The Leadership Institute in STS education: A collaborative teacher enhancement, curriculum development, and research project of Penn State University and West Virginia University with rual middle/junior high school science teachers

1998

J. Res. Sci. Teach.

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The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of two different types of interviews-one that did (POSTICM) and one that did not (POSTI) embed a concept-mapping process-to elicit students' postinstructional understandings about chlorofluorocarbons and their role in global atmospheric change (GAC). A chief criterion measure was accordance, the degree to which students held the ideal postinstructional understanding set forth in a teacher-expert concept map. After GAC instruction that included concept-mapping activities, 34 eighth-grade science students were assigned randomly to groups and completed either POSTICM or POSTI. These students and their teacher also completed relatedness ratings of central concepts from the teacher-expert map. The Knowledge Network Organizing Tool™ was used to transform relatedness ratings to Pathfinder networks and compare nets to yield a student to teacher similarity index (Pathfinder index). Regression analysis revealed that type of interview did not predict accordance. However, most POSTICM students perceived the concept-mapping interview component to be helpful and affect positively their answers to the interview questions. The Pathfinder index did predict (p ϭ .003) accordance-the Pathfinder index was a reliable confirmatory measure of the degree to which students held the ideal postinstructional understanding. J Res Sci Teach 35: 521-546, 1998.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An exploration of the concept map as an interview tool to facilitate the externalization of students' understandings about global atmospheric change

1998

J. Res. Sci. Teach.

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“…This research was a subset of a study (Rye, 1995) that examined eighth‐grade physical science students' understandings about chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and their role in global atmospheric change (GAC). The instruction provided to the students was from a GAC unit developed through a Science‐Technology‐Society (STS) Leadership Institute for teachers (Rubba et al, 1995; Rubba, Wiesenmayer, Rye, & Ditty, 1996). The instruction covered the greenhouse effect, the enhanced greenhouse effect (global warming), and ozone layer depletion.…”

Section: Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Prior to these post‐instructional interviews, the students received approximately 5 weeks of instruction from a GAC unit. The teacher of these students, who engaged in developing the teacher‐expert map and Pathfinder network referents for data analysis, was a participant in the STS Leadership Institute that developed the GAC unit (Rubba et al, 1996). The principal data sources for this study were the students' concept maps emergent from the interviews.…”

Section: Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Scoring Concept Maps: An Expert Map‐Based Scheme Weighted for Relationships

School Sci & Mathematics

2002

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The use of student‐constructed concept maps in assessment is congruent with the changing emphases set forth by the National Science Education Standards. Authorities have expressed concern about concept map scoring systems and their associated validity and reliability. They favor methods that employ expert/criterion maps as referents and emphasize the use of accurate concept relationships in deriving scores, which have been found to correlate with performance on standardized tests. In this study, student constructed concept maps (n= 17) that emerged from post‐instructional interviews about chlorofluorocarbons were scored against a teacher‐expert map using a scheme weighted for relationships. Interrater reliability for the scoring scheme was high (r= .959). Students' map scores correlated highly with their scores on the California Achievement Test component total (r= .729) and moderately with their Pathfinder index (r= .474), the latter believed to be an excellent measure of structural knowledge. A revised map score, derived only from relationships containing one or more of the concepts employed in Pathfinder analysis, was a statistically significant (p= .031) predictor of the Pathfinder index. The findings of this study support the recommendations of others to use expert referents and emphasize concept relationships in assessing concept maps.

“…Details on the Institute are available elsewhere (Rubba, Wiesenmayer, Rye & Ditty, 1996). The effectiveness of the teacher-developed STS curricula in changing students' conceptions aboutglobal atmosphericchange issues, and the teachers' experiences in using STS curriculum development as a vehicle for teacher enhancement and improving practice in middle level school science were examined over the course of the Institute Morphew, 1994;, 1997.…”

Section: Purpose and Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

The views of four elementary teachers on the importance of modeling responsible citizenship action

1997

J Elem Sci Edu

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Modeling continues to be commonly acknowledged as an effective teaching strategy for citizenship behaviors. Yet, it is absent from the recent science education literature. This is surprising given the rise in science education ofSTS with its emphasis on citizenship action. The views held by four upper elementary teachers involved in STS instruction on global warming about teachers serving as models of responsible citizenship action were examined. Understanding the extent to which the four teachers considered global warming a threat and the degree to which they took actions in support of their position on global warming, was considered essential to understanding their views on teachers serving as models ofresponsible citizenship action. Relevant responsive journal entries and interview responsesfrom a two-year period during which the teachers were developing and field testing an STS unit on global warming were the data sources. The teachers appeared to operate under the belief that teachers must "practice what they preach" where responsible citizenship action is concerned, and if teachers show active interest and involvement in taking citizenship action, then students are more likely to do the same.