Matching Items (4)
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- All Subjects: science education
- Creators: Judson, Eugene
Description
To develop critical reasoning skills potentially advances students' ability to critically consume information, make informed decisions, and actively participate in a democracy. An inquiry-based pedagogical approach to science teaching remains an effective means to develop critical reasoning skills. Participating in scientific inquiry requires students to generate arguments and test alternative hypotheses using experimental evidence. Scientific inquiry demands that students use their critical reasoning skills. Unfortunately, many teachers fail to allocate an adequate amount of time for genuine experimentation in science classes. As a result, science classes often leave students unprepared to think critically and apply their knowledge in a practical manner.
The focus of this study was to investigate the extent to which an inquiry-based professional development experience, including a two-day summer workshop and 18 weeks of follow up Professional Learning Community (PLC) support, affected the attitudes and pedagogical skills regarding scientific inquiry among six high school biology teachers. A concurrent mixed methods, action research design was used to measure changes in teachers' attitudes, perceptions, and skills regarding inquiry-based pedagogy was measured throughout the 22 weeks of the study. A survey instrument, card sorting activity, classroom observations using the Reformed Teacher Observation Protocol (RTOP), individual interviews, and PLC observations were used to gather data. Results indicated the professional development was effective in transforming the participating teachers' attitudes, perceptions, and skills regarding inquiry-based pedagogy.
The focus of this study was to investigate the extent to which an inquiry-based professional development experience, including a two-day summer workshop and 18 weeks of follow up Professional Learning Community (PLC) support, affected the attitudes and pedagogical skills regarding scientific inquiry among six high school biology teachers. A concurrent mixed methods, action research design was used to measure changes in teachers' attitudes, perceptions, and skills regarding inquiry-based pedagogy was measured throughout the 22 weeks of the study. A survey instrument, card sorting activity, classroom observations using the Reformed Teacher Observation Protocol (RTOP), individual interviews, and PLC observations were used to gather data. Results indicated the professional development was effective in transforming the participating teachers' attitudes, perceptions, and skills regarding inquiry-based pedagogy.
ContributorsBlechacz, Sarah (Author) / Hermanns, Carl (Thesis advisor) / Judson, Eugene (Committee member) / Bostick, Bradley (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Ethnogeology is the scientific study of human relationships with the Earth as a system, typically conducted within the context of a specific culture. Indigenous or historically resident people may perceive local places differently from outside observers trained in the Western tradition. Ethnogeologic knowledge includes traditional indigenous knowledge (alternatively referred to as traditional ecological knowledge or TEK), which exceeds the boundaries of non-Indigenous ideas of physical characteristics of the world, tends to be more holistic, and is culturally framed. In this ethnogeological study, I have implemented several methods of participatory rapid assessment (PRA) from the discipline of field ethnography to collect culturally framed geological knowledge, as well to measure the authenticity of the knowledge collected. I constructed a cultural consensus model (CCM) about karst as a domain of knowledge. The study area is located in the karst physiographic region of the Caribbean countries of the Dominican Republic (DR) and Puerto Rico (PR). Ethnogeological data collected and analyzed using CCM satisfied the requirements of a model where I have found statistically significance among participant’s agreement and competence values. Analysis of the competence means in the population of DR and PR results in p < 0.05 validating the methods adapted for this study. I discuss the CCM for the domain of karst (in its majority) that is shared among consultants in the countries of PR and the DR that is in the form of metaphors and other forms of culturally framed descriptions. This work continuing insufficient representation of minority groups such as Indigenous people, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Hispanic/Latinxs in the Earth Sciences.
ContributorsGarcia, Angel Antonio (Author) / Semken, Steven (Thesis advisor) / Brandt, Elizabeth, (Committee member) / Shock, Everett (Committee member) / Bowman, Catherine (Committee member) / Anbar, Ariel (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
The dissertation study is a mixed method sequential explanatory study which focuses on the use of a digital tool to assess argumentation as a mediator of teacher argumentation professional vision. The study is driven by an experimental randomized control trial to determine the relationship between the professional vision components and the use of the DiALoG (Diagnosing Argumentation Levels of Groups) tool and followed with a qualitative analysis using a grounded theory approach. A measure of professional vision was created to utilize with the quantitative analysis which is reported on herein. A hierarchical multiple linear regression was utilized which showed significant results with DiALoG predicting the development of professional vision in the Management and Argument components. Out of the qualitative analysis, an initial theory was formed which asserted that the level to which teachers articulate their noticings of the elements of argumentation signal a developing professional vision. The integration of the two methods is shared to inform how each method supplemented and complemented the other. Limitations and implications for future research centered around issues that arose due to the abrupt conclusion of the study due to COVID-19 and the continuation of developing the Measure of Argumentation Professional Vision (MAPVis) under different conditions and contexts.
ContributorsHolton, April (Author) / Henderson, Joseph B (Thesis advisor) / Anderson, Kate (Thesis advisor) / Judson, Eugene (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
Efforts to improve student learning in K-12 education in the US are not new; however, educational research has traditionally focused on individual components of schools (e.g., teacher professional development, leadership, social relationships, programs, curricula) targeting teachers to improve student learning. While these innovations provide hope for change, they are limited in their focus and application to other school settings in that school contexts are unique to the individuals making them up and the collaborative missions and goals they pursue. To foster capacity for teachers to implement instructional reforms (i.e., how teachers teach), research must be focused on a holistic interpretation of the school as an organization. This study developed and validated a survey to examine elementary teachers’ science and mathematics instructional practice use as well as their perceptions of instructional reform capacity within their school environment from an ecological organization perspective. Over 300 elementary teachers from a large urban district participated in the survey over the course of four weeks. Findings indicated elementary teachers utilized teacher-centered instructional practices more frequently than reform-oriented (i.e., student-centered) instructional practices. However, teachers reported more frequent use of instructional practices in their mathematics lessons compared to science lessons. Furthermore, data was used to investigate the underlying dimensions of instructional reform capacity and examine the relationship between those dimensions and instructional practice use both within and between subjects (i.e., science and mathematics). Results revealed dimensions underlying instructional reform capacity as well as correlations with instructional practice use are not the same for elementary science and mathematics. Dimensions of professional learning, structure, and policy were more strongly correlated with reform-oriented (i.e., student-centered) instructional practices. Implications from these findings suggest the necessity of a more holistic perspective of instructional reform capacity to better support instructional reforms across subject areas in schools, on both the local level and within research.
ContributorsGlassmeyer, Kristi (Author) / Judson, Eugene (Thesis advisor) / Hayes, Kathryn (Committee member) / Kim, Jeongeun (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022