Contemporary Test Validity in Theory and Practice: A Primer for Discipline-Based Education Researchers

Most discipline-based education researchers (DBERs) were formally trained in the methods of scientific disciplines such as biology, chemistry, and physics, rather than social science disciplines such as psychology and education. As a result, DBERs may have never taken specific courses in the social science research methodology—either quantitative or qualitative—on which their scholarship often relies so heavily. One particular aspect of (quantitative) social science research that differs markedly from disciplines such as biology and chemistry is the instrumentation used to quantify phenomena. In response, this Research Methods essay offers a contemporary social science perspective on test validity and the validation process. The instructional piece explores the concepts of test validity, the validation process, validity evidence, and key threats to validity. The essay also includes an in-depth example of a validity argument and validation approach for a test of student argument analysis. In addition to DBERs, this essay should benefit practitioners (e.g., lab directors, faculty members) in the development, evaluation, and/or selection of instruments for their work assessing students or evaluating pedagogical innovations.     

Learning by Doing

We argue that a simple research project based on the model of apprenticeship research characteristics of natural science education can supply some of the qualities valued in social science and humanities education. This paper describes the execution of one such project with second year students in political science in enough detail to allow others to use it as a model of departure. The discussion is informed by the relevant literature. Care is taken to identify generic problems that may be expected. Our experience was that the project was a success for both students and staff.     

What is ‘Agency’? Perspectives in Science Education Research

The contemporary interest in researching student agency in science education reflects concerns about the relevance of schooling and a shift in science education towards understanding learning in science as a complex social activity. The purpose of this article is to identify problems confronting the science education community in the development of this new research agenda and to argue that there is a need for research in science education that attends to agency as a social practice. Despite increasing interest in student agency in educational research, the term ‘agency’ has lacked explicit operationalisation and, across the varied approaches, such as critical ethnography, ethnographies of communication, discourse analysis and symbolic interactionism, there has been a lack of coherence in its research usage. There has also been argument concerning the validity of the use of the term ‘agency’ in science education research. This article attempts to structure the variety of definitions of ‘student agency’ in science education research, identifies problems in the research related to assigning intentionality to research participants and argues that agency is a kind of discursive practice. The article also draws attention to the need for researchers to be explicit in the assumptions they rely upon in their interpretations of social worlds. Drawing upon the discursive turn in the social sciences, a definition of agency is provided, that accommodates the discursive practices of both individuals and the various functional social groups from whose activities classroom practice is constituted. The article contributes to building a focused research agenda concerned with understanding and promoting student agency in science.     

Studying science and engineering learning in practice

A key goal of science and engineering education is to provide opportunities for people to access, interpret, and make use of science and engineering to address practical human needs. Most education research, however, focuses on how best to prepare students in schools to participate in forms of science and engineering practices that resemble those of disciplinary experts. In this paper, I argue that education research is needed that focuses on how people use science and engineering in social practices as part of collective efforts to transform cultural and economic production. Drawing on social practice theory, I argue that learning inheres in such activities, not only because people access and make use of science knowledge and develop repertoires for participating in science and engineering practices, but also because participation in such activities transforms the ways that people imagine themselves and expands their possibilities for action. Research can inform and support these efforts, both directly and indirectly, by giving an account of the conditions for science and engineering learning and by diagnosing inequities in access to science and engineering for addressing pressing human needs.     

Heisenberg's uncertainty principle and interpretive research in science education

Within the current methodological debate, notions successful in the natural sciences are rallied by social sciences researchers to support their own methodological approaches. However, problems of understanding the physical principles have often clouded the issue. One such notion under discussion is Heisenberg's uncertainty principle and the derivative notions of indeterminacy, uncertainty, precision, and observer–observed interaction. This article discusses these notions and their applications to social science research. Implications are drawn for research in science education.     

