Constructing Scientific Explanations Through Writing

This study examined the writing strategies andtext characteristics associated withdiscovering a scientific principle by writingabout an experiment. Sixty-four universitystudents (non-science majors) carried out aphysics experiment concerning either buoyancy,or the forces acting on a balance scale, thenwrote an informal journal-style note about itwhile thinking-aloud. They providedexplanations of the phenomena beforeexperimenting, immediately after experimenting(before writing), and again after writing aboutthe experiment. Students' verbal protocolswere segmented and writing operations wereidentified; the rhetorical structures of theirtexts were analyzed; and each students' levelof general writing strategy was identified. Afactor analysis showed that six componentsaccounted for 76% of the variance in thesemeasures. Logistic regression analysis showedthat type of science experiment and two writingfactors, Problem Solving and Comparisons inText, discriminated 86% of cases in whichstudents made explanatory gains during thewriting interval. The results generallyexemplified a metacognitive, problem solvingmodel of writing to learn. However, incontrast to dominant metacognitive models,setting content goals, applying moderatelysophisticated writing strategies, and extensiveuse of content sources were important for learning.     

The Effectiveness of Intuitive and Computer-Assisted Educational Decision Making in Simple and Complex Educational Situations

This paper presents a comparison of the effectiveness of educational decisions taken by means of a holistic-intuitive procedure and a computerized decision support system (DSS). Four groups of teachers were asked to resolve an educational dilemma, first using the holistic procedure and a second time using the DSS program. Each group was given an identical dilemma but at different levels of complexity. Data processing controlled for the participants' educational background and seniority in education. At the lowest level of complexity, the two procedures were similarly effective. The efficiency of holistic decision making declined significantly at higher levels of complexity. Specific factors were identified that contributed to the differences in effectiveness. The findings lead to a deeper understanding of the advantages and limitations of the use of DSS in education.     

Travelling policies and contextual considerations: on threshold criteria

Educational policy borrowing has become rather common in our globalised world. However, the literature lacks contextual criteria that may be employed by researchers and policy makers to assess the correspondence of a particular policy to the local context of a borrowing system. Based on a secondary analysis of documents and research reports, this paper describes the process of policy borrowing in the Israeli and Turkish educational systems. Discrepancies were found between the basic qualities of the borrowed policies and the contextual features and processes that characterise each educational system. The lack of congruency appears to be even deeper in centralised structures where the act of policy setting is done by top-level policy makers who are isolated from local school circumstances. Threshold criteria referring to fundamental considerations during decision making are offered and their theoretical and practical implications for centralised structures are discussed.     

Nonlongitudinal Estimation of Growth Curve Parameters: The Cohort Growth Model

The cohort growth model (CGM) is a method for estimating the parameters of a latent growth model (LGM) based on cross-sectional data. The CGM models the interindividual differences in the growth rate, and it models how subjects’ growth rate is related to their initial status. We derive model identification for the CGM and illustrate, in a simulation study, that the CGM provides unbiased parameter estimates in most simulation conditions. Based on empirical data we compare the estimates of the CGM with the estimates of the LGM. The results were comparable for both models. Although the estimates of the (co)-variances were different, the estimates of both models led to similar conclusions on the developmental change. Finally, we discuss the advantages and limitations of the CGM, and we provide recommendations for its use in empirical research.     

Examining environmental learning experiences at an earth education summer camp

Many barriers restrict children’s access to nature resulting in negative consequences, including a lack of opportunities to learn and engage with the natural environment. Fortunately, environmental education programs offer participants an opportunity to counteract these challenges. While the benefits of environmental education as measured by pre-determined outcomes are well documented, research focused on participants’ perceptions and preferences related to their environmental learning experiences continues to be under-represented in the literature. Using a pre-/post-test survey approach, this study aimed to explore how an earth education summer camp, Sunship Earth ^TM, contributed to participants environmental learning experiences. Results suggest that Sunship Earth ^TM provides children with various EL opportunities that help to increase their understanding of some ecological concepts. Results also suggest that this learning experience may have helped to broaden participants’ understanding of environmental issues and actions, as well as enhance feelings of care, interest, and responsibility towards the environment.     

On the evaluation of systemic science education reform: Searching for instructional sensitivity

We propose a multilevel‐multifaceted approach to evaluating the impact of education reform on student achievement that would be sensitive to context and small treatment effects. The approach uses different assessments based on their proximity to the enacted curriculum. Immediate assessments are artifacts (students' products) from the enactment of the curriculum; close assessments parallel the content and activities of the unit/curriculum; proximal assessments tap knowledge and skills relevant to the curriculum, but topics can be different; and distal assessments reflect state/national standards in a particular knowledge domain. To provide evidence about the sensitivity of the multilevel approach in ascertaining outcomes of hands‐on science programs we administered close, proximal, and distal performance assessments to evaluate the impact of instruction based on two Full Option Science System units—Variables, and Mixtures and Solutions—in a Bay Area school district. Results indicated that close assessments were more sensitive to the changes in students' pre‐ to post‐test performance than proximal assessments. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 39: 369–393, 2002     

MicroObservatory Net: A Network of Automated Remote Telescopes Dedicated to Educational Use

Many students have a deep interest in astronomy, but a limited opportunity to use telescopes to explore the heavens. The MicroObservatory Network of automated telescopes is designed to provide access to classroom teachers who wish their students to conduct projects over the World Wide Web. The intuitive interface makes it easy for even 10-year-olds to take pictures. Telescopes can be remotely pointed and focused: filters, field of view, and exposure times can be changed easily. Images are archived at the website, along with sample challenges and a user bulletin board, all of which encourage collaboration among schools. Wide geographic separation of instruments provides access to distant night skies during local daytime. Since first light in 1995, we have learned much about remote troubleshooting, designing for unattended use, and for acquiring the kinds of images that students desire. This network can be scaled up from its present capability of 240,000 images each year to provide telescope access for all US students with an interest in astronomy. Our WWW address is http://mo-www.harvard.edu/MicroObservatory/