need for teachers to be trained to effectively implement the three dimensions of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in their teaching. Time and location are the largest constraining factors that affect teacher participation in professional development trainings. To address this constraint, Tryon Creek State Park offered a NGSS professional development training opportunity for teachers that was integrated within a field trip that they took their students on. Before the field trip, teachers were introduced to the NGSS through a set of NGSS pre-field trip materials which informed them about the NGSS and how aspects of it would be integrated into their students’ field trip. Teachers accompanied their students on a two-hour long field trip at Tryon Creek State Park where teachers observed nature guides model NGSS-aligned activities for the students. My research aimed to answer the following question: How will an informal science education program at Tryon Creek State Park affect K-2 teachers’ awareness of the Next Generation Science Standards? Outcomes were measured through a pre/post retrospective survey and follow-up interviews. On the survey teachers reported little awareness of the three dimensions of the NGSS and very few of the teachers increased their understanding after the treatment. On the other hand, most had a high level of awareness and confidence in teaching factual information supporting the NGSS prior to treatment, resulting in a ceiling effect. Interviews suggested that few teachers read the materials sent in advance of the field trip, but teachers who did read the materials indicated increases in understanding of the NGSS. During the field trip several of the nature guides were effective in modeling science and engineering practices. These findings suggest that this method of professional development is promising, but needs further refinement.
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Young, Gerald E. "The Journey to Becoming Constructivist, Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, Secondary Mathematics Teacher." PDXScholar, 2014. http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/2065.
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The purpose of this research study is to describe and analyze the self-reported experiences of exemplary high school mathematics teachers who underwent personal and professional transformations in order to develop and use a standards-based, constructivist (SBC) teaching paradigm in their classrooms. These teachers were all past recipients of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), an award that required them to demonstrate that their mathematics instruction was rigorous in the manner described by the NCTM standards.
The following research questions are addressed: (a) What are the paths SBC secondary mathematics teachers who received the PAEMST pursued to become highly effective?, (b) What obstacles and challenges did they encounter and how were these obstacles overcome?, and (c) What sustained them on their journeys? The research methodology used to be a narrative inquiry. Following a wide survey of PAEMST recipients, five volunteer participants were chosen for the study. Data were collected from each participant using a one-to-one interview and the written section of each participant's PAEMST application. A narrative was written for each participant describing the path they had followed to become a highly effective high school mathematics teacher. The narrative was sent to each participant, and a follow-up interview was conducted via telephone amending the narrative to reflect the participant's additions and deletions. From the five amended narratives, eight themes were identified: (a) influences; (b) education; (c) professional development; (d) NCTM standards; (e) teaching style: beginning, current, or end of a career; (f) obstacles; (g) personality traits and personal beliefs; and (h) student influence.
Several of the themes were supported by previous research. However, this research study discovered two new findings. First, the five participants had common characteristics and beliefs: (a) belief in their students, (b) persistence, (c) belief that professional development is vital for teacher growth, and (d) passion about mathematics and about conveying that passion to their students. The second research finding pertained to the influence that their own students had on all of the five participants. All the participants purposely sought out their students' thoughts about the classroom curriculum and about the instruction they received. The teachers considered their students part of the classroom learning community, and they honored and acted on their input.
Finally, in addition to describing the trajectory of five PAEMST winning teachers, this study offers recommendations for students studying to become high school mathematics teachers, teacher educators, and educational researchers. For these students, their teaching preparation courses need to be taught adhering to the four principles of learning: activity, reflection, collaboration and community. According to this research, the model of teacher preparation courses that emphasize the teaching of the above four principles using a traditional teacher-directed method does not prepare future mathematics teachers for the use of SBC teaching in their classrooms. Suggestions about further research are addressed.
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Kosky, Amy. "A Survey of Preservice Teachers in Regards to Their Attitudes and Perceptions of Science Fiction Literature and its Use in the Classroom." Honors in the Major Thesis, University of Central Florida, 2014. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETH/id/1608.