The role of outside-school factors in science education: a two-stage theoretical model linking Bourdieu and Sen,with a case study

The literature in science education highlights the potentially significant role of outside-school factors such as parents, cultural contexts and role models in students’ formation of science attitudes and aspirations, and their attainment in science classes. In this paper, building on and linking Bourdieu’s key concepts of habitus, cultural and social capital, and field with Sen’s capability approach, we develop a model of students’ science-related capability development. Our model proposes that the role of outside-school factors is twofold, first, in providing an initial set of science-related resources (i.e. habitus, cultural and social capital), and then in conversion of these resources to science-related capabilities. The model also highlights the distinction between science-related functionings (outcomes achieved by individuals) and science-related capabilities (ability to achieve desired functionings), and argues that it is necessary to consider science-related capability development in evaluating the effectiveness of science education. We then test our theoretical model with an account of three Turkish immigrant students’ science-related capabilities and the role of outside-school factors in forming and extending these capabilities. We use student and parent interviews, student questionnaires and in-class observations to provide an analysis of how outside-school factors influence these students’ attitudes, aspirations and attainment in science.     

Social constructivism: Infusion into the multicultural science education research agenda

This article focuses on (a) theoretical underpinnings of social constructivism and multicultural education and (b) aspects of social constructivism that can provide frameworks for research in multicultural science education. According to the author, multicultural science education is “a field of inquiry with constructs, methodologies, and processes aimed at providing equitable opportunities for all students to learn quality science.” Multicultural science education research continues to be influenced by class, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, and different lifestyles; however, another appropriate epistemology for this area of research is social constructivism. The essence of social constructivism and its implications for multicultural science education research includes an understanding of whatever realities might be constructed by individuals from various cultural groups and how these realities can be reconstituted, if necessary, to include a scientific reality. Hence, multicultural science education should be a field of study in which many science education researchers are generating new knowledge. The author strives to persuade other researchers to expand their research and teaching efforts into multicultural science education, a blending of social constructivism with multicultural science education. This blending is illustrated in the final section of this article. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Substantiating the need to apply a sociocultural lens to the preparation of teachers in an effort to achieve science reform

This qualitative, sociocultural study examines how teacher preparation programs may have deliberate impact on science reform by unearthing the complex layers of diversity inherent in the contextual reality of education. This study was conducted in one of the largest school districts in the Southeastern United States, serving a predominately Hispanic population comprising 65 % of its student body, followed by African Americans at 24 %. The representative subjects utilized for this study were elementary education undergraduate students and later a percentage of the same subjects, as practicing teachers in the field. All subjects were exposed to inquiry based methodology in science teaching as part of their undergraduate studies with emphasis on the learning cycle, facilitation of student voice and exposure to the nature of science. The goal of science education was emphasized to students as purposeful in promoting scientific literacy. This study is framed by sociocultural theory grounded in a social constructivist paradigm with the understanding that science learning takes place within social and collaborative processes leading to internalization and greater sense of self-efficacy. The study examines the perception of education students’ beliefs about scientists as well as reflections on their own learning of science as elementary students themselves. As present practicing teachers, perspectives from their position in the field were obtained via interviews. Interviews served to elicit reflections on present practice as related to previous perceptions, in order to analyze whether these were pervasive in framing practice as well as self-perceptions related to science. A lack of change of these perceptions may underscore the importance of an emphasis on issues of gender, culture and social factors within teacher preparation, specific to science teaching and learning. Cognizance of such factors are believed to support internalization and hence greater understanding of the complexities framing science teaching and learning, leading to an actual paradigm shift in our elementary science classrooms.     

全国研究生职业技术教育学研究学术影响力——基于2009年度教育类核心期刊论文的统计分析

基于中国职业技术教育发展数据库、职业技术教育学发展数据管理及分析平台,对2009年度全国研究生在教育类、人文社科综合类核心期刊上发表的职业技术教育学科论文进行统计,分析发文量、文献被引频次及其即年指标、H指数,揭示2009年度研究生职业技术教育研究的区域学术影响力、培养单位学术影响力、论文学术影响力和研究的热点领域。     

跨学科与博士生培养：美国顶尖研究型大学社科类人才培养研究

跨学科理念滥觞于美国,在知识生产模式转型背景下,由单一学科向跨学科的结合与转变不仅是社会科学发展的内在要求,更是解决日益复杂的现实社会问题的客观需要。当代科学发展与知识创新越来越呈现出学科交叉、融合、渗透以及整体化的趋势,新的知识生产呈现跨学科性的基本特征。知识贵为整体,过度分化的学科知识消解了社会科学研究者对复杂的社会事实与问题的认识能力,以及消解了作为整体的思想活动的能量。跨学科研究与人才培养受复杂问题的解决需求与知识创新的驱动而生,美国研究型大学重审原有培养"学科守门人"的博士生培养模式,将跨学科理念融入博士生培养全过程。跨学科研究与人才培养逐渐成为世界顶尖研究型大学博士生教育改革与发展的重要趋势。本研究通过对美国顶尖研究型大学社科类博士生跨学科培养的理念与实践以及组织制度保障进行研究,为其他研究型大学的跨学科人才培养提供借鉴价值。     

