Students' Conceptions of the Nature of Science: Perspectives from Canadian and Korean Middle School Students

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Park, Hyeran; Nielsen, Wendy; Woodruff, Earl

2014-05-01

This study examined and compared students' understanding of nature of science (NOS) with 521 Grade 8 Canadian and Korean students using a mixed methods approach. The concepts of NOS were measured using a survey that had both quantitative and qualitative elements. Descriptive statistics and one-way multivariate analysis of variances examined the quantitative data while a conceptually clustered matrix classified the open-ended responses. The country effect could explain 3-12 % of the variances of subjectivity, empirical testability and diverse methods, but it was not significant for the concepts of tentativeness and socio-cultural embeddedness of science. The open-ended responses showed that students believed scientific theories change due to errors or discoveries. Students regarded empirical evidence as undeniable and objective although they acknowledged experiments depend on theories or scientists' knowledge. The open responses revealed that national situations and curriculum content affected their views. For our future democratic citizens to gain scientific literacy, science curricula should include currently acknowledged NOS concepts and should be situated within societal and cultural perspectives.

Swedish Nursing Students' Perceptions of the Concept of Health: A Phenomenographic Study

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Skär, Lisa; Söderberg, Siv

2016-01-01

Objectives: Health is a central and important concept in nursing and nursing education, and has been theorised about in both positive and negative terms. The purpose of this study was to explore Swedish nursing students' perceptions of the concept of health. Design: A phenomenographic research approach was used to understand how nursing students…

How Do Students Learn to See Concepts in Visualizations? Social Learning Mechanisms with Physical and Virtual Representations

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Rau, Martina A.

2017-01-01

STEM instruction often uses visual representations. To benefit from these, students need to understand how representations show domain-relevant concepts. Yet, this is difficult for students. Prior research shows that physical representations (objects that students manipulate by hand) and virtual representations (objects on a computer screen that…

Threshold Concepts in Finance: Student Perspectives

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Hoadley, Susan; Kyng, Tim; Tickle, Leonie; Wood, Leigh N.

2015-01-01

Finance threshold concepts are the essential conceptual knowledge that underpin well-developed financial capabilities and are central to the mastery of finance. In this paper we investigate threshold concepts in finance from the point of view of students, by establishing the extent to which students are aware of threshold concepts identified by…

Secondary Students' Stable and Unstable Optics Conceptions Using Contextualized Questions

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Chu, Hye-Eun; Treagust, David F.

2014-01-01

This study focuses on elucidating and explaining reasons for the stability of and interrelationships between students' conceptions about "Light Propagation" and "Visibility of Objects" using contextualized questions across 3 years of secondary schooling from Years 7 to 9. In a large-scale quantitative study involving 1,233…

University Students Alternative Conceptions On Circular Motion

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Ian Phil Canlas

2015-08-01

Full Text Available This study attempted to find out university students alternative conceptions on circular motion. An 18-item researcher-compiled and content-validated questionnaire was administered to twenty-six 26 students taking up a program in Bachelor in Secondary Education-Physical Science in their second year enrolled in a course on mechanics. Results revealed that majority of the students possess alternative conceptions on circular motion specifically along velocity acceleration and force. Moreover results showed the inconsistencies in the students understanding of circular motion concepts.

Teaching Innovations in Marketing: A Brand-Based Student-Led Inquiry of Marketing Concepts and Practices

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Hostetter, Leonard R., Jr.

2017-01-01

This teaching innovation is a brand-based student-led inquiry of marketing concepts and practices for an introductory marketing course. During the first week of class, teams of students (or individual students) each select a brand of interest to research and analyze throughout the course. The objective is for students to understand the practical…

Teaching concept analysis to graduate nursing students.

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Schiller, Catharine J

2018-04-01

To provide guidance to educators who use the Wilson (1963) concept analysis method, as modified by Walker and Avant (2011), in their graduate nursing curriculum BACKGROUND: While graduate nursing curricula often include a concept analysis assignment, there is a paucity of literature to assist educators in guiding students through this challenging process. This article details one way for educators to assist graduate nursing students in learning how to undertake each step of the Wilson (1963) concept analysis method, as modified by Walker and Avant (2011). Wilson (1963) concept analysis method, as modified by Walker and Avant (2011). Using examples, this article walks the reader through the Walker and Avant (2011) concept analysis process and addresses those issues commonly encountered by educators during this process. This article presented one way of walking students through a Walker and Avant (2011) concept analysis. Having clear information about the steps involved in developing a concept analysis will make it easier for educators to incorporate it into their graduate nursing curriculum and to effectively guide students on their journey through this process. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Mining Concept Maps to Understand University Students' Learning

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Yoo, Jin Soung; Cho, Moon-Heum

2012-01-01

Concept maps, visual representations of knowledge, are used in an educational context as a way to represent students' knowledge, and identify mental models of students; however there is a limitation of using concept mapping due to its difficulty to evaluate the concept maps. A concept map has a complex structure which is composed of concepts and…

Properties of mathematical objects (Goedel on classes, properties and concepts)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Materna, Pavel

2007-01-01

In terms of a sufficiently fine-grained theory we should distinguish between classes, properties and concepts. Since properties are best modeled as a kind of non-trivial intensions while mathematical objects are never non-trivial intensions we should not speak about properties of mathematical objects. When we do use the term property in mathematics (as Goedel did) we either mean classes, or the more fine-grained entities to be called concepts. In the latter case concepts have to be defined so that various distinct concepts could identify one and the same object. The notion of construction in transparent intensional logic makes it possible to construe concepts as abstract procedures. At the same time we have to distinguish between this notion and the notion of construction in constructivist systems: the former - unlike the latter - are objective and, therefore, acceptable for a realist

Student Perceptions of and Confidence in Self-Care Course Concepts Using Team-based Learning.

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Frame, Tracy R; Gryka, Rebecca; Kiersma, Mary E; Todt, Abby L; Cailor, Stephanie M; Chen, Aleda M H

2016-04-25

Objective. To evaluate changes in student perceptions of and confidence in self-care concepts after completing a team-based learning (TBL) self-care course. Methods. Team-based learning was used at two universities in first professional year, semester-long self-care courses. Two instruments were created and administered before and after the semester. The instruments were designed to assess changes in student perceptions of self-care using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) domains and confidence in learning self-care concepts using Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory. Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used to evaluate pre/post changes, and Mann Whitney U tests were used to evaluate university differences. Results. Fifty-three Cedarville University and 58 Manchester University students completed both instruments (100% and 92% response rates, respectively). Student self-care perceptions with TPB decreased significantly on nine of 13 items for Cedarville and decreased for one of 13 items for Manchester. Student confidence in self-care concepts improved significantly on all questions for both universities. Conclusion. Data indicate TBL self-care courses were effective in improving student confidence about self-care concepts. Establishing students' skill sets prior to entering the profession is beneficial because pharmacists will use self-directed learning to expand their knowledge and adapt to problem-solving situations.

Effectiveness of Demonstration and Lecture Methods in Learning Concept in Economics among Secondary School Students in Borno State, Nigeria

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Muhammad, Amin Umar; Bala, Dauda; Ladu, Kolomi Mutah

2016-01-01

This study investigated the Effectiveness of Demonstration and Lecture Methods in Learning concepts in Economics among Secondary School Students in Borno state, Nigeria. Five objectives: to determine the effectiveness of demonstration method in learning economics concepts among secondary school students in Borno state, determine the effectiveness…

Metaphoric Perceptions of the Students of the Sports Sciences Faculty Regarding the Concept of Fair-Play

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Çaglayan, Hakan Salim; Gül, Özgür

2017-01-01

The objective of this study is to reveal the perceptions of the students of the sports sciences faculty regarding the concept of "Fair-Play" by means of metaphors. 275 students [male[subscript (n = 173)], female [subscript (n = 102)

Investigating alternative conceptions in learning disabled students

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Cole, Terry Stokes

Science teachers have long noticed the fact that their students come to school with their own concepts, produced from daily experiences and interactions with the world around them. Sometimes these ideas are in agreement with accepted scientific theories, but often they are not. These "incorrect" ideas, or "misconceptions" have been the focus of many studies, which can be helpful to teachers when planning their lessons. However, there is a dearth of information that is geared specifically to students with learning disabilities. These students generally have deficits in areas of perception and learning that could conceivably influence the way they formulate concepts. The purpose of this study was to examine the concepts held by students with learning disabilities on the causes of the day/night cycle, the phases of the moon, and the seasons. An interview format was judged to be the best method of ensuring that the students' ideas were clearly documented. The subjects were five, sixth-grade students in a city school, who had been determined to have a learning disability. In examining the results, there did not seem to be any direct link between the type of misconception formed and the learning deficit of the child. It seemed more likely that students formed their concepts the way students usually do, but the various disabilities they exhibited interfered with their learning of more appropriate conceptions. The results of this study will be helpful to science teachers, curriculum planners, or anyone who works with students who have learning disabilities. It is hoped that this will begin to fill a void in the area of learning disabilities research.

University Students Alternative Conceptions On Circular Motion

OpenAIRE

Ian Phil Canlas

2015-01-01

This study attempted to find out university students alternative conceptions on circular motion. An 18-item researcher-compiled and content-validated questionnaire was administered to twenty-six 26 students taking up a program in Bachelor in Secondary Education-Physical Science in their second year enrolled in a course on mechanics. Results revealed that majority of the students possess alternative conceptions on circular motion specifically along velocity acceleration and force. Moreover res...

Study of the Relationship Between Nurse Self-Concept and Clinical Performance Among Nursing Students

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Badiyepeymaie Jahromi

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Background Scholars believe that if nursing students appreciate the value of their services, their sense of professionalism will increase and performance will improve. Nevertheless, little is known about the relationship between nursing students’ professional self-concept and clinical performance. Objectives This study examines the relationship between nurse self-concept and clinical performance among nursing students. Patients and Methods This cross-sectional analytical study employed the census method. The sample comprised 86 senior and junior nursing students at Jahrom university of medical sciences. Nurse self-concept and clinical performance were measured by using the nurses’ self-concept questionnaire (NSCQ, and the 6-dimension scale of nurse performance (6-DSNP, respectively. Results The mean and standard deviation of nurse self-concept and clinical performance scores were 5.46 ± 1.11 and 2.94 ± 1.45, respectively. Nurse self-concept was related to clinical performance (r = 0.24, P = 0.02. Total NSCQ scores were significantly related to four of the 6-DSNP dimensions: planning and evaluation, interpersonal relations and communication, critical care, and leadership. Conclusions Attempts should be made to enhance students’ nurse self-concept during their education. Counseling, improving public respect for nurses, and implementing measures to enhance students’ professional self-concept are essential for improving their performance.

Evaluation of Students' Energy Conception in Environmental Science

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Park, Mihwa; Johnson, Joseph A.

2016-01-01

While significant research has been conducted on students' conceptions of energy, alternative conceptions of energy have not been actively explored in the area of environmental science. The purpose of this study is to examine students' alternative conceptions in the environmental science discipline through the analysis of responses of first year…

Hypnosis-Induced Mental Training Programmes as a Strategy to Improve the Self-Concept of Students

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De Vos, H. M.; Louw, D. A.

2009-01-01

The creation and implementation of strategies that could improve student development is receiving new research interest. The main objective of the research was to establish whether hypnosis-induced mental training programmes as a strategy could alter the self-concept of students which in turn could improve their overall academic functioning. Two…

ROLE OF UML SEQUENCE DIAGRAM CONSTRUCTS IN OBJECT LIFECYCLE CONCEPT

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Miroslav Grgec

2007-06-01

Full Text Available When modeling systems and using UML concepts, a real system can be viewed in several ways. The RUP (Rational Unified Process defines the "4 + 1 view": 1. Logical view (class diagram (CD, object diagram (OD, sequence diagram (SD, collaboration diagram (COD, state chart diagram (SCD, activity diagram (AD, 2.Process view (use case diagram, CD, OD, SD, COD, SCD, AD, 3. Development view (package diagram, component diagram, 4. Physical view (deployment diagram, and 5. Use case view (use case diagram, OD, SD, COD, SCD, AD which combines the four mentioned above. With sequence diagram constructs we are describing object behavior in scope of one use case and their interaction. Each object in system goes through a so called lifecycle (create, supplement object with data, use object, decommission object. The concept of the object lifecycle is used to understand and formalize the behavior of objects from creation to deletion. With help of sequence diagram concepts our paper will describe the way of interaction modeling between objects through lifeline of each of them, and their importance in software development.

Undergraduate Students' Initial Conceptions of Factorials

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Lockwood, Elise; Erickson, Sarah

2017-01-01

Counting problems offer rich opportunities for students to engage in mathematical thinking, but they can be difficult for students to solve. In this paper, we present a study that examines student thinking about one concept within counting, factorials, which are a key aspect of many combinatorial ideas. In an effort to better understand students'…

Factors Related to Students' Learning of Biomechanics Concepts

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Hsieh, ChengTu; Smith, Jeremy D.; Bohne, Michael; Knudson, Duane

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to replicate and expand a previous study to identify the factors that affect students' learning of biomechanical concepts. Students were recruited from three universities (N = 149) located in the central and western regions of the United States. Data from 142 students completing the Biomechanics Concept Inventory…

The Musical Self-Concept of Chinese Music Students.

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Petersen, Suse; Camp, Marc-Antoine

2016-01-01

The relationship between self-concept and societal settings has been widely investigated in several Western and Asian countries, with respect to the academic self-concept in an educational environment. Although the musical self-concept is highly relevant to musical development and performance, there is a lack of research exploring how the musical self-concept evolves in different cultural settings and societies. In particular, there have been no enquiries yet in the Chinese music education environment. This study's goal was the characterization of musical self-concept types among music students at a University in Beijing, China. The Musical Self-Concept Inquiry-including ability, emotional, physical, cognitive, and social facets-was used to assess the students' musical self-concepts (N = 97). The data analysis led to three significantly distinct clusters and corresponding musical self-concept types. The types were especially distinct, in the students' perception of their musical ambitions and abilities; their movement, rhythm and dancing affinity; and the spiritual and social aspects of music. The professional aims and perspectives, and the aspects of the students' sociodemographic background also differed between the clusters. This study is one of the first research endeavors addressing musical self-concepts in China. The empirical identification of the self-concept types offers a basis for future research on the connections between education, the development of musical achievement, and the musical self-concept in societal settings with differing understandings of the self.

Construction of the mathematical concept of pseudo thinking students

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Anggraini, D.; Kusmayadi, T. A.; Pramudya, I.

2018-05-01

Thinking process is a process that begins with the acceptance of information, information processing and information calling in memory with structural changes that include concepts or knowledges. The concept or knowledge is individually constructed by each individual. While, students construct a mathematical concept, students may experience pseudo thinking. Pseudo thinking is a thinking process that results in an answer to a problem or construction to a concept “that is not true”. Pseudo thinking can be classified into two forms there are true pseudo and false pseudo. The construction of mathematical concepts in students of pseudo thinking should be immediately known because the error will have an impact on the next construction of mathematical concepts and to correct the errors it requires knowledge of the source of the error. Therefore, in this article will be discussed thinking process in constructing of mathematical concepts in students who experience pseudo thinking.

Mapping Students' Spoken Conceptions of Equality

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Anakin, Megan

2013-01-01

This study expands contemporary theorising about students' conceptions of equality. A nationally representative sample of New Zealand students' were asked to provide a spoken numerical response and an explanation as they solved an arithmetic additive missing number problem. Students' responses were conceptualised as acts of communication and…

The influence of project-based learning on the student conception about kinematics and critical thinking skills

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Handhika, J.; Cari, C.; Sunarno, W.; Suparmi, A.; Kurniadi, E.

2018-05-01

This research revealed the influence of project-based learning (PjBL) to increasing the level of the conception. The research method used the pre-experimental design with one group pre-test post-test. PjBL applied to students of physics education program of IKIP PGRI Madiun (23 Students). The test used to determine the level of conception is multiple choice tests and index of certainty. Activities on PjBL described. Obtained that the PjBL model can increase the level of conception and Critical thinking skills with the average normalized gain 0.49 and 0.57 (Medium category). It can be concluded that the PjBL could improve the level of conception and critical thinking ability of the students. Implementation of each model phase following learning objectives and needs analysis is the key to improve both.

A Study of the Development of Students' Visualizations of Program State during an Elementary Object-Oriented Programming Course

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Sajaniemi, Jorma; Kuittinen, Marja; Tikansalo, Taina

2008-01-01

Students' understanding of object-oriented (OO) program execution was studied by asking students to draw a picture of a program state at a specific moment. Students were given minimal instructions on what to include in their drawings in order to see what they considered to be central concepts and relationships in program execution. Three drawing…

Responsibility among bachelor degree nursing students: A concept analysis.

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Ghasemi, Saeed; Ahmadi, Fazlollah; Kazemnejad, Anoshirvan

2018-01-01

Responsibility is an important component of the professional values and core competencies for bachelor degree nursing students and has relationships with nursing education and professionalization. It is important for providing safe and high-quality care to the clients for the present and future performance of student. But there is no clear and operational definition of this concept for bachelor degree nursing students; however, there are extensive contents and debates about the definitions, attributes, domains and boundaries of responsibility in nursing and non-nursing literature. To examine the concept of responsibility among bachelor degree nursing students using the evolutionary approach to concept analysis. A total of 75 articles published between 1990 and 2016 and related to the concept of responsibility were selected from seven databases and considered for concept analysis based on Rogers' evolutionary approach. Ethical considerations: Throughout all stages of data collection, analysis and reporting, accuracy and bailment were respected. Responsibility is a procedural, spectral, dynamic and complex concept. The attributes of the concept are smart thinking, appropriate managerial behaviours, appropriate communicational behaviours, situational self-mandatory and task-orientation behaviours. Personal, educational and professional factors lead to the emergence of the responsible behaviours among bachelor degree nursing students. The emergence of such behaviours facilitates the learning and education process, ensures nursing profession life and promotes clients and community health level. Responsibility has some effects on nursing students. This concept had been changed over time since 1990-2016. There are similarities and differences in the elements of this concept in disciplines of nursing and other educational disciplines. Conclusion The analysis of this concept can help to develop educational or managerial theories, design instruments for better identification

Relationships among Aspects of Student Alienation and Self Concept

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Tarquin, Kristen; Cook-Cottone, Catherine

2008-01-01

This study investigated the relationships among previous experiences of student alienation and the various aspects of self concept. A total of 351 undergraduate students were administered the Student Alienation and Trauma Survey-Revised (SATS-R) and the Tennessee Self Concept Scale: Second Edition (TSCS:2). Students were asked to report on their…

The Effects of Using Concept Cartoons in Astronomy Subjects on Critical Thinking Skills among Seventh Grade Student

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Demirci, Filiz; Özyürek, Cengiz

2017-01-01

The objective of this study is to research the effects of using concept cartoons in the "Solar System and Beyond" unit, which is included in seventh grade science lessons, on students' critical thinking skills. The study group consisted of 58 students, selected using an appropriate sampling method, who were students in a state secondary…

Learning style and concept acquisition of community college students in introductory biology

Science.gov (United States)

Bobick, Sandra Burin

This study investigated the influence of learning style on concept acquisition within a sample of community college students in a general biology course. There are two subproblems within the larger problem: (1) the influence of demographic variables (age, gender, number of college credits, prior exposure to scientific information) on learning style, and (2) the correlations between prior scientific knowledge, learning style and student understanding of the concept of the gene. The sample included all students enrolled in an introductory general biology course during two consecutive semesters at an urban community college. Initial data was gathered during the first week of the semester, at which time students filled in a short questionnaire (age, gender, number of college credits, prior exposure to science information either through reading/visual sources or a prior biology course). Subjects were then given the Inventory of Learning Processes-Revised (ILP-R) which measures general preferences in five learning styles; Deep Learning; Elaborative Learning, Agentic Learning, Methodical Learning and Literal Memorization. Subjects were then given the Gene Conceptual Knowledge pretest: a 15 question objective section and an essay section. Subjects were exposed to specific concepts during lecture and laboratory exercises. At the last lab, students were given the Genetics Conceptual Knowledge Posttest. Pretest/posttest gains were correlated with demographic variables and learning styles were analyzed for significant correlations. Learning styles, as the independent variable in a simultaneous multiple regression, were significant predictors of results on the gene assessment tests, including pretest, posttest and gain. Of the learning styles, Deep Learning accounted for the greatest positive predictive value of pretest essay and pretest objective results. Literal Memorization was a significant negative predictor for posttest essay, essay gain and objective gain. Simultaneous

Survey of stress, anxiety, depression and self-concept of students of Fasa University of medical sciences, 2010

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Majid Najafi Kalyani

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Background & Objectives: Studying periods in university is very important for students. Because of the problems, this period is usually accompanied with mental status changes of students. The aim of this study was the assessment of psychological variables (stress, anxiety and depression and self-concept of students. Materials & Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all the students studying at Fasa University of Medical Sciences in the academic year 89-88 were selected through census sampling method. The DASS-21 was used to assess stress, anxiety and depression of students and in order to evaluate the status of their self-concept; the Carl Rogers questionnaire was used. Data analysis was performed with SPSS software using descriptive and inferential statistics (t test, ANOVA, Chi square and Pearson correlation. Results: The results of this study showed that 76% of students had stress, 56.4% anxiety and 53.1% depression, and 69/3% had weak or negative self-concepts. There was a statistically significant correlation between high stress, anxiety and depression with negative self-concept (P<0.001.Conclusion: High stress, anxiety and depression and also a significant correlation between increased stress, anxiety and depression with negative and weak self-concept of students were found. It is necessary to devote more careful attention to mental health issues of students and have appropriate interventions.

[Case-based interactive PACS learning: introduction of a new concept for radiological education of students].

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Scherer, A; Kröpil, P; Heusch, P; Buchbender, C; Sewerin, P; Blondin, D; Lanzman, R S; Miese, F; Ostendorf, B; Bölke, E; Mödder, U; Antoch, G

2011-11-01

Medical curricula are currently being reformed in order to establish superordinated learning objectives, including, e.g., diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive competences. This requires a shifting from traditional teaching methods towards interactive and case-based teaching concepts. Conceptions, initial experiences and student evaluations of a novel radiological course Co-operative Learning In Clinical Radiology (CLICR) are presented in this article. A novel radiological teaching course (CLICR course), which combines different innovative teaching elements, was established and integrated into the medical curriculum. Radiological case vignettes were created for three clinical teaching modules. By using a PC with PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) access, web-based databases and the CASUS platform, a problem-oriented, case-based and independent way of learning was supported as an adjunct to the well established radiological courses and lectures. Student evaluations of the novel CLICR course and the radiological block course were compared. Student evaluations of the novel CLICR course were significantly better compared to the conventional radiological block course. Of the participating students 52% gave the highest rating for the novel CLICR course concerning the endpoint overall satisfaction as compared to 3% of students for the conventional block course. The innovative interactive concept of the course and the opportunity to use a web-based database were favorably accepted by the students. Of the students 95% rated the novel course concept as a substantial gain for the medical curriculum and 95% also commented that interactive working with the PACS and a web-based database (82%) promoted learning and understanding. Interactive, case-based teaching concepts such as the presented CLICR course are considered by both students and teachers as useful extensions to the radiological course program. These concepts fit well into competence-oriented curricula.

An Exploration of Students' Conceptions of Accounting Work

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Sin, Samantha; Reid, Anna; Jones, Alan

2012-01-01

This study, undertaken at an Australian university, investigates undergraduate accounting students' conceptions of accounting work and discusses the relevance of such conceptions for the work readiness of graduates. Findings based on a phenomenographic investigation show variations in students' awareness of the functional and human aspects of…

Using Three-Tier Test to Identify the Quantity of Student that Having Misconception on Newton's Laws of Motion Concept

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Emi Sulistri

2017-10-01

Full Text Available This study aims to identify students quantity who are having the misconception on Newton's laws of motion concept using a Three-tiered Test. The sampling technique used in this study is purposive sampling technique and has been conducted on 56 students at Senior High School. A three-tier "Newton’s Law Of Motion Test" with 10 items is using as instrument to collected date in this study. The results showed that the quantity of students who experienced misconception with the highest category is on the concept of determining the relationship between the mass of objects and the time required for free fall that is equal to 89.3%. While the lowest category is in the concept of explaining the relationship between acceleration, mass and force with the time required for the object to fall freely that is equal to 26.8%.

Self-Concept and Achievement Motivation of High School Students

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Lawrence, A. S. Arul; Vimala, A.

2013-01-01

The present study "Self-concept and Achievement Motivation of High School Students" was investigated to find the relationship between Self-concept and Achievement Motivation of High School Students. Data for the study were collected using Self-concept Questionnaire developed by Raj Kumar Saraswath (1984) and Achievement Motive Test (ACMT)…

Student Conceptions about Energy Transformations: Progression from General Chemistry to Biochemistry

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Wolfson, Adele J.; Rowland, Susan L.; Lawrie, Gwendolyn A.; Wright, Anthony H.

2014-01-01

Students commencing studies in biochemistry must transfer and build on concepts they learned in chemistry and biology classes. It is well established, however, that students have difficulties in transferring critical concepts from general chemistry courses; one key concept is "energy." Most previous work on students' conception of energy…

Conception of undergraduate nursing students on the practice of health education on first aid

OpenAIRE

Marília Rosa de Oliveira; Ana Rita Arrigo Leonel; Juliana Helena Montezeli; Andréia Bendine Gastaldi; Eleine Aparecida Penha Martins; Cristiano Caveião

2015-01-01

Objective: to present the conception of undergraduate nursing students participating in an integrated project on health education on first aid. Methods: qualitative research conducted at the Universidade Estadual de Londrina with five senior nursing students, participating in the project “Nursing in clinical and surgical urgent and emergency care.” We applied semi-structured interviews with content analysis. Results: the following categories emerged: Health education as a facilitator for acad...