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In 1957 at the University of Chicago, Robert Heinlein asserted that through science fiction humanity can wonder upon important questions without causing harm to the real world.
Through such speculative experiments science fiction can warn against dangerous solutions, urge toward better solutions. Science fiction joyously tackles the real and pressing problems of our race, wrestles with them, never ignores them—problems which other forms of fiction cannot challenge. For this reason I assert that science fiction is the most realistic, the most serious, the most significant, the most sane and healthy and human fiction being published today. (Davenport, 1959). Preservice teachers enrolled in the education program at a large metropolitan university were surveyed to determine if they had preconceived notions about science fiction, if they would use science fiction within their classrooms and if science fiction would be available to the students in their classrooms. Also explored was if these future educators believed science fiction was too complex for English language learners and students with exceptionalities. Analysis of this survey revealed that although most preservice teachers believe science fiction literature has value within the classroom and they planned to use it at least part of the time, about one in five believed the concepts and themes were too complex for English language learners and students with exceptionalities. The researcher of this study hopes the information contained in this study can help educators encourage students to read science fiction as well as provide the educators with a resource of science fiction literature book titles which are grade level and ability level appropriate for their students.B.S.
Bachelors
Educational and Human Sciences
Education and Human Performance
Elementary Education
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Gwimbi, Eric Mangwende. "A study of the association of Zimbabwean A-level biology teachers' classroom practices with their school contexts and nature of science attitudes." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.396029.
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Delp, Don J. "The Effect of Professional Development Training for Secondary Mathematics Teachers Concerning Nontraditional Employment Roles for Females." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2002. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc3258/.
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This quasi-experimental study, utilizing quantitative and qualitative descriptive methods, examined the sex-egalitarian attitudes of secondary mathematics teachers from the Ft. Worth Independent School District. A video tape, Women in the Workplace, was used as a training intervention to test the effectiveness of professional development training in altering the mathematics teachers' sex-egalitarian attitudes towards female employment. Information on the video presented seven jobs that provide opportunities for female students in the science, engineering, and technology fields that are considered nontraditional jobs for females. Subjects completed 19 Employment Role domain questions on the King and King (1993) Sex-Role Egalitarianism Scale. A one-way ANOVA was applied to the data to test for a significant difference in the means of the control group, who did not see the video, and the experimental group that viewed the video. Findings concluded that there was no significant difference in the sex equalitarian mean scores of the control group and the experimental group. The research indicated that it takes an intensive and prolonged training period to produce a significant change in people's attitudes. This study supports the research on length of training needed to change sex egalitarian attitudes of classroom teachers. There were data collected on four demographic areas that included gender, age, ethnicity, and years of teaching experience. A two-way ANOVA was applied to four demographic variables to test for interaction and main effect. A significant difference was found between the sex-egalitarian attitudes of male and female mathematics teachers' responses. There were no significant differences found in the sex egalitarian attitudes of secondary mathematics teachers when categorized by levels of age, ethnicity, and years of teaching experience. The information in this study should interest and benefit teachers, parents, students, administrators, and industry leaders.
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Scannell, Stephen Godfrey. "Next Generation Science Standards and Physics First: a Case Study of High School Teachers' Beliefs and Practices." PDXScholar, 2019. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/5002.
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This dissertation is a case study of a school district in the Pacific Northwest that developed three-year high school science curricula using a Physics First course sequence (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), with the crosscutting concept Patterns as the central theme of the courses. The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of the implementation of the 9th grade course, Patterns Physics, on teacher practice and beliefs about science teaching and determine whether this new approach facilitated teacher classroom practices and beliefs congruent with those expressed in A Framework for K-12 Science Education (NRC, 2012) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013). Results from this study indicate that the implementation of Patterns Physics positively impacted teacher confidence in teaching the NGSS science and engineering practices. Professional development that provided teachers multiple opportunities to engage with the curriculum--in the role of a student, in professional discussions with colleagues, and over several years were critical to support a change in practice consistent with three-dimensional (3D) teaching called for by the Framework and NGSS. Teacher participants viewed the Patterns PCB (Physics, Chemistry, and Biology) sequence as an appropriate course sequence, with strong agreement that a 9th grade physics course needs to be tailored to the needs of students, such as added support for students with minimal mathematics skills. The NGSS, with an emphasis on 3D learning (science content knowledge, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices), had a significant positive impact on instructional practice.
