Good to the last drop? Millikan stories as “canned” pedagogy

Segerstråle, Ullica

doi:10.1007/bf02628797

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Defences of Millikan's ethics in reporting on his work in measuring the electronic charge are given by Franklin (1981) and Goodstein (2001). Segerstrale (1995) reviews interpretations of Millikan's work that are either sympathetic to him or accuse him of scientiWc misconduct. The purpose of Segerstrale's (1995) article is to contrast the opposing interpretations of Millikan's research ethics and show the tendency to produce "canned" stories about Millikan that are stereotyped and oversimpliWed.…”

Section: Discussion Of Historical Aspects Of the Millikan Oil Drop Ementioning

confidence: 98%

“…Segerstrale (1995) reviews interpretations of Millikan's work that are either sympathetic to him or accuse him of scientiWc misconduct. The purpose of Segerstrale's (1995) article is to contrast the opposing interpretations of Millikan's research ethics and show the tendency to produce "canned" stories about Millikan that are stereotyped and oversimpliWed. Although Segerstrale's article is not aimed at physics pedagogy, it does provide a solid background for a discussion of the research ethics of Millikan.…”

Section: Discussion Of Historical Aspects Of the Millikan Oil Drop Ementioning

confidence: 98%

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Identifying and Addressing Student Difficulties with the Millikan Oil Drop Experiment

Klassen

2007

Sci & Educ

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The Millikan oil drop experiment has been characterized as one of the 'most beautiful' physics experiments of all time and, certainly, as one of the most frustrating of all the exercises in the undergraduate physics laboratory. A literature review reveals that work done on addressing student diYculties in performing the oil drop experiment has, to date, not achieved a signiWcant measure of success. The historical background of the oil drop experiment is well established in the literature from the perspective of historians of science, but not so from the perspective of teachers and students of science. A summary of historical details surrounding the original experiment suitable for use in revising the instructional approach is presented. Both Millikan and his graduate student, Fletcher, are featured with the view to emphasizing details that humanize the protagonists and that are likely to raise student interest. The issue of the necessary reliance on presuppositions in doing speculative research is raised, both from the historical account and from the insights of university physics students who heard the historical account and performed the experiment. DiYculties current students have in performing the experiment are discussed from the perspective of Hodson (Stud Sci Educ 22:85-142, 1993) framework and the students' own observations. Last, further historical materials are outlined that may be used to encourage student insight into the fundamental nature of electricity. It is proposed that these aspects are essential as a basis for identifying and addressing student diYculties with the Millikan oil drop experiment.

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Section: Discussion Of Historical Aspects Of the Millikan Oil Drop Ementioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Discussion Of Historical Aspects Of the Millikan Oil Drop Ementioning

confidence: 98%

Identifying and Addressing Student Difficulties with the Millikan Oil Drop Experiment

Klassen

2007

Sci & Educ

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“…This thesis is derived from a wider sociological concept of the professional code as a set of professional and social desiderata and rules, as opposed to statements about incompatibility between scientific and moral concerns in research. 51 A comparative analysis of the professional values and norms in individual scientific fields resulted in some important findings. The first one concerns the most important professional values in every field.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The system rewards the first one, so that the standard practice in science becomes quick publication, quick scientific production, quite often at the expense of scientific quality and the scrupulous application of scientific standards. 51 The social ambivalence of scientists is often generated by other, often conflicting, features of the social organisation of science. It is hardly necessary to mention researchers from the commercial sector, squeezed between scientific reputation structures and the interest of their organisation.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Science ethics: A study of eminent scientists' professional values

Prpić

1998

Scientometrics

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A questionnaire study of eminent scientists' professional values was carried out within more extensive research of professional ethics. The structure of scientists' professional values is composed of five factors: collegial and professorial responsibility, the protection of respondents or patients, wider social and professional responsibility, scientific precision and originality and scientific objectivity. The core of the scientists' professional code consists of the values with the highest ratings. These are: cognitive standards which define the research role, explicit expectations of the scientists' social responsibility, and requirements for excellence of scientific institutions and personnel. At the same time, significant differences have been found among the observed scientific fields. The largest discriminative power has been shown in the importance of precise measurements and then also in the protection of respondents and patients. These results question the traditional unitary concept of science, but also the concept of intellectual and social atomisation of scientific disciplines and fields.

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“…Much has been written about Millikan's lab notebooks and how they relate to published papers. Ullica Segerstrale gives a good overview of both the points of controversy and the ongoing debate [21]. Mansoor Niaz and Maria Rodriguez discuss how the controversy has been handled in textbooks [15].…”

Section: Interactions Within the Scientific Communitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing data for integrity: Policies and procedures for ensuring the accuracy and quality of the data in the laboratory

Thomsen¹

2006

SCI ENG ETHICS

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Management of the research data is an extremely important responsibility of the Principal Investigator (PI) and other members of the research team. Without accurate data, no worthwhile conclusions can be drawn from the research study. Integrity in data management is critical to the success of the research group and to public trust in the research outcomes. One of the primary responsibilities of the PI is to provide proper training to the junior members of the lab. This effort can be buttressed by institutional data policies that are implemented at the group level. Extensive and frequent guidance in good research practices by the PI and other senior research staff is critical to the proper training of new scientists.

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Good to the last drop? Millikan stories as “canned” pedagogy

Cited by 11 publications

References 14 publications

Identifying and Addressing Student Difficulties with the Millikan Oil Drop Experiment

Identifying and Addressing Student Difficulties with the Millikan Oil Drop Experiment

Science ethics: A study of eminent scientists' professional values

Managing data for integrity: Policies and procedures for ensuring the accuracy and quality of the data in the laboratory

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