CORRELATION BETWEEN SELF CONCEPT AND DEFENCE MECHANISM OF STUDENTS

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Fadhilla Yusri

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Basically every individual has a concept about himself. The concept which has been ingrained in each individual, would influence the behavior of that individuals in various aspects of their life including in facing the problems. Only a little of the students are able to solve the problem well. Sometimes to keep themselves right in a problem, they “form” defense mechanism. This research was conducted to reveal the correlation between self concept and defense mechanism of guidance and counseling students of  IAIN Bukittinggi. The population was the entire of guidance and counseling students that concist of 452 students, and 102 samples. The data was collected by using questionnaire that was processed using product moment technique in SPSS 21.0 version. The result shown that there is a significant correlation between self-concept and defense mechanism in facing the problem with the r calculated was 0.433. The strength of the correlation between self-concept  and defense mechanism of BK  students of IAIN Bukittinggi are at moderate or sufficient.

Student Teachers' Conceptions of Teaching Biology

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Subramaniam, Karthigeyan

2014-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate prospective biology teachers' conceptions of teaching biology and identify how these conceptions revealed their strategies for helping their future students' learning of biology. The study utilized drawings, narratives and interviews to investigate the nature of the prospective biology…

Conscientious objection in medical students: a questionnaire survey.

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Strickland, Sophie Lm

2012-01-01

To explore attitudes towards conscientious objections among medical students in the UK. Medical students at St George's University of London, Cardiff University, King's College London and Leeds University were emailed a link to an anonymous online questionnaire, hosted by an online survey company. The questionnaire contained nine questions. A total of 733 medical students responded. Nearly half of the students in this survey stated that they believed in the right of doctors to conscientiously object to any procedure. Demand for the right to conscientiously object is greater in Muslim medical students when compared with other groups of religious medical students. Abortion continues to be a contentious issue among medical students and this may contribute to the looming crisis in abortion services over the coming years. This project sheds some light on how future doctors view some of their ethical rights and obligations. Using empirical evidence, it reveals that conscientious objection is an issue in the UK medical student body today. These data could help anticipate problems that may arise when these medical students qualify and practise medicine in the community. Clearer guidance is needed for medical students about the issue of conscientious objection at medical school.

Virtual learning object and environment: a concept analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Salvador, Pétala Tuani Candido de Oliveira; Bezerril, Manacés Dos Santos; Mariz, Camila Maria Santos; Fernandes, Maria Isabel Domingues; Martins, José Carlos Amado; Santos, Viviane Euzébia Pereira

2017-01-01

To analyze the concept of virtual learning object and environment according to Rodgers' evolutionary perspective. Descriptive study with a mixed approach, based on the stages proposed by Rodgers in his concept analysis method. Data collection occurred in August 2015 with the search of dissertations and theses in the Bank of Theses of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel. Quantitative data were analyzed based on simple descriptive statistics and the concepts through lexicographic analysis with support of the IRAMUTEQ software. The sample was made up of 161 studies. The concept of "virtual learning environment" was presented in 99 (61.5%) studies, whereas the concept of "virtual learning object" was presented in only 15 (9.3%) studies. A virtual learning environment includes several and different types of virtual learning objects in a common pedagogical context. Analisar o conceito de objeto e de ambiente virtual de aprendizagem na perspectiva evolucionária de Rodgers. Estudo descritivo, de abordagem mista, realizado a partir das etapas propostas por Rodgers em seu modelo de análise conceitual. A coleta de dados ocorreu em agosto de 2015 com a busca de dissertações e teses no Banco de Teses e Dissertações da Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior. Os dados quantitativos foram analisados a partir de estatística descritiva simples e os conceitos pela análise lexicográfica com suporte do IRAMUTEQ. A amostra é constituída de 161 estudos. O conceito de "ambiente virtual de aprendizagem" foi apresentado em 99 (61,5%) estudos, enquanto o de "objeto virtual de aprendizagem" em apenas 15 (9,3%). Concluiu-se que um ambiente virtual de aprendizagem reúne vários e diferentes tipos de objetos virtuais de aprendizagem em um contexto pedagógico comum.

The influence of intuition and communication language in generating student conceptions

Science.gov (United States)

Handhika, J.; Cari, C.; Suparmi, A.; Sunarno, W.

2017-11-01

This research aims to describe the influence of intuition and communication language in generating student conceptions. The conception diagnostic test is used to reveal student conception. The diagnostic test results described and communication language profiled by giving instruction to students to make sentences using physics quantities. Sentences expressed by students are reduced and profiled potential effects. Obtained information that (1) Students generalize non-scientific experience (based on feeling) into the physics problem. This process caused misconception. Communication language can make the students difficult to understand the concept because of the difference meaning of communication and physics language.

Alternative Conceptions: Turning Adversity into Advantage

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Ferreira, Annalize; Lemmer, Miriam; Gunstone, Richard

2017-08-01

While a vast body of research has identified difficulties in students' understanding about forces and acceleration and their related alternative conceptions, far less research suggests ways to use students' alternative conceptions to enhance conceptual understanding of a specific fundamental concept. This study focused on distinguishing between students' conceptual understanding of the Newtonian concept of gravitational acceleration being the same for all objects and students' alternative conception that heavy objects fall faster. A multiple choice questionnaire was distributed to first year physics students for three consecutive years at a university in South Africa. The results indicate that changing the direction of motion and the physics quantity asked in paired questions revealed practically significant inconsistencies in students' reasoning and conceptions. This research contributes to the body of knowledge in proposing how the alternative conception of mass-related gravitational acceleration can be used in instruction to enhance conceptual understanding of the force-mass-acceleration relationship. Understanding of this relationship not only promotes conceptual understanding of the basic Newtonian concepts of the laws of motion which forms the critical foundation on which more advanced physics courses are built, but also contributes towards students' perception of physics as a set of coherent ideas applicable in all contexts.

Sociocultural context as a facilitator of student learning of function concepts in mathematics

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Evangelina Díaz Obando

2016-03-01

Full Text Available In Costa Rica, many secondary students have serious difficulties to establish relationships between mathematics and real-life contexts. They question the utilitarian role of the school mathematics. This fact motivated the research object of this report which evidences the need to overcome methodologies unrelated to students’ reality, toward new didactical options that help students to value mathematics, reasoning and its  applications, connecting it with their socio-cultural context. The research used a case study as a qualitative methodology and the social constructivism as an educational paradigm in which the knowledge is built by the student; as a product of his social interactions. A collection of learning situations was designed, validated, and implemented. It allowed establishing relationships between mathematical concepts and the socio-cultural context of participants. It analyzed the impact of students’socio-cultural context in their mathematics learning of basic concepts of real variable functions, consistent with the Ministry of Education (MEP Official Program.  Among the results, it was found that using students’sociocultural context improved their motivational processes, mathematics sense making, and promoted cooperative social interactions. It was evidenced that contextualized learning situations favored concepts comprehension that allow students to see mathematics as a discipline closely related with their every-day life.

Students' Conceptions of Function Transformation in a Dynamic Mathematical Environment

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Daher, Wajeeh; Anabousy, Ahlam

2015-01-01

The study of function transformations helps students understand the function concept which is a basic and main concept in mathematics, but this study is problematic to school students as well as college students, especially when transformations are performed on non-basic functions. The current research tried to facilitate grade 9 students'…

Width, Length, and Height Conceptions of Students with Learning Disabilities

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Güven, N. Dilsad; Argün, Ziya

2018-01-01

Teaching responsive to the needs of students with learning disabilities (LD) can be provided through understanding students' conceptions and their ways of learning. The current research, as a case study based on qualitative design, aimed to investigate the conceptions of students with learning disabilities with regard to the different…

Relating Gestures and Speech: An analysis of students' conceptions about geological sedimentary processes

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Herrera, Juan Sebastian; Riggs, Eric M.

2013-08-01

Advances in cognitive science and educational research indicate that a significant part of spatial cognition is facilitated by gesture (e.g. giving directions, or describing objects or landscape features). We aligned the analysis of gestures with conceptual metaphor theory to probe the use of mental image schemas as a source of concept representations for students' learning of sedimentary processes. A hermeneutical approach enabled us to access student meaning-making from students' verbal reports and gestures about four core geological ideas that involve sea-level change and sediment deposition. The study included 25 students from three US universities. Participants were enrolled in upper-level undergraduate courses on sedimentology and stratigraphy. We used semi-structured interviews for data collection. Our gesture coding focused on three types of gestures: deictic, iconic, and metaphoric. From analysis of video recorded interviews, we interpreted image schemas in gestures and verbal reports. Results suggested that students attempted to make more iconic and metaphoric gestures when dealing with abstract concepts, such as relative sea level, base level, and unconformities. Based on the analysis of gestures that recreated certain patterns including time, strata, and sea-level fluctuations, we reasoned that proper representational gestures may indicate completeness in conceptual understanding. We concluded that students rely on image schemas to develop ideas about complex sedimentary systems. Our research also supports the hypothesis that gestures provide an independent and non-linguistic indicator of image schemas that shape conceptual development, and also play a role in the construction and communication of complex spatial and temporal concepts in the geosciences.

On the Concepts of Usability and Reusability of Learning Objects

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Miguel-Angel Sicilia

2003-10-01

Full Text Available “Reusable learning objects” oriented towards increasing their potential reusability are required to satisfy concerns about their granularity and their independence of concrete contexts of use. Such requirements also entail that the definition of learning object “usability,” and the techniques required to carry out their “usability evaluation” must be substantially different from those commonly used to characterize and evaluate the usability of conventional educational applications. In this article, a specific characterization of the concept of learning object usability is discussed, which places emphasis on “reusability,” the key property of learning objects residing in repositories. The concept of learning object reusability is described as the possibility and adequacy for the object to be usable in prospective educational settings, so that usability and reusability are considered two interrelated – and in many cases conflicting – properties of learning objects. Following the proposed characterization of two characteristics or properties of learning objects, a method to evaluate usability of specific learning objects will be presented.

Self-Concept in Student Learning and Motivation Truant : Descriptive-Correlational Studies

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Erlina Harahap

2017-08-01

Full Text Available This research is aimed describ the learning motivation and self-concept of students who truant. This study used a descriptive quantitative method. The research conducted by the students of SMAN 5 Padangsidimpuan in the period of 2015/2016 with the total of the population was 420 students. Amount of research sample was 36 students and had been chosen by using purposive sampling technique. An instrument employed in this study was a Likert-scaled questionnaire. Data were analyzed by using percentage technique and the relationship between the two variables was analyzed by using nonparametric statistic, that is Spearman’s Coefficient of Rank Correlation. Results of this research are just like the following: 1 participants’ level of achievement on self-concept of students who truant is about 69,8%, 2 participants’ level of achievement on learning motivation of students who truant is about 69,2%, and 3 correlation coefficient of self-concept and learning motivation of students who truant is about 0,581. Therefore, it can be concluded that students who truancy have very low self-concept and learning motivation, and there is a significant relationship between self-concept and learning motivation. The implication in guidance counseling services is to create a service program which can increase self-concept and be learning motivation of students who truant

How Medical Students Use Objectives.

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Mast, Terrill A.; And Others

Two related studies were undertaken at Southern Illinois University on how students in the School of Medicine use the instructional objectives faculty prepare for them. Students in the classes of 1978 and 1979 were surveyed in their final month of training. The second survey was modified, based on responses from the first. The five research…

Self-Concept Changes in Multiple Self-Concept Domains of Gifted Students Participating in a Summer Residential School

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Preckel, Franzis; Rach, Hannah; Scherrer, Vsevolod

2016-01-01

The present study investigated changes in self-esteem, academic self-concept, intellectual self-concept, and social self-concepts of acceptance, assertion, relations with same-sex peers and relations with other-sex peers with 177 gifted students participating in a 16-day summer school in Germany. Students were assessed three times by self-report…

Knowledge of nutritional concepts among 6th grade students

OpenAIRE

Finc, Irena

2015-01-01

A proper understanding of nutritional concepts that are used in primary nutritional education is important in assessing the quality of nutritional knowledge in primary school. It is crucial that nutritional concepts used in different educational stages of primary education are adjusted to specific stage of student´s cognitive development. Purpose of my thesis is to identify how students understand nutritional concepts. Nutritional education has namely a positive impact on children's nutri...

Students conception and perception of simple electrical circuit

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Setyani, ND; Suparmi; Sarwanto; Handhika, J.

2017-11-01

This research aims to describe the profile of the students’ conception and perception on the simple electrical circuit. The results of this research suppose to be used as a reference by teachers to use learning models or strategies to improve understanding the physics concept. The research method used is descriptive qualitative. Research subjects are the students of physics education program, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Indonesia (49 students). The results showed that students have alternative conceptions. Their conceptions are (1) a high-voltage wire has an electric current and can cause electric shock, (2) the potential difference and the value of resistance used in a circuit is influenced by electric current, (3) the value of resistance of a lamp is proportional to the filament thickness, (4) the amount of electric current that coming out from the positive pole battery is the same for all type of circuit, in series or parallel (battery is constant current sources), (5) the current at any resistor in the series circuit is influenced by the resistor used, (6) the resistor consume the current through it. This incorrect conception can cause misconceptions.

Students' Conceptions about Energy and the Human Body

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Mann, Michael; Treagust, David F.

2010-01-01

Students' understanding of energy has been primarily within the domain of physics. This study sought to examine students' understanding of concepts relating to energy and the human body using pencil and paper questionnaires administered to 610 students in Years 8-12. From students' responses to the questionnaires, conceptual patterns were…

CONCEPT OF HEALTH: A STUDY WITH HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS AND STUDENTS

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João Bosco Oliveira Ribeiro da Silva

2007-11-01

Full Text Available Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate, by means of a questionnaire, the degree of knowledge that pediatricians, maternal-infant health nurses and medical and nursing students have of the concept of health. Methods: It was a cross-sectional and prospective study, previously approved by UNIFENAS Committee on Ethics in Research, having been carried out with pediatricians (n=42, maternal-infant health nurses (n=69, medical students (n=118, and nursing students (n=68 from two southern towns of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, which have medical and nursing schools. A survey was done in hospitals, medical clinics, City Health Bureaus and universities to reach the total number of students and professionals, weighing the possibility of a professional working in more than a job. The replies were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed. For the open questions the contents analysis was used, according to BARDIN (1977. The data were presented in table. Results: According to the answer of 71,74% of the pediatricians 72,60% of the maternal-infant unit nurses, 77,77% of the medical school students and 63,76% of the nursing school students, health is a total physical, mental and social well-being. Health was also found to be a balance between the body and its environment by 10,87% of the pediatricians, 10,95% of the maternal-infant unit nurses, 15.07% of the medical school students and 18,84% of the nursing school students. Conclusions: The difficulty to define health is well known, once it is a condition with different meanings. The notions of health and disease are strongly influenced by the cultural context in which they occur. The binomial health / disease is not related only to microorganisms, but also to socioeconomic, political and educational issue, and, the students as well as the health professionals are committed with this new health concept.

Using whiteboards to support college students' learning of complex physiological concepts.

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Inouye, Caron Y; Bae, Christine L; Hayes, Kathryn N

2017-09-01

Research underscores the importance of retrieval-based practice and application of knowledge for meaningful learning. However, the didactic lecture format continues to persist in traditional university physiology courses. A strategy called whiteboarding, where students use handheld dry erase boards and work in small groups to actively retrieve, discuss, and apply concepts presented in the lecture, has the potential to address challenges associated with actively engaging students in science courses for greater learning. The purpose of this study was to empirically examine the potential benefits of whiteboarding for increasing students' understanding of animal physiology concepts. Student performance on physiology questions assessing concepts taught using lecture only vs. concepts taught using lecture and whiteboarding were compared within the term that whiteboarding was used, as well as across whiteboard and lecture-only terms taught by the same instructor. Results showed that when whiteboarding was incorporated in the course, student performance on items that assessed concepts corresponding to the whiteboarding activities were significantly higher compared with performance on items that assessed concepts taught through lecture only. These patterns in student performance were found within and across terms. Taken together, findings point to whiteboarding as an effective tool that can be integrated in traditional lecture courses to promote students' understanding of physiology. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

USING RASCH ANALYSIS TO EXPLORE WHAT STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT PROBABILITY CONCEPTS

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Zamalia Mahmud

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Students’ understanding of probability concepts have been investigated from various different perspectives. This study was set out to investigate perceived understanding of probability concepts of forty-four students from the STAT131 Understanding Uncertainty and Variation course at the University of Wollongong, NSW. Rasch measurement which is based on a probabilistic model was used to identify concepts that students find easy, moderate and difficult to understand. Data were captured from the e-learning Moodle platform where students provided their responses through an on-line quiz. As illustrated in the Rasch map, 96% of the students could understand about sample space, simple events, mutually exclusive events and tree diagram while 67% of the students found concepts of conditional and independent events rather easy to understand

Using Rasch Analysis To Explore What Students Learn About Probability Concepts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zamalia Mahmud

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Students’ understanding of probability concepts have been investigated from various different perspectives. This study was set out to investigate perceived understanding of probability concepts of forty-four students from the STAT131 Understanding Uncertainty and Variation course at the University of Wollongong, NSW. Rasch measurement which is based on a probabilistic model was used to identify concepts that students find easy, moderate and difficult to understand. Data were captured from the e-learning Moodle platform where students provided their responses through an on-line quiz. As illustrated in the Rasch map, 96% of the students could understand about sample space, simple events, mutually exclusive events and tree diagram while 67% of the students found concepts of conditional and independent events rather easy to understand.

Development of diagnostic test instruments to reveal level student conception in kinematic and dynamics

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Handhika, J.; Cari, C.; Suparmi, A.; Sunarno, W.; Purwandari, P.

2018-03-01

The purpose of this research was to develop a diagnostic test instrument to reveal students' conceptions in kinematics and dynamics. The diagnostic test was developed based on the content indicator the concept of (1) displacement and distance, (2) instantaneous and average velocity, (3) zero and constant acceleration, (4) gravitational acceleration (5) Newton's first Law, (6) and Newton's third Law. The diagnostic test development model includes: Diagnostic test requirement analysis, formulating test-making objectives, developing tests, checking the validity of the content and the performance of reliability, and application of tests. The Content Validation Index (CVI) results in the category are highly relevant, with a value of 0.85. Three questions get negative Content Validation Ratio CVR) (-0.6), after revised distractors and clarify visual presentation; the CVR become 1 (highly relevant). This test was applied, obtained 16 valid test items, with Cronbach Alpha value of 0.80. It can conclude that diagnostic test can be used to reveal the level of students conception in kinematics and dynamics.

Effects of self-concept levels and perceived academic achievements of Turkish students on smoking perceptions.

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Sert, Hilal Parlak; Bektas, Murat; Ozturk, Candan

2014-01-01

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of self-concept levels and perceived academic achievements of sixth, seventh and eighth grade primary school students upon their perceptions about smoking. The data were collected with the Socio-Demographic Data Collection Form, Pier-Herris Self-Concept scale and Children's Decision Balance Scale. The study sample consisted of 374 students receiving education in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades of three primary schools, which were selected among primary schools of Izmir Provincial Directorate for National Education representing three socio-economic groups with a simple random sampling method. The data were collected in December 2012-January 2013. Percentages and the t test were used in the evaluation of the data. While students with a positive self-concept had score averages of 7.12±2.18 regarding the lower dimension of smoking pros and 29.0±2.47 regarding the lower dimension of smoking cons, their counterparts with a negative self-concept had score averages of 8.61±3.76 (p=0.000) and 28.1±3.49 (p=0.004), respectively. According to self-perception, there was statistical difference between perceptions of students regarding smoking (pself-perception had a low perception of smoking pros and a high perception of smoking cons. Perception of academic achievement did not affect the pros and cons perceptions of children regarding smoking.

Concept of development of integrated computer - based control system for 'Ukryttia' object

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buyal'skij, V.M.; Maslov, V.P.

2003-01-01

The structural concept of Chernobyl NPP 'Ukryttia' Object's integrated computer - based control system development is presented on the basis of general concept of integrated Computer - based Control System (CCS) design process for organizing and technical management subjects.The concept is aimed at state-of-the-art architectural design technique application and allows using modern computer-aided facilities for functional model,information (logical and physical) models development,as well as for system object model under design

Reported Use of Objectives by Medical Students.

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Mast, Terrill A.; And Others

The way that medical students used objectives throughout the curriculum and factors that influenced their level of use was studied at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, a three-year medical school with an entirely objectives-based curriculum. A questionnaire mailed to 75 students yielded a 75 percent return. The predominant modes for…

USING RASCH ANALYSIS TO EXPLORE WHAT STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT PROBABILITY CONCEPTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zamalia Mahmud

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Students’ understanding of probability concepts have been investigated from various different perspectives. This study was set out to investigate perceived understanding of probability concepts of forty-four students from the STAT131 Understanding Uncertainty and Variation course at the University of Wollongong, NSW. Rasch measurement which is based on a probabilistic model was used to identify concepts that students find easy, moderate and difficult to understand.  Data were captured from the e-learning Moodle platform where students provided their responses through an on-line quiz. As illustrated in the Rasch map, 96% of the students could understand about sample space, simple events, mutually exclusive events and tree diagram while 67% of the students found concepts of conditional and independent events rather easy to understand.Keywords: Perceived Understanding, Probability Concepts, Rasch Measurement Model DOI: dx.doi.org/10.22342/jme.61.1

Francis Bacon's concept of objectivity and the idols of the mind.

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Zagorin, P

2001-12-01

This paper examines the concept of objectivity traceable in Francis Bacon's natural philosophy. After some historical background on this concept, it considers the question of whether it is not an anachronism to attribute such a concept to Bacon, since the word 'objectivity' is a later coinage and does not appear anywhere in his writings. The essay gives reasons for answering this question in the negative, and then criticizes the accounts given of Bacon's understanding of objectivity by Lorraine Daston and Julie Robin Solomon. It argues that this understanding is most directly and fully expressed in his discussion of the idols of the mind. In this connection, the paper notes Bacon's critical attitude to sixteenth-century scepticism and its relevance to the idea of objectivity implicit in his comments on the idols. In conclusion, the paper argues that Bacon was not a pure empiricist and describes the place assigned to theories and hypotheses in his natural philosophy.

Developing an instrument for assessing students' concepts of the nature of technology

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Liou, Pey-Yan

2015-05-01

Background:The nature of technology has been rarely discussed despite the fact that technology plays an essential role in modern society. It is important to discuss students' concepts of the nature of technology, and further to advance their technological literacy and adaptation to modern society. There is a need to assess high school students' concepts of the nature of technology. Purpose:This study aims to engage in discourse on students' concepts of the nature of technology based on a proposed theoretical framework. Moreover, another goal is to develop an instrument for measuring students' concepts of the nature of technology. Sample:Four hundred and fifty-five high school students' perceptions of technology were qualitatively analyzed. Furthermore, 530 students' responses to a newly developed questionnaire were quantitatively analyzed in the final test. Design and method:First, content analysis was utilized to discuss and categorize students' statements regarding technology and its related issues. The Student Concepts of the Nature of Technology Questionnaire was developed based on the proposed theoretical framework and was supported by the students' qualitative data. Finally, exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis were applied to determine the structure of the items and the internal consistency of each scale. Results:Through a process of instrument development, the Student Concepts of the Nature of Technology Questionnaire was shown to be a valid and reliable tool for measuring students' concepts of the nature of technology. This newly developed questionnaire is composed of 29 items in six scales, namely 'technology as artifacts,' 'technology as an innovation change,' 'the current role of technology in society,' 'technology as a double-edged sword,' 'technology as a science-based form,' and 'history of technology.' Conclusions:The Student Concepts of the Nature of Technology Questionnaire has been confirmed as a reasonably valid and reliable

Who perceives they are smarter? Exploring the influence of student characteristics on student academic self-concept in physiology.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Katelyn M; Krieg, Anna; Brownell, Sara E

2018-06-01

Academic self-concept is one's perception of his or her ability in an academic domain and is formed by comparing oneself to other students. As college biology classrooms transition from lecturing to active learning, students interact more with each other and are likely comparing themselves more to other students in the class. Student characteristics can impact students' academic self-concept; however, this has been unexplored in the context of undergraduate biology. In this study, we explored whether student characteristics can affect academic self-concept in the context of an active learning college physiology course. Using a survey, students self-reported how smart they perceived themselves to be in the context of physiology relative to the whole class and relative to their groupmate, the student with whom they worked most closely in class. Using linear regression, we found that men and native English speakers had significantly higher academic self-concept relative to the whole class compared with women and nonnative English speakers. Using logistic regression, we found that men had significantly higher academic self-concept relative to their groupmate compared with women. Using constant comparison methods, we identified nine factors that students reported influenced how they determined whether they were more or less smart than their groupmate. Finally, we found that students were more likely to report participating more than their groupmate if they had a higher academic self-concept. These findings suggest that student characteristics can influence students' academic self-concept, which in turn may influence their participation in small-group discussion and their academic achievement in active learning classes.

[Exploratory study of clinical reasoning in nursing students with concept mapping].

