Volume 104 (6), October 2004

Table of Contents

Abstract

Assessing Investigative Skill Development in Inquiry-Based and Traditional College Science Laboratory Courses

Jerry P. Suits, University of Northern Colorado

A laboratory practical examination was used to compare the investigative skills developed in two different types of general-chemistry laboratory courses. Science and engineering majors (SEM) in the control group used a traditional verification approach (SEM-Ctrl), whereas those in the treatment group learned from an innovative, inquiry-based approach (SEM-Trt). A scoring rubric was developed from their examination sheets to assess six component investigative skills. Results indicated that SEM students in the SEM-Trt group scored significantly higher than those in SEM-Ctrl for all six skills. Furthermore, nursing and applied science majors (NonSEM) in the inquiry-based group (NonSEM-Trt) wrote significantly better discussions than did SEM students in SEM-Ctrl group. Overall, competency at the mid-range level of laboratory skills was attained by most SEM-Trt students (72.5%) but by only 30.5% of SEM-Ctrl and 28.6% of NonSEM-Trt students. Apparently, during the semester students in the SEM-Trt group were able to use the inquiry-based method effectively to combine chemical tasks with writing tasks and postlaboratory discussions. One implication of this study for science instructors is that practical examinations can provide useful feedback regarding the quality of the laboratory experience. Another implication is that this study provides evidence for the use of the innovative inquiry-based laboratory approach to support student learning of high-level investigative skills. However, studentsâ requisite background knowledge must match the level of these skills.

How Students Use Physics to Reason About Calculus Tasks

Karen A. Marrongelle, Portland State University

The present research study investigates how undergraduate students in an integrated calculus and physics class use physics to help them solve calculus problems.  Using Zandiehâs (2000) framework for analyzing student understanding of derivative as a starting point, this study adds detail to her ãparadigmatic physicalä context and begins to address the need for a theoretical basis for investigating learning and teaching in integrated mathematics and science classrooms.  A case study design was used to investigate the different ways students use physics ideas as they worked through calculus tasks.  Data were gathered through four individual interviews with each of 8 ICP students, classroom participant-observation, and triangulation of the data through student homework and exams. The main result of this study is the Physics Use Classification Scheme, a tool consisting of four categories used to characterize studentsâ uses of physics on tasks involving average rate of change, derivative, and integral concepts.  Two of the categories from the Physics Use Classification Scheme are elucidated with contrasting student cases in this paper.

Lessons From Experts: Improving College Science Instruction Through Case Teaching

Kim Bilica, University at Buffalo

The overall aim of this article is to introduce case teaching to college professors who may wish to increase their studentsâ level of engagement with science, mathematics, and engineering. Case teaching is an incredibly adaptable instructional method able to involve students in higher levels of cognitive processing. The explicit purposes of this article are (a) to answer some of the basic questions about case teaching and (b) to show how other science and engineering professors have employed cases in their college courses. The basic questions addressed in the article include the following: What is case teaching? What can case teaching do for college science classrooms? and Where can I go to get more information on case teaching? Information from the National Center for Case Teaching in Science website is referenced. The second half of this article illustrates how cases are used in college science and engineering courses based upon interviews with expert case teachers. Several descriptive vignettes and ãlessonsä from these experts are available to show how case teaching can be applied in diverse contexts.

Collaborative Teams in a University Statistics Course: A Case Study of How Differing Value Structures Inhibit Change

Nancy T. Davis and Margaret R. Blanchard

Florida State University

In a rapidly changing world, individuals need the intellectual agility, problem-solving skills, and increased interdependence that are not developed in a traditional classroom. Despite years of reform efforts, little change in practice has been observed. This is a case study of the efforts of a statistics professor who used collaborative learning to prepare his students for the challenges of the 21st century. The nature of the statistics course, the intentions of the professor, and the interactions and feedback of his students are analyzed in terms of their underlying value structures (Beck & Cowan, 1996). Conflicting expectations and experiences, particularly with assessment, resulted in dissatisfaction and frustrations for the professor and the students.

Gender Differences in Learning Constructs, Shifts in Learning Constructs, and Their Relationship to Course Achievement in a Structured Inquiry, Yearlong College Physics Course for Life Science Majors

Ann M.L. Cavallo, Wayne State University       

Wendell H. Potter, University of California - Davis

Michelle Rozman,  Genentech, Inc.

This study investigated differences and shifts in learning and motivation constructs among male and female students in a nonmajors, yearlong structured inquiry college physics course and examined how these variables were related to physics understanding and course achievement. Tests and questionnaires measured studentsâ learning approaches, motivational goals, self-efficacy, epistemological beliefs, scientific reasoning abilities, and understanding of central physics concepts at the beginning and end of the course. Course achievement scores were also obtained. The findings showed that male students had significantly higher self-efficacy, performance goals, and physics understanding compared to females, which persisted throughout the course. Differential shifts were found in studentsâ meaningful learning approaches, with females tending to use less meaningful learning from beginning to end of the course; and males using more meaningful learning over this time period. For both males and females, self-efficacy significantly predicted physics understanding and course achievement. For females, higher reasoning ability was also a significant predictor of understanding and achievement; whereas for males, learning goals and rote learning were significant predictors, but in a negative direction. The findings reveal that different variables of learning and motivation may be important for femalesâ success in inquiry physics compared to males. Instructors should be cognizant of those needs in order to best help all students learn and achieve in college physics.

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