Students’ and Teachers’ Application of Surface Area to Volume Relationships

The National Science Education Standards emphasize teaching unifying concepts and processes such as basic functions of living organisms, the living environment, and scale (NRC 2011). Scale includes understanding that different characteristics, properties, or relationships within a system might change as its dimensions are increased or decreased (NRC 2011). One such relationship involves surface area to volume which is a pervasive concept that can be found throughout different sciences. This concept is important for students to not only understand the association of the two, but to also be able to apply this relationship in science contexts. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that influence the understanding surface area to volume relationships. This study examined middle school students’, high school students’, and science teachers’ logical thinking skills (including proportional reasoning), visual-spatial skills, and understandings of surface area to volume relationships. Regression results indicated that participants’ reasoning abilities and components of visual-spatial skills could be possible predictors for one’s ability to understand surface area to volume relationships. Implications for teaching scale concepts such as surface area to volume relationships in the science classroom are discussed.     

Pre-service Mathematics Teachers’ Noticing Skills and Scaffolding Practices

A 14-week course program was designed to investigate pre-service teachers’ noticing skills and scaffolding practices. Six pre-service teachers were matched with a pair of sixth grade students to observe and scaffold students’ mathematical understanding while they were working on the given tasks. Data was collected through pre-service teachers’ own recorded videos of implementation of tasks, their written reflections about the implementations, videos of group reflections before and after the implementations, and students’ written work. The analysis of data revealed that pre-service teachers mostly noticed students’ errors and strategies during their interactions with students, they attended important instances about students’ thinking and justified their reasoning for their comments in their written reflections. However, while interacting with students, they usually used low level scaffolding practices such as asking for clarification, explanation, and justification rather than attempting to elicit students’ thinking and improve their understanding.     

Pre-service Teachers’ False Beliefs in Superstitions and Pseudosciences in Relation to Science and Technology

Science & Education - In order to increase scientific competence within the general population, it is important that teachers and educators have a realistic image of science and scientists,...     

Development of Preservice Teachers’ Ability to Critique and Adapt Inquiry-based Instructional Materials

Current standards emphasize student engagement with inquiry practices. However, implementing inquiry instruction is a formidable challenge for teachers as they often lack models for using and adapting inquiry-based instructional materials. Teacher education programs can provide scaffolded contexts for developing teachers’ ability to critique, adapt, and design inquiry-based materials. We describe a qualitative study of 17 preservice teachers enrolled in two consecutive science methods courses. The study characterizes the development of preservice teachers’ ability to critique and revise instructional materials. Our findings suggest that teachers improved in their ability to critique lesson plans and to suggest revisions that would make them more inquiry oriented. In particular, the teachers’ critiques and revisions increased in sophistication after engaging in instructional design activities during the second methods course.     

Chemistry Teachers’ Knowledge and Application of Models

Teachers’ knowledge and application of model play an important role in students’ development of modeling ability and scientific literacy. In this study, we investigated Chinese chemistry teachers’ knowledge and application of models. Data were collected through test questionnaire and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The result indicated as follows: (1) Chemistry teachers’ knowledge of some known chemistry models was limited; (2) Chemistry teachers preferred those models that were vivid when they chose models; (3) Teachers’ modeling process was incomplete; (4) Teachers adopted a general pattern when applying models in chemistry teaching. The findings have implications for teacher education.     

Assessing and Enhancing Pre-service Science Teachers’ Self-Efficacy to Teach Science Through Argumentation: Challenges and Possible Solutions

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of an intervention on pre-service science teachers’ self-efficacy to teach science through argumentation and explore the challenges they experienced while implementing argumentation. Forty pre-service science teachers in their final semester of schooling participated in an intervention that lasted for 11 weeks. Intervention focused on participants’ understanding of argumentation as a scientific practice and as a pedagogical tool. The participants engaged in argument construction, evaluation, and critique, taught three argumentation lessons, engaged in peer observation of teaching, and reflection on their teaching skills. Data were collected through Argumentation Self-Efficacy Scale and an open-ended questionnaire. The results show that the intervention had a significantly positive effect on pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy. Despite this reported self-efficacy, participants experienced significant challenges in guiding their students to construct scientific arguments and assessing the arguments developed by their students. Discussion focuses on implications for professional development of pre-service and in-service science teachers.     

An Investigation of Pre-service Middle School Mathematics Teachers’ Ability to Conduct Valid Proofs,Methods Used,and Reasons for Invalid Arguments

The purposes of this study are to investigate Turkish pre-service middle school mathematics teachers’ ability in conducting valid proofs for statements regarding numbers and algebra in terms of their year of enrollment in a teacher education program, to determine the proof methods used in their valid proofs, and to examine the reasons for their invalid arguments. A proof questionnaire containing three proof statements was administered to 115 pre-service middle school mathematics teachers in a large state university in Ankara, Turkey. The results showed that more than half of the pre-service teachers were able to conduct valid proofs for the given statements. In terms of year levels, it was seen that the seniors were the least successful group in conducting valid proofs for each statement. When pre-service teachers’ valid proofs were analyzed, it was concluded that mathematical induction and direct proof were the mostly used methods for the given statements. When pre-service teachers’ invalid arguments were analyzed, it was seen that “inserting numbers to verify the given statement” and “rewriting the givens in the statement” were the common reasons for stating invalid arguments.     

Elementary Teachers’ Selection and Use of Visual Models

As science grows in complexity, science teachers face an increasing challenge of helping students interpret models that represent complex science systems. Little is known about how teachers select and use models when planning lessons. This mixed methods study investigated the pedagogical approaches and visual models used by elementary in-service and preservice teachers in the development of a science lesson about a complex system (e.g., water cycle). Sixty-seven elementary in-service and 69 elementary preservice teachers completed a card sort task designed to document the types of visual models (e.g., images) that teachers choose when planning science instruction. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted to analyze the card sort task. Semistructured interviews were conducted with a subsample of teachers to elicit the rationale for image selection. Results from this study showed that both experienced in-service teachers and novice preservice teachers tended to select similar models and use similar rationales for images to be used in lessons. Teachers tended to select models that were aesthetically pleasing and simple in design and illustrated specific elements of the water cycle. The results also showed that teachers were not likely to select images that represented the less obvious dimensions of the water cycle. Furthermore, teachers selected visual models more as a pedagogical tool to illustrate specific elements of the water cycle and less often as a tool to promote student learning related to complex systems.     

Pre-service Biology Teachers’ Responses to First-Hand Anomalous Data During Modelling Processes

Research in Science Education - In this research project we investigate the role of responses to anomalous data during modelling processes. Modelling is seen as a comprehensive practice that...     

Beginning Pre-service Teachers’ Approaches to Teaching the Area Concept: identifying tendencies towards realistic,structuralist, mechanist or empiricist mathematics education

This study, on approaches to mathematics education, aims to identify curricular frameworks that are robust across cultures and education systems. Lesson ideas of Irish and Dutch pre-service teachers were studied to identify the selections of: (1) the basic aspects of the concept of area; and (2) the real-life contexts, shapes, and manipulatives chosen to teach this concept. A two-dimensional framework emerged, relating preservice teachers’ ideas to archetypal realistic, structuralist, mechanist, or empiricist approaches.     

Characteristics and Levels of Sophistication: An Analysis of Chemistry Students’ Ability to Think with Mental Models

This study employed a case-study approach to reveal how an ability to think with mental models contributes to differences in students’ understanding of molecular geometry and polarity. We were interested in characterizing features and levels of sophistication regarding first-year university chemistry learners’ mental modeling behaviors while the learners were solving problems associated with spatial information. To serve this purpose, we conducted case studies on nine students who were sampled from high-scoring, moderate-scoring, and low-scoring students. Our findings point to five characteristics of mental modeling ability that distinguish students in the high-, moderate-, and low-ability groups from one another. Although the levels of mental modeling abilities have been described in categories (high, moderate, and low), they can be thought of as a continuum with the low-ability group reflecting students who have very limited ability to generate and use mental models whereas students in the high-ability group not only construct and use mental models as a thinking tool, but also analyze the problems to be solved, evaluate their mental models, and oversee entire mental modeling processes. Cross-case comparisons for students with different levels of mental modeling ability indicate that experiences of generating and manipulating a mental model based on imposed propositions are crucial for a learner’s efforts to incorporate content knowledge with visual-spatial thinking skills. This paper summarizes potential factors that undermine learners’ comprehension of molecular geometry and polarity and that influence mastery of this mental modeling ability.     

A Framework for Analysis of Teachers’ Geometric Content Knowledge and Geometric Knowledge for Teaching

Current reform-driven mathematics documents stress the need for teachers to provide learning environments in which students will be challenged to engage with mathematics concepts and extend their understandings in meaningful ways (e.g., National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000, Curriculum and evaluation standards for school mathematics. Reston, VA: The Council). The type of rich learning contexts that are envisaged by such reforms are predicated on a number of factors, not the least of which is the quality of teachers’ experience and knowledge in the domain of mathematics. Although the study of teacher knowledge has received considerable attention, there is less information about the teachers’ content knowledge that impacts on classroom practice. Ball (2000, Journal of Teacher Education, 51(3), 241–247) suggested that teachers’ need to ‘deconstruct’ their content knowledge into more visible forms that would help children make connections with their previous understandings and experiences. The documenting of teachers’ content knowledge for teaching has received little attention in debates about teacher knowledge. In particular, there is limited information about how we might go about systematically characterising the key dimensions of quality of teachers’ mathematics knowledge for teaching and connections among these dimensions. In this paper we describe a framework for describing and analysing the quality of teachers’ content knowledge for teaching in one area within the domain of geometry. An example of use of this framework is then developed for the case of two teachers’ knowledge of the concept ‘square’.     

Measurement and Prediction of Interfacial Area on a DistiIlation Tray

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Pre-service Teachers’ Knowledge and Perceptions of the Impact of Mitigative Climate Actions and Their Willingness to Act

Research in Science Education - A 44-item questionnaire was created to examine pre-service teachers’ knowledge and perceptions of the impact of mitigative climate change actions and how...     

Measurement and Prediction of Interfacial Area on a Distillation Tray

In this paper the modern electron-optical equipment is used to translate the clear image of speed-moving bubbles in bubbling liquid on a sieve tray into the digital information stored in computer,and the computeraided image-processing technique is utillized to measure the bubble size distributions and interfacial areas under various operating condtions.And the dynamic behavior of bubbles in trubulent liquid is analyzed theoretically; the mechnaism of bubble deformation and breakage is explored on the basis of Kolmogorff‘s isotropic turbulence hypothesis;the mathematical model for predicting the gas-liquid interfacial area is proposed ,The comparison between the simulated results and the experimental data show that the model is higher in accuracy ,simple in form and convenient in use.     

Talking the Talk and Walking the Walk: Pre-service Teachers’ Evaluation of their Mentors

The purpose of this study is to examine the similarities between mentor teachers’ espoused theories and theories-in-use. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 mentor teachers to investigate their perceived mentoring roles prior to the placement. Their seven pre-service teachers were also interviewed at the end of the practicum to explore their ideas and evaluation of their mentors’ mentoring practices. The findings suggest that 14 mentor teachers did put into practice their ideas regarding their roles. However, only two mentor teachers appeared to act against their espoused theories. Implications for practice are discussed.     

Exploring Pre-service Biology Teachers’ Informal Reasoning and Decision-Making About COVID-19

Science & Education - The world has been fighting with the novel COVID-19 pandemic, which has scientific, societal, and ethical components, and thus it can be classified as one of the most...     

Using Student Video Cases to Assess Pre-service Elementary Teachers’ Engineering Teaching Responsiveness

Our study addresses the need for new approaches to prepare novice elementary teachers to teach both science and engineering, and for new tools to measure how well those approaches are working. This in particular would inform the teacher educators of the extent to which novice teachers are developing expertise in facilitating their students’ engineering design work. One important dimension to measure is novice teachers’ abilities to notice the substance of student thinking and to respond in productive ways. This teacher noticing is particularly important in science and engineering education, where students’ initial, idiosyncratic ideas and practices influence the likelihood that particular instructional strategies will help them learn. This paper describes evidence of validity and reliability for the Video Case Diagnosis (VCD) task, a new instrument for measuring pre-service elementary teachers’ engineering teaching responsiveness. To complete the VCD, participants view a 6-min video episode of children solving an engineering design problem, describe in writing what they notice about the students’ science ideas and engineering practices, and propose how a teacher could productively respond to the students. The rubric for scoring VCD responses allowed two independent scorers to achieve inter-rater reliability. Content analysis of the video episode, systematic review of literature on science and engineering practices, and solicitation of external expert educator responses establish content validity for VCD. Field test results with three different participant groups who have different levels of engineering education experience offer evidence of construct validity.     

Confronting Invisibility: Early Childhood Pre-service Teachers’ Beliefs Toward Homeless Children

Children make up half of the homeless population in the US, and of those, almost 50 percent are under age six. Homeless children face many different challenges in school. These children and their families have been invisible in school due to the indifference and stereotypes about them. This article focuses on early childhood pre-service teachers’ beliefs over the course of one semester at a private university in the United States. The pre-service teachers explored their own perceptions about homeless children through urban community-based field experiences. The pre-service teachers regularly worked with children in homeless shelter learning centers throughout the semester. The data revealed that the pre-service teachers had fears about interacting with the unfamiliar setting, as well as deficit perspectives about homeless children. However, while they were engaged in the community-based experiences, they started to re-examine their deficit views about young homeless children and their families, acquire more accurate information on their complex situations, and positively developed their professional perspectives on these children. This study suggests that raising awareness about homeless children and their families should be a part of both professional development in schools and early childhood teacher education programs     

A Study on Sixth Grade Students’ Misconceptions and Errors in Spatial Measurement: Length,Area, and Volume

The purpose of the present study was to portray students’ misconceptions and errors while solving conceptually and procedurally oriented tasks involving length, area, and volume measurement. The data were collected from 445 sixth grade students attending public primary schools in Ankara, Türkiye via a test composed of 16 constructed-response format tasks. The findings revealed a wide range of misconceptions and errors such as “believing that all rulers are 30 cm long,” “confusing area formula with perimeter formula,” “believing a box has more than one surface area,” “using the volume formula for surface area,” “believing that ruler must be longer than the object measured,” etc. These misconceptions and errors could be considered as the evidences indicating the sixth graders’ lack of comprehension of the fundamental concepts of spatial measurement and their relationships and the procedures and formulas used for measuring length, area, and volume. The possible causes of such misconceptions and overcoming ways were also discussed.