Do Skilled Elementary Teachers Hold Scientific Conceptions and Can They Accurately Predict the Type and Source of Students’ Preconceptions of Electric Circuits?

Holding scientific conceptions and having the ability to accurately predict students’ preconceptions are a prerequisite for science teachers to design appropriate constructivist-oriented learning experiences. This study explored the types and sources of students’ preconceptions of electric circuits. First, 438 grade 3 (9 years old) students were surveyed about their pre-instructional ideas on electric circuits and where they developed these ideas. Then, 76 elementary school teachers with master’s degrees in science education were selected and their content knowledge of electric circuits was documented. Next, they were asked to make predictions about the kind of preconceptions most grade 3 students would have about electric circuits and the most dominant source of these preconceptions. The results revealed that these skilled teachers held scientific conceptions for most of the questions surveyed; however, they inaccurately predicted the types and sources of the students’ prominent alternative preconceptions. Specifically, they underestimated the possibility of students holding scientific concepts and neglected the effect of students’ intuition on their conceptions. Implications for teaching and teacher education are discussed.

     

生物工程专业双语课程考试改革探索与实践

以细胞生物学双语课程的考试改革实践为例子,分析集美大学生物工程专业双语课程考试存在的问题,对综合性全程式考试模式进行探索与实践,总结改革的效果,并尝试探索今后课程改革的方向。     

Do Skilled Elementary Teachers Hold Scientific Conceptions and Can They Accurately Predict the Type and Source of Students’ Preconceptions of Electric Circuits?

Holding scientific conceptions and having the ability to accurately predict students’ preconceptions are a prerequisite for science teachers to design appropriate constructivist-oriented learning experiences. This study explored the types and sources of students’ preconceptions of electric circuits. First, 438 grade 3 (9 years old) students were surveyed about their pre-instructional ideas on electric circuits and where they developed these ideas. Then, 76 elementary school teachers with master’s degrees in science education were selected and their content knowledge of electric circuits was documented. Next, they were asked to make predictions about the kind of preconceptions most grade 3 students would have about electric circuits and the most dominant source of these preconceptions. The results revealed that these skilled teachers held scientific conceptions for most of the questions surveyed; however, they inaccurately predicted the types and sources of the students’ prominent alternative preconceptions. Specifically, they underestimated the possibility of students holding scientific concepts and neglected the effect of students’ intuition on their conceptions. Implications for teaching and teacher education are discussed.     

国家档案局科技项目的研究特点及趋势分析——以2004-2010年立项项目为例

本文以2004-2010年国家档案局和中央档案馆所公布的科技项目计划为例,从项目类型、项目资助额度、项目数量、项目承担单位、项目负责人、项目主题等多个方面进行计量分析,指出了国家档案局科技项目研究主体多元化、合作研究普遍化、研究主题紧扣时代发展趋势、注重竞争性研究、研究项目地区分布不平衡等研究特点及趋势。     

Aiming for better employment: a holistic analysis from admission to labour market

ABSTRACT

To address the changing needs of the labour market better, higher education institutions have increasingly aimed to enhance their teaching quality and the learning experiences of their students. Therefore, a key concept of the missions of contemporary educational institutions is to improve students’ employability after graduation. Although extensive initiatives have been undertaken, educational mismatch remains intensely debated and may seriously challenge the greater use of limited human resources in Taiwan. In this study, a vocational-oriented department (baking) of a local well-known university was chosen for a case study. A holistic approach from student admission to entry in the labour market is adopted to analyse student learning, teaching, curriculum planning, and structural and enterprise demands to estimate the extent to which these graduates fit the requirement of employers. Research findings indicate multiple gaps in skill formation, intended labour needs, and career ladders. These gaps bring profound implications to questions about strengthening the linkage or transitioning from higher education to the labour market.     

永顺老司城历史文化旅游资源开发研究

湘西自治州永顺县老司城是中国唯一保存较完好的土司古城,有悠久的历史。近年来,从历史学角度对老司城进行研究的论文很多,而对其历史文化旅游资源开发的研究却很少。我们对老司城进行了实地调查,颇有些感触。衷心希望老司城独特的历史文化能得到有效的开发与保护。老司城的历史文化资源极有旅游开发价值和开发的可行性。     

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ KNOWLEDGE OF MODEL FUNCTIONS AND MODELING PROCESSES: A COMPARISON OF SCIENCE AND NON-SCIENCE MAJORS

This study aimed to: (a) understand practicing teachers’ knowledge of model functions and modeling processes, (b) compare the similarities and differences between the knowledge of science and non-science major teachers, and (c) explore the possible reasons for the similarities and differences between the knowledge of these 2 groups. A 4-point Likert scale questionnaire was developed and used to measure the knowledge of 187 practicing elementary school teachers (94 science majors and 93 non-science majors) on model functions and modeling processes. The author selected 10 target teachers to conduct think-aloud interview and to explore their ranking. One month after completing the questionnaire, 28 volunteer teachers were selected for a follow-up interview to better understand the reasons for their responses. The results show that these teachers tend to agree or strongly agree with the items about model functions and modeling processes. The only significant difference between science and non-science majors was for the item “generating new ideas.” Qualitative analyses of the follow-up interviews and think-aloud results showed that teacher education and professional development did not focus on understanding and using models. Science-major teachers tended to formulate their responses with reference to specific models, while the non-science major teachers’ responses contained acquiescence bias. Finally, implications for science education are discussed.     

Development and Evaluation of the Diagnostic Power for a Computer-Based Two-Tier Assessment

This study adopted a quasi-experimental design with follow-up interview to develop a computer-based two-tier assessment (CBA) regarding the science topic of electric circuits and to evaluate the diagnostic power of the assessment. Three assessment formats (i.e., paper-and-pencil, static computer-based, and dynamic computer-based tests) using two-tier items were conducted on Grade 4 (n = 90) and Grade 5 (n = 86) students, respectively. One-way ANCOVA was conducted to investigate whether the different assessment formats affected these students’ posttest scores on both the phenomenon and reason tiers, and confidence rating for an answer was assessed to diagnose the nature of students’ responses (i.e., scientific answer, guessing, alternative conceptions, or knowledge deficiency). Follow-up interview was adopted to explore whether and how the various CBA representations influenced both graders’ responses. Results showed that the CBA, in particular the dynamic representation format, allowed students who lacked prior knowledge (Grade 4) to easily understand the question stems. The various CBA representations also potentially encouraged students who already had learning experience (Grade 5) to enhance the metacognitive judgment of their responses. Therefore, CBA could reduce students’ use of test-taking strategies and provide better diagnostic power for a two-tier instrument than the traditional paper-based version.