Science.gov (United States)

Paucard-Dupont, Sylvie; Marchand, Claire

2014-06-01

The training reference leading to the state nursing diploma places the learning of clinical reasoning at the center of the training. We have been wondering about the possibilities of making visible the student nurse's mental processes when they provide nursing care in order to identify their strategies and reasoning difficulties. It turns out that concept mapping is a research tool capable of showing these two aspects. The aim of this study is to verify a concept mapping made during an interview and built from the speech of a nursing student when analyzing a simulated clinical situation, is able to make visible its strategies clinical reasoning and reasoning difficulties. In a second phase of it, is to explore how the concept map once elaborated allows students to identify their own intellectual reasoning. 12 nursing second year students have participated in the study. Concept maps were constructed by the trainer/researcher as the students analyzed aloud a simulated clinical situation written. Concept maps were analyzed from a reference grid. Interviews were conducted following the elaboration of concept maps and student's comments were analyzed. Students reasoning strategies were either mixed inductive dominant (5/12) or hypothetical-deductive dominant (5/12). Reasoning difficulties identified are related to the lack of identification of important information, the lack of analysis of data, lack of connection or the existence of faulty links. Analysis of the comments highlights that concept mapping contributed to the development of metacognitive skills. The concept mapping has shown benefits in contributing to a diagnostic assessment of clinical reasoning learning. It is an additional resource tool to facilitate the development of metacognitive skills for students. This tool can be useful to implement support learning strategies in clinical reasoning.

Concept analysis: Role ambiguity in senior nursing students.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalkman, Beth

2018-04-01

Role ambiguity is a lack of clarity or uncertainty related to one's position or role. Role ambiguity has been documented in the literature in relationship to athletics, industry, business, education, and nursing. However, a concept analysis has not been performed. Therefore, the process of concept analysis outlined by Walker and Avant is now used to look at the concept of role ambiguity and its relevance to senior nursing students' socialization and education into the profession of nursing. Attributes, antecedents, consequences, and empiric referents are discussed and theories commonly associated with role ambiguity are presented. At the end of the analysis, an operational definition is provided for use in exploring the concept of role ambiguity as it relates to senior nursing students' articulation of the role of the professional nurse. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Fifth Grade Elementary Students' Conceptions of Earthquakes

Science.gov (United States)

Savasci, Funda; Uluduz, Hatice

2013-01-01

This study intends to investigate the fifth grade students' conceptions of earthquakes. Twenty two grade 5 students (11-12 years old) from five different elementary schools in Istanbul voluntarily participated in the study. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with each participant. Six interview questions were designed by…

The Impact of Vision Impairment on Students' Self-Concept

Science.gov (United States)

Datta, Poulomee; Talukdar, Joy

2016-01-01

This study investigated the self-concept of students with vision impairment who were placed in specialist and mainstream educational settings in South Australia. Self-Concept was explored across six dimensions, namely Physical, Moral, Personal, Family, Social and Academic Self-Concepts and the Total Self-Concept. The "Tennessee Self-Concept…

Epistemological beliefs and therapeutic health concepts of physiotherapy students and professionals.

Science.gov (United States)

Bientzle, Martina; Cress, Ulrike; Kimmerle, Joachim

2014-10-01

Health knowledge develops fast and includes a lot of ambiguous or tentative information. In their daily routine, both health care students and professionals continuously have to make judgments about the viability of health knowledge. People's epistemological beliefs (EBs) and their therapeutic health concepts are factors that influence how they deal with health knowledge. However, very little is known about the occurrence of these factors at different stages of people's career. The present study examines the EBs and therapeutic health concepts of physiotherapy students in their vocational training and the EBs and therapeutic health concepts of professionals. In a cross-sectional study physiotherapy students and professional physiotherapists filled in a questionnaire that measured their personal EBs about physiotherapy and medicine, as well as their biomedical and biopsychosocial therapeutic health concepts. We compared the participants' EBs regarding both knowledge domains, and their therapeutic health concepts using paired samples t-tests. We also examined the differences between first-year students, advanced students, and professionals regarding their EBs and their therapeutic health concepts using ANOVAs. Eighty-three students and 84 professionals participated in this study, 114/167 (68%) participants were female. EBs as well as therapeutic health concepts differed depending upon the participants' training status. Professionals had more sophisticated EBs than students regarding both knowledge in physiotherapy (F(2, 164) = 6.74, P = 0.002, η(2)(p) = 0.08) and knowledge in medicine (F(2, 164) = 5.93, P = 0.003, η(2)(p) = 0.07). In addition, high values in a biopsychosocial therapeutic health concept already occurred in an early phase of training (F(2, 164) = 5.39, P = 0.005, η(2)(p) = 0.06), whereas increased values in a biomedical concept did not occur until people's professional life (F(2, 164) = 10.99, P students as

Students' perceptions of difficult concepts in biology in senior ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Students' perceptions of difficult concepts in biology in senior secondary schools in ... that students in Senior Secondary School Two (SSII) have difficulties in learning, the ... However, teaching strategies, students' attitude, inadequate learning ...

The concept of transformation as resignified by high-school students

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Michele Marcelo Silva Bortolai

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This article presents results of an investigation developed as part of a Master's Thesis (Bortolai, 2010 that aimed to report on the resignification of the concept of transformation by first-year students of a governmental high school located in the city of São Paulo (São Paulo State, Brazil. The activities selected for analyzing the reframing of this concept were, at first, performed individually by the students. Afterwards, a discussion was held among the students, together with the school teacher, to prepare a collective synthesis, pointing to more specific features of the systems before and after the transformation process. Then, two other activities were proposed that aimed to probe the redefinition, by the students, of the concept under study. This provided the data for verifying the stages of thought processes for concept formation in adolescents, along the lines of Vygotsky’s proposals (2005. It was observed that some of the students require further discussions to change their ideas in order to achieve the stage of conceptual thought, through the mobilization of their superior mental functions.

The nurses' self-concept instrument (NSCI): a comparison of domestic and international student nurses' professional self-concepts from a large Australian University.

Science.gov (United States)

Angel, Elizabeth; Craven, Rhonda; Denson, Nida

2012-08-01

Professional self-concept is a critical driver of job satisfaction. In Australia, as international nursing enrolments rise, nursing is increasingly characterised by a professional body of international nurses who may differ from domestic Australian nurses in their nursing self-concept. At present, little is known about the extent to which domestic and international students nurses' self-concepts may differ. The present study aimed to elucidate and contrast domestic and international nursing students' self-concepts from one large Australian university. A total of 253 domestic (n=218) and international (n=35) undergraduate nursing students from a large public university in Sydney, Australia completed the Nurses' Self-Concept Instrument (NSCI). Multiple-Indicator-Multiple-Indicator-Cause (MIMIC) modelling was used to assess the effects of student group (domestic and international) on the latent self-concept factors of the NSCI. Domestic and international students' professional self-concepts were similarly high. MIMIC modelling demonstrated that domestic students had a higher patient care self-concept in comparison to international students. Results imply that it may be useful for Australian universities to foster strategies that enhance specific domains of self-concepts (e.g., care) which may be underdeveloped for at least some cultural groups within the international nursing student population compared with domestic nursing students. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Self-Concept and Secondary School Students' Academic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The purpose of this research was to investigate the influence of self concept on physics students' academic achievement in secondary schools. The study was conducted in Uyo LGA of Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria. A sample size of five hundred (500) senior secondary two physics students took part in the investigation.

Concept Maps as a Tool to Analyse College Students' Knowledge of Geospatial Concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Oda, Katsuhiko

2016-01-01

This study focused on college students' development of conceptual knowledge in geographic information system (GIS). The aim of this study was to examine if and how students developed their conceptual knowledge during their enrollment in an introductory-level GIS course. Twelve undergraduate students constructed 36 concept maps and revised 24…

Self-regulated learning and conceptions of students in Cooperative Learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Calixto Gutiérrez Braojos

2009-05-01

Full Text Available The aim of this exploratory study was to analyze the relationship between conceptions and self-regulation learning in the cooperative learning. The participants were 71 students enrolled in higher education. We used a survey method and transversal design to analyze the relationship between the study variables. We use two questionnaires: a questionnaire about self-regulation learning in group cooperative learning; b questionnaire about interdependence social conceptions. Thus, we have followed classic validation procedures accepted by the scientific community (expert point of view and stadistical tests. The results showed on one hand a relationship between conceptions, self-regulation learning, and other hand, two type of student´s profiles respect to conceptions: a cooperative learners and individualist learners. Solely, cooperative learners obtained benefits of the didactic strategy to facilitate cooperative learning. Thus, results were significantly higher in the cooperative students than individualist students respect to use of selfregulation strategies and communicative skills to generate shared knowledge.

Identifying Students' Conceptions of Basic Principles in Sequence Stratigraphy

Science.gov (United States)

Herrera, Juan S.; Riggs, Eric M.

2013-01-01

Sequence stratigraphy is a major research subject in the geosciences academia and the oil industry. However, the geoscience education literature addressing students' understanding of the basic concepts of sequence stratigraphy is relatively thin, and the topic has not been well explored. We conducted an assessment of 27 students' conceptions of…

Students' perceptions regarding the objective, structured, clinical ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The findings indicated that, as an assessment tool, the objective structured clinical evaluation approach was perceived as not being totally realistic, especially by the more senior nursing students (third-year) as compared with the first-year nursing students. Varying degrees of stress were experienced by the nursing students ...

Examining of Perceptions of Gifted Students toward Mathematics Concept

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Mesut ÖZTÜRK

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study bring out owned intellectual image interested in mathematics concept of gifted students. Participant of twenty-eight gifted students that they selected via WISC-R intelligent test. A phenomenology design that one of qualitative research methods was adopted and data collection focus group interview. Data analysis consisted of content analysis. Students who participant made up different sixteen metaphor. The most widely used of them kainite. When examined justifications lie behind of metaphor gifted students have different three perception such as affected with people of math, influence toward math of the nature, the nature of math. The result of examine of math perception according to grade level when grade level increased, gifted students more interested the nature of math whereas depended on needed of people more interested math concept.

Brain Death: Is It a Misunderstood Concept Among Nursing Students in the South of Poland?

Science.gov (United States)

Mikla, M; Ríos, A; López-Navas, A; Kasper, M; Brzostek, T; Martínez-Alarcón, L; Ramis, G; Ramírez, P; López-Montesinos, M J

2015-11-01

The objective of the present study was to analyze the knowledge and acceptance of the brain death (BD) concept among nursing students. The study was undertaken in the academic year of 2011 to 2012 in nursing students from the University of the South of Poland. The sample was carried out in compulsory sessions, in the 5 years of the nursing degree study, with a completion rate of 80%. The questionnaire was validated (PCID-DTO Ríos), self-administered, and completed anonymously. The completion rate was 93% (492 of 530). Of the students surveyed, 75% (n = 369) knew the concept of BD and considered it to mean a person's death. Of the rest, 19% (n = 93) did not know it, and the remaining 6% (n = 30) believed that it did not mean that a person was dead. The following variables were significantly related with the correct knowledge of the BD concept: 1) age (22 ± 2 years; P ≤ .001); 2) academic year (P ≤ .001); 3) discussion with friends about organ donation and transplantation (ODT) (P = .035); 4) partner's favorable attitude toward donation and transplantation (P = .009); and 5) being Catholic (P = .031). In the multivariate analysis, the following variables persisted as independent variables related to the BD concept: a) age [OR = 1.468 (1.247-1.697); P ≤ .001] and b) partner's opinion of ODT [OR = 2.248 (1.255-4.025); P = .006]. No association was found with attitude toward ODT. More than 25% of the students from the Jagiellonian University of Kraków did not know or accept the concept of brain death. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Program to Enhance Self-Concept of Junior High Students.

Science.gov (United States)

McMillan, James H.

This research analyzes the results of a program to enhance the self concepts of junior high students. Subjects were 80 students identified as having low self concepts. They participated in an eight-week program to develop skills in personal and social awareness. Pretest posttest scores on the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory indicated that…

A comparative study on undergraduate students' academic motivation and academic self-concept.

Science.gov (United States)

Isiksal, Mine

2010-11-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate Turkish and American undergraduate students' academic motivation and academic self-concept scores regarding the years that they spent in university. The analysis was based on 566 (284 Turkish, 282 American) undergraduate students where, Academic Motivation Scale and Academic Self-Concept Scale were used as measuring instruments. The results showed that there was a statistical significant effect of nationality and number of years spent in university on undergraduate students' intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and self-concept scores. Turkish students had higher intrinsic scores whereas American students had higher extrinsic scores and more positive academic-self concept compared to Turkish partners. Regarding grade level, senior students from both cultures had higher intrinsic motivation and academic self-concept scores compared to other grade levels. In terms of extrinsic motivation, there is steady decline in American students' scores as grade level increases. On the other hand, Turkish undergraduates' extrinsic scores decrease in the second year but increase in the third and fourth year of university education. Results were discussed by taking into consideration the social and cultural differences between two nations.

Students' Self-Concept and Their Achievement in Basic Science ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The study investigated the relationship between students self-concept andtheir academic performance in Basic Science. It further examines genderdifference in students performance. The study adopted ex-post factorresearch design and made use of 300 students all from Public Schools. Theadapted Version of ...

The effect of high school chemistry instruction on students' academic self-concept

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, Peter Wallace

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of extended instruction in high school chemistry on the academic self-concept of students and determine what parts of the learning experience need to be addressed to make the interaction a more positive one. Fifty-seven students from three metropolitan public schools, who were enrolled in college preparatory chemistry classes, were asked to complete a written instrument, before and after extended chemistry instruction, that measures academic self-concept. Twenty-one of the students who took part in the written task volunteered to answer some in-depth interview questions concerning their academic self-concept and its relationship to chemistry instruction. Student responses, instrument scores, and student chemistry grades were analyzed for a variety of chemistry learning--academic self-concept connections and interactions. Results showed that there was a positive interaction for less than half of the students involved in the interview sessions. The results from the written instrument showed similar findings. Comparing chemistry grades and academic self-concept revealed an uncertain connection between the two, especially for students with strong academic self-concepts. Students felt that the laboratory experience was often disconnected from the remainder of chemistry instruction and recommended that the laboratory experience be integrated with classroom work. Students also expressed concerns regarding the volume of algorithmic mathematical calculations associated with college preparatory chemistry instruction. Results of this study suggest that secondary chemistry instruction must become more aware of the affective domain of learning and develop a mindful awareness of its connection to the cognitive domain if chemistry teaching and learning is going to better facilitate the intellectual growth of secondary students.

Development of concept-based physiology lessons for biomedical engineering undergraduate students.

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Regina K; Chesler, Naomi C; Strang, Kevin T

2013-06-01

Physiology is a core requirement in the undergraduate biomedical engineering curriculum. In one or two introductory physiology courses, engineering students must learn physiology sufficiently to support learning in their subsequent engineering courses and careers. As preparation for future learning, physiology instruction centered on concepts may help engineering students to further develop their physiology and biomedical engineering knowledge. Following the Backward Design instructional model, a series of seven concept-based lessons was developed for undergraduate engineering students. These online lessons were created as prerequisite physiology training to prepare students to engage in a collaborative engineering challenge activity. This work is presented as an example of how to convert standard, organ system-based physiology content into concept-based content lessons.

Self-Concept of Students in Higher Education: Are There Differences by Faculty and Gender?

Science.gov (United States)

Rubie-Davies, C. M.; Lee, K.

2013-01-01

Many studies examine student self-concept during compulsory schooling but few have explored the self-concept of students in higher educational settings. The current study examined self-concept by faculty and gender among higher education students in New Zealand. Participants were 929 undergraduate students from a large New Zealand university. The…

Student-Centered Reliability, Concurrent Validity and Instructional Sensitivity in Scoring of Students' Concept Maps in a University Science Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Kaya, Osman Nafiz; Kilic, Ziya

2004-01-01

Student-centered approach of scoring the concept maps consisted of three elements namely symbol system, individual portfolio and scoring scheme. We scored student-constructed concept maps based on 5 concept map criteria: validity of concepts, adequacy of propositions, significance of cross-links, relevancy of examples, and interconnectedness. With…

Mind the gap! Automated concept map feedback supports students in writing cohesive explanations.

Science.gov (United States)

Lachner, Andreas; Burkhart, Christian; Nückles, Matthias

2017-03-01

Many students are challenged with the demand of writing cohesive explanations. To support students in writing cohesive explanations, we developed a computer-based feedback tool that visualizes cohesion deficits of students' explanations in a concept map. We conducted three studies to investigate the effectiveness of such feedback as well as the underlying cognitive processes. In Study 1, we found that the concept map helped students identify potential cohesion gaps in their drafts and plan remedial revisions. In Study 2, students with concept map feedback conducted revisions that resulted in more locally and globally cohesive, and also more comprehensible, explanations than the explanations of students who revised without concept map feedback. In Study 3, we replicated the findings of Study 2 by and large. More importantly, students who had received concept map feedback on a training explanation 1 week later wrote a transfer explanation without feedback that was more cohesive than the explanation of students who had received no feedback on their training explanation. The automated concept map feedback appears to particularly support the evaluation phase of the revision process. Furthermore, the feedback enabled novice writers to acquire sustainable skills in writing cohesive explanations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Differences conception prospective students teacher about limit of function based gender

Science.gov (United States)

Usman, Juniati, Dwi; Siswono, Tatag Yuli Eko

2017-08-01

Gender is one of the interesting topics and has continuity to be explored in mathematics education research. The purpose of this study to explore difference on conceptions of students teaching program by gender. It specialized on conception of understanding, representating, and mental images about limit function. This research conducting qualitative explorative method approach. The subject consisted of one man and one woman from the group of highly skilled student and has gone through semester V. Based on data that had been analyzed proved that male student has an understanding about limit function shared by explaining this material using illustrations, while female student explained it through verbal explanation. Due to representating aspect, it revealed that both of male and female students have similarity such as using verbal explanation, graphs, symbols, and tables to representating about limit function. Analyzing Mental image aspect, researcher got that male student using word "to converge" to explained about limit function, while female student using word "to approach". So, there are differences conceptions about limit function between male and female student.

A case study of analyzing student teachers' concept images of the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Administrator

Key words: Definite integral, concept images, process conceptions, object .... led me to conceive a three dimensional matrix with process-object layers in rows, ...... Conference on Psychology of Mathematics Education, Norwich. ... On the Dual Nature of Mathematical Conceptions: Reflections on Processes and Objects as.

Therapeutic communication in nursing students: A Walker & Avant concept analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Abdolrahimi, Mahbobeh; Ghiyasvandian, Shahrzad; Zakerimoghadam, Masoumeh; Ebadi, Abbas

2017-01-01

Background and aim Therapeutic communication, the fundamental component of nursing, is a complex concept. Furthermore, the poor encounters between nursing student and patient demonstrate the necessity of instruction regarding therapeutic communication. The aim of this study was to define and clarify this important concept for including this subject in the nursing curriculum with more emphasis. Methods A literature search was conducted using keywords such as “nursing student”, “patient” and “therapeutic communication” and Persian-equivalent words in Persian databases (including Magiran and Medlib) and English databases (including PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus and ProQuest) without time limitation. After extracting concept definitions and determining characteristic features, therapeutic communication in nursing students was defined. Then, sample cases, antecedents, consequences and empirical referents of concept were determined. Results After assessing 30 articles, therapeutic communication defining attributes were as follows: “an important means in building interpersonal relationships”, “a process of information transmission”, “an important clinical competency”, “a structure with two different sections” and “a significant tool in patient centered care”. Furthermore, theoretical and clinical education and receiving educators’ feedback regarding therapeutic communication were considered as antecedents of the concept. Improving physical and psychological health status of patient as well as professional development of nursing students were identified as consequences of the concept. Conclusion Nursing instructors can use these results in order to teach and evaluate therapeutic communication in nursing students and train qualified nurses. Also, nursing students may apply the results to improve the quality of their interactions with patients, perform their various duties and meet patients’ diverse needs. PMID:28979730

Metaphors Developed by Secondary School Students towards "Earthquake" Concept

Science.gov (United States)

Kaya, Huseyin

2010-01-01

This research was conducted to reveal the metaphors of Secondary school students about "earthquake" concept. About 105 students in two schools in Karabuk city centre participated in the research within 2009-2010 academic year. The research Data were obtained by students' completing the statement "Earthquake is like...,…

Physiotherapy students' conceptions of skill at the beginning of their Bachelor studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Kurunsaari, Merja; Piirainen, Arja; Tynjälä, Päivi

2015-05-01

Skills have recently received widespread attention in education policy documents and discussions. This article reports the results of research on Bachelor's degree physiotherapy students' conceptions of skill at the beginning of their studies. The aim of the present study was to examine how beginning students understand skill, and the focus was on conceptions of skill in general rather than on any particular skills. The participants of the study were 35 physiotherapy students. The data were gathered within the first two weeks of their university studies. Specifically, requested essays written by the students were analyzed using the phenomenographic approach. The data-driven analysis yielded four descriptive categories which reflect the students' conceptions of skill: (1) Talents; (2) Skills requiring individual practice; (3) Skills requiring social practice; and (4) Competence requiring collaboration. The categories form a hierarchy. The differences between the categories are described along seven themes of variation. The themes were named: (1) Acquisition; (2) Emotions; (3) Motivation; (4) Reflection; (5) Evaluation; (6) Agency; and (7) Social Environment. This hierarchical system of categories sheds new light on students' understanding of the skill. The findings can be used as a basis for planning physiotherapy curricula, especially for designing skills education and training, and for supporting students along their educational path, especially in offering opportunities for students to reflect on their skill conceptions. Ultimately, physiotherapy students' awareness of different skill conceptions and developing their skills to advise and treat will benefit patients.

Students' conceptions of learning: using the ASSIST instrument ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The focus of the study has been on students' conceptions of learning in three South African Technikons amidst the changing circumstances of teaching and learning from subject-based to outcomes-based education. First-year students face a particular measure of unpreparedness as they graduate from a conventional high ...

Subjective Poverty and Its Relation to Objective Poverty Concepts in Hungary

Science.gov (United States)

Nandori, Eszter Siposne

2011-01-01

The paper analyzes subjective poverty in Hungary and compares it to the objective poverty concepts. Subjective poverty is defined by examining who people consider to be poor. Based on the Easterlin paradox, the initial hypothesis states that subjective and absolute poverty concepts are highly correlated. Taking into account that Hungary is a…

Re-Framing How We See Student Self-Concept

Science.gov (United States)

Manning, Maureen A.

2007-01-01

In this article, the author discusses self-perceptions and the difference between self-esteem and self concept. Promoting high self-concept in students is important because it relates to academic and life success, but before investing significant time, money, and effort on packaged programs, it is important to understand why such endeavors have…

Entrepreneurial Failure as a Threshold Concept: The Effects of Student Experiences

Science.gov (United States)

Bolinger, Alexander R.; Brown, Kory D.

2015-01-01

Some curricular elements are threshold concepts that involve "troublesome knowledge," not because they are difficult for students to comprehend per se, but because they are challenging for students to fully appreciate. In this article, we suggest that entrepreneurial failure is a threshold concept in entrepreneurship courses because…

An Auto-Photographic Study of Undergraduate Students' Conceptions of Ocean Sustainability

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Chi-I; Li, Yuh-Yuh

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate students' understandings of ocean sustainability and the pedagogical influence of higher education on those conceptions. Design/methodology/approach: The conceptions of ocean sustainability of 54 university students of various academic disciplines enrolled in the 2014/2015 semester course…

Object-Oriented Programming in High Schools the Turing Way.

Science.gov (United States)

Holt, Richard C.

This paper proposes an approach to introducing object-oriented concepts to high school computer science students using the Object-Oriented Turing (OOT) language. Students can learn about basic object-oriented (OO) principles such as classes and inheritance by using and expanding a collection of classes that draw pictures like circles and happy…

Energy Concept Understanding of High School Students: A Cross-Grade Study

Science.gov (United States)

Takaoglu, Zeynep Baskan

2018-01-01

Energy is a difficult concept to be understood by students of all levels. Thus, the aim of the study is to determine how high school students at different levels perceive the energy and related concepts. In line with this purpose, 173 students in total of which 57 ones of the 9th grade, 94 ones of the 10th grade and 22 ones of the 11th grade…

Examining the Conceptual Understandings of Geoscience Concepts of Students with Visual Impairments: Implications of 3-D Printing

Science.gov (United States)

Koehler, Karen E.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the use of 3-D printed models as an instructional tool in a middle school science classroom for students with visual impairments and compare their use to traditional tactile graphics for aiding conceptual understanding of geoscience concepts. Specifically, this study examined if the students' conceptual understanding of plate tectonics was different when 3-D printed objects were used versus traditional tactile graphics and explored the misconceptions held by students with visual impairments related to plate tectonics and associated geoscience concepts. Interview data was collected one week prior to instruction and one week after instruction and throughout the 3-week instructional period and additional ata sources included student journals, other student documents and audio taped instructional sessions. All students in the middle school classroom received instruction on plate tectonics using the same inquiry-based curriculum but during different time periods of the day. One group of students, the 3D group, had access to 3-D printed models illustrating specific geoscience concepts and the group of students, the TG group, had access to tactile graphics illustrating the same geoscience concepts. The videotaped pre and post interviews were transcribed, analyzed and coded for conceptual understanding using constant comparative analysis and to uncover student misconceptions. All student responses to the interview questions were categorized in terms of conceptual understanding. Analysis of student journals and classroom talk served to uncover student mental models and misconceptions about plate tectonics and associated geoscience concepts to measure conceptual understanding. A slight majority of the conceptual understanding before instruction was categorized as no understanding or alternative understanding and after instruction the larger majority of conceptual understanding was categorized as scientific or scientific

Concept-Mapping Tools and the Development of Students' Critical-Thinking Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Tseng, Sheng-Shiang

2015-01-01

Developing students' critical-thinking skills has recently received attention at all levels of education. This article proposes the use of concept-mapping tools to improve students' critical-thinking skills. The article introduces a Web-based concept-mapping tool--Popplet--and demonstrates its application for teaching critical-thinking skills in…

Diagnosing alternative conceptions of Fermi energy among undergraduate students

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, Sapna; Ahluwalia, Pardeep Kumar

2012-01-01

Physics education researchers have scientifically established the fact that the understanding of new concepts and interpretation of incoming information are strongly influenced by the preexisting knowledge and beliefs of students, called epistemological beliefs. This can lead to a gap between what students actually learn and what the teacher expects them to learn. In a classroom, as a teacher, it is desirable that one tries to bridge this gap at least on the key concepts of a particular field which is being taught. One such key concept which crops up in statistical physics/solid-state physics courses, and around which the behaviour of materials is described, is Fermi energy (ε F ). In this paper, we present the results which emerged about misconceptions on Fermi energy in the process of administering a diagnostic tool called the Statistical Physics Concept Survey developed by the authors. It deals with eight themes of basic importance in learning undergraduate solid-state physics and statistical physics. The question items of the tool were put through well-established sequential processes: definition of themes, Delphi study, interview with students, drafting questions, administration, validity and reliability of the tool. The tool was administered to a group of undergraduate students and postgraduate students, in a pre-test and post-test design. In this paper, we have taken one of the themes i.e. Fermi energy of the diagnostic tool for our analysis and discussion. Students’ responses and reasoning comments given during interview were analysed. This analysis helped us to identify prevailing misconceptions/learning gaps among students on this topic. How spreadsheets can be effectively used to remove the identified misconceptions and help appreciate the finer nuances while visualizing the behaviour of the system around Fermi energy, normally sidestepped both by the teachers and learners, is also presented in this paper. (paper)

Technical Meeting on Developing Deep-Burn Concepts using HTGRs. Objectives and Expectations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tyobeka, Bismark

2013-01-01

The objectives of the meeting are: • To explore various Deep-Burn options and concepts being developed in Member States; • To appraise the progress made towards the maturity of Deep-Burn concepts based on HTGR designs; • To identify technology development challenges towards the realization of Deep-Burn concepts; • To propose collaborative ways to address technology development challenges

Calcium contained tap water phenomena: students misconception patterns of acids-bases concept

Science.gov (United States)

Liliasari, S.; Albaiti, A.; Wahyudi, A.

