Volume 106 (5), May 2006

Table of Contents

Abstracts

Student Competence in Understanding the Matter Concept and Its Implications for Science Curriculum Standards

Xiufeng Liu
SUNY at Buffalo

Using the US national sample from the 1995 Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), this study examined students’ competence levels in understanding the matter concept at grades 3, 4, 7, 8 and high school graduation, and compared them to the expectations in the US national science education standards. It was found that third-grade students were developing understanding on mixtures, and fourth-grade students were developing understanding on separating mixtures; seventh- and eighth-grade students were only at the beginning level of differentiating chemical properties from physical properties; they were not ready for the particulate model of chemical change. High school physical science specialization students were still at the developing level of understanding kinetic and atomic models of chemical and physical changes; they may not be able to master those theories. The findings suggest that the Benchmarks for Science Literacy and Atlas for Science Literacy may have overestimated the competences of elementary, middle school, and high school students.

Sociocultural Factors Influencing Students’ Learning in Science and Mathematics: An Analysis of the Perspectives of African American Students

Brenda R. Brand, George E. Glasson, Andre’ M. Green
Virginia Tech

The voices of African American students reveal sociocultural factors that influence their achievement in science and mathematics classes. Using a sociocultural theoretical framework (Mercer & Covey, 1980), this ethnographic study interpreted the perspectives of five African American students as they discussed their learning experiences in science and mathematics classrooms. This framework acknowledges the vulnerability of the educational system to societal influences that inevitably assert cultural values and norms. The students’ discussions provided insight into their beliefs about the varied ways in which sociocultural factors impact their learning in science and mathematics classrooms.

Contrasting Orientations: STSE for Social Reconstruction or Social Reproduction?

Sarah Elizabeth Barrett and Erminia Pedretti
OISE/ University of Toronto

Over the last 20 years, science-technology-society-environment education (STSE) education has been advocated as a way to advance scientific literacy. However, STSE education represents a broad range of ideologies and orientations. The purpose of this study was to compare and contrast two different science curricula through a case study approach. This study followed three classroom teachers from Ontario who decided to write a locally developed STSE course to replace the one that the government had discontinued. Through an analysis of the current government mandated STSE curricula and the proposed STSE curriculum, two distinct orientations emerged: social reconstruction and social reproduction. The analysis work suggests that these two orientations have fundamental philosophical differences and are irreconcilable. The paper concludes with a discussion about the implications for science educators.

The Advantages of an STS Approach Over a Typical Textbook Dominated Approach in Middle School Science

Stuart O. Yager, Bethel College
Gilsun Lim, Pusan National University
Robert E. Yager, University of Iowa

Two sections of middle school science were taught by two longtime teachers where one used an STS approach and the other followed the more typical textbook approach closely. Pre- and post assessments were administered to one section of students for each teacher. The testing focused on student concept mastery, general science achievement, concept applications, use of concepts in new situations, and attitudes toward science. Videotapes of classroom actions were recorded and analyzed to determine the level of the use of STS teaching strategies in the two sections. Information was also be collected that gave evidence of and noted changes in student creativity and the continuation of student learning and the use of it beyond the classroom. Major findings indicate that students experiencing the STS format where constructivist teaching practices were used to (a) learn basic concepts as well as students who studied them directly from the textbook, (b) achieve as much in terms of general concept mastery as students who studied almost exclusively by using a textbook closely, (c) apply science concepts in new situations better than students who studied science in a more traditional way, (d) develop more positive attitudes about science, (e) exhibit creativity skills more often and more uniquely, and (f) learn and use science at home and in the community more than did students in the textbook dominated classroom.

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