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Wang, Tzu-Ling. "Brain hemispheric preferences of fouth- and fifth-grade science teachers and students in Taiwan: An investigation of the relationships to student spatial and verbal ability, student achievement, student attitudes, and teaching practice." The Ohio State University, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1213169329.
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Sipe, Betty Burns. "An investigation into the relationships between teaching strategies of high school biology teachers, student Myers-Briggs psychological type, the development of science-related attitudes, and science-related career choices." Virtual Press, 1988. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/720288.
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Research demonstrates correlations between the sensing-intuitive dimension of psychological type as interpreted by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) (Myers 1985) and science-related career choices. Alarming decreases in science-related career interests prompted this study which employed psychological type theory to investigate relationships between teaching strategies preferences of Indiana high school biology teachers and science-related attitudes of their academically-talented students. The purpose was to learn if good biology teachers instill positive attitudes within the context of the sensing-intuitive dimension by adapting teaching strategies to match the psychological type composition of their classes and therefore inspire students to pursue science-related careers. Teacher and student psychological type was determined by the MBTI. Teaching style preferences of 20 exemplary teachers and 16 randomly-selected teachers related to their 722 academically-talented students were explored by the Biology Teaching Strategies Inventory developed by the researcher. This instrument contained 40 forced-choice items with paired sensing and intuitive activities written to reflect sound biological conceptual themes from BSCS recommendations. An ANOVA determined that neither teacher group appeared to be adapting teaching strategies. Both teacher groups preferred teaching strategies corresponding to their own psychological type, sensing or intuitive, even when they were to select strategies to use with their specific classes.Science-related attitudes of 338 academically-talented students of 10 exemplary and 16 randomly-selected teachers were examined by seven scales of the Test of Science-related Attitudes (TOSRA) (Barry Fraser 1981). A covariant analysis of student science-related attitudes coupled with student variables of Psychological type (sensing and intuitive), career choice, gender, and socio-economic level indicated statistically significant differences in attitude scores of students of both teacher groups: females of exemplary teachers scored almost as high as males of both teacher groups on enjoyment of science learning and science leisure interests, sensing males of higher socio-economic levels had very low attitudes on adoption of scientific attitudes, females of both teacher groups had more positive attitudes than males on normality of scientists, students of exemplary teachers choosing biology-related careers had lower scores than students with similar career choices of randomly-selected teachers. Intuitive students had more positive attitudes than sensing students on all TOSRA scales.Department of Biology
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Kazempour, Mahsa. "Exploring attitudes, beliefs, and self efficacy of pre-service elementary teachers enrolled in a science methods course and factors responsible for possible changes." [Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2008. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3324538.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, School of Education, 2008.Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on May 12, 2009). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-08, Section: A, page: 3013. Adviser: Valarie L. Akerson.
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Cheng, Chung-nun, and 鄭頌能. "Teachers' awareness of cultural and instructional congruence in science teaching for ethnic minority students: a case study in Hong Kong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2010. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B50176663.
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Instructional congruence (IC) is a conceptual framework which emphasizes that the linguistic and cultural problems of ethnic minority students are to be addressed in order to enhance their learning. IC has been developed and implemented during the most recent two decades, and adopted and recognized for its improvement on student motivation and academic performance in many countries.