Factors Influencing Postsecondary STEM Students’ Views of the Public Communication of an Emergent Technology: a Cross-National Study from Five Universities

Recent efforts in the science education community have highlighted the need to integrate research and theory from science communication research into more general science education scholarship. These synthesized research perspectives are relatively novel but serve an important need to better understand the impacts that the advent of rapidly emerging technologies will have on a new generation of scientists and engineers including their formal communication with engaged citizenry. This cross-national study examined postsecondary science and engineering students’ (n?=?254 from five countries: Austria, Finland, France, Israel, and USA) perspectives on the role of science communication in their own formal science and engineering education. More broadly, we examined participants’ understanding of their perceived responsibilities of communicating science and engineering to the general public when an issue contains complex social and ethical implications (SEI). The study is contextualized in the emergent technology of nanotechnology for which SEI are of particular concern and for which the general public often perceives conflicting risks and benefits. Findings indicate that student participants’ hold similar views on the need for their own training in communication as future scientists and engineers. When asked about the role that ethics and risk perception plays in research, development, and public communication of nanotechnology, participants demonstrate similar trajectories of perspectives that are, however, often anchored in very different levels of beginning concern. Results are discussed in the context of considerations for science communication training within formal science education curricula globally.     

The Relationship of Discipline Background to Upper Secondary Students’ Argumentation on Socioscientific Issues

In the present STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)-driven society, socioscientific issues (SSI) have become a focus globally and SSI research has grown into an important area of study in science education. Since students attending the social and science programs have a different focus in their studies and research has shown that students attending a science program are less familiar with argumentation practice, we make a comparison of the supporting reasons social science and science majors use in arguing different SSI with the goal to provide important information for pedagogical decisions about curriculum and instruction. As an analytical framework, a model termed SEE-SEP covering three aspects (of knowledge, value, and experiences) and six subject areas (of sociology/culture, economy, environment/ecology, science, ethics/morality, and policy) was adopted to analyze students’ justifications. A total of 208 upper secondary students (105 social science majors and 103 science majors) from Sweden were invited to justify and expound their arguments on four SSI including global warming, genetically modified organisms (GMO), nuclear power, and consumer consumption. The results showed that the social science majors generated more justifications than the science majors, the aspect of value was used most in students’ argumentation regardless of students’ discipline background, and justifications from the subject area of science were most often presented in nuclear power and GMO issues. We conclude by arguing that engaging teachers from different subjects to cooperate when teaching argumentation on SSI could be of great value and provide students from both social science and science programs the best possible conditions in which to develop argumentation skills.     

Developing tomorrow’s decision-makers: opportunities for biotechnology education research

Globally, science curricula have been described as outdated, and students perceive school science as lacking in relevance. Declines in senior secondary and tertiary student participation in science indicate an urgent need for change if we are to sustain future scientific research and development, and perhaps more importantly, to equip students with the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions related to scientific research. This paper argues that a good starting point would be the inclusion of more contemporary areas of science in middle school curricula. One such area with continually emerging developments is biotechnology. This paper further argues the need for research into the impact of biotechnology education that would allow students to go beyond learning about biotechnological processes and products to explore their benefits and risks through an integrated approach, where biotechnology education were extended to include subject areas beyond science, such as social sciences, health education, and English. Such an approach is important, in light of research that suggests that the general public has a limited understanding of biotechnology and that public dissemination of information is insufficient to allow individuals to make informed decisions about or to develop attitudes towards, the varied applications of biotechnology. If we are to educate students to be tomorrow’s informed decision-makers, we must start by addressing their understanding of and attitudes towards emerging sciences. Further research is needed to broaden our understanding of how to achieve these goals.     

An Examination of Black Science Teacher Educators’ Experiences with Multicultural Education, Equity, and Social Justice

Diversity, multicultural education, equity, and social justice are dominant themes in cultural studies (Hall in Cultural dialogues in cultural studies. Routledge, New York, pp 261–274, 1996; Wallace 1994). Zeichner (Studying teacher education: The report of the AERA panel on research and teacher education. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, pp 737–759, 2005) called for research studies of teacher educators because little research exists on teacher educators since the late 1980s. Thomson et al. (2001) identified essential elements needed in order for critical multiculturalism to be infused in teacher education programs. However, little is known about the commitment and experiences of science teacher educators infusing multicultural education, equity, and social justice into science teacher education programs. This paper examines twenty (20) Black science teacher educators’ teaching experiences as a result of their Blackness and the inclusion of multicultural education, equity, and social justice in their teaching. This qualitative case study of 20 Black science teacher educators found that some of them have attempted and stopped due to student evaluations and the need to gain promotion and tenure. Other participants were able to integrate diversity, multicultural education, equity and social justice in their courses because their colleagues were supportive. Still others continue to struggle with this infusion without the support of their colleagues, and others have stopped The investigators suggest that if science teacher educators are going to prepare science teachers for the twenty first century, then teacher candidates must be challenged to grapple with racial, ethnic, cultural, instructional, and curricular issues and what that must mean to teach science to US students in rural, urban, and suburban school contexts.     

Evaluation of Interactive Media in Science Education

An evaluation of an interactive media-based science education project is reported. One of the unique features of the evaluation is the application of a general program evaluation which stresses the assessment of contextual/environmental factors. The rationale is that without adequate facilitation and support from the context, large scale projects would have limited impact on education reform. The model was applied to a major, National Science Foundation funded, science teacher education project at Vanderbilt University. The findings revealed that a number of factors must come together for project success. They are: an environment conducive to innovation and development; strong administrative interest and commitment to further the cause of the project; faculty interest and commitment to be actively involved in the project and to integrate project ideas into their own practices. In addition, strong technical support is vital for research and developments efforts in technology-based science education projects.     

我国现行教育科研资助体系的比较分析(下)

我国教育科研资助的管理机构、资助对象、资助重点、资助经费各不相同,纵横交错,形成了以面向整个教育战线的国家教育科学规划项目为主体、面向高校教师的高校人文社会科学研究的教育学和心理学项目为辅,教育内外、国内外、行政和社会组织相结合面向各自系统的多方参与的教育科研资助体系。研究者应充分了解教育科研体制及其变化,掌握各个资助机构的特点和要求,寻求适合自己研究领域的资助。     

“理想类型”与比较教育研究方法论北大核心CSSCI

"理想类型"是马克斯·韦伯为应对社会科学研究的方法论困境而提出的重要概念。在社会科学研究中,"理想类型"是一种概念工具,体现着韦伯所确立的诸多原则,包括价值关联、价值中立以及确保意义上与因果上的妥当。在引入比较教育研究后,布雷恩·霍姆斯借助"理想类型"建构了其资料分类模式中由人、知识和社会的特征所组成的"理想类型规范模式"。承袭霍姆斯的资料分类模式,许美德继续运用"理想类型"研究中国大学发展背后的文化与价值理念,并突破了价值中立原则。然而,从整体上看,"理想类型"在比较教育研究中还存在明显的应用困境,需对其应用限度展开充分讨论,更好地发挥"理想类型"在中国比较教育学科专业化发展中的积极作用。     

The effect of teachers' sociological understanding of science (SUS) on curricular innovation

Science education reform initiatives advocate incorporating more accurate portrayals of science in the high school classroom that attend to science in its larger social context. However, conveying such understandings will require teachers to possess new knowledge about how science is practised. This paper reports research that investigated the effect of teachers' sociological understanding of science (SUS) on their design and implementation of curriculum innovations. It concludes that teachers' SUS level strongly influences their ability to innovate; knowledge about science is necessary, but not sufficient, for sociologically informed curricula.     

我国现行教育科研资助体系的比较分析(上)

我国教育科研资助的管理机构、资助对象、资助重点、资助经费各不相同,纵横交错,形成了以面向整个教育战线的国家教育科学规划项目为主体、面向高校教师的高校人文社会科学研究的教育学和心理学项目为辅,教育内外、国内外、行政和社会组织相结合面向各自系统的多方参与的教育科研资助体系。研究者应充分了解教育科研体制及其变化,掌握各个资助机构的特点和要求,寻求适合自己研究领域的资助。