Course Revision in Introductory STEM Courses: An Exploratory Study at an HBCU Community College

ABSTRACT

This paper presents the results of an exploratory study of a professional development-based effort at one of the nation’s 14 federally designated Historically Black Colleges and Universities community colleges. Course revisions included introductory courses in its Natural Sciences department. The goal was to improve students’ critical-thinking and reading skills in science through faculty professional development opportunities, to improve success across all science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curricula. This study examines faculty-selected professional development efforts combined with time release for course revision, and how it impacted students’ attitudes toward science and students’ critical-thinking skills. Six of the department’s 11 full-time faculty instructing introductory science courses received training in WestEd’s Reading Apprenticeship program and on critical-thinking skills. These faculty then revised their courses as they chose based on techniques learned during their training. A comprehensive assessment that included extensive course videos, pre- and post-tests of students’ attitudes toward science the Critical Thinking Assessment Test, and focused interviews with faculty were conducted. Despite major cuts in state support, turnover of key administrators, and other challenges, improvements in student attitudes toward STEM topics and critical-thinking skills were documented as faculty expanded their teaching tool-kits.     

Reading and Integrated Literacy Strategies (RAILS): An Integrated Approach to Early Reading

The goal of this project was to develop and test the efficacy of a research-based early reading program that provided integrated reading instruction in kindergarten through 2nd grade. The Reading and Integrated Literacy Strategies (RAILS) program provided integrated instruction in word reading, vocabulary development, and comprehension to students in regular and self-contained special education classes in 2 schools serving low-income populations. Teachers provided explicit instruction in the alphabetic principle, phonemic analysis, word reading, vocabulary development, listening comprehension, and reading comprehension. Classes were organized so students received 2 periods of reading instruction daily, a longer morning period of instruction and a shorter afternoon review of instruction. The students in the RAILS program had significantly higher performance on standardized reading and language achievement tests, as well as on individually administered tests of phonemic awareness and reading fluency. The implications for research-based instructional practice that integrates instruction in word reading, vocabulary, and comprehension are discussed.     

BRIDGING THE DIFFERENCES TO UNCOVER THE SIMILARITIES: DISCIPLINES WORKING TOGETHER IN EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION

Abstract

The study examined the integration of science and mathematics methods courses and preservice teachers’ understanding of constructivism. The participants were 50 preservice teachers who were enrolled in early childhood education mathematics and science methods courses, and an early childhood practicum. The two methods courses were integrated and the instructors adopted a collaborative approach, including common syllabi, texts, assignments, and teaching strategies. The preservice teachers completed e‐journal reflection that were subsequently coded and analyzed. The findings suggested that the instructional approach enabled students to develop and refine their understanding of constructivism. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.     

Learning from experience ‐ the teachers as well as the students

Abstract

The University of New South Wales has offered an integrated programme of postgraduate study in higher education leading to three qualifications, since 1991. The programme's primary goal is to prepare university academics to be professional university teachers ‐ teaching being most academics’ second profession. This paper describes the programme, its teaching methods and objectives, and some of the challenges and rewards of offering such a degree programme. Among the challenges for both participants and teachers is to continue to learn from experience; to apply a combination of theory based on knowledge of research, and understanding based on informed reflection on practice; and to improve practice throughout a career, despite bureaucratic and resource constraints. In a programme such as this, all of this happens in an atmosphere that is stimulating, challenging, at times threatening, and above all rewarding.     

Using dyad-specific social stories to increase communicative and social skills of preschoolers with hearing loss in self-contained and inclusive settings

Children with profound hearing loss often do not have the same prelinguistic opportunities for social and communication interaction as peers with typical hearing and benefit from structured opportunities to learn these skills. This study examined the effect of two interventions to improve the communicative and social skills of four preschoolers with hearing loss in two learning environments: a preschool for children who are deaf (oral approach) and an inclusive regular preschool. A social story with a verbal prompt was provided before play (Intervention 1), and a social story with a teacher prompt and verbal prompting and reinforcement during play were provided (Intervention 2). A single-subject design revealed that in the inclusive settings, three of the four participants increased verbal comments and play turns in Interventions 1 and 2, although some changes were slight. In the oral preschool classroom, two showed improvements in target behaviours with both interventions. Generalisation of skills occurred in two participants. Additionally, all participants generalised some vocabulary from their social story to play. Implications for teaching young children with hearing loss who are oral in inclusive classrooms are discussed.     

Teaching evolution: Narratives with a view from three southern biology teachers in the USA

This case study explored sociocultural forces that influenced three 10th grade public high school biology teachers' instructional goals, instructional acts, and identity narratives related to the teaching of evolution. Primary data included field observations of classroom instruction and teacher interviews. Secondary data included informal conversations with students, interviews with department chairs, and interviews with a Southern minister. Data were coded and analyzed resulting in categories and themes which provided insights into the sociocultural influences that gave shape to the teaching of evolution for three teachers in this southeastern state. Findings included: (a) changes in teaching identities as the teachers sought legitimacy for teaching evolution through dependency on the textbook as the authoritative knowledge, (b) socioculturally embedded lived experiences and the perceived teaching identity of each teacher that created idiosyncratic positionings related to decisions about teaching evolution, and (c) the complicatory influence of the state standards, the graduation exit examination, and teacher autonomy on teachers' decisions related to the teaching of evolution. This study revealed practical relationships between what actual practices occur when teachers include or exclude evolution within the curriculum and the liabilities and benefits of teacher autonomy related to controversial topics such as evolutionary theory. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 46: 762–790, 2009     

Impact of guidance on the problem‐solving efforts of instructional design novices

This exploratory study examined differences in the problem representations of a case‐based situation by expert and novice instructional designers. The experts and half of the novices (control group) received identical directions for case analysis, while the other novices (treatment group) received additional guidelines recommending analysis strategies that experts tend to use. After participants' case analyses were scored on four dimensions of problem representation, a Wilcoxon nonparametric test was performed. Significant differences were noted between experts and control novices on the total score and on two dimensions of problem representation. Treatment novices did not differ significantly from experts, while control and treatment novices differed significantly on one dimension. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.     

Improving students’ ability to intuitively infer resistance from magnitude of current and potential difference information: A functional learning approach

The study examined the knowledge of the functional relations between potential difference, magnitude of current, and resistance among seventh graders, ninth graders, 11th graders (in technical schools), and college students. It also tested the efficiency of a learning device named “functional learning” derived from cognitive psychology on the knowledge of these relations. A total of 73 participants were confronted with pictorial electrical circuits. Their task was to learn to infer resistance from potential difference and magnitude of current information, without any recourse to formal computations. It was possible to characterize, in a simple way, each student’s initial conceptualizations about the relationships between potential difference, magnitude of current and resistance. These initial conceptualizations were very diverse, from the correct one to completely different ones to completely opposite ones. Learning was, to a certain extent, possible; but the learning sessions were more effective among students that had already been exposed to Ohm’s law at school. Learning had durable effects, at least in the medium term (5 weeks), and mainly among the older students. There was a good correspondence between the state of learning of the relationships and the ability to solve classical physics problems related to these relationships.