In Hong Kong, there are designated schools which specifically cater to ethnic minority students. In this study, three science teachers in a designated school have been evaluated on their awareness of IC in teaching ethnic minority students. However, none of the three teachers have received any professional training on teaching ethnic minority students. Through classroom observations and interviews with teacher-respondents, the results show that they have scant knowledge on catering to the different linguistics and culturally diversified problems of ethnic minority students. Although one of the teachers has some knowledge which allowed the consideration of student literacy development and application of cultural relevance in the instructional curriculum, his practices are not systematic and effective, which means that they fall far from the proposed IC practices.
Educators and policymakers are strongly recommended to promote and adopt the IC framework in Hong Kong. If the implementation of IC in Hong Kong as a means to address the needs of ethnic minority students is familiarized and acknowledged, IC would very likely improve their academic achievements and provide them with equal opportunities in education.published_or_final_version
Education
Master
Master of Education
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Hooft, Mark A. van't. "The effect of handheld technology use in pre-service social studies education on the attitudes of future teachers toward technology integration in social studies." Connect to resource online, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=kent1120662308.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Kent State University, 2005.Advisors: Alicia R. Crowe, Shawn Fitzgerald. Keywords: teacher education; mobile computing; handheld computing; social studies education; attitudes. Includes survey instrument. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-128). Also available via the World Wide Web.
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Tsang, Man-sing, and 曾文聲. "A study of preferred teaching styles in environmental education through primary science in Hong Kong primary schools." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1996. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31958849.
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Haynes, Dawn (Dawn Marie). "Effects of a Teacher Inservice Training Model on Students' Perceptions of Elementary Science." Thesis, University of North Texas, 1995. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc278783/.
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The purpose of this study was to test a teacher inservice training model which was designed to increase the number and use of hands-on science activities, increase the number of times teachers teach science, and improve students' perceptions of science.
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Chennabathni, Revathi. "Case-study of a creative teacher." Thesis, McGill University, 2005. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=100336.
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Alice, a secondary teacher from Quebec, Canada is the focal point of this qualitative case-study research. She is a Caucasian, 37 year-old, married woman with three children. Alice is selected for the following reasons: primarily, she is a science teacher, who has received a provincial award Prix de merite de la conservation de la faune for a project, that is a demonstration of creativity in her field. Secondarily, I share many attributes with her including being married with children, and being a science teacher. Data were gathered from July, 1998 to July, 2001. Data sources included five one-to-one interviews with Alice. Additional data sources included one interview with June (mentor-colleague) and Jane (Departmental Head); two classroom observations; 1996 retrieved interview; and artifacts of students' work. All interviews were audio-taped verbatim and then transcribed, and observations videotaped. The overarching themes represented constructs involving community, values, and interpersonal skills. Alice's values, her bent towards community, and her way of life in constructing interpersonal relationships contribute to her creative teaching. Alice's philosophy of grounding education in the community determines who she is, and encompasses her creative process which begins with recycling of community resources and giving back to the community through the creative products developed by her students. Her values guide her practice and teaching decisions. This case study of creative teaching highlights the domain of teaching as different from those addressed by studies on creative giants and presents an inspirational model for individuals in the teaching profession.
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Storm, Anna. "Förskollärares attityd till naturvetenskap för barn : Skillnader, likheter och samband relaterat till förskolors verksamhet." Thesis, Karlstads universitet, Fakulteten för hälsa, natur- och teknikvetenskap (from 2013), 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-30977.
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Abstract The Swedish government has commissioned to develop pre-school science activities. This study investigates how different pedagogs work with the science goals from the curriculum. The purpose is also to see how the pedagogs education and attitude towards science affect the activities at the pre-school. Three pre-schools took part in the study, two which has science orientation and one which does not have a specific orientation. Eight pedagogs has participated and six of them has a science education and two does not. The methods used in the study are interviews and observations. The result shows that the pre-schools with science orientation more often work with ecology, technology and experiments than the pre-school with no specific orientation. They also offer more science activities and work thematical and in project form in reaching the goals in the curriculum. A less emergent result in the study is that pedagogs with science education has a little bit stronger confidence when working with children and science than their colleagues with no science education. These pedagogs with no science education also mention that they need further education to be able to work with science for children in a satisfying way. Even so, the pedagogs without science education also works with this.Sammanfattning Sveriges regering har gett i uppdrag till förskolan att utveckla sin naturvetenskapliga verksamhet. Den här studien syftar därför till att undersöka hur olika pedagoger arbetar med läroplanens strävansmål för förskolans naturvetenskap. Syftet är också att se hur pedagogers utbildning och attityd inför naturvetenskap relaterar till den naturvetenskapliga verksamhet som bedrivs. Tre förskolor ingår i undersökningen, två med naturvetenskaplig inriktning och en utan sådan inriktning. Åtta pedagoger har deltagit och av dessa har sex stycken naturvetenskaplig utbildning. Som metod har både intervjuer av pedagoger och observationer av en naturvetenskaplig aktivitet använts. Resultatet visar att förskolorna med naturinriktning arbetar mer med ekologi, teknik och experiment. Dessa bedriver naturvetenskaplig verksamhet fler gånger i veckan och använder teman och projekt i arbetet mot läroplansmålen vilket inte förskolan utan särskild inriktning gör. Ett något mindre framträdande resultat i studien är att pedagoger med särskild naturvetenskaplig utbildning har något bättre självförtroende inför aktiviteter med naturvetenskapligt innehåll för barn samt att pedagoger utan särskild utbildning i ämnet själva säger sig behöva fortbildning för att kunna arbeta med det på ett tillfredsställande sätt. Trots det arbetar även pedagoger utan naturvetenskaplig utbildning med ämnet.
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Webb, Donna Louise. "Engineering Professional Development: Elementary Teachers' Self-efficacy and Sources of Self-efficacy." PDXScholar, 2015. http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/2337.
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Currently, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is a popular buzz word in P -12 education as it represents a means to advance American competitiveness in the global economy. Proponents of the engineering component of STEM advocate additional benefits in teaching engineering, such as its capacity to engage students in collaboration, and to apply critical thinking, systems thinking, negotiation, and communication skills to solve real-life contextual problems. Establishing a strong foundation of engineering knowledge at a young age will provide students with internal motivation as it taps into their curiosity toward how things work, and it also prepares them for secondary science courses. Successful STEM education is often constrained by elementary teachers' low perception of self-efficacy to teach science and engineering. Elementary teachers with low self-efficacy in science are more likely to spend less instructional time teaching science, which suggests that teachers with little to no training in engineering might avoid teaching this topic. Therefore, the purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to examine the effects of engineering professional development on elementary (K-6) teachers' content and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and perceptions of self-efficacy to teach engineering, and (b) to identify and explain sources influencing self-efficacy. Professional development was conducted in a metropolitan area in the Pacific Northwest. Results revealed that after the engineering professional development, teachers experienced statistically significant gains in content, PCK, and self-efficacy to teach engineering. Increases in self-efficacy were mainly attributed to mastery experiences and cultivation of a growth mindset by embracing the engineering design process.
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Voldemaras, Georgette. "A study of soil survey report use by Indiana secondary school vocational agriculture/agribusiness and social science educators." Virtual Press, 1986. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/483130.
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Awareness, use and attitude by Indiana secondary school vocational agriculture/agribusiness and social science educators toward soil survey reports were determined using a mailed questionnaire. Results were analyzed based on teaching discipline and geographic location (urban and rural). In general, social science respondents were not aware of and did not use soil survey reports as a teaching aid whereas vocational agriculture/ agribusiness respondents did. The majority of educators responded positively to statements regarding usefulness of soil surveys. No significant differences were found between urban and rural areas. Results indicated that teaching discipline was the critical factor in educator use of soil surveys.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306
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Buntar, Norhani. "Teachers' attitudes and perceptions to the use of information and communication technology in the teaching and learning of science in the primary schools in Negara Brunei Darussalam." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.488293.
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