Effects of a Science Education Module on Attitudes towards Modern Biotechnology of Secondary School Students

This article evaluated the impact of a four‐lesson science module on the attitudes of secondary school students. This science module (on cancer and modern biotechnology) utilises several design principles, related to a social constructivist perspective on learning. The expectation was that the module would help students become more articulate in this particular field. In a quasi‐experimental design (experimental‐, control groups, and pre‐ and post‐tests), secondary school students’ attitudes (N = 365) towards modern biotechnology were measured by a questionnaire. Data were analysed using Chi‐square tests. Significant differences were obtained between the control and experimental conditions. Results showed that the science module had a significant effect on attitudes, although predominantly towards a more supportive and not towards a more critical stance. It is discussed that offering a science module of this kind can indeed encourage students to become more aware of modern biotechnology, although promoting a more critical attitude towards modern biotechnology should receive more attention.     

Matching Society Values: Students’ views of biotechnology

The rapid growth of biotechnology knowledge during the past decades has made it necessary to rethink the contents of the school curriculum and has provoked a consideration of the ethical and social issues related to the use of biotechnological applications. With the financial assistance of the European Union, the European Initiative for Biotechnology Education was set up to develop units for use in the member the countries, organize the translations of these between the many languages involved, organize in‐service courses for teachers, implement the materials in schools, as well as carrying out related research.

This paper gives some findings of Spanish researchers when identifying and exploring the different cultural contexts in which biotechnology teaching and learning is embedded, being mainly concerned with the emerging attitudes and values of the students regarding such issues. After gathering information through case studies during the implementation phase, a questionnaire was developed in an interactive way by teachers and researchers in various stages, based on what students said.

The results identify four main values: the “principle of the natural”, the “principle of the welfare”, the “principle of the technological solution” and the “principle of the individual decisions”. Their interaction and dichotomy are discussed, as well as the problems teachers face when having to deal with topics beyond those immediately related to science     

HOW MUCH HOPE IS ENOUGH? LEVELS OF HOPE AND STUDENTS’ PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SCHOOL FUNCTIONING

This study investigated the characteristics of students who report extremely high levels of hope. A sample of 682 students (ages 11–17) completed measures of hope, school engagement, life satisfaction, self‐worth, and mental health. Academic achievement was obtained from students’ school records. Based on their hope scores, students were divided into three groups: “extremely low” (bottom 10% of the distribution), “average” (middle 25%), and “extremely high” (upper 10%). Results indicate that students in the extremely high hope (EHH) group differed from students with average (AH) and extremely low hope (ELH) on all measures. Further, EHH and AH are associated with mental health benefits that are not found among students reporting comparatively ELH levels. Taken together, the findings support the notion that EHH in students is associated with adaptive psychological and school‐related functioning. Overall, given the superior adjustment profile, perhaps ‘‘enough hope’’ should be defined as “EHH.”     

Relational Analysis of College Science‐Major Students’ Epistemological Beliefs Toward Science and Conceptions of Learning Science

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest among educational researchers in exploring the relationships between learners’ epistemological beliefs and their conceptions of learning. This study was conducted to investigate these relationships particularly in the domain of science. The participants in this study included 407 Taiwanese college science‐major students. All of them responded to two major questionnaires, one assessing their scientific epistemological beliefs (SEBs) and the other one probing their conceptions of learning science (COLS). The SEB questionnaire included four factors: “certainty,” “source,” “development,” and “justification” of science knowledge. The COLS survey consisted of six factors in a hierarchical order, that is, learning science as “memorizing,” “preparing for tests,” “calculating and practicing,” “increasing one’s knowledge,” “application,” and “understanding and seeing in a new way.” The students’ confidence and interest toward learning science were also assessed by additional questionnaire items. Stepwise regression analyses, in general, showed coherence between students’ SEBs and their COLS, indicating that the sophistication of SEBs was consistent with less agreement with lower‐level COLS (such as “memorizing” and “preparing for tests”) as well as more agreement with higher‐level COLS (such as “understanding and seeing in a new way”). However, the SEB’s “justification” factor was positively related to almost all of COLS factors from the lower‐level to higher‐level. This study finally found that among all of the SEB and COLS factors, the “preparing for tests” factor in COLS was the solely significant variable for predicting students’ interest in science and confidence toward learning science.     

THE LIFE SPAN: HUMAN DEVELOPMENT FOR HELPING PROFESSIONALS (2nd Ed.)

The purpose of the present study was to investigate attitudes toward old age in an Israeli population, compared with attitudes toward youth and middle age, among individuals representing these same ages. Global concepts “Youth,” “Adult,” and “Old person” were rated in comparison with the “Ideal Person.”

Representatives of 62 three‐generation families participated in the study. A semantic differential consisting of 21 bipolar adjective pairs in 7‐point scale format was used to measure attitudes toward the four concepts. Results indicated that the concept “Old Person” was rated lowest in relation to the “Ideal Person,” as a global concept as well as on three cut of four dimensions derived from the global concept. This pattern was found among all three groups of raters, including the elderly themselves. The elderly, however, rated themselves significantly more favorably than did the other groups.     

The development of a questionnaire for predicting online learning achievement

The study reported here concerns the development and predictive validation of an instrument to assess the achievement outcomes of DE/online learning success. A 38‐item questionnaire was developed and administered to 167 students who were about to embark on an online course. Factor analysis indicated a four‐factor solution, interpreted as “general beliefs about DE,” “confidence in prerequisite skills,” “self‐direction and initiative” and “desire for interaction.” Using multiple regression we found that two of these factors predicted achievement performance (i.e., Cumulative Course Grade). Comparisons of pretest and posttest administrations of the questionnaire revealed that some changes in opinion occurred between the beginning and the end of the course. Also, categories of demographic characteristics were compared on the four factors. The overall results suggest that this instrument has some predictive validity in terms of achievement, but that Cumulative Grade Point Average (i.e., the university's record of overall achievement) is a much better predictor.     

Do parents make a difference to children’s academic achievement? Differences between parents of higher and lower achieving students

Differences in family factors in determining academic achievement were investigated by testing 432 parents in nine independent, coeducational Melbourne schools. Schools were ranked and categorized into three groups (high, medium and low), based on student achievement (ENTER) scores in their final year of secondary school and school improvement indexes. Parents completed a questionnaire investigating their attitudes towards the school environment, their aspirations, expectations, encouragement and interest in their child’s education (adapted from scales constructed by Marjoribanks). They also responded to six open‐ended questions on their attitudes to achievement and to their (child’s) school. Multiple regression analyses revealed that parental expectations of their children’s educational level made the strongest unique prediction of high achievement followed by the length of time they had maintained their expectations. Limitations discussed include the disparity in meaning associated with the definition of school success and whether these results can be generalized to all students considering the biased sample (socio‐economic status).     

Facilitating self-directed learning (SDL) and satisfaction with SDL among pre-university students

The aim of the study was to evaluate our practice of self-directed learning (SDL) among pre-university students in Malaysia. Respondents provided data on their previous school learning experiences besides present SDL experiences in college. We carried out exploratory factor analysis based on the school data. We did a confirmatory factor analysis using College SDL experiences of students. Given high similarities between the measurement models, we decided to use the original structure of the instrument. Students provided feedback using a questionnaire based on Prociuk’s. A large majority declared that they needed SDL experiences which they lacked while at school. The study also showed that students had rated their SDL experiences in college more positively than in school, on four factors of SDL experiences. Pearson correlations showed that “knowledgeable and organised teachers” and “promotion of active learning” correlated significantly with students’ current satisfaction with SDL in college.     

Attitudes and aspirations regarding engineering among Chinese secondary school students: comparisons between industrialising and post-industrial geo-engineering regions of Mainland China and Hong Kong

School-based pipelines/routes for university and technical engineering education are recognised as important for economic development and the high-school years are critical for shaping students’ career aspirations and attitudes. This study examined a range of attitudes/experiences on the aspirations of secondary students to pursue engineering education and vocation. Experiential/attitudinal aspects covered demographic characteristics, family/school support, practical learning experiences, curricular/extra-curricular experiences, attitudes, perceptions and engineering-efficacy that may affect aspirations. A validated questionnaire capturing these variables was administered to respective samples of secondary school students from four Chinese geo-engineering regions (Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and ShanXi; 5965 students) that represent differing degrees of industrialisation. Comparative analyses across regions show ‘doing’ engineering is key to motivating students’ aspirations; while regional variations suggest that schooling and family factors are generally more significant in industrialising Mainland cities, and extracurricular opportunities and personal factors are more significant for students in post-industrial Hong Kong.     

Low (linear) teacher effect on student achievement in pre‐academic physics education

This study investigates the effect of physics education on students' achievement in a large‐scale quantitative study of pre‐academic high school students throughout the Netherlands. Two aspects of teacher characteristics as perceived by their students are included: their “pleasantness” principally defined by their perceived friendliness and positive feedback and their “centeredness” principally defined by the perceived teacher centeredness in the lessons. Furthermore, this study includes four student aspects: their “general capability,” their “quantity of work,” their “quality of work,” and their “interest in the lessons.” Structural Equation Modeling is used in order to cluster the different variables defining the perceived pleasantness and the perceived centeredness of the teacher and the general capability, interest, and learning attitudes of the students. Furthermore, interrelations among these components and students' achievement are analyzed. Eventually, a very large effect of the students' general capability (61–72%) and a remarkably smaller effect of the remaining parameters (<3%) on achievement are detected. However, one should not yet conclude that teacher effect on high‐achieving‐students' achievement is consistently low. To the contrary, these results should be seen as an incentive to consider nonlinear effects, to vary ones viewpoint and to include more/other variables. In spite of the almost negligible correlation between the measured aspects of the physics teachers and achievement, the correlations between the teacher variables and the remaining student variables are quite significant. Both the perceived pleasantness and the centeredness of the teachers have a significant effect on the interest of their students. Furthermore, the pleasantness of the teacher correlates with the quality of the students' work and the centeredness of the teacher with their quantity of work. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 49: 465–488, 2012     

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT PREFERENCES FOR GRADUATE TRAINING IN PSYCHOLOGY: IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY

There continues to be a critical shortage of school psychologist practitioners and academicians. Undergraduate students in psychology, education, and other majors (N = 674) from a large comprehensive university in the southwest completed an examiner‐made web‐based questionnaire designed to assess their attitudes and preferences for choosing graduate training in psychology. There were differences among the participants on Interest in Graduate School, Child Interests, Attitude toward Research, and Exposure to School Psychology. Psychology majors were more interested in graduate school than all other majors in the sample and were more interested in research than “other” majors. Psychology majors reported significantly less exposure to school psychology than “other” majors. Examination of the endorsement patterns of the participants indicated the following. Generally, misconceptions about school psychology were not endorsed at high levels. Sixty seven percent of the sample indicated they would attend graduate school. And 77% of the participants also endorsed items indicating they had interests in focusing on children and child related problems. The participants did specify there were some geographic restraints related to choice of graduate school. Fifty to 60% of the participants agreed they had personal qualifications which would make them highly competitive for graduate school admission. Implications for school psychology recruitment are offered.     

Teachers’, Students’ and Parents’ Attitudes Towards Disruptive Behaviour Problems in High School: a case study

The present study maps the attitudes towards students’ disruptive behaviour as part of the school discipline. Research studies on the subject usually examine the attitudes of one or two groups of relevant subjects, that is, teachers, parents or students. As teachers, students and parents do share a common milieu, the relationship of their attitudes towards student misbehaviour is important in the crystallisation of such discipline. The present study is innovative in that all three groups were examined simultaneously in one school. A standardised questionnaire was designed for all three groups which identified typical disruptive behaviour by adolescent students. The study was conducted in a centre for technological education in Central Israel which caters, especially, for low‐achieving students. Findings reveal large gaps among the three groups. While teachers seem to agree among themselves as to the severity of most of the disruptive behaviour problems at school, students and parents were found to disagree among themselves on the severity of most of the examined issues. Differences among the groups indicate a possible source for the emergence of student disruptive behaviour problems. Findings also suggest that there is a need for increased involvement of both parents and students in discipline‐related issues in the school.     

Can we Evaluate the Impact of a Critical Detail? The Role of a Type of Diagram in Understanding Optical Imaging

This paper describes an attempt at evaluating a potentially critical “detail” of teaching practice; that is, using a particular diagram to illustrate the imaging role of a converging lens. This “basic” diagram has been designed to contribute to help students overcome the well‐known “travelling image” syndrome. We conducted a comparative study with 125 students in all, at three academic levels: end of secondary school, degree students, and teacher training. The groups compared had previously been taught elementary optical imaging in a classical, uncontrolled manner, and were presented with two classical questions, commonly used to demonstrate students’ difficulties. In each group, one‐half of the students had a classic introductory diagram and the other half had the “basic” one. A positive reaction of students to the evaluated diagram was observed at a relatively high academic level (trainee physics teachers and degree students), in contrast with an apparent lack of effect at the end of secondary school. The paper ends with a discussion of the evaluation of a detail of practice in isolation, with respect to the distance between students’ actual and targeted levels of comprehension.     

Secondary School Students' Attitudes Towards Science

Four hundred and fifty‐one students' attitudes towards science were investigated. Two types of instruments (questionnaire and Attitude Scale) were used to collect the data. The results show that the students in general hold a favourable attitude towards science; male students have more positive attitude towards science than female students; the type of school (science‐school, single‐sex school or general secondary school) attended have an effect on the students' attitudes to science. The low enrollment in science is not due to the lack of interest or negative attitudes to the subject but may be due to some other variables that need to be investigated.     

Increasing Content Knowledge and Self‐Efficacy of High School Educators through an Online Course in Food Science

Purdue Univ.'s College of Agriculture developed an Advanced Life Sciences (ALS) program in partnership with several high schools across Indiana. As part of ALS, secondary educators take an introductory food science (FS) course (ALS‐Foods) and teach it at their high school. High school students taking the ALS‐Foods receive dual credit for an introductory course required for all FS majors at Purdue. The goal of this project was to develop an online course to improve content knowledge and self‐efficacy of secondary educators in the field of FS. The course was offered over a 3‐wk period and consisted of 3 learning modules focused on food chemistry, food microbiology, and food processing. Modules included class activities, videos, study questions, and teaching tools. Participants were assessed on content knowledge through written assignments, quizzes, and a final examination. Twenty secondary educators from several states were enrolled. Overall, content knowledge increased significantly (P < 0.05) across all 3 modules after completing the course. Highest scores were in food microbiology/safety (84%), followed by food processing (76%) and food chemistry (70%). A precourse survey indicated that the majority (>80%) of participants felt they had “no‐confidence” to “little‐confidence” in teaching FS concepts related to the 3 modules. Upon completing the course, the confidence level of all participants increased to “some‐confidence” or “complete confidence.” By strengthening the knowledge level of secondary educators, they will be better prepared to teach FS and subsequently, more high school students could be exposed to FS and consider it as a career.     

Jocks,Teckers, and Nerds: The role of the adolescent peer group in the formation and maintenance of secondary school institutional culture

The adolescent peer group constitutes a vital component of the institutional culture of the contemporary secondary school. Formed among students and reinforced by administrators and teachers, it takes the form of a structured status hierarchy whose membership and boundaries are clearly understood within the school community. Individual students' perceptions of their positions within that hierarchy have the potential to impact significantly on their attitudes towards the institution they attend as well as the process of formal education. This study focuses on the attitudes and opinions expressed by 268 students attending two composite secondary schools in a mid‐sized Canadian city, and attempts to provide an insight into an aspect of secondary school education that is not often acknowledged by educators.     

Examining Changing Attitudes in Secondary School Science

This study, carried out in England, examined the variation of attitudes towards science over the first three years of secondary schooling and with gender. The study in question was part of an evaluation of the “Lab in a Lorry” project, and involved 932 pupils completing a pre‐measure questionnaire containing items looking at six separate attitude constructs. From these data, two main patterns emerged; pupils’ attitudes towards science declined as they progressed through secondary school, and this decline was more pronounced for female pupils. These conclusions are largely in agreement with previous studies in this field. However, in examining separate attitude constructs, we were also able to identify that the sharpest decline occurred specifically for pupils’ attitude towards learning science in school. Furthermore, using linear regression, we identified that, as pupils progress through school, this construct becomes a greater influence on attitudes towards future participation in science. Therefore, we also concluded that learning science in school is a particular area that needs to be concentrated upon, if we are to improve children’s attitudes towards science. In the final part of the paper, we drew on interview data obtained from 44 pupils involved in the Lab in a Lorry study. Pupils’ comments in these interviews provided further insight into why pupils are “switched off” by school science. We drew out the most prevalent themes that emerged in the interviews, in order to provide further insight into why pupils do not enjoy science in school.     

Factors relating to regular education teacher burnout in inclusive education

The aims of the research were to identify the environmental factors that relate to the work of regular school teachers who have students with special needs in their classroom, and to find out the correlation between these factors and teacher burnout. A total 330 primary school teachers filled in a questionnaire that had three parts: (1) personal background data; (2) the Friedman’s burnout questionnaire; and (3) environmental features typical of the work of school teachers that include students with special needs in their classroom, in four areas: psychological features, organizational, structural and social. Results show that the background data that related significantly to burnout was teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion. The more positive the attitude was, the more the teacher experienced burnout in the category of self‐fulfilment. This finding was contrary to the hypothesis of the research. Two other background variables were found to relate to the de‐personalization aspect of burnout, teaching higher‐grade students and having an additional administrative role in school. Two other findings that were found to correlate with higher burnout rates were the number of students with special needs in class (more than 20%) and very little assistance provided to the teacher. Three environmental factors were found to have negative correlation with burnout: the organizational factor, the psychological and the social, with the latter being the most significantly negatively correlated with burnout—i.e. the less social support the teacher experienced, the higher was her level of burnout.     

Understanding inclusive STEM high schools as opportunity structures for underrepresented students: Critical components

Inclusive STEM high schools (ISHSs) can be viewed as opportunity structures for students underrepresented in STEM. By opportunity structures, we mean an education that provides not only access to high quality STEM curriculum and instruction or “opportunity to learn,” but also the capacity to create learning environments where students can build STEM social capital and the dispositions, knowledge, skills, and networks to be successful in STEM college majors and careers. This is a cross‐case analysis of case studies that describe the design and implementation of eight “exemplar” ISHSs. Beginning with 10 hypothesized critical components, we found evidence for all 10, but present in unique patterns of prominence, depending on the school context. Further inductive analysis located an additional four emergent critical components that complete the picture of how these successful ISHSs were able to achieve their goals. Importantly, across schools, four components stood out as foundational: a flexible and autonomous administrative structure; a college‐preparatory, STEM‐focused curriculum for all; well‐prepared STEM teachers and professionalized teaching staffs; and supports for students in underrepresented groups. Although many of the critical components found in the ISHSs are also found in the school reform literature, these schools also had characteristics unique to STEM education. This paper is important in understanding STEM high schools as opportunity structures and as a school reform alternative that can help solve equity and social mobility gaps in STEM.