2018-05-01

Acids and bases concept is very important and fundamental concept in learning chemistry. It is one of the chemistry subjects considered as an abstract and difficult concept to understand. The aim of this research was to explore student’s misconception pattern about acids and bases phenomena in daily life, such as calcium contained tap water. This was a qualitative research with descriptive methods. Participants were 546 undergraduate students of chemistry education and chemistry program, and graduate students of chemistry education in West Java, Indonesia. The test to explore students’ misconception about this phenomena was essay test. The results showed that there were five patterns of students’ misconception in explaining the phenomena of calcium carbonate precipitation on heating tap water. Students used irrelevant concepts in explaining this phenomena, i.e. temporary hardness, coagulation, density, and phase concepts. No students had right answer in explaining this phenomena. This research contributes to design meaningful learning and to achieve better understanding.

11th Grade Students' Conceptual Understanding about Torque Concept: A Longitudinal Study

Science.gov (United States)

Bostan Sarioglan, Ayberk; Küçüközer, Hüseyin

2014-01-01

In this study, it is aimed to reveal the effect of instruction on students' ideas about torque before instruction, after instruction and fifteen weeks after instruction. The working group consists of twenty five high school eleventh grade students. To reveal these students' ideas about the concept of torque a concept test consisting of seven…

Understanding students' concepts through guided inquiry learning and free modified inquiry on static fluid material

OpenAIRE

Sularso Sularso; Widha Sunarno; Sarwanto Sarwanto

2017-01-01

This study provides information on understanding students' concepts in guided inquiry learning groups and in free modified inquiry learning groups. Understanding of student concept is reviewed on the concept of static fluid case. The number of samples tested were 67 students. The sample is divided into 2 groups of students: the group is given guided inquiry learning and the group given the modified free inquiry learning. Understanding the concept of students is measured through 23 tests of it...

Taiwanese Middle School Students' Materialistic Concepts of Sound

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Eshach, Haim; Lin, Tzu-Chiang; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2016-01-01

This study investigated if and to what extent grade 8 and 9 students in Taiwan attributed materialistic properties to sound concepts, and whether they hold scientific views in parallel with materialistic views. Taiwanese middle school students are a special population since their scores in international academic comparison tests such as TIMSS and…

Gravity, Magnetism, and "Down": Non-Physics College Students' Conceptions of Gravity

Science.gov (United States)

Asghar, Anila; Libarkin, Julie C.

2010-01-01

This study investigates how students enrolled in entry-level geology, most of whom would graduate from college without university-level physics courses, thought about and applied the concept of gravity while solving problems concerning gravity. The repercussions of students' gravity concepts are then considered in the context of non-physics…

Concept of object-oriented intelligent support for nuclear reactor designing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshikawa, H.; Gofuku, A.

1991-01-01

A concept of object-oriented intelligent CAD/CAE environment is proposed for the conceptual designing of advanced nuclear reactor system. It is composed of (i) object-oriented frame-structure database which represents the hierarchical relationship of the composite elements of reactor core and the physical properties, and (ii) object-oriented modularization of the elementary calculation processes, which are needed for reactor core design analysis. As an example practise, an object-oriented frame structure is constructed for representing a 3D configuration of a special fuel element of a space reactor design, by using a general-purpose expert system shell ESHELL/X. (author)

Investigating with concept cartoons: practical suggestions for using concept cartoons to start student investigations in elementary school and beyond

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van den Berg, E.; Kruit, Patricia

2017-01-01

Concept cartoons can be used to diagnose misconceptions and stimulate discussion of basic concepts and phenomena. However, the teacher can also present a cartoon and then ask students to think of experiments to further investigate the phenomenon shown in the cartoon. Our experience is that students

The Effect of Concept Maps on Undergraduate Nursing Students' Critical Thinking.

Science.gov (United States)

Garwood, Janet K; Ahmed, Azza H; McComb, Sara A

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of using concept maps as a teaching and learning strategy on students' critical thinking abilities and examine students' perceptions toward concept maps utilizing the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Researchers have found that almost two thirds of nurse graduates do not have adequate critical thinking skills for a beginner nurse. Critical thinking skills are required for safe practice and mandated by accrediting organizations. Nursing educators should consider teaching and learning strategies that promote the development of critical thinking skills. A literature review was conducted using "concept maps, nursing education, and critical thinking" as the combined search terms. Inclusion criteria were studies that measured the effects of concept mapping on critical thinking in nursing students. Seventeen articles were identified. Concept maps may be useful tools to promote critical thinking in nursing education and for applying theory to practice.

Students' conceptions about force

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soeguet, Oe.

2005-01-01

Students from a young age have developed in their own minds differing concepts of things such as all creatures having a soul. Also children see the environment and interpret what they see according to their own understanding and explanation. In particular, with regards to physics, things like light, heat, motion, structure of matter and energy are understood at the level of a child s comprehension. Most often the child s understanding varies quite differently from the actual true meaning. As a result the child is reluctant to accept any other explanation. In such situations the necessary difficulties must be tackled with care and caution pertinent to the individual. Studies at K.S.U University related to force and motion of various departments in the Faculty of Science and Letters have been investigated. After evaluations of all the findings a number of suggestions have been made to change student views and ideas

A Study on Relation between Self Concept and Academic Achievement among Secondary School Students of Jammu District

Science.gov (United States)

Lone, Parveez Ahmad; Lone, Tariq Ahmad

2016-01-01

Self-concept is the whole set of attitudes, opinions, and cognitions that a person has of himself while the academic achievement or (academic) performance is the outcome of education - the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has achieved their educational goals. The objective of the paper is to study the relation between the…

Students' conceptions and misconceptions in chemical kinetics in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The purpose of the study was to probe the conception and misconception of senior secondary (SS3) and University (US) chemistry students in chemical kinetics in Rivers State, Nigeria. The study sample was made up of 107 SS3 and 93 US students. Two main instruments were used to collect data for the study. They are the ...

The Self-Concept of Students in Remediation in a Rural Community College in Mississippi

Science.gov (United States)

Wicks, Corky Fitzgerald

2017-01-01

Identifying students who may require additional assistance and coaching based on their self-concept score will also allow community colleges to provide additional support services for those students. If there is a difference in self-concept among students in a Mississippi community college, leaders might be able to use self-concept as a way of…

Effect of scaffolding on helping introductory physics students solve quantitative problems involving strong alternative conceptions

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Shih-Yin; Singh, Chandralekha

2015-12-01

It is well known that introductory physics students often have alternative conceptions that are inconsistent with established physical principles and concepts. Invoking alternative conceptions in the quantitative problem-solving process can derail the entire process. In order to help students solve quantitative problems involving strong alternative conceptions correctly, appropriate scaffolding support can be helpful. The goal of this study is to examine how different scaffolding supports involving analogical problem-solving influence introductory physics students' performance on a target quantitative problem in a situation where many students' solution process is derailed due to alternative conceptions. Three different scaffolding supports were designed and implemented in calculus-based and algebra-based introductory physics courses involving 410 students to evaluate the level of scaffolding needed to help students learn from an analogical problem that is similar in the underlying principles involved but for which the problem-solving process is not derailed by alternative conceptions. We found that for the quantitative problem involving strong alternative conceptions, simply guiding students to work through the solution of the analogical problem first was not enough to help most students discern the similarity between the two problems. However, if additional scaffolding supports that directly helped students examine and repair their knowledge elements involving alternative conceptions were provided, e.g., by guiding students to contemplate related issues and asking them to solve the targeted problem on their own first before learning from the analogical problem provided, students were more likely to discern the underlying similarities between the problems and avoid getting derailed by alternative conceptions when solving the targeted problem. We also found that some scaffolding supports were more effective in the calculus-based course than in the algebra

Concept Mapping as a Tool to Develop and Measure Students' Understanding in Science

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Tan, Sema; Erdimez, Omer; Zimmerman, Robert

2017-01-01

Concept maps measured a student's understanding of the complexity of concepts, and interrelationships. Novak and Gowin (1984) claimed that the continuous use of concept maps increased the complexity and interconnectedness of students' understanding of relationships between concepts in a particular science domain. This study has two purposes; the…

Identification and Analysis of Student Conceptions Used To Solve Chemical Equilibrium Problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Voska, Kirk W.; Heikkinen, Henry W.

2000-01-01

Identifies and quantifies the chemistry conceptions used by students when solving chemical equilibrium problems requiring application of LeChatelier's Principle, and explores the feasibility of designing a paper and pencil test to accomplish these purposes. Eleven prevalent incorrect student conceptions about chemical equilibrium were identified…

Professional self-concept and professional values of senior students of the nursing department.

Science.gov (United States)

Çöplü, Mehtap; Tekinsoy Kartın, Pınar

2018-01-01

This study was carried out in order to determine professional self-concept and professional values in the students, who were studying in the final year of the nursing department in schools providing undergraduate education in the Inner Anatolia Region. This cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 619 senior students of nursing departments in the Inner Anatolia Region. Data were collected using a Student Information Form, Professional Self-Concept Scale for the Student Nurses, and The Nurses' Professional Values Scale. Descriptive statistics, the Shapiro-Wilk test, the t-test, analysis of variance, and the Bonferroni tests were used for data analysis. Ethical Considerations: A written consent was obtained from Ethics Board of Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine and from nursing schools participating in the study. Prior to data collection, students were informed about the purpose of the study and gave written and verbal consents. Participation in the study was on voluntary basis. In the study, students' total and sub-dimension scores from the Professional Self-Concept Scale for the Student Nurses and total scores from the Nurses' Professional Values Scale were moderately high. It was detected that women received higher scores than men from the sub-dimension of professional attributes; the students who had positive perception of the nursing image and voluntarily selected their department received high scores from professional satisfaction, professional competence, and professional attributes sub-dimensions of the Professional Self-Concept Scale for the Student Nurses ( p concept and professional values, it is thought that students' awareness should be increased on these topics.

Evaluating the Use of Learning Objects for Improving Calculus Readiness

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Kay, Robin; Kletskin, Ilona

2010-01-01

Pre-calculus concepts such as working with functions and solving equations are essential for students to explore limits, rates of change, and integrals. Yet many students have a weak understanding of these key concepts which impedes performance in their first year university Calculus course. A series of online learning objects was developed to…

Seeding science success: Relations of secondary students' science self-concepts and motivation with aspirations and achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Chandrasena, Wanasinghe Durayalage

This research comprises three inter-related synergistic studies. Study 1 aims to develop a psychometrically sound tool to measure secondary students' science self-concepts, motivation, and aspirations in biology, chemistry, earth and environmental methodology to explicate students' and teachers' views, practices, and personal experiences, to identify the barriers to undertaking science for secondary students and to provide rich insights into the relations of secondary students' science self-concepts and motivation with their aspirations and achievement. Study 3 will detect additional issues that may not necessarily be identifiable from the quantitative findings of Study 2. The psychometric properties of the newly developed instrument demonstrated that students' science self-concepts were domain specific, while science motivation and science aspirations were not. Students' self-concepts in general science, chemistry, and physics were stronger for males than females. Students' self-concepts in general science and biology became stronger for students in higher years of secondary schooling. Students' science motivation did not vary across gender and year levels. Though students' science aspirations did not vary across gender, they became stronger with age. In general, students' science self-concepts and science motivation were positively related to science aspirations and science achievement. Specifically, students' year level, biology self-concept, and physics self concept predicted their science and career aspirations. Biology self-concept predicted teacher ratings of students' achievement, and students' general science self-concepts predicted their achievement according to students' ratings. Students' year level and intrinsic motivation in science were predictors of their science aspirations, and intrinsic motivation was a greater significant predictor of students' achievement, according to student ratings. Based upon students' and teachers' perceptions, the

Self-Concept and Sport Participation in Sixth Grade Basic School Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Špela Virag

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the study was to examine self-concept in relation to sport participation among basic school children. The sample included 109 sixth grade students of different Slovenian basic schools. The participants completed the Slovenian version of the SelfPerception Profile for Children – SPPC. The results show significant gender differences in some specific components of self-concept. Boys exhibited higher scores in perceived physical appearance and athletic competence, whereas girls exhibited higher levels in perceived behavioural conduct. Mean values show that students, engaged in organized sport practice, reported higher scores in all self-concept subscales than their inactive peers, although significant differences between these two groups were found in perceived scholastic competence and athletic competence. The study offers a detailed insight into the multidimensional self-perceptions of sixth grade basic school students. The results highlight the importance of physical/sports activity in the self-concept development and can be useful in promoting an active lifestyle among youth.

Diagnosing Alternative Conceptions of Fermi Energy among Undergraduate Students

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Sharma, Sapna; Ahluwalia, Pardeep Kumar

2012-01-01

Physics education researchers have scientifically established the fact that the understanding of new concepts and interpretation of incoming information are strongly influenced by the preexisting knowledge and beliefs of students, called epistemological beliefs. This can lead to a gap between what students actually learn and what the teacher…

Undergraduate Mathematics Students' Understanding of the Concept of Function

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Bardini, Caroline; Pierce, Robyn; Vincent, Jill; King, Deborah

2014-01-01

Concern has been expressed that many commencing undergraduate mathematics students have mastered skills without conceptual understanding. A pilot study carried out at a leading Australian university indicates that a significant number of students, with high tertiary entrance ranks, have very limited understanding of the concept of function,…

Influence of Cultural Belief and Values on Secondary School Students' Understanding of Atmospheric Related Physics Concepts

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Bello, Theodora Olufunke

2015-01-01

The study identified the different cultural concepts that secondary school students' believe in and determined the belief and idea of students about the cultural concepts. It also investigated students' source of information about the cultural concepts and determined the influence of these cultural believes on students' academic performance in…

Effect of concept mapping approach on students' achievement in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The quasi-experimental research design was used in carrying out the study adopting the pre-test – post-test control type. The sample consists of 180 Senior Secondary One (SS1) Students comprising of 88 males and 92 females. In each ... The experimental group was taught mathematical concepts using concept mapping ...

A Web-based survey on students' conceptions of 'accident'.

Science.gov (United States)

Blank, Danilo; Hohgraefe Neto, Guilherme; Grando, Elisa; Siqueira, Pauline Z; Lunkes, Roberta P; Pietrobeli, João Leonardo; Marzola, Norma Regina; Goldani, Marcelo Z

2009-12-01

To report the implementation of an open source web survey application and a case study of its first utilisation, particularly as to aspects of logistics and response behaviour, in a survey of Brazilian university students' conceptions about injury causing events. We developed an original application capable of recruiting respondents, sending personal e-mail invitations, storing responses and exporting data. Students of medical, law, communication and education schools were asked about personal attributes and conceptions of the term accident, as to associations and preventability. The response rate was 34.5%. Half of the subjects responded by the second day, 66.3% during the first week. Subjects around 4.2% (95% CI 3.3-5.4) refused to disclose religious persuasion, and 19.2% (95% CI 17.2-21.3) refused to disclose political persuasion, whereas only 2.8% (95% CI 2.1-3.8), on average, refused to answer questions on conceptions and attitudes. There was no significant difference between early and late respondents in respect to selected attributes and conceptions of accident (P-value varied from 0.145 to 0.971). The word accident evoked the notion of preventability to 85.1% (95% CI 83.2 to 87.0) of the subjects, foreseeability to 50.3% (95% CI 47.7-53.0), fatality to 15.1% (95% CI 13.3-17.1) and intentionality to 2.3% (95% CI 1.6-3.2). Web surveying university students' conceptions about injuries is feasible in a middle-income country setting, yielding response rates similar to those found in the literature.

A Comparison of Multiple Facets of Self-Concept in Gifted vs. Non-Identified Israeli Students

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Zeidner, Moshe; Shani-Zinovich, Inbal

2015-01-01

This study compares facets of self-concept in gifted and non-identified Israeli adolescent students. The self-concept mean score profile of gifted vs. non-selected Israeli students was significantly different, with gifted students reporting higher mean levels of academic self-concept, but lower mean levels of social, personal, and physical…

Parental influences on students' self-concept, task value beliefs, and achievement in science.

Science.gov (United States)

Senler, Burcu; Sungur, Semra

2009-05-01

The aim of this study was twofold: firstly, to investigate the grade level (elementary and middle school) and gender effect on students' motivation in science (perceived academic science self-concept and task value) and perceived family involvement, and secondly to examine the relationship among family environment variables (fathers' educational level, mothers' educational level, and perceived family involvement), motivation, gender and science achievement in elementary and middle schools. Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) showed that elementary school students have more positive science self-concept and task value beliefs compared to middle school students. Moreover, elementary school students appeared to perceive more family involvement in their schooling. Path analyses also suggested that family involvement was directly linked to elementary school students' task value and achievement. Also, in elementary school level, significant relationships were found among father educational level, science self-concept, task value and science achievement. On the other hand, in middle school level, family involvement, father educational level, and mother educational level were positively related to students' task value which is directly linked to students' science achievement. Moreover, mother educational level contributed to science achievement through its effect on self-concept.

The effects of three concept mapping strategies on seventh-grade students' science achievement at an urban middle school

Science.gov (United States)

Dosanjh, Navdeep Kaur

2011-12-01

There is great concern over students' poor science achievement in the United States. Due to the lack of science achievement, students are not pursing science related careers resulting in an increase in outsourcing to other countries. Learning strategies such as concept mapping may ameliorate this situation by providing students with tools that encourage meaningful learning. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to measure the effects of three concept mapping learning strategies (concept identifying, proposition identifying, student generated) on urban middle school students' understanding of the circulatory system. Three intact classes of seventh-grade students were assigned to one of the three concept mapping strategies. The students were given a pretest on the circulatory system then learned and used their respective concept mapping strategies while learning about the circulatory system. At the conclusion of the study, students' science achievement was measured by performance on an achievement test and rubric scores of their respective concept identifying, proposition identifying, and student generated concept maps. The results of the study suggest that all three of the concept mapping strategies are effective in increasing students' science achievement. Additionally, the moderate significant correlations between the posttest and concept map scores of the current study established that concept maps are a useful measure of student knowledge. Lastly, the results of the current study also suggest that the concept identifying mapping strategy may be a useful scaffold in instructing students how to develop student generated concept maps.

The Conceptions about Teamwork Questionnaire: Design, Reliability and Validity with Secondary Students

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez-Fernandez, J. Reinaldo; Corcelles, Mariona; Cerrato-Lara, Maria

2011-01-01

In this study, we present the conceptions about teamwork questionnaire designed to evaluate the conceptions that secondary students have about teamwork. Participants were 309 students aged 15-16 from eight secondary schools, seven from Barcelona and one from Girona (Spain). The original 27-item questionnaire was reduced according to expert…

Radiography – How do students understand the concept of radiography?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lundgren, S.M.; Lundén, M.; Andersson, B.T.

2015-01-01

Background: Radiography as a concept has mainly been associated with the functional role of the radiographer. The concept has been studied from a theoretical point of view. However, there is a lack of a theoretical foundation and research on the actual substance of the term radiography used in education. It is therefore important to undertake an investigation in order to determine how students after three years education understand the subject of radiography. Aim: The aim of this study was to analyse how students in the Swedish radiographers' degree program understand the concept of radiography. Method: A concept analysis was made according to the hybrid model, which combines theoretical, fieldwork and analytical phases. A summative content analysis was used to identify the number and content of statements. The empirical data were collected from questionnaires answered by radiography students at four universities in Sweden. Findings: All radiography students' exemplified radiography with statements related to the practical level although some of them also identified radiography at an abstract level, as a subject within a discipline. The attribute ‘An interdisciplinary area of knowledge’ emerged, which is an attribute on the abstract level. The practical level was described by four attributes: Mastering Medical Imaging’, ‘To accomplish images for diagnosis and interventions’, ‘Creating a caring environment’ and ‘Enabling fruitful encounters’. Conclusion: The hybrid model used was a versatile model of concept development. The results of this study have increased the understanding of what characterizes the concept of radiography in a Swedish context. - Highlights: • This concept analysis of radiography was undertaken according to a hybrid model. • In radiography humanistic aspects are emphasized, a shift from the technological perspective. • The attributes demonstrate the essence and interdisciplinary nature of radiography. • This

Impact of a concept map teaching approach on nursing students' critical thinking skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaddoura, Mahmoud; Van-Dyke, Olga; Yang, Qing

2016-09-01

Nurses confront complex problems and decisions that require critical thinking in order to identify patient needs and implement best practices. An active strategy for teaching students the skills to think critically is the concept map. This study explores the development of critical thinking among nursing students in a required pathophysiology and pharmacology course during the first year of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in response to concept mapping as an interventional strategy, using the Health Education Systems, Incorporated critical thinking test. A two-group experimental study with a pretest and posttest design was used. Participants were randomly divided into a control group (n = 42) taught by traditional didactic lecturing alone, and an intervention group (n = 41), taught by traditional didactic lecturing with concept mapping. Students in the concept mapping group performed much better on the Health Education Systems, Incorporated than students in the control group. It is recommended that deans, program directors, and nursing faculties evaluate their curricula to integrate concept map teaching strategies in courses in order to develop critical thinking abilities in their students. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Categorization of Alternative Conceptions in Electricity and Magnetism: The Case of Ethiopian Undergraduate Students

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Dega, Bekele Gashe; Kriek, Jeanne; Mogese, Temesgen Fereja

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to categorize 35 Ethiopian undergraduate physics students' alternative conceptions in the concepts of electric potential and energy. A descriptive qualitative research design was used to categorize the students' alternative conceptions. Four independently homogeneous ability focus groups were formed to elicit the…

Science concept learning by English as second language junior secondary students

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Pui-Kwong; Lucas, Keith B.; Burke, Ed V.

1995-03-01

Recent Chinese migrant students from Taiwan studying science in two Australian secondary schools were found to explain the meanings of selected science concept labels in English by translating from Chinese. The research strategy involved interviewing the students concerning their recognition and comprehension of the science concept labels firstly in Chinese and then in English. Mean recognition and comprehension scores were higher in Chinese than in English, with indications that Chinese language and science knowledge learnt in Chinese deteriorated with increasing time of residence in Australia. Rudimentary signs of the students being able to switch between Chinese and English knowledge bases in science were also found. Implications for teaching science to ESL students and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Thinking Styles and Conceptions of Creativity among University Students

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Chang; Zhang, Li-Fang

2011-01-01

This research aims to understand university students' thinking styles and the relationship with their views of creativity. The Thinking Styles Inventory-Revised II was used to measure 13 thinking styles as defined in Sternberg's theory of mental self-government and the Conceptions of Creativity Scales was used to inquire students' views about the…

On the Concept "Microscope": Biology Student Teachers' Cognitive Structure

Science.gov (United States)

Kurt, Hakan; Ekici, Gulay; Aktas, Murat; Aksu, Ozlem

2013-01-01

The purpose of the current study is to determine biology student teachers' cognitive structures on the concept of microscope. Qualitative research methodology has been applied in the study. The data were collected from biology student teachers. Free word association test and drawing-writing test were used to collect data. The data collected were…

Two conceptions of conscience and the problem of conscientious objection.

Science.gov (United States)

Symons, Xavier

2017-04-01

Schuklenk and Smalling argue that it is practically impossible for civic institutions to meet the conditions necessary to ensure that conscientious objection does not conflict with the core principles of liberal democracies. In this response, I propose an alternative definition of conscience to that offered by Schuklenk and Smalling. I discuss what I call the 'traditional' notion of conscience, and contrast this with the existentialist conception of conscience (which I take to be a close cousin of the view targeted by Schuklenk and Smalling). I argue that the traditional notion, grounded in an objective moral order, avoids the criticisms advanced by Schuklenk and Smalling; the existentialist conception, in contrast, does not. I conclude by discussing the benefits and risks of a 'restricted view' of respect for conscience. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Instrumented techniques in tool - and object perspectives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andresen, Mette

2007-01-01

The aim of this paper is to report from a study of the role of instrumented techniques in the students? learning process. The paper analyses an episode from a case study of students solving differential equations in a CAS environment. The analysis demonstrates how tasks can be designed with the aim...... to encourage the students to change between the perspective of tool on a mathematical conception and the perspective of object on the conception. Reasons are given in the paper for the assertion, that changing between these two perspectives supports the instrumental genesis as well as the conceptual...

Is case-based learning an effective teaching strategy to challenge students' alternative conceptions regarding chemical kinetics?

Science.gov (United States)

Yalçınkaya, Eylem; Taştan-Kırık, Özgecan; Boz, Yezdan; Yıldıran, Demet

2012-07-01

Background: Case-based learning (CBL) is simply teaching the concept to the students based on the cases. CBL involves a case, which is a scenario based on daily life, and study questions related to the case, which allows students to discuss their ideas. Chemical kinetics is one of the most difficult concepts for students in chemistry. Students have generally low levels of conceptual understanding and many alternative conceptions regarding it. Purpose: This study aimed to explore the effect of CBL on dealing with students' alternative conceptions about chemical kinetics. Sample: The sample consists of 53 high school students from one public high school in Turkey. Design and methods : Nonequivalent pre-test and post-test control group design was used. Reaction Rate Concept Test and semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. Convenience sampling technique was followed. For data analysis, the independent samples t-test and ANOVA was performed. Results : Both concept test and interview results showed that students instructed with cases had better understanding of core concepts of chemical kinetics and had less alternative conceptions related to the subject matter compared to the control group students, despite the fact that it was impossible to challenge all the alternative conceptions in the experimental group. Conclusions: CBL is an effective teaching method for challenging students' alternative conceptions in the context of chemical kinetics. Since using cases in small groups and whole class discussions has been found to be an effective way to cope with the alternative conceptions, it can be applied to other subjects and grade levels in high schools with a higher sample size. Furthermore, the effect of this method on academic achievement, motivation and critical thinking skills are other variables that can be investigated for future studies in the subject area of chemistry.

How Concept-Mapping Perception Navigates Student Knowledge Transfer Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Tseng, Kuo-Hung; Chang, Chi-Cheng; Lou, Shi-Jer; Tan, Yue; Chiu, Chien-Jung

2012-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to investigate students' perception of concept maps as a learning tool where knowledge transfer is the goal. This article includes an evaluation of the learning performance of 42 undergraduate students enrolled in a nanotech course at a university in Taiwan. Canonical correlation and MANOVA analyses were employed to…

Optimism, self-efficiency and self-concept: Why some students expect greater academic success than others?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sabina Bele

2009-07-01

Full Text Available The purpose of our research was to examine the relation between academic success and constructs: optimism, self-efficiency, and self-concept. We also wanted to examine how this relation reflects in previous and future marks of fourth-grade highschool students. We predicted that students with higher academic success in specific fields will also have higher specific self-concept, which reflects characteristic competence. We also predicted that more optimistic, more self-efficient students and students with higher self-concept will set up higher future goals, because they see desired goals as attainable and are persistent in reaching their goals. One-hundred students filled in the Self-Description Questionnire III (SDQIII, the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R, the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE, and stated marks of their previous grade, present marks (Slovenian language, mathematics, and foreign language and anticipated marks at graduation. The results confirmed our expectations: Students with higher marks on different subjects in previous grade also had higher specific self-concept, and more optimistic and self-efficient students with higher self-concept set up higher future goals.

Conceptual Blending Monitoring Students' Use of Metaphorical Concepts to Further the Learning of Science

Science.gov (United States)

Fredriksson, Alexandra; Pelger, Susanne

2018-03-01

The aim of this study is to explore how tertiary science students' use of metaphors in their popular science article writing may influence their understanding of subject matter. For this purpose, six popular articles written by students in physics or geology were analysed by means of a close textual analysis and a metaphor analysis. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the students. The articles showed variation regarding the occurrence of active (non-conventional) metaphors, and metaphorical concepts, i.e. metaphors relating to a common theme. In addition, the interviews indicated that students using active metaphors and metaphorical concepts reflected more actively upon their use of metaphors. These students also discussed the possible relationship between subject understanding and creation of metaphors in terms of conceptual blending. The study suggests that students' process of creating metaphorical concepts could be described and visualised through integrated networks of conceptual blending. Altogether, the study argues for using conceptual blending as a tool for monitoring and encouraging the use of adequate metaphorical concepts, thereby facilitating students' opportunities of understanding and influencing the learning of science.

The Use of Concept Maps in Creating a Short Video with Students

Science.gov (United States)

Gocsál, Ákos; Tóth, Renáta

2016-01-01

This paper presents the results of an experimental project in which media students created a short video. The students in groups of 4 or 5 used concept maps for collected their ideas about organizing the project. The analysis of the concept maps revealed that two groups were product-oriented, one group was workflow-oriented, and two groups used…

Modeling Acceleration of a System of Two Objects Using the Concept of Limits

Science.gov (United States)

Sokolowski, Andrzej

2018-01-01

Traditional school laboratory exercises on a system of moving objects connected by strings involve deriving expressions for the system acceleration, a = (∑F )/m, and sketching a graph of acceleration vs. force. While being in the form of rational functions, these expressions present great opportunities for broadening the scope of the analysis by using a more sophisticated math apparatus—the concept of limits. Using the idea of limits allows for extending both predictions and explanations of this type of motion that are—according to Redish—essential goals of teaching physics. This type of analysis, known in physics as limiting case analysis, allows for generalizing inferences by evaluating or estimating values of algebraic functions based on its extreme inputs. In practice, such transition provides opportunities for deriving valid conclusions for cases when direct laboratory measurements are not possible. While using limits is common for scientists, the idea of applying limits in school practice is not visible, and testing students' ability in this area is also rare.

The Contribution of Conceptual Change Texts Accompanied by Concept Mapping to Eleventh-Grade Students Understanding of Cellular Respiration Concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Al khawaldeh, Salem A.; Al Olaimat, Ali M.

2010-01-01

The present study conducted to investigate the contribution of conceptual change texts, accompanied by concept mapping instruction to eleventh-grade students' understanding of cellular respiration concepts, and their retention of this understanding. Cellular respiration concepts test was developed as a result of examination of related literature…

The Analysis of High School Students' Conceptions of Learning in Different Domains

Science.gov (United States)

Sadi, Özlem

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether or not conceptions of learning diverge in different science domains by identifying high school students' conceptions of learning in physics, chemistry and biology. The Conceptions of Learning Science (COLS) questionnaire was adapted for physics (Conceptions of Learning Physics, COLP), chemistry…

Variation in Students' Conceptions of Self-Assessment and Standards

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heng Kiat Kelvin Tan

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This paper reports the results of a phenomenographic study on the different ways that secondary students understood and utilized student self-assessment and how various ego types could affect the accuracy of self-assessment. The study sought to contribute to the growing literature which recognizes the critical role that students play in assessment processes, and in particular the different roles that they assume in student self-assessment. The results of the study provide insights into how different students experience self-assessment by articulating the variation in the perception and purposes of assessing one's own learning. This variation is depicted as a hierarchy of logically related students' conceptions of self-assessment.

Teachers' and parents' conceptions of students' academic success and failure

OpenAIRE

Hočevar, Nina

2017-01-01

Personal conceptions regarding academic (in)efficiency are directing the thinking and behaviour of all those involved in the educational process. Due to the subjectivity and complexity of personal conceptions, the individuals are experiencing academic (in)efficiency differently. Also, various factors contribute to students academic (in)efficiency, including teachers and parents. The Master's thesis deals with personal conceptions of teachers and parents about academic (in)efficiency. In the t...

Evaluation of Students' Understanding of Thermal Concepts in Everyday Contexts

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Hye-Eun; Treagust, David F.; Yeo, Shelley; Zadnik, Marjan

2012-01-01

The aims of this study were to determine the underlying conceptual structure of the thermal concept evaluation (TCE) questionnaire, a pencil-and-paper instrument about everyday contexts of heat, temperature, and heat transfer, to investigate students' conceptual understanding of thermal concepts in everyday contexts across several school years and…

Effects of Students' Attitude and Self-Concept on Achievement in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The other area is the non-cognitive domain, which includes variables such as socio-economic status, students' attitude, personality determinants, peer group influence, self-concept, anxiety, etc. As a result of this, this study investigated the effects of attitude and self-concept on achievement in senior secondary school ...

Development of Nurse Self-Concept in Nursing Students: The Effects of a Peer-Mentoring Experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Ford, Yvonne

2015-09-01

Positive nurse self-concept has been shown to increase job productivity, retention, and job satisfaction. Student participation in peer-mentoring experiences has been shown to increase self-confidence and understanding of the role of the nurse leader. The Nurse Self-Concept Questionnaire (NSCQ) was used to measure the nurse self-concept of senior baccalaureate nursing students before and after completion of a peer-mentoring experience. Female students scored significantly higher on two subscales of the NSCQ than male students prior to the peer-mentoring experience. This difference was not seen after the experience. Mean changes in scores on all six dimensions of self-concept measured by the NSCQ were significantly higher after the mentoring experience. Further investigation of male students' experiences in clinical settings may be warranted. The experience of mentoring lower-level students offers practice for upper-level nursing students in providing direction, exercising leadership and management skills, and working as a member of the health care team. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.

On the Concept of "Respiration": Biology Student Teachers' Cognitive Structures and Alternative Conceptions

Science.gov (United States)

Kurt, Hakan; Ekici, Gulay; Aktas, Murat; Aksu, Ozlem

2013-01-01

In researches, the subject of respiration has been determined to be among subjects about whom participants from all educational levels struggle to form their cognitive structures and have many alternative conceptions. This research was carried out in order to determine biology student teachers' cognitive structures and alternative conceptions…

Learning about a Level Physics Students' Understandings of Particle Physics Using Concept Mapping

Science.gov (United States)

Gourlay, H.

2017-01-01

This paper describes a small-scale piece of research using concept mapping to elicit A level students' understandings of particle physics. Fifty-nine year 12 (16- and 17 year-old) students from two London schools participated. The exercise took place during school physics lessons. Students were instructed how to make a concept map and were…

University students' conceptions of the electric and magnetic fields and their interrelationships

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kesonen, M H P; Asikainen, M A; Hirvonen, P E

2011-01-01

This study focuses on students' conceptions of electric and magnetic fields at university level and of the interrelations between them. A total of 33 students participated in a paper and pencil test after the completion of first-year electricity and second-year electromagnetism courses. The conceptions were investigated in the contexts of a charged particle, a charging capacitor, electromagnetic induction, and an electromagnetic plane wave. The results show that students do not include the vector nature of field quantities in their reasoning. In addition, learning the interactions between electric and magnetic fields is very challenging for university students. Even after completing relevant studies, the students had difficulty in recognizing the symmetry relations between the electric and magnetic fields in all of the areas under study. Consequently, it appears that the concepts of electric and magnetic fields and their interrelations should be emphasized not only in the context of electromagnetism but also in other relevant areas such as electricity and optics. Explicit recommendations are presented in the discussion section at the end of this paper.

Self-care among Nursing Students: Determining Constructive Concepts of Self-care using Factor Analysis

OpenAIRE

Shintani, Keiko

2006-01-01

In an effort to clearly defi ne the constructive concepts of self-care among nursing students, in the present study a survey was conducted a survey of 655 individuals, comprised of 260 college nursing students and 395 vocational school nursing students. We found four factors of constructive concepts of self-care among nursing students, which included maintaining diet, coping with stress, maintaining habits and regulating lifestyle patterns, and maintaining interpersonal relationships.

Heritage building as a Concept and as a part of Technology Education Conceptions of, structuredness of conceptions of, and conceptual change in students in teacher training during a study module on heritage building

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Jani Kaasinen

2017-12-01

Full Text Available As a concept, heritage building is young and previously undefined in Finnish scientific literature. Earlier studies about the very notions of heritage building are also nonexistent in Finland. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the conceptions of students in teacher training about heritage building before and after a study module on heritage building, which constitutes a part of their subject studies in didactics of crafts. The lack of previous studies about conceptions of heritage building in Finland led to the selection of these conceptions as a research target. The study uses two different approaches for achieving its purpose. In order to find answers to the research problem, the students' common conceptions about heritage building were examined first. Secondly, it was considered how structured these conceptions were. Therefore, the research process included a conceptual review of heritage building to provide a baseline for comparing the student's conceptions and their structuredness.The research results indicate that even though students in didactics of handicrafts have conceptions about heritage building that are parallel with the definition formulated for the purposes of the study, they are superficial on average. The review of structuredness of conceptions supported the results achieved in the phenomenographical analysis of conceptions. It was observed that completing the study module had an impact on the structuredness of conceptions. Furthermore, the students' personal background was found to have some implications on how structured their conceptions of heritage building were, which was evidenced by notable differences in structuredness of conceptions on an individual level. This article is based on the writer’s doctoral dissertation.Keywords: Heritage building, conceptions, conceptual change, level of structuredness, phenomenography, technology education

Testing a Conception of How School Leadership Influences Student Learning

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Leithwood, Kenneth; Patten, Sarah; Jantzi, Doris

2010-01-01

Purpose: This article describes and reports the results of testing a new conception of how leadership influences student learning ("The Four Paths"). Framework: Leadership influence is conceptualized as flowing along four paths (Rational, Emotions, Organizational, and Family) toward student learning. Each path is populated by multiple…

Investigating with Concept Cartoons: Practical suggestions for using concept cartoons to start student investigations in elementary school and beyond

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Ed van den Berg

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Concept cartoons can be used to diagnose misconceptions and stimulate discussion of basic concepts and phenomena. However, the teacher can also present a cartoon and then ask students to think of experiments to further investigate the phenomenon shown in the cartoon. Our experience is that students from age 9–18 very quickly come with creative ideas and start investigations. That is, of course, only the beginning. The teacher will have to follow the work of the students closely and help them to develop their investigation skills and critical thinking. In the workshop you will experience how to start an investigation with the cartoon and then we will focus on how to use formative assessment to improve the work of students.

An assessment of high school students' conceptual structures of heat and temperature through concept maps

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Aykutlu, Isil; Bezen, Sevim; Bayrak, Celal

2017-02-01

This study is a qualitative one conducted in order to determine 9th, 10th, and 11th grade high school students' conceptual structures of heat and temperature through concept maps. The study was realized with the participation of a total of 80 students. As data gathering tool, a concept map developed by the researchers, which includes such items as heat, temperature, and matter, was used. Students were asked to form a concept map by using the concepts in the form and the concepts they thought were related with these. Data obtained from the research was analyzed via content analysis. As a result of the study, it was determined that students have misconceptions and lack of knowledge of heat and temperature. Lastly, the following can be given as examples of students' misconceptions or lack of knowledge: they think temperature comes into being as a result of heat and that heat is a kind of energy.

Students concept understanding of fluid static based on the types of teaching

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Rahmawati, I. D.; Suparmi; Sunarno, W.

2018-03-01

This research aims to know the concept understanding of student are taught by guided inquiry based learning and conventional based learning. Subjects in this study are high school students as much as 2 classes and each class consists of 32 students, both classes are homogen. The data was collected by conceptual test in the multiple choice form with the students argumentation of the answer. The data analysis used is qualitative descriptive method. The results of the study showed that the average of class that was using guided inquiry based learning is 78.44 while the class with use conventional based learning is 65.16. Based on these data, the guided inquiry model is an effective learning model used to improve students concept understanding.

The analysis of the mathematics concept comprehension of senior high school student on dynamic fluid material

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Kristian, P. L. Y.; Cari, C.; Sunarno, W.

2018-04-01

This study purposes to describe and analyse the students' concept understanding of dynamic fluid. The subjects of this research are 10 students of senior high school. The data collected finished the essay test that consists of 5 questions have been adapted to the indicators of learning. The data of this research is analysed using descriptive-qualitative approach by referring of the student's argumentations about their answer from the questions that given. The results showed that students still have incorrect understanding the concept of dynamic fluids, especially on the Bernoulli’s principle and its application. Based on the results of this research, the teachers should emphasize the concept understanding of the students therefore the students don not only understand the physics concept in mathematical form.

The Impact of an Operational Definition of the Weight Concept on Students' Understanding

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Stein, Hana; Galili, Igal

2015-01-01

Several researches in physics education have demonstrated the problematic status of teaching the subject of gravitation and weight and students' knowledge of these concepts. This paper presents findings of a study of students' knowledge following instruction within a changed conceptual framework of the weight concept in several 9th grade classes…

Experimentation of cooperative learning model Numbered Heads Together (NHT) type by concept maps and Teams Games Tournament (TGT) by concept maps in terms of students logical mathematics intellegences

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Irawan, Adi; Mardiyana; Retno Sari Saputro, Dewi

2017-06-01

This research is aimed to find out the effect of learning model towards learning achievement in terms of students’ logical mathematics intelligences. The learning models that were compared were NHT by Concept Maps, TGT by Concept Maps, and Direct Learning model. This research was pseudo experimental by factorial design 3×3. The population of this research was all of the students of class XI Natural Sciences of Senior High School in all regency of Karanganyar in academic year 2016/2017. The conclusions of this research were: 1) the students’ achievements with NHT learning model by Concept Maps were better than students’ achievements with TGT model by Concept Maps and Direct Learning model. The students’ achievements with TGT model by Concept Maps were better than the students’ achievements with Direct Learning model. 2) The students’ achievements that exposed high logical mathematics intelligences were better than students’ medium and low logical mathematics intelligences. The students’ achievements that exposed medium logical mathematics intelligences were better than the students’ low logical mathematics intelligences. 3) Each of student logical mathematics intelligences with NHT learning model by Concept Maps has better achievement than students with TGT learning model by Concept Maps, students with NHT learning model by Concept Maps have better achievement than students with the direct learning model, and the students with TGT by Concept Maps learning model have better achievement than students with Direct Learning model. 4) Each of learning model, students who have logical mathematics intelligences have better achievement then students who have medium logical mathematics intelligences, and students who have medium logical mathematics intelligences have better achievement than students who have low logical mathematics intelligences.

Student assessment by objective structured examination in a neurology clerkship

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Adesoye, Taiwo; Smith, Sandy; Blood, Angela; Brorson, James R.

2012-01-01

Objectives: We evaluated the reliability and predictive ability of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) in the assessment of medical students at the completion of a neurology clerkship. Methods: We analyzed data from 195 third-year medical students who took the OSCE. For each student, the OSCE consisted of 2 standardized patient encounters. The scores obtained from each encounter were compared. Faculty clinical evaluations of each student for 2 clinical inpatient rotations were also compared. Hierarchical regression analysis was applied to test the ability of the averaged OSCE scores to predict standardized written examination scores and composite clinical scores. Results: Students' OSCE scores from the 2 standardized patient encounters were significantly correlated with each other (r = 0.347, p neurology clerkship. PMID:22855865

Comparison of Concept Mapping and Conventional Teaching Methods on Critical Thinking Skills of Nursing Students

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Masoumeh Delaram

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Background and Objective: Development of critical thinking and practical skills has remained a serious and considerable challenge throughout the nursing educational system in Iran. Conventional methods of teaching such as lectures as the dominant method used in higher education system is a passive style which ignores critical thinking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effect of instruction by Concept-Mapping and conventional Method on critical thinking skills of nursing students. Materials and Methods:This quasi-experimental study was carried out on 70 nursing students of Tehran Nursing and Midwifery schoolwho were selected through convenient sampling method, then were divided randomly into the two equal Experimental and Control groups. Educational content was presented in the form of Concept-Mapping in the Experimental group and Lecture,Demonstration and Practicalexercises in the control group. Data collection included a demographic information and California Critical Thinking Skills (form B questionnairewhich was completed at the beginning and at the end of the fourth week of Instructional period. Data were analyzed using SPSS software (V: 21, descriptive and analytical Statistics; at the significant level P<0.05. Results: Before the intervention, the mean of critical thinking skill score was 9.71±2.66 in concept mapping group and 9.64 ± 2.14 in conventional group and the difference was not significant (P=0.121, but after the intervention, a significant difference was found between the intervention and conventionalgroup (15.20±2.71 vs 10.25±2.06, P=0.003. Conclusion: Using Concept mapping strategy in the education of nursing students may lead to developing critical thinking skills as one of the important missions of higher education. So it is recommended to usethis method in clinical nursing education.

Analysis of Students' Conceptions of Basic Magnetism from a Complex Systems Perspective

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Lemmer, Miriam; Kriek, Jeanne; Erasmus, Benita

2018-03-01

This study established whether 12 South African secondary school physics students had incorrect conceptions of basic magnetism and if they had, to what extent they consistently applied such conceptions. Different scenarios in the form of thought experiments were presented in a clinical interview approach. A complex systems perspective underpinned the study and was firstly used to analyze 12 students' conceptions in terms of intuitive fragments of knowledge elements, structured misconceptions, and theory-like system of knowledge elements. Secondly, coherence in each student's ideas expressed across ten themes using thought experiments was analyzed in an effort to determine variations or coherence in responses. Examples of student explanations and sketches are discussed in the paper to illustrate the conceptual structures they applied. Most of the students in this study used a variety of knowledge elements in accord with a complex systems perspective, but three students seemed to prefer a specific perspective. One student's ideas tended to be mainly fragmented, a second exposed a number of structured misconceptions, while another student's reasoning can be described as a theory-like system of knowledge elements. Accordingly, the emphasis of physics education research should no longer be on the compilation of a list of misconceptions that have to be remedied or replaced, but on the conceptual connections, students make and their associative reasoning patterns (i.e., knowledge systems revealed). It remains for the teacher to use the complex systems perspective as a framework to facilitate students' conceptual development and understanding, proceeding on their existing knowledge systems.

Collective school-type identity: predicting students' motivation beyond academic self-concept.

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Knigge, Michel; Hannover, Bettina

2011-06-01

In Germany, according to their prior achievement students are tracked into different types of secondary school that provide profoundly different options for their future educational careers. In this paper we suggest that as a result, school tracks clearly differ in their social status or reputation. This should translate into different collective school-type identities for their students, irrespective of the students' personal academic self-concepts. We examine the extent to which collective school-type identity systematically varies as a function of the school track students are enrolled in, and the extent to which students' collective school-type identity makes a unique contribution beyond academic self-concept and school track in predicting scholastic motivation. In two cross-sectional studies a measure of collective school-type identity is established and applied to explain motivational differences between two school tracks in Berlin. In Study 1 (N = 39 students) the content of the collective school-type identity is explored by means of an open format questionnaire. Based on these findings a structured instrument (semantic differential) to measure collective school-type identity is developed. In Study 2 (N = 1278 students) the assumed structure with four subscales (Stereotype Achievement, Stereotype Motivation, Stereotype Social, and Compensation) is proved with confirmatory factor analysis. This measure is used to compare the collective school-type identity across school tracks and predict motivational outcomes. Results show large differences in collective school-type identity between students of different school tracks. Furthermore, these differences can explain motivational differences between school tracks. Collective school-type identity has incremental predictive power for scholastic motivation, over and above the effects of academic self-concept and school track.

The Effect of Conceptual Change Pedagogy on Students' Conceptions of Rate of Reaction

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Calik, Muammer; Kolomuc, Ali; Karagolge, Zafer

2010-01-01

This paper reports on an investigation of the effect of conceptual change pedagogy on students' conceptions of "rate of reaction" concepts. The study used a pre-test/post-test non-equivalent comparison group design approach and the sample consisted of 72 Turkish grade-11 students (aged 16-18 years) selected from two intact classrooms.…

Students' Conceptions of the Nature of Science: Perspectives from Canadian and Korean Middle School Students

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Park, Hyeran; Nielsen, Wendy; Woodruff, Earl

2014-01-01

This study examined and compared students' understanding of nature of science (NOS) with 521 Grade 8 Canadian and Korean students using a mixed methods approach. The concepts of NOS were measured using a survey that had both quantitative and qualitative elements. Descriptive statistics and one-way multivariate analysis of variances examined the…

High School Biology Students' Transfer of the Concept of Natural Selection: A Mixed-Methods Approach

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Pugh, Kevin J.; Koskey, Kristin L. K.; Linnenbrink-Garcia, Lisa

2014-01-01

The concept of natural selection serves as a foundation for understanding diverse biological concepts and has broad applicability to other domains. However, we know little about students' abilities to transfer (i.e. apply to a new context or use generatively) this concept and the relation between students' conceptual understanding and transfer…

Determination of Students' Alternative Conceptions about Chemical Equilibrium: A Review of Research and the Case of Turkey

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Ozmen, Haluk

2008-01-01

This study aims to determine prospective science student teachers' alternative conceptions of the chemical equilibrium concept. A 13-item pencil and paper, two-tier multiple choice diagnostic instrument, the Test to Identify Students' Alternative Conceptions (TISAC), was developed and administered to 90 second-semester science student teachers…

The relationship between self-concept and achievement in TIMSS 2007: A comparison between American and Japanese students

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Yoshino, Asako

2012-04-01

The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between eighth-grade students' maths-related self-concepts and their achievements in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007. The students' maths self-concept was compared with other variables, namely their mothers' education, their fathers' education and the amount of books held in the students' households. To investigate the potential role of culture, a comparison between American and Japanese students' scores was also included. The findings demonstrated that students' maths self-concept was positively associated with their achievement both in the United States and Japan, but Japanese students, while having higher achievement, had a lower maths self-concept than American students. Maternal education, paternal education and the number of books at home were also found to be positively related to achievement. Examining standardised coefficients, the study confirmed a strong interaction between maths self-concept and country, as well as a positive connection between maths self-concept as such (irrespective of the country) with maths achievement.

Use of concept maps to promote electrocardiogram diagnosis learning in undergraduate medical students

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Dong, Ruimin; Yang, Xiaoyan; Xing, Bangrong; Zou, Zihao; Zheng, Zhenda; Xie, Xujing; Zhu, Jieming; Chen, Lin; Zhou, Hanjian

2015-01-01

Concept mapping is an effective method in teaching and learning, however this strategy has not been evaluated among electrocardiogram (ECG) diagnosis learning. This study explored the use of concept maps to assist ECG study, and sought to analyze whether this method could improve undergraduate students’ ECG interpretation skills. There were 126 undergraduate medical students who were randomly selected and assigned to two groups, group A (n = 63) and group B (n = 63). Group A was taught to use concept maps to learn ECG diagnosis, while group B was taught by traditional methods. After the course, all of the students were assessed by having an ECG diagnostic test. Quantitative data which comprised test score and ECG features completion index was compared by using the unpaired Student’s t-test between the two groups. Further, a feedback questionnaire on concept maps used was also completed by group A, comments were evaluated by a five-point Likert scale. The test scores of ECGs interpretation was 7.36 ± 1.23 in Group A and 6.12 ± 1.39 in Group B. A significant advantage (P = 0.018) of concept maps was observed in ECG interpretation accuracy. No difference in the average ECG features completion index was observed between Group A (66.75 ± 15.35%) and Group B (62.93 ± 13.17%). According qualitative analysis, majority of students accepted concept maps as a helpful tool. Difficult to learn at the beginning and time consuming are the two problems in using this method, nevertheless most of the students indicated to continue using it. Concept maps could be a useful pedagogical tool in enhancing undergraduate medical students’ ECG interpretation skills. Furthermore, students indicated a positive attitude to it, and perceived it as a resource for learning. PMID:26221331

Profile of Metacognition of Mathematics and Mathematics Education Students in Understanding the Concept of Integral Calculus

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Misu, La; Ketut Budayasa, I.; Lukito, Agung

2018-03-01

This study describes the metacognition profile of mathematics and mathematics education students in understanding the concept of integral calculus. The metacognition profile is a natural and intact description of a person’s cognition that involves his own thinking in terms of using his knowledge, planning and monitoring his thinking process, and evaluating his thinking results when understanding a concept. The purpose of this study was to produce the metacognition profile of mathematics and mathematics education students in understanding the concept of integral calculus. This research method is explorative method with the qualitative approach. The subjects of this study are mathematics and mathematics education students who have studied integral calculus. The results of this study are as follows: (1) the summarizing category, the mathematics and mathematics education students can use metacognition knowledge and metacognition skills in understanding the concept of indefinite integrals. While the definite integrals, only mathematics education students use metacognition skills; and (2) the explaining category, mathematics students can use knowledge and metacognition skills in understanding the concept of indefinite integrals, while the definite integrals only use metacognition skills. In addition, mathematics education students can use knowledge and metacognition skills in understanding the concept of both indefinite and definite integrals.

Student Teachers' Conceptions of Creativity in the Secondary Music Classroom

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Kokotsaki, Dimitra

2011-01-01

This study aims to explore the meaning of the concept of creativity from the perspective of student teachers pursuing a one year teacher training course following their first degree. Seventeen student teachers following a specialist music teaching route in secondary education were selected as the sample for this study to offer their understanding…

The Musical Self-Concept of Chinese Music Students

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Suse ePetersen

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The relationship between self-concept and societal settings has been widely investigated in several Western and Asian countries, with respect to the academic self-concept in an educational environment. Although the musical self-concept is highly relevant to musical development and performance, there is a lack of research exploring how the musical self-concept evolves in different cultural settings and societies. In particular, there have been no enquiries yet in the Chinese music education environment. This study’s goal was the characterization of musical self-concept types among music students at a University in Beijing, China. The Musical Self-Concept Inquiry (MUSCI—including ability, emotional, physical, cognitive, and social facets—was used to assess the students’ musical self-concepts (N=97. The data analysis led to three significantly distinct clusters and corresponding musical self-concept types. The types were especially distinct, in the students’ perception of their musical ambitions and abilities; their movement, rhythm and dancing affinity; and the spiritual and social aspects of music. The professional aims and perspectives, and the aspects of the students’ sociodemographic background also differed between the clusters. This study is one of the first research endeavors addressing musical self-concepts in China. The empirical identification of the self-concept types offers a basis for future research on the connections between education, the development of musical achievement, and the musical self-concept in societal settings with differing understandings of the self.

The Musical Self-Concept of Chinese Music Students

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Petersen, Suse; Camp, Marc-Antoine

2016-01-01

The relationship between self-concept and societal settings has been widely investigated in several Western and Asian countries, with respect to the academic self-concept in an educational environment. Although the musical self-concept is highly relevant to musical development and performance, there is a lack of research exploring how the musical self-concept evolves in different cultural settings and societies. In particular, there have been no enquiries yet in the Chinese music education environment. This study’s goal was the characterization of musical self-concept types among music students at a University in Beijing, China. The Musical Self-Concept Inquiry—including ability, emotional, physical, cognitive, and social facets—was used to assess the students’ musical self-concepts (N = 97). The data analysis led to three significantly distinct clusters and corresponding musical self-concept types. The types were especially distinct, in the students’ perception of their musical ambitions and abilities; their movement, rhythm and dancing affinity; and the spiritual and social aspects of music. The professional aims and perspectives, and the aspects of the students’ sociodemographic background also differed between the clusters. This study is one of the first research endeavors addressing musical self-concepts in China. The empirical identification of the self-concept types offers a basis for future research on the connections between education, the development of musical achievement, and the musical self-concept in societal settings with differing understandings of the self. PMID:27303337

Environmental Camp as a Comprehensive Communication Tool to Promote the RRR Concept to Elementary Education Students at Koh Si Chang School

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Supakata, Nuta; Puangthongthub, Sitthichok; Srithongouthai, Sarawut; Kanokkantapong, Vorapot; Chaikaew, Pasicha

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to develop and implement a Reduce-Reuse-Recycle (RRR) communication strategy through environmental camp as a comprehensive communication tool to promote the RRR concept to elementary school students. Various activities from five learning bases including the folding milk carton game, waste separation relay, recycling…

The Self-Concept of Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing and Hearing Students

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Mekonnen, Mulat; Hannu, Savolainen; Elina, Lehtomäki; Matti, Kuorelahti

2016-01-01

The present study investigated the self-concept of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students in different educational settings compared with those of hearing students in Ethiopia. The research involved a sample of 103 Grade 4 students selected from 7 towns in Ethiopia. They were selected from a special school for the deaf, a special class for the…

Millennial Students' Preferred Methods for Learning Concepts in Psychiatric Nursing.

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Garwood, Janet K

2015-09-01

The current longitudinal, descriptive, and correlational study explored which traditional teaching strategies can engage Millennial students and adequately prepare them for the ultimate test of nursing competence: the National Council Licensure Examination. The study comprised a convenience sample of 40 baccalaureate nursing students enrolled in a psychiatric nursing course. The students were exposed to a variety of traditional (e.g., PowerPoint(®)-guided lectures) and nontraditional (e.g., concept maps, group activities) teaching and learning strategies, and rated their effectiveness. The students' scores on the final examination demonstrated that student learning outcomes met or exceeded national benchmarks. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.

Affirmation, Validation, and Empowerment: Influences of a Composition Competition on Students' Self-Concepts as Musicians

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Albert, Daniel J.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine if participation in a composition competition influenced four K-12 students' self-concepts as musicians. Research questions explored motivations for these four students to enter into a composition competition, influences of the competition on students' self-concepts as musicians (if at all), and effects…

Using Laboratory Activities Enhanced with Concept Cartoons to Support Progression in Students' Understanding of Acid-Base Concepts

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Ozmen, Haluk; Demircioglu, Gokhan; Burhan, Yasemin; Naseriazar, Akbar; Demircioglu, Hulya

2012-01-01

The aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of an intervention based on a series of laboratory activities enhanced with concept cartoons. The purpose of the intervention was to enhance students' understanding of acid-base chemistry for eight grade students' from two classes in a Turkish primary school. A pretest-posttest non-equivalent…

Seventh Grade Students' Conceptions of Global Warming and Climate Change

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Shepardson, Daniel P.; Niyogi, Dev; Choi, Soyoung; Charusombat, Umarporn

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate seventh grade students' conceptions of global warming and climate change. The study was descriptive in nature and involved the collection of qualitative data from 91 seventh grade students from three different schools in the Midwest, USA. An open response and draw and explain assessment instrument was…

Conceptions of heterosexuality and attitudes toward non-heterosexuals of Psychology students from Córdoba

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Imhoff, Débora

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The study analyzes the conceptions of heterosexuality of Psychology students at Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, and explores its associations with attitudes towards homosexuality. An exploratory research design was conducted, mixing qualitative and quantitative approaches, with a non probabilistic sample, 89 students (64 of the initial section of the career and 25 of the final section. Students answered a written self-report about the question: "Heterosexuality, is it natural? Why?". Seven types of conceptions of heterosexuality were identified, four of them based on essentialists views, and three presented socio-constructionist arguments. Data suggests an association between negative attitudes toward homosexuals and essentialists conceptions of heterosexuality, especially in lower grades students. This study generated questions and reflections about future therapist sexualities and gender-blind training.

Force Concept Inventory-Based Multiple-Choice Test for Investigating Students' Representational Consistency

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Nieminen, Pasi; Savinainen, Antti; Viiri, Jouni

2010-01-01

This study investigates students' ability to interpret multiple representations consistently (i.e., representational consistency) in the context of the force concept. For this purpose we developed the Representational Variant of the Force Concept Inventory (R-FCI), which makes use of nine items from the 1995 version of the Force Concept Inventory…

Students' conceptions of evidence during a university introductory forensic science course

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Yeshion, Theodore Elliot

Students' Conceptions of Science, Scientific Evidence, and Forensic Evidence during a University Introductory Forensic Science Course This study was designed to examine and understand what conceptions undergraduate students taking an introductory forensic science course had about scientific evidence. Because the relationships between the nature of science, the nature of evidence, and the nature of forensic evidence are not well understood in the science education literature, this study sought to understand how these concepts interact and affect students' understanding of scientific evidence. Four participants were purposefully selected for this study from among 89 students enrolled in two sections of an introductory forensic science course taught during the fall 2005 semester. Of the 89 students, 84 were criminal justice majors with minimal science background and five were chemistry majors with academic backgrounds in the natural and physical sciences. All 89 students completed a biographical data sheet and a pre-instruction Likert scale survey consisting of twenty questions relating to the nature of scientific evidence. An evaluation of these two documents resulted in a purposeful selection of four varied student participants, each of whom was interviewed three times throughout the semester about the nature of science, the nature of evidence, and the nature of forensic evidence. The same survey was administered to the participants again at the end of the semester-long course. This study examined students' assumptions, prior knowledge, their understanding of scientific inference, scientific theory, and methodology. Examination of the data found few differences with regard to how the criminal justice majors and the chemistry majors responded to interview questions about forensic evidence. There were qualitative differences, however, when the same participants answered interview questions relating to traditional scientific evidence. Furthermore, suggestions are

The longitudinal effect of concept map teaching on critical thinking of nursing students.

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Lee, Weillie; Chiang, Chi-Hua; Liao, I-Chen; Lee, Mei-Li; Chen, Shiah-Lian; Liang, Tienli

2013-10-01

Concept map is a useful cognitive tool for enhancing a student's critical thinking by encouraging students to process information deeply for understanding. However, there is limited understanding of longitudinal effects of concept map teaching on students' critical thinking. The purpose of the study was to investigate the growth and the other factors influencing the development of critical thinking in response to concept map as an interventional strategy for nursing students in a two-year registered nurse baccalaureate program. The study was a quasi-experimental and longitudinal follow-up design. A convenience sample was drawn from a university in central Taiwan. Data were collected at different time points at the beginning of each semester using structured questionnaires including Critical Thinking Scale and Approaches to Learning and Studying. The intervention of concept map teaching was given at the second semester in the Medical-Surgical Nursing course. The results of the findings revealed student started with a mean critical thinking score of 41.32 and decreased at a rate of 0.42 over time, although not significant. After controlling for individual characteristics, the final model revealed that the experimental group gained a higher critical thinking score across time than the control group. The best predictive variables of initial status in critical thinking were without clinical experience and a higher pre-test score. The growth in critical thinking was predicted best by a lower pre-test score, and lower scores on surface approach and organized study. Our study suggested that concept map is a useful teaching strategy to enhance student critical thinking. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DROpS: an object of learning in computer simulation of discrete events

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Hugo Alves Silva Ribeiro

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This work presents the “Realistic Dynamics Of Simulated Operations” (DROpS, the name given to the dynamics using the “dropper” device as an object of teaching and learning. The objective is to present alternatives for professors teaching content related to simulation of discrete events to graduate students in production engineering. The aim is to enable students to develop skills related to data collection, modeling, statistical analysis, and interpretation of results. This dynamic has been developed and applied to the students by placing them in a situation analogous to a real industry, where various concepts related to computer simulation were discussed, allowing the students to put these concepts into practice in an interactive manner, thus facilitating learning

Parental Socio-Economic Status, Self-Concept and Gender Differences on Students' Academic Performance in Borno State Colleges of Education: Implications for Counselling

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Goni, Umar; Bello, S.

2016-01-01

This is a survey study, designed to determine gender differences and socio-economic status, self-concept on students' academic performance in Colleges of Education, Borno State: Implications for counselling. The study set two research objectives, answered two research questions and tested two research hypotheses. The target population of this…

Conceptions of Tornado Wind Speed and Land Surface Interactions among Undergraduate Students in Nebraska

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Van Den Broeke, Matthew S.; Arthurs, Leilani

2015-01-01

To ascertain novice conceptions of tornado wind speed and the influence of surface characteristics on tornado occurrence, 613 undergraduate students enrolled in introductory science courses at a large state university in Nebraska were surveyed. Our findings show that students lack understanding of the fundamental concepts that (1) tornadoes are…

The Nurses Self-Concept Instrument (NSCI): assessment of psychometric properties for Australian domestic and international student nurses.

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Angel, Elizabeth; Craven, Rhonda; Denson, Nida

2012-07-01

Professional self-concept is a critical driver of job satisfaction. In Australia, as international nursing enrolments rise, nursing is increasingly characterised by a professional body of international nurses who may differ from domestic Australian nurses in their nursing self-concept. At present, no psychometrically sound instrument for assessing nursing self-concept for Australian domestic and international nursing students is available. The purpose of this study was to: (1) develop an instrument (the Nurses' Self-Concept Instrument (NSCI)) to measure the professional self-concept of domestic and international nursing students in Australia, and (2) test the psychometric properties of this newly developed instrument. A literature review was conducted to generate the initial dimension and item pools to measure nurses' professional self-concept (NSCI). Two stakeholders examined the content and face validity of dimensions and items. Analysis was performed on data collected from 253 undergraduate nursing students in a large public university in Sydney, Australia, and consisted of domestic (n=218) and international (n=35) nursing students. Internal reliability was assessed using Cronbach's Alpha. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess the construct validity of the NSCI. The resulting NSCI consisted of 14 items across four self-concept domains: care, leadership, staff relations, and knowledge. The CFA supported the hypothesised factor structure of the self-concept model. All reliabilities were acceptable for both domestic and international students (ranging from r=.78 to .93). The NSCI was shown to be a valid and reliable tool for assessing Australian domestic and international student nurses' professional self-concept. This instrument may also enable those responsible for recruitment of students into nursing courses to assess students' professional self-concept and implement appropriate strategies to foster the growth of lifelong career development

Ability grouping of gifted students: effects on academic self-concept and boredom.

Science.gov (United States)

Preckel, Franzis; Götz, Thomas; Frenzel, Anne

2010-09-01

Securing appropriate challenge or preventing boredom is one of the reasons frequently used to justify ability grouping of gifted students, which has been shown to have beneficial effects for achievement. On the other hand, critics stress psychosocial costs, such as detrimental effects on academic self-concept (contrast or big-fish-little-pond effect). The effects of full-time ability grouping in special classrooms for the gifted on students' academic self-concept and their experience of boredom in mathematics classes were investigated. The sample comprised 186 ninth-grade students (106 male) from eight classes at one Austrian high school. Four of these classes were part of a gifted track beginning from school year 9 on (N=93). Students were assessed repeatedly within the first half of the school year, three times via self-report questionnaires and once by applying a standardized IQ-test. Students in gifted classes reported a decrease in maths academic self-concept which was most pronounced early in the academic year. Interventions to counterbalance the negative effect of exposure to a high-ability reference group should therefore be implemented when ability grouping begins. No evidence for the boredom hypothesis was found (higher levels of boredom among gifted students in regular classes). However, students clearly differed in the reasons they stated for experiencing boredom. Boredom attributions changed over time and supported the assumption that gifted classes provide more appropriate levels of challenge.

The Africa Yoga Project and Well-Being: A Concept Map of Students' Perceptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Giambrone, Carla A; Cook-Cottone, Catherine P; Klein, Jessalyn E

2018-03-01

Concept mapping methodology was used to explore the perceived impact of practicing yoga with the Africa Yoga Project (AYP)-an organisation created to increase health and well-being by providing community-based yoga classes throughout Kenya. AYP's mission fit with theoretical models of well-being is discussed. Anecdotal evidence and initial qualitative research suggested the AYP meaningfully impacted adult students. Of the hundreds of AYP's adult students, 56 and 82 students participated in Phases I and II, respectively. Phase I brainstorming resulted in 94 student-generated statements about their perceived change. Phase II participants sorted and rated statements in terms of importance. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis of sort data was utilised to map and group statements into clusters. Based on statistical and interpretive criteria, a five-cluster solution with the following concepts was identified as the best model of students' change: Personal Growth; Interpersonal Effectiveness (lowest importance); Physical and Social Benefits; Emotional Resiliency; and Improved Self-Concept (highest importance). Overall, students reported positive perceptions of the AYP. Additional research is needed to quantify students' change, and to compare the AYP outcomes to those of other programs aimed at poverty-related stress reduction and well-being. © 2018 The International Association of Applied Psychology.

A Concept-Mapping Strategy for Assessing Conceptual Change in a Student-Directed, Research-Based Geoscience Course

Science.gov (United States)

Rebich, S.

2003-12-01

The concept mapping technique has been proposed as a method for examining the evolving nature of students' conceptualizations of scientific concepts, and promises insight into a dimension of learning different from the one accessible through more conventional classroom testing techniques. The theory behind concept mapping is based on an assumption that knowledge acquisition is accomplished through "linking" of new information to an existing knowledge framework, and that meaningful (as opposed to arbitrary or verbatim) links allow for deeper understanding and conceptual change. Reflecting this theory, concept maps are constructed as a network of related concepts connected by labeled links that illustrate the relationship between the concepts. Two concepts connected by one such link make up a "proposition", the basic element of the concept map structure. In this paper, we examine the results of a pre- and post-test assessment program for an upper-division undergraduate geography course entitled "Mock Environmental Summit," which was part of a research project on assessment. Concept mapping was identified as a potentially powerful assessment tool for this course, as more conventional tools such as multiple-choice tests did not seem to provide a reliable indication of the learning students were experiencing as a result of the student-directed research, presentations, and discussions that make up a substantial portion of the course. The assessment program began at the beginning of the course with a one-hour training session during which students were introduced to the theory behind concept mapping, provided with instructions and guidance for constructing a concept map using the CMap software developed and maintained by the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition at the University of West Florida, and asked to collaboratively construct a concept map on a topic not related to the one to be assessed. This training session was followed by a 45-minute "pre-test" on the

Advanced Level Physics Students' Conceptions of Quantum Physics.

Science.gov (United States)

Mashhadi, Azam

This study addresses questions about particle physics that focus on the nature of electrons. Speculations as to whether they are more like particles or waves or like neither illustrate the difficulties with which students are confronted when trying to incorporate the concepts of quantum physics into their overall conceptual framework. Such…

Effect of Modeling Instruction on Concept Knowledge Among Ninth Grade Physics Students

Science.gov (United States)

Ditmore, Devin Alan

A basic knowledge of physics concepts is the gateway to success through high-paying careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Many students show little understanding of concepts following traditional physics instruction. As an alternative to current lecture-based approaches for high school physics instruction, Piaget's theory of cognitive development supports using real scientific experiences to lead learners from concrete to formal understanding of complex concepts. Modeling instruction (MI) is a pedagogy that guides learners through genuine scientific experiences. This project study analyzed the effects of MI on 9th grade physics students' gains on the test measuring mastery of physics concepts, Force Concept Inventory (FCI). A quasi-experimental design was used to compare the FCI scores of a traditional lecture-taught control group to a treatment group taught using MI. A t test t(-.201) = 180.26, p = .841 comparing the groups and an analysis of variance F(2,181) = 5.20 comparing female to male students indicated MI had no significant positive effect on students. A partial eta squared of the effect size showed that 5.4% of the variance in FCI gains was accounted for by gender, favoring female participants for both groups. The significant relationship between content and gender bears further inquiry. A lesson plan guide was designed to help teachers use computer simulation technology within the MI curriculum. The project promotes positive social change by exploring further ways to help adolescents experience success in physics at the beginning of high school, leading to future success in all STEM areas.

Academic self-concept, learning motivation, and test anxiety of the underestimated student.

Science.gov (United States)

Urhahne, Detlef; Chao, Sheng-Han; Florineth, Maria Luise; Luttenberger, Silke; Paechter, Manuela

2011-03-01

BACKGROUND. Teachers' judgments of student performance on a standardized achievement test often result in an overestimation of students' abilities. In the majority of cases, a larger group of overestimated students and a smaller group of underestimated students are formed by these judgments. AIMS. In this research study, the consequences of the underestimation of students' mathematical performance potential were examined. SAMPLE. Two hundred and thirty-five fourth grade students and their fourteen mathematics teachers took part in the investigation. METHOD. Students worked on a standardized mathematics achievement test and completed a self-description questionnaire about motivation and affect. Teachers estimated each individual student's potential with regard to mathematics test performance as well as students' expectancy for success, level of aspiration, academic self-concept, learning motivation, and test anxiety. The differences between teachers' judgments on students' test performance and students' actual performance were used to build groups of underestimated and overestimated students. RESULTS. Underestimated students displayed equal levels of test performance, learning motivation, and level of aspiration in comparison with overestimated students, but had lower expectancy for success, lower academic self-concept, and experienced more test anxiety. Teachers expected that underestimated students would receive lower grades on the next mathematics test, believed that students were satisfied with lower grades, and assumed that the students have weaker learning motivation than their overestimated classmates. CONCLUSION. Teachers' judgment error was not confined to test performance but generalized to motivational and affective traits of the students. © 2010 The British Psychological Society.

Structured feedback on students' concept maps: the proverbial path to learning?

Science.gov (United States)

Joseph, Conran; Conradsson, David; Nilsson Wikmar, Lena; Rowe, Michael

2017-05-25

Good conceptual knowledge is an essential requirement for health professions students, in that they are required to apply concepts learned in the classroom to a variety of different contexts. However, the use of traditional methods of assessment limits the educator's ability to correct students' conceptual knowledge prior to altering the educational context. Concept mapping (CM) is an educational tool for evaluating conceptual knowledge, but little is known about its use in facilitating the development of richer knowledge frameworks. In addition, structured feedback has the potential to develop good conceptual knowledge. The purpose of this study was to use Kinchin's criteria to assess the impact of structured feedback on the graphical complexity of CM's by observing the development of richer knowledge frameworks. Fifty-eight physiotherapy students created CM's targeting the integration of two knowledge domains within a case-based teaching paradigm. Each student received one round of structured feedback that addressed correction, reinforcement, forensic diagnosis, benchmarking, and longitudinal development on their CM's prior to the final submission. The concept maps were categorized according to Kinchin's criteria as either Spoke, Chain or Net representations, and then evaluated against defined traits of meaningful learning. The inter-rater reliability of categorizing CM's was good. Pre-feedback CM's were predominantly Chain structures (57%), with Net structures appearing least often. There was a significant reduction of the basic Spoke- structured CMs (P = 0.002) and a significant increase of Net-structured maps (P student development.

Changing Ideas about the Periodic Table of Elements and Students' Alternative Concepts of Isotopes and Allotropes.

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Schmidt, Hans-Jurgen; Baumgartner, Tim; Eybe, Holger

2003-01-01

Investigates secondary school students' concepts of isotopes and allotropes and how the concepts are linked to the Periodic Table of Elements (PTE). Questions senior high school students with multiple choice items and interviews. Shows that students actively tried to make sense of what they had experienced. (KHR)

Diverse orientations in craft education: Student teachers’ conceptions and perceptions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tarja Kröger

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Craft education in Finland has been in a state of change. The concept of a holistic craft process was implemented in the National Core Curriculum in 2004 and the new Curriculum from 2014 strengthened it. Craft and holistic craft is not one unity but includes several orientations. This study aims to research student teachers’ conceptions and perceptions about diverse orientations and the necessity of craft education before they begin their studies in craft pedagogy. Given that the beliefs that student teachers bring to professional learning play a pivotal role in influencing what they can learn from teacher education, they are a subject worthy of investigation. The data consists of on‐line questionnaire answers by student teachers (N=113 at the University of Finland in teacher education in 2014. The on-line questionnaire was answered at the beginning of a basic course in textile craft education at an early stage of their teacher studies. Findings suggest that student teachers conceive of craft education primarily as model-oriented and skill-oriented rather than design-oriented and expression-oriented. Student teachers think that craft education is needed at school, but explanations are not very diverse. The findings of this study can be useful in the process of developing teacher education programmes.

What Is a Hero? An Exploratory Study of Students' Conceptions of Heroes.

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White, Steven H.; O'Brien, Joseph E.

1999-01-01

Examines responses of K-12 students about their conception of heroes. Shows that all students employ an operational definition of hero, and tend to name someone whom they personally know. Identifies an increasing concentration on sustained behavior over a period of time for choosing a hero as students become older. (DSK)

Reading literacy and reading self-concept of year 6 primary school students

OpenAIRE

Cegnar, Katja

2017-01-01

In the present Master thesis, we research the relation between the reading literacy and its components and the reading self-concept in grade 6 elementary school students. Sixth grade students were chosen because they are partially taught by class teachers and because we assume that they are already familiar with the reading comprehension technique and have a more-or-less stable reading self-concept. In the theoretical part, we present the importance of functional literacy and of other types o...

Examining student conceptions of the nature of science from two project-based classrooms

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Moss, David M.

The purpose of this research was to develop descriptive accounts of precollege students' conceptions of the nature of science from two project-based classrooms, and track those conceptions over the course of an academic year. A model of the nature of science was developed and served as the criterion by which students' beliefs were evaluated. The model distinguishes between two major categories of science, the nature of the scientific enterprise and the nature of scientific knowledge. Five students were selected from each class and interviewed individually for 30-45 minutes each, six times over the year. Data from semi-structured, formal interviewing consisted of audio-recorded interviews which were transcribed verbatim. All passages were coded using codes which corresponded to the premises of the model of the nature of science. Passages in the transcripts were interpreted to develop a summary of the students' conceptions over the year. Qualitative methodologies, especially formal interviewing in conjunction with participant observation, were effective for uncovering students' conceptions of the nature of science, adding to the knowledge base in this field. The research design of the current study was a significant factor in explaining the inconsistencies seen between findings from this study and the literature. This study finds that participants at both classroom sites held fully formed conceptions of the nature of science for approximately 40 percent of the premises across the model. For two-thirds of the elements which comprise the premises, participants held full understandings. Participants held more complete understandings of the nature of scientific knowledge than the nature of the scientific enterprise. Most participants had difficulty distinguishing between science and non-science and held poor understandings of the role of questions in science. Students' beliefs generally remained unchanged over the year. When their conceptions did evolve, project

Self-Concept as a Correlate of Career Choice of Students in Tertiary ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

concept and career choice of students in Post-Secondary Institutions in Sokoto State. The sample consisted of 300 students (140 males and 160 females) deliberately selected from the population of three tertiary institutions in Sokoto State.

EFFECTIVENESS OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING IN IMPROVING MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTS AMONG STUDENTS WITH MILD INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY

OpenAIRE

Ibrahim Rajab Abbas Ibrahim

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify the effectiveness of cooperative learning in improving mathematical concepts among students with mild intellectual disability (SMID). The sample of the study consisted of 8 SMID at Najran in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The sample of the study was divided randomly into two equal groups control and experimental. The students in the experimental group have studied the mathematical concepts by using cooperative learning; however the students in the contr...

The influence of teachers' conceptions on their students' learning: children's understanding of sheet music.

Science.gov (United States)

López-Íñiguez, Guadalupe; Pozo, Juan Ignacio

2014-06-01

Despite increasing interest in teachers' and students' conceptions of learning and teaching, and how they influence their practice, there are few studies testing the influence of teachers' conceptions on their students' learning. This study tests how teaching conception (TC; with a distinction between direct and constructive) influences students' representations regarding sheet music. Sixty students (8-12 years old) from music conservatories: 30 of them took lessons with teachers with a constructive TC and another 30 with teachers shown to have a direct TC. Children were given a musical comprehension task in which they were asked to select and rank the contents they needed to learn. These contents had different levels of processing and complexity: symbolic, analytical, and referential. Three factorial ANOVAs, two-one-way ANOVAs, and four 2 × 3 repeated-measures ANOVAs were used to analyse the effects of and the interaction between the independent variables TC and class, both for/on total cards selected, their ranking, and each sub-category (the three processing levels). ANOVAs on the selection and ranking of these contents showed that teachers' conceptions seem to mediate significantly in the way the students understand the music. Students from constructive teachers have more complex and deep understanding of music. They select more elements for learning scores than those from traditional teachers. Teaching conception also influences the way in which children rank those elements. No difference exists between the way 8- and 12-year-olds learn scores. Children's understanding of the scores is more complex than assumed in other studies. © 2013 The British Psychological Society.

Clinical concept mapping: Does it improve discipline-based critical thinking of nursing students?

Science.gov (United States)

Moattari, Marzieh; Soleimani, Sara; Moghaddam, Neda Jamali; Mehbodi, Farkhondeh

2014-01-01

Enhancing nursing students' critical thinking is a challenge faced by nurse educators. This study aimed at determining the effect of clinical concept mapping on discipline-based critical thinking of nursing students. In this quasi-experimental post-test only design, a convenient sample of 4(th) year nursing students (N = 32) participated. They were randomly divided into two groups. The experimental group participated in a 1-day workshop on clinical concept mapping. They were also assigned to use at least two clinical concepts mapping during their clinical practice. Post-test was done using a specially designed package consisting of vignettes for measurement of 17 dimensions of critical thinking in nursing under two categories of cognitive critical thinking skills and habits of mind. They were required to write about how they would use a designated critical thinking skills or habits of mind to accomplish the nursing actions. The students' responses were evaluated based on identification of critical thinking, justification, and quality of the student's response. The mean score of both groups was compared by Mann-Whitney test using SPSS version 16.5. The results of the study revealed a significant difference between the two groups' critical thinking regarding identification, justification, and quality of responses, and overall critical thinking scores, cognitive thinking skills, and habits of mind. The two groups also differed significantly from each other in 11 out of 17 dimensions of critical thinking. Clinical concept mapping is a valuable strategy for improvement of critical thinking of nursing students. However, further studies are recommended to generalize this result to nursing students in their earlier stage of education.

Engineering Students' Conceptions of Entrepreneurial Learning as Part of Their Education

Science.gov (United States)

Täks, Marge; Tynjälä, Päivi; Kukemelk, Hasso

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine what kinds of conceptions of entrepreneurial learning engineering students expressed in an entrepreneurship course integrated in their study programme. The data were collected during an entrepreneurship course in Estonia that was organised for fourth-year engineering students, using video-recorded group…

The Interplay of Students' School Engagement, School Self-Concept and Motivational Relations during Adolescence.

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Bakadorova, Olga; Raufelder, Diana

2017-01-01

Existing literature evidences the association between adolescents' school self-concept and engagement, both concepts being related to students' perception of teachers and peers as motivators. However, few longitudinal studies explore the interplay of these factors. The present study aims to close this gap, applying latent cross-lagged panel design to two-wave data from German adolescent students [1088 8th grade students at T1 ( M age = 13.7, SD = 0.53; 53.9% girls) and 845 9th grade students at T2 ( M age = 14.86; SD = 0.57; 55% girls) from the initial sample]. Besides direct effects, three cross-lagged over-time paths were found to be significant: students' perception of peers as positive motivators (PPMs) at the beginning of 8th grade (T1) positively predicts their behavioral school engagement at the end of 9th grade (T2), as well as emotional school engagement at the beginning of 8th grade positively predicts students' perception of PPMs 1.5 years later. Furthermore, behavioral school engagement at T1 functions as a predictor of a student's school self-concept at T2.

Who Perceives They Are Smarter? Exploring the Influence of Student Characteristics on Student Academic Self-Concept in Physiology

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Katelyn M.; Krieg, Anna; Brownell, Sara E.

2018-01-01

Academic self-concept is one's perception of his or her ability in an academic domain and is formed by comparing oneself to other students. As college biology classrooms transition from lecturing to active learning, students interact more with each other and are likely comparing themselves more to other students in the class. Student…

Student understanding development in chemistry concepts through constructivist-informed laboratory and science camp process in secondary school

Science.gov (United States)

Pathommapas, Nookorn

2018-01-01

Science Camp for Chemistry Concepts was the project which designed to provide local students with opportunities to apply chemistry concepts and thereby developing their 21st century skills. The three study purposes were 1) to construct and develop chemistry stations for encouraging students' understandings in chemistry concepts based on constructivist-informed laboratory, 2) to compare students' understandings in chemistry concepts before and after using chemistry learning stations, and 3) to study students' satisfactions of using their 21st century skills in science camp activities. The research samples were 67 students who attended the 1-day science camp. They were levels 10 to 11 students in SumsaoPittayakarn School, UdonThani Province, Thailand. Four constructivist-informed laboratory stations of chemistry concepts were designed for each group. Each station consisted of a chemistry scenario, a question, answers in tier 1 and supporting reasons in tier 2, and 4 sets of experimental instruments. Four to five-member subgroups of four student groups parallel participated in laboratory station for an hour in each station. Student activities in each station concluded of individual pretest, group prediction, experimental design, testing out and collection data, interpreting the results, group conclusion, and individual post-test. Data collection was done by station mentors using two-tier multiple choice questions, students' written work and interviews. Data triangulation was used for interpreting and confirming students' understandings of chemistry concepts which divided into five levels, Sound Understanding (SU), Partial Understanding (PU), Specific Misconception (SM), No Understanding (NU) and No Response (NR), before and after collaborating at each station. The study results found the following: 1) four constructivist-laboratory stations were successfully designed and used to investigate student' understandings in chemistry concepts via collaborative workshop of

The molecular biology capstone assessment: a concept assessment for upper-division molecular biology students.

Science.gov (United States)

Couch, Brian A; Wood, William B; Knight, Jennifer K

2015-03-02

Measuring students' conceptual understandings has become increasingly important to biology faculty members involved in evaluating and improving departmental programs. We developed the Molecular Biology Capstone Assessment (MBCA) to gauge comprehension of fundamental concepts in molecular and cell biology and the ability to apply these concepts in novel scenarios. Targeted at graduating students, the MBCA consists of 18 multiple-true/false (T/F) questions. Each question consists of a narrative stem followed by four T/F statements, which allows a more detailed assessment of student understanding than the traditional multiple-choice format. Questions were iteratively developed with extensive faculty and student feedback, including validation through faculty reviews and response validation through student interviews. The final assessment was taken online by 504 students in upper-division courses at seven institutions. Data from this administration indicate that the MBCA has acceptable levels of internal reliability (α=0.80) and test-retest stability (r=0.93). Students achieved a wide range of scores with a 67% overall average. Performance results suggest that students have an incomplete understanding of many molecular biology concepts and continue to hold incorrect conceptions previously documented among introductory-level students. By pinpointing areas of conceptual difficulty, the MBCA can provide faculty members with guidance for improving undergraduate biology programs. © 2015 B. A. Couch et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2015 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Mapping Changes in Students' English and Math Self-Concepts: A Latent Growth Model Study

Science.gov (United States)

King, Ronnel B.; McInerney, Dennis M.

2014-01-01

The aims of this study were to examine changes in students' English and math self-concepts and to investigate the effects of gender and school ability level on these changes. Self-concept in English and math were measured thrice across three years among a sample of 2618 secondary school students from Hong Kong. Gender and school ability level were…

Effect of Conceptual Change Approach on Students' Understanding of Reaction Rate Concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Kingir, Sevgi; Geban, Omer

2012-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of conceptual change text oriented instruction compared to traditional instruction on 10th grade students' understanding of reaction rate concepts. 45 students from two classes of the same teacher in a public high school participated in this study. Students in the experimental group…

Measuring University students' understanding of the greenhouse effect - a comparison of multiple-choice, short answer and concept sketch assessment tools with respect to students' mental models

Science.gov (United States)

Gold, A. U.; Harris, S. E.

2013-12-01

The greenhouse effect comes up in most discussions about climate and is a key concept related to climate change. Existing studies have shown that students and adults alike lack a detailed understanding of this important concept or might hold misconceptions. We studied the effectiveness of different interventions on University-level students' understanding of the greenhouse effect. Introductory level science students were tested for their pre-knowledge of the greenhouse effect using validated multiple-choice questions, short answers and concept sketches. All students participated in a common lesson about the greenhouse effect and were then randomly assigned to one of two lab groups. One group explored an existing simulation about the greenhouse effect (PhET-lesson) and the other group worked with absorption spectra of different greenhouse gases (Data-lesson) to deepen the understanding of the greenhouse effect. All students completed the same assessment including multiple choice, short answers and concept sketches after participation in their lab lesson. 164 students completed all the assessments, 76 completed the PhET lesson and 77 completed the data lesson. 11 students missed the contrasting lesson. In this presentation we show the comparison between the multiple-choice questions, short answer questions and the concept sketches of students. We explore how well each of these assessment types represents student's knowledge. We also identify items that are indicators of the level of understanding of the greenhouse effect as measured in correspondence of student answers to an expert mental model and expert responses. Preliminary data analysis shows that student who produce concept sketch drawings that come close to expert drawings also choose correct multiple-choice answers. However, correct multiple-choice answers are not necessarily an indicator that a student produces an expert-like correlating concept sketch items. Multiple-choice questions that require detailed

Development and Assessment of a Diagnostic Tool to Identify Organic Chemistry Students' Alternative Conceptions Related to Acid Strength

Science.gov (United States)

McClary, LaKeisha M.; Bretz, Stacey Lowery

2012-01-01

The central goal of this study was to create a new diagnostic tool to identify organic chemistry students' alternative conceptions related to acid strength. Twenty years of research on secondary and college students' conceptions about acids and bases has shown that these important concepts are difficult for students to apply to qualitative problem…

Students' perceptions regarding the objective, structured, clinical ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2013-04-18

Apr 18, 2013 ... of objective structured clinical evaluation (OSCE) for that purpose is ... This questionnaire focused on the perceptions of student nurses with ... to be assessed, the School of Nursing and Public Health at ... a scale ranging between 1 and 5 was used, with the ratings ..... should compile an OSCE guideline.

Dynamic Learning Objects to Teach Java Programming Language

Science.gov (United States)

Narasimhamurthy, Uma; Al Shawkani, Khuloud

2010-01-01

This article describes a model for teaching Java Programming Language through Dynamic Learning Objects. The design of the learning objects was based on effective learning design principles to help students learn the complex topic of Java Programming. Visualization was also used to facilitate the learning of the concepts. (Contains 1 figure and 2…

Teachers' and Students' Conceptions of Good Science Teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Yung, Benny Hin Wai; Zhu, Yan; Wong, Siu Ling; Cheng, Man Wai; Lo, Fei Yin

2013-01-01

Capitalizing on the comments made by teachers on videos of exemplary science teaching, a video-based survey instrument on the topic of "Density" was developed and used to investigate the conceptions of good science teaching held by 110 teachers and 4,024 year 7 students in Hong Kong. Six dimensions of good science teaching are identified…

Harnessing Technology to Improve Formative Assessment of Student Conceptions in STEM: Forging a National Network

Science.gov (United States)

Haudek, Kevin C.; Kaplan, Jennifer J.; Knight, Jennifer; Long, Tammy; Merrill, John; Munn, Alan; Nehm, Ross; Smith, Michelle; Urban-Lurain, Mark

2011-01-01

Concept inventories, consisting of multiple-choice questions designed around common student misconceptions, are designed to reveal student thinking. However, students often have complex, heterogeneous ideas about scientific concepts. Constructed-response assessments, in which students must create their own answer, may better reveal students’ thinking, but are time- and resource-intensive to evaluate. This report describes the initial meeting of a National Science Foundation–funded cross-institutional collaboration of interdisciplinary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education researchers interested in exploring the use of automated text analysis to evaluate constructed-response assessments. Participants at the meeting shared existing work on lexical analysis and concept inventories, participated in technology demonstrations and workshops, and discussed research goals. We are seeking interested collaborators to join our research community. PMID:21633063

The Context-Specific Conceptions of Learning in Case-Based Accounting Assignments, Students' Characteristics and Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Moilanen, Sinikka

2017-01-01

The present study contributes to accounting education literature by describing context-specific conceptions of learning related to case assignments, and by exploring the associations between the conceptions of learning, students' characteristics and performance. The data analysed consist of 1320 learning diaries of 336 students, connected with…

Exploring Students' Conceptions of Science Learning via Drawing: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, Wen-Min; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2017-01-01

This cross-sectional study explored students' conceptions of science learning via drawing analysis. A total of 906 Taiwanese students in 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th grade were asked to use drawing to illustrate how they conceptualise science learning. Students' drawings were analysed using a coding checklist to determine the presence or absence…

Facilitating students' application of the integral and the area under the curve concepts in physics problems

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Dong-Hai

This research project investigates the difficulties students encounter when solving physics problems involving the integral and the area under the curve concepts and the strategies to facilitate students learning to solve those types of problems. The research contexts of this project are calculus-based physics courses covering mechanics and electromagnetism. In phase I of the project, individual teaching/learning interviews were conducted with 20 students in mechanics and 15 students from the same cohort in electromagnetism. The students were asked to solve problems on several topics of mechanics and electromagnetism. These problems involved calculating physical quantities (e.g. velocity, acceleration, work, electric field, electric resistance, electric current) by integrating or finding the area under the curve of functions of related quantities (e.g. position, velocity, force, charge density, resistivity, current density). Verbal hints were provided when students made an error or were unable to proceed. A total number of 140 one-hour interviews were conducted in this phase, which provided insights into students' difficulties when solving the problems involving the integral and the area under the curve concepts and the hints to help students overcome those difficulties. In phase II of the project, tutorials were created to facilitate students' learning to solve physics problems involving the integral and the area under the curve concepts. Each tutorial consisted of a set of exercises and a protocol that incorporated the helpful hints to target the difficulties that students expressed in phase I of the project. Focus group learning interviews were conducted to test the effectiveness of the tutorials in comparison with standard learning materials (i.e. textbook problems and solutions). Overall results indicated that students learning with our tutorials outperformed students learning with standard materials in applying the integral and the area under the curve

Investigating High School Students' Understanding of Chemical Equilibrium Concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Karpudewan, Mageswary; Treagust, David F.; Mocerino, Mauro; Won, Mihye; Chandrasegaran, A. L.

2015-01-01

This study investigated the year 12 students' (N = 56) understanding of chemical equilibrium concepts after instruction using two conceptual tests, the "Chemical Equilibrium Conceptual Test 1" ("CECT-1") consisting of nine two-tier multiple-choice items and the "Chemical Equilibrium Conceptual Test 2"…

Conceptions of a Good College Student, Parent-Student Communication About College, First-Year Grades, and College Retention Among First- and Non-First-Generation College Students

OpenAIRE

Palbusa, Julienne Marie Alipio

2016-01-01

This study examined conceptions of a good college student, parent-student communication about college, academic achievement, college student retention, and college generation status among first-year college students. 344 undergraduates described the characteristics and skills of a good college student. In addition, they reported the frequency, perceived helpfulness, and quality (instrumental and emotional support) of parent-student communication about college. Student GPA and second year rete...

Identification and analysis of student conceptions used to solve chemical equilibrium problems

Science.gov (United States)

Voska, Kirk William

This study identified and quantified chemistry conceptions students use when solving chemical equilibrium problems requiring the application of Le Chatelier's principle, and explored the feasibility of designing a paper and pencil test for this purpose. It also demonstrated the utility of conditional probabilities to assess test quality. A 10-item pencil-and-paper, two-tier diagnostic instrument, the Test to Identify Student Conceptualizations (TISC) was developed and administered to 95 second-semester university general chemistry students after they received regular course instruction concerning equilibrium in homogeneous aqueous, heterogeneous aqueous, and homogeneous gaseous systems. The content validity of TISC was established through a review of TISC by a panel of experts; construct validity was established through semi-structured interviews and conditional probabilities. Nine students were then selected from a stratified random sample for interviews to validate TISC. The probability that TISC correctly identified an answer given by a student in an interview was p = .64, while the probability that TISC correctly identified a reason given by a student in an interview was p=.49. Each TISC item contained two parts. In the first part the student selected the correct answer to a problem from a set of four choices. In the second part students wrote reasons for their answer to the first part. TISC questions were designed to identify students' conceptions concerning the application of Le Chatelier's principle, the constancy of the equilibrium constant, K, and the effect of a catalyst. Eleven prevalent incorrect conceptions were identified. This study found students consistently selected correct answers more frequently (53% of the time) than they provided correct reasons (33% of the time). The association between student answers and respective reasons on each TISC item was quantified using conditional probabilities calculated from logistic regression coefficients. The

Integrating concepts and skills: Slope and kinematics graphs

Science.gov (United States)

Tonelli, Edward P., Jr.

The concept of force is a foundational idea in physics. To predict the results of applying forces to objects, a student must be able to interpret data representing changes in distance, time, speed, and acceleration. Comprehension of kinematics concepts requires students to interpret motion graphs, where rates of change are represented as slopes of line segments. Studies have shown that majorities of students who show proficiency with mathematical concepts fail accurately to interpret motion graphs. The primary aim of this study was to examine how students apply their knowledge of slope when interpreting kinematics graphs. To answer the research questions a mixed methods research design, which included a survey and interviews, was adopted. Ninety eight (N=98) high school students completed surveys which were quantitatively analyzed along with qualitative information collected from interviews of students (N=15) and teachers ( N=2). The study showed that students who recalled methods for calculating slopes and speeds calculated slopes accurately, but calculated speeds inaccurately. When comparing the slopes and speeds, most students resorted to calculating instead of visual inspection. Most students recalled and applied memorized rules. Students who calculated slopes and speeds inaccurately failed to recall methods of calculating slopes and speeds, but when comparing speeds, these students connected the concepts of distance and time to the line segments and the rates of change they represented. This study's findings will likely help mathematics and science educators to better assist their students to apply their knowledge of the definition of slope and skills in kinematics concepts.

Focusing the Meaning(s of Resilience: Resilience as a Descriptive Concept and a Boundary Object

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Fridolin Simon. Brand

2007-06-01

Full Text Available This article reviews the variety of definitions proposed for "resilience" within sustainability science and suggests a typology according to the specific degree of normativity. There is a tension between the original descriptive concept of resilience first defined in ecological science and a more recent, vague, and malleable notion of resilience used as an approach or boundary object by different scientific disciplines. Even though increased conceptual vagueness can be valuable to foster communication across disciplines and between science and practice, both conceptual clarity and practical relevance of the concept of resilience are critically in danger. The fundamental question is what conceptual structure we want resilience to have. This article argues that a clearly specified, descriptive concept of resilience is critical in providing a counterbalance to the use of resilience as a vague boundary object. A clear descriptive concept provides the basis for operationalization and application of resilience within ecological science.

Analysis of 8th Grade Students' Viewpoints to the Concept of Democratic Citizen through Metaphors

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Gizem Karabulut

2017-09-01

Full Text Available In this study, it is aimed to determine the view of the 8th grade students on the concept of democratic citizens through the metaphors. In the research towards the general objective, one of the qualitative research designs phenomenology was used. The participants of the survey are 160, 8th grade students in the Körfez district of Kocaeli province in the academic year of 2016-2017. Of the 8th grade students who participated in the survey, 85 are boys and 75 are girls. Data have been reached with semi-structured forms. The metaphors and explanations written by the students were used as the basic data source in this research. Data were analyzed through content analysis. The findings from the research show that 8th grade students perceive democratic citizenship in eight categories: freedom, justice, unity and solidarity, participation, equality, patriotism, diligence and responsibility. When the opinions of the students are analyzed, it is seen that the metaphors they produce concentrate on the categories of freedom and justice. In this context, with 13 students the most widely used metaphor is “fair citizen”. Besides the students produced metaphors mostly in the category of freedom. With “tree“ and “free bird” metaphors they emphasized dimension of freedom of democratic citizenship. Students have also mentioned the distinctive characteristics of democracy, such as decision-making, election, voting, and having a saying in the country's administration when they are explaining what they do with democratic citizen.

The Effect of Concept Mapping on the Learning Levels of Students in Taking the Course of "Nursing Care of Patients With Glandular Diseases Subject" in Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Iran

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Aghakhani

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Background Studies show that traditional teaching methods, such as lecturing, do not lead to in-depth learning. Concept maps have been used for a long time by researchers and teachers to facilitate learning. Objectives The present study aimed to investigate the effect of concept mapping on the learning levels of students in nursing care of patients with glandular diseases subject in Urmia University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods In a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test/post-test design, 28 nursing students were selected and divided into two groups: the experimental and the control groups. After administration of pre-test, the students in the experimental group participated in classes on designing concept maps. Next, lessons on glands and nursing were presented to the students in the experimental and control groups through concept maps and lectures, respectively. At the end of the semester, the learning levels of the students in both groups were evaluated by the post-test. Results The means of the scores of the students as determined by results of the pre-test revealed insignificant statistical difference between the two groups. However, the learning level of the students in the experimental group was significantly higher (P < 0.05. As a metacognitive intervention, concept mapping can contribute to in-depth learning of nursing students. Conclusions According to the findings, it is recommended that concept mapping should be used for teaching and evaluation. Further studies are needed to compare the effect of concept mapping with those of other metacognition approaches on different types of learners.

Comparison of Self-Concept of Nonobese and Obese University Junior Female Nursing Students.

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Stein, Rita F.

1987-01-01

Compared self-concept of obese (N=28) and nonobese (N=58) female students in a junior nursing class. Found that obese students and students who considered themselves to be obese had lower self-esteem than did nonobese students. Revealed no relationships with regard to age of onset of obesity, and no significant relationships between social class…

The prior conceptions about force and motion held by grade 8 students in educational opportunity expansion schools of Thailand

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Buaraphan, Khajornsak

2018-01-01

According to the constructivist theory, students' prior conceptions play an important role in their process of knowledge construction and teachers must take those prior conceptions into account when designing learning activities. The interpretive study was conducted to explore grade 8 students' conceptions about force and motion. The research participants were 42 students (21 male, 21 female) from seven Educational Opportunity Expansion Schools in Nakhon Pathom province located at the central region of Thailand. In each school, two low, two medium and two high achievers were selected. The Interview-About-Instance (IAI) technique was used to collect data. All interviews were audio recorded and subsequently transcribed verbatim. The students' conceptions were interpreted into scientific conception (SC), partial scientific conception (PC) and alternative conception (AC). The frequency of each category was counted and calculated for percentage. The results revealed that the students held a variety of prior conceptions about force and motion ranged from SC, PC to AC. Each students, including the high achievers, held mixed conceptions of force and motion. Interesting, the two dominant ACs held by the students were: a) force-implies-motion or motion-implies-force, and b) force coming only from an active agent. The science teachers need to take these ACs into account when designing the learning activities to cope with them. The implications regarding teaching and learning about force and motion are also discussed.

Motivating Students' Learning Using Word Association Test and Concept Maps

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Z. Kostova

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the effect of a free word association test, content analysis and concept mapping on students’ achievements in human biology. The free word association test was used for revealing the scientific conceptual structures of 8th grade and 12th grade students, around a stimulus word – human being – and for motivating them to study human biology. The stimulus word retrieved a cluster of associations most of which were based on science education and experience. Associations with the stimulus word were analyzed and classified according to predetermined criteria and structured by means of a concept map. The stimulus word ‘human being’ was quantitatively assessed in order to find out the balance between the associations with its different aspects. On the basis of the results some connections between biology and other sciences studying the human being, were worked out. Each new topic in human biology was studied by using content analysis of the textbook and concept mapping as study tools and thus maintaining students’ motivation. Achievements of students were assessed by means of tests, observation and concept maps evaluation. The obtained data was also valuable in clarifying the complex nature of the human being, and confirming the statement that biology cannot answer all questions, concerning human nature. Inferences were made about the word association test combined with content analysis and concept map construction as an educational strategy.

Implementation of the Multidimensional Modeling Concepts into Object-Relational Databases

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2007-01-01

Full Text Available A key to survival in the business world is being able to analyze, plan and react to changing business conditions as fast as possible. With multidimensional models the managers can explore information at different levels of granularity and the decision makers at all levels can quickly respond to changes in the business climate-the ultimate goal of business intelligence. This paper focuses on the implementation of the multidimensional concepts into object-relational databases.

Prospective Mathematics Teachers' Ability to Identify Mistakes Related to Angle Concept of Sixth Grade Students

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Arslan, Cigdem; Erbay, Hatice Nur; Guner, Pinar

2017-01-01

In the present study we try to highlight prospective mathematics teachers' ability to identify mistakes of sixth grade students related to angle concept. And also we examined prospective mathematics teachers' knowledge of angle concept. Study was carried out with 30 sixth-grade students and 38 prospective mathematics teachers. Sixth grade students…

Digital learning objects in nursing consultation: technology assessment by undergraduate students.

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Silveira, DeniseTolfo; Catalan, Vanessa Menezes; Neutzling, Agnes Ludwig; Martinato, Luísa Helena Machado

2010-01-01

This study followed the teaching-learning process about the nursing consultation, based on digital learning objects developed through the active Problem Based Learning method. The goals were to evaluate the digital learning objects about nursing consultation, develop cognitive skills on the subject using problem based learning and identify the students' opinions on the use of technology. This is an exploratory and descriptive study with a quantitative approach. The sample consisted of 71 students in the sixth period of the nursing program at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. The data was collected through a questionnaire to evaluate the learning objects. The results showed positive agreement (58%) on the content, usability and didactics of the proposed computer-mediated activity regarding the nursing consultation. The application of materials to the students is considered positive.

Effects of Students' Pre- and Post-Laboratory Concept Maps on Students' Attitudes toward Chemistry Laboratory in University General Chemistry

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Kilic, Ziya; Kaya, Osman Nafiz; Dogan, Alev

2004-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of scientific discussions based on student-constructed pre- and post-laboratory concept maps on students' attitudes toward chemistry laboratory in the university general chemistry. As part of instruction, during the first four laboratory sessions, students were taught how to construct and…

The understanding of core pharmacological concepts among health care students in their final semester.

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Aronsson, Patrik; Booth, Shirley; Hägg, Staffan; Kjellgren, Karin; Zetterqvist, Ann; Tobin, Gunnar; Reis, Margareta

2015-12-29

The overall aim of the study was to explore health care students´ understanding of core concepts in pharmacology. An interview study was conducted among twelve students in their final semester of the medical program (n = 4), the nursing program (n = 4), and the specialist nursing program in primary health care (n = 4) from two Swedish universities. The participants were individually presented with two pharmacological clinically relevant written patient cases, which they were to analyze and propose a solution to. Participants were allowed to use the Swedish national drug formulary. Immediately thereafter the students were interviewed about their assessments. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. A thematic analysis was used to identify units of meaning in each interview. The units were organized into three clusters: pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and drug interactions. Subsequent procedure consisted of scoring the quality of students´ understanding of core concepts. Non-parametric statistics were employed. The study participants were in general able to define pharmacological concepts, but showed less ability to discuss the meaning of the concepts in depth and to implement these in a clinical context. The participants found it easier to grasp concepts related to pharmacodynamics than pharmacokinetics and drug interactions. These results indicate that education aiming to prepare future health care professionals for understanding of more complex pharmacological reasoning and decision-making needs to be more focused and effective.

Scientific Conceptions of Photosynthesis among Primary School Pupils and Student Teachers of Biology

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Darja Skribe Dimec

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Photosynthesis is the most important biochemical process on Earth. Most living beings depend on it directly or indirectly. Knowledge about photosynthesis enables us to understand how the world functions as an ecosystem and how photosynthesis acts as a bridge between the non-living and living worlds. It is, therefore, understandable that photosynthesis is included in national curricula around the world. The practice unfortunately shows that students at all school levels mostly learn about photosynthesis by rote. Consequently, they have difficulties understanding this vital process. Research also shows many misconceptions in relation to photosynthesis among students of different ages. Based on these, the main aim of our study was to explore the scientific conceptions about photosynthesis held by primary school pupils and student teachers of biology. Data were collected using a questionnaire containing seven biology content questions. The sample consisted of 634 participants, 427 primary school pupils (aged 11–14, and 207 student teachers of biology (aged 20–23. We found that the populations of primary school pupils and student teachers of biology differ greatly concerning scientific conceptions of photosynthesis. The student teachers showed good and complex understanding of photosynthesis, while pupils showed some misconceptions (location of chlorophyll and photosynthesis in a plant, transformation of energy in photosynthesis. Analysis of the development of scientific conceptions about photosynthesis with age showed that there is very little progress among primary school pupils and none among biology student teachers. More involvement of student teachers of biology in practical work at primary schools during their study was suggested to make student teachers aware of, and better understand pupils’ misconceptions.

Influence of Precollege Experience on Self-Concept among Community College Students in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering

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Starobin, Soko S.; Laanan, Frankie Santos

Female and minority students have historically been underrepresented in the field of science, mathematics, and engineering at colleges and universities. Although a plethora of research has focused on students enrolled in 4-year colleges or universities, limited research addresses the factors that influence gender differences in community college students in science, mathematics, and engineering. Using a target population of 1,599 aspirants in science, mathematics, and engineering majors in public community colleges, this study investigates the determinants of self-concept by examining a hypothetical structural model. The findings suggest that background characteristics, high school academic performance, and attitude toward science have unique contributions to the development of self-concept among female community college students. The results add to the literature by providing new theoretical constructs and the variables that predict students' self-concept.

Subjective and Objective Assessment of Mathematics Anxiety Levels among College Students

OpenAIRE

Baloğlu, Mustafa

2015-01-01

The study investigated the relationship between college students’ subjective and objective assessment of mathematics anxiety levels. Students rated their general and current mathematics anxiety levels, mathematical ability levels, and confidence in doing mathematics. The Revised Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale was used as an objective measure of their mathematics anxiety levels. Participants were 559 students, 406 (72.6%) women and 151 (27.0%) men. Results showed that perceived general mathe...

A comparison of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students on the inter-related dimensions of self-concept, strengths and achievement

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Jessica Whitley

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Self-concept has been found to play a key role in academic and psychosocial outcomes for students. Appreciating the factors that have a bearing upon self-concept may be of particular importance for Aboriginal students, many of whom experience poorer outcomes than non-Aboriginal Canadians. The current study explored the relationships between multidimensional self-concept, perceived strengths and academic achievement among a sample Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students. Results indicated that perceived self-concept and strengths were largely similar across groups. However, students in the two groups drew on different strengths to comprise their general self-concept. Findings are explored within the context of existing research and theory.

Conceptions of learning and approaches to studying among White and ethnic minority students in distance education.

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Richardson, John T E

2010-12-01

The attainment of White students at UK institutions of higher education tends to be higher than that of students from other ethnic groups, but the causes of this are unclear. This study compared White students and students from other ethnic groups in their conceptions of learning, their approaches to studying, and their academic attainment. A stratified sample of 1,146 White students and 1,146 students from other ethnic groups taking courses by distance learning with the UK Open University. The Mental Models section of the Inventory of Learning Styles and the Revised Approaches to Studying Inventory were administered in a postal survey. The students' questionnaire scores were contaminated by response bias, which varied across different ethnic groups. When adjusted to control for response bias, the scores on the two questionnaires shared 37.2% of their variance and made a significant contribution to predicting the students' attainment. White students were more likely to exhibit a meaning-directed learning pattern, whereas Asian and Black students were more likely to exhibit a reproduction-directed learning pattern. However, the variation in attainment across different ethnic groups remained significant when their questionnaire scores and prior qualifications were taken into account. There is a strong relationship between students' conceptions of learning and their approaches to studying, and variations in conceptions of learning in different ethnic groups give rise to variations in approaches to studying. However, factors other than prior qualifications and conceptions of learning are responsible for variation in attainment across different ethnic groups.

Grade Level Differences in High School Students' Conceptions of and Motives for Learning Science

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Wang, Ya-Ling; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2017-08-01

Students' conceptions of learning science and their relations with motive for learning may vary as the education level increases. This study aimed to compare the quantitative patterns in students' conceptions of learning science (COLS) and motives for learning science (MLS) across grade levels by adopting two survey instruments. A total of 768 high school students were surveyed in Taiwan, including 204 eighth graders, 262 tenth graders, and 302 12th graders. In the current research, memorizing, testing, and calculating and practicing were categorized as reproductive conceptions of learning science, while increase of knowledge, applying, understanding and seeing-in-a-new-way were regarded as constructivist conceptions. The results of multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) revealed that conceptions of learning science are more constructivist as education level increases. Both tenth graders and 12th graders endorsed understanding, seeing-in-a-new-way, and the constructivist COLS composite more strongly than the eighth graders did. In addition, the results of multigroup structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis indicated that the positive relations between testing and reproductive COLS were stronger as the grade level increased, while the negative relations between reproductive COLS and deep motive were tighter with the increase in grade level.

Care plans using concept maps and their effects on the critical thinking dispositions of nursing students.

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Atay, Selma; Karabacak, Ukke

2012-06-01

It is expected that nursing education improves abilities of students in solving problems, decision making and critical thinking in different circumstances. This study was performed to analyse the effects of care plans prepared using concept maps on the critical thinking dispositions of students. An experimental group and a control group were made up of a total of 80 freshman and sophomore students from the nursing department of a health school. The study used a pre-test post-test control group design. The critical thinking dispositions of the groups were measured using the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory. In addition, the care plans prepared by the experimental group students were evaluated using the criteria for evaluating care plans with concept maps. T-test was used in analysing the data. The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences in the total and sub-scale pre-test scores between the experimental group and control group students. There were also significant differences in the total and sub-scale post-test scores between the experimental group and control group students. There were significant differences between concept map care plan evaluation criteria mean scores of the experimental students. In the light of these findings, it could be argued that the concept mapping strategy improves critical thinking skills of students. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Concepts and collections: A case study using objects from the Brooklyn Museum

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wray, Tim; Eklund, Peter

2011-01-01

In this paper, we present a browsing framework for digitised cultural collections. Using a data analysis technique called Formal Concept Analysis (FCA), units of thought can be constructed from a series of objects and their tags. FCA can dynamically generate links in between objects and induce...... a serendipitous browsing experience using a relatively simple data structure. We evaluate the utility and scalability of our approach to a collection of 15,000 objects from the Brooklyn Museum's collections. We describe how we use natural language processing techniques and external lexical resources to synthesise...... key terms from museum documentation. We then combine this term extraction process with FCA to effectively demonstrate links between and within collections of objects. In doing so we present a versatile, generalizable term extraction and browsing framework suitable for digital libraries and archives...

Promotion of Nursing Student Civility in Nursing Education: A Concept Analysis.

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Woodworth, Julie A

2016-07-01

Substantive research into the development of civility within nursing education is long overdue. Behaviors learned by nursing students while in the school of nursing transfer to the work environment and culture of nursing. This paper reveals a concept analysis of civility within nursing education using Rodgers' evolutionary concept analysis method. Civility is defined to provide clarity for the current terminology of civility within nursing education. Nurse educators must set socially acceptable behavioral expectations in the learning environment, establishing positive interpersonal relationships with students, maintaining moral and academic integrity, and role model civil behaviors. Suggestions are included to help nurse educators outline acceptable behaviors in the learning environment and promote the development of civility. The development of civil behaviors in nursing students will carry into professional practice after graduation. Civility is necessary to establish meaningful interpersonal relationships, supportive communication, and optimum learning environments to ensure quality patient care with optimum outcomes. Woodworth. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Teaching assistants’ performance at identifying common introductory student difficulties in mechanics revealed by the Force Concept Inventory

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Alexandru Maries

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The Force Concept Inventory (FCI has been widely used to assess student understanding of introductory mechanics concepts by a variety of educators and physics education researchers. One reason for this extensive use is that many of the items on the FCI have strong distractor choices which correspond to students’ alternate conceptions in mechanics. Instruction is unlikely to be effective if instructors do not know the common alternate conceptions of introductory physics students and explicitly take into account students’ initial knowledge states in their instructional design. Here, we discuss research involving the FCI to evaluate one aspect of the pedagogical content knowledge of teaching assistants (TAs: knowledge of introductory student alternate conceptions in mechanics as revealed by the FCI. For each item on the FCI, the TAs were asked to identify the most common incorrect answer choice of introductory physics students. This exercise was followed by a class discussion with the TAs related to this task, including the importance of knowing student difficulties in teaching and learning. Then, we used FCI pretest and post-test data from a large population (∼900 of introductory physics students to assess the extent to which TAs were able to identify alternate conceptions of introductory students related to force and motion. In addition, we carried out think-aloud interviews with graduate students who had more than two semesters of teaching experience in recitations to examine how they reason about the task. We find that while the TAs, on average, performed better than random guessing at identifying introductory students’ difficulties with FCI content, they did not identify many common difficulties that introductory physics students have after traditional instruction. We discuss specific alternate conceptions, the extent to which TAs are able to identify them, and results from the think-aloud interviews that provided valuable information

Relational Analysis of High School Students' Cognitive Self-Regulated Learning Strategies and Conceptions of Learning Biology

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Sadi, Özlem

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relation between students' cognitive learning strategies and conceptions of learning biology. The two scales, "Cognitive Learning Strategies" and "Conceptions of Learning Biology", were revised and adapted to biology in order to measure the students' learning strategies and…

How Do Students Acquire an Understanding of Logarithmic Concepts?

Science.gov (United States)

Mulqueeny, Ellen

2012-01-01

The use of logarithms, an important tool for calculus and beyond, has been reduced to symbol manipulation without understanding in most entry-level college algebra courses. The primary aim of this research, therefore, was to investigate college students' understanding of logarithmic concepts through the use of a series of instructional tasks…

Can an egg-dropping race enhance students' conceptual understanding of air resistance?

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Lee, Yeung Chung; Kwok, Ping Wai

2009-03-01

Children are familiar with situations in which air resistance plays an important role, such as parachuting. However, it is not known whether they have any understanding about the concept of air resistance, how air resistance affects falling objects, and the differential effect it has on different objects. The literature reveals that there are misconceptions even among undergraduate physics students about how air resistance is affected by the mass and size of falling objects. A study was carried out in Hong Kong to explore Grade 6 students' (aged 11-12) conceptions of air resistance with respect to falling objects of different size and mass, and whether the subjects showed any change in their conceptual understanding after participating in an egg-dropping race. The findings show that students had a wide range of conceptions, which could be characterized into different levels. Their conceptions seem rather robust, and more structured interventions are required to bring about changes in students' conceptual understanding of air resistance.

A Cross-Age Study of Student Understanding of the Concept of Homeostasis.

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Westbrook, Susan L.; Marek, Edmund A.

1992-01-01

The conceptual views of homeostasis held by students (n=300) in seventh grade life science, tenth grade biology, and college zoology were examined. A biographical questionnaire, the results from two Piagetian-like developmental tasks, and a concept evaluation statement of homeostasis were collected from each student. Understanding of the concept…

Persistence of the Intuitive Conception of Living Things in Adolescence

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Babai, Reuven; Sekal, Rachel; Stavy, Ruth

2010-01-01

This study investigated whether intuitive, naive conceptions of "living things" based on objects' mobility (movement = alive) persist into adolescence and affect 10th graders' accuracy of responses and reaction times during object classification. Most of the 58 students classified the test objects correctly as living/nonliving, yet they…

Clinical concept mapping: Does it improve discipline-based critical thinking of nursing students?

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Moattari, Marzieh; Soleimani, Sara; Moghaddam, Neda Jamali; Mehbodi, Farkhondeh

2014-01-01

Background: Enhancing nursing students’ critical thinking is a challenge faced by nurse educators. This study aimed at determining the effect of clinical concept mapping on discipline-based critical thinking of nursing students. Materials and Methods: In this quasi-experimental post-test only design, a convenient sample of 4th year nursing students (N = 32) participated. They were randomly divided into two groups. The experimental group participated in a 1-day workshop on clinical concept mapping. They were also assigned to use at least two clinical concepts mapping during their clinical practice. Post-test was done using a specially designed package consisting of vignettes for measurement of 17 dimensions of critical thinking in nursing under two categories of cognitive critical thinking skills and habits of mind. They were required to write about how they would use a designated critical thinking skills or habits of mind to accomplish the nursing actions. The students’ responses were evaluated based on identification of critical thinking, justification, and quality of the student's response. The mean score of both groups was compared by Mann-Whitney test using SPSS version 16.5. Results: The results of the study revealed a significant difference between the two groups’ critical thinking regarding identification, justification, and quality of responses, and overall critical thinking scores, cognitive thinking skills, and habits of mind. The two groups also differed significantly from each other in 11 out of 17 dimensions of critical thinking. Conclusion: Clinical concept mapping is a valuable strategy for improvement of critical thinking of nursing students. However, further studies are recommended to generalize this result to nursing students in their earlier stage of education. PMID:24554963

The Conceptions of Learning Science by Laboratory among University Science-Major Students: Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses

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Chiu, Yu-Li; Lin, Tzung-Jin; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2016-01-01

Background: The sophistication of students' conceptions of science learning has been found to be positively related to their approaches to and outcomes for science learning. Little research has been conducted to particularly investigate students' conceptions of science learning by laboratory. Purpose: The purpose of this research, consisting of…

Effects of Computer Graphics Types and Epistemological Beliefs on Students' Learning of Mathematical Concepts.

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Lin, Chi-Hui

2002-01-01

Describes a study that determined the implications of computer graphics types and epistemological beliefs with regard to the design of computer-based mathematical concept learning with elementary school students in Taiwan. Discusses the factor structure of the epistemological belief questionnaire, student performance, and students' attitudes…

Computer assisted Objective structured clinical examination versus Objective structured clinical examination in assessment of Dermatology undergraduate students.

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Chaudhary, Richa; Grover, Chander; Bhattacharya, S N; Sharma, Arun

2017-01-01

The assessment of dermatology undergraduates is being done through computer assisted objective structured clinical examination at our institution for the last 4 years. We attempted to compare objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and computer assisted objective structured clinical examination (CA-OSCE) as assessment tools. To assess the relative effectiveness of CA-OSCE and OSCE as assessment tools for undergraduate dermatology trainees. Students underwent CA-OSCE as well as OSCE-based evaluation of equal weightage as an end of posting assessment. The attendance as well as the marks in both the examination formats were meticulously recorded and statistically analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Intercooled Stata V9.0 was used to assess the reliability and internal consistency of the examinations conducted. Feedback from both students and examiners was also recorded. The mean attendance for the study group was 77% ± 12.0%. The average score on CA- OSCE and OSCE was 47.4% ± 19.8% and 53.5% ± 18%, respectively. These scores showed a mutually positive correlation, with Spearman's coefficient being 0.593. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient between attendance scores and assessment score was 0.485 for OSCE and 0.451 for CA-OSCE. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for all the tests ranged from 0.76 to 0.87 indicating high reliability. The comparison was based on a single batch of 139 students. Such an evaluation on more students in larger number of batches over successive years could help throw more light on the subject. Computer assisted objective structured clinical examination was found to be a valid, reliable and effective format for dermatology assessment, being rated as the preferred format by examiners.

The Influence of Teachers' Conceptions on Their Students' Learning: Children's Understanding of Sheet Music

Science.gov (United States)

López-Íñiguez, Guadalupe; Pozo, Juan Ignacio

2014-01-01

Background: Despite increasing interest in teachers' and students' conceptions of learning and teaching, and how they influence their practice, there are few studies testing the influence of teachers' conceptions on their students' learning. Aims: This study tests how teaching conception (TC; with a distinction between…

Peer Tutoring Effects on Omani Students' English Self-Concept

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Alrajhi, Marwa N.; Aldhafri, Said S.

2015-01-01

Based on the social cognitive learning theory (1997), peer learning can be viewed as an effective way of enhancing learning. In this study, peer tutoring, a form of peer learning, was examined. The current study investigated the influence of a peer tutoring program implemented at Sultan Qaboos University on students' English self-concept. 125…

Metaphors of Primary School Students Relating to the Concept of Global Warming

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Dogru, Mustafa; Sarac, Esra

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study is to reveal the metaphors of primary school students (n = 362) relating to the concept of global warming. Data collected by completing the expression of "global warming is like..., because..." of the students were analysed by use of qualitative and quantitative data analysis techniques. According to findings of…

Conceptions, Self-Regulation, and Strategies of Learning Science among Chinese High School Students

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Li, Mang; Zheng, Chunping; Liang, Jyh-Chong; Zhang, Yun; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2018-01-01

This study explored the structural relationships among secondary school students' conceptions, self-regulation, and strategies of learning science in mainland China. Three questionnaires, namely conceptions of learning science (COLS), self-regulation of learning science (SROLS), and strategies of learning science (SLS) were developed for…

Comparability of Self-Concept among Learning Disabled, Normal, and Gifted Students.

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Winne, Phillip H.; And Others

1982-01-01

Using 60 fourth- to seventh-grade learning disabled (LD), normal, and gifted students, the comparability of representations of self-concept across groups was analyzed for the Sears and Coopersmith inventories. (Author/SW)

Strategies Reported Used by Instructors to Address Student Alternate Conceptions in Chemical Equilibrium

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Piquette, Jeff S.; Heikkinen, Henry W.

2005-01-01

This study explores general-chemistry instructors' awareness of and ability to identify and address common student learning obstacles in chemical equilibrium. Reported instructor strategies directed at remediating student alternate conceptions were investigated and compared with successful, literature-based conceptual change methods. Fifty-two…

"Irreplaceable": Exploring Identity and Relationships through the Discussion of Invaluable Personal Objects

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Scharp, Kristina M.; Canfield, Clair

2017-01-01

Courses: Interpersonal Communication, Family Communication, Relational Communication. Objectives: Students reflect on and discuss how personal objects are connected to their identity and relationships with others. This activity illustrates the ways course concepts such as relational metaphors, stories, rules, rituals, and other patterns of…

Effects of socioscientific issues-based instruction on argumentation ability and biology concepts of upper secondary school students

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Faelt, Surasak; Samiphak, Sara; Pattaradilokrat, Sittiporn

2018-01-01

Argumentation skill is an essential skill needed in students, and one of the competencies in scientific literacy. Through arguing on socioscientific issues, students may gain deeper conceptual understanding. The purpose of this research is to examine the efficacy of a socioscientific issues-based instruction compared with an inquirybased instruction. This is to determine which one is better in promoting 10th grade students' argumentation ability and biology concepts of digestive system and cellular respiration. The forty 10th grade students included in this study were from two mathematics-science program classes in a medium-sized secondary school located in a suburb of Buriram province, Thailand. The research utilizes a quasi-experimental design; pre-test post-test control group design. We developed and implemented 4 lesson plans for both socioscientific issues-based instruction and inquiry-based instruction. Ten weeks were used to collect the data. A paper-based questionnaire and informal interviews were designed to test students' argumentation ability, and the two-tier multiple-choice test was designed to test their biology concepts. This research explore qualitatively and quantitatively students' argumentation abilities and biology concepts, using arithmetic mean, mean of percentage, standard deviation and t-test. Results show that there is no significant difference between the two group regarding mean scores of the argumentation ability. However, there is significant difference between the two groups regarding mean scores of the biology concepts. This suggests that socioscientific issues-based instruction could be used to improve students' biology concepts.

Sketching graphs-an efficient way of probing students' conceptions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merhar, Vida Kariz; Planinsic, Gorazd; Cepic, Mojca

2009-01-01

This paper describes a teaching method that allows for the fast and early detection of students' conceptions, misconceptions and their development. The empirical study of two examples where the method was applied is reported. The prerequisites for the efficient use of the method are discussed and results of the pilot study of its effectiveness are briefly presented

DEVELOPING VALUES FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS THROUGH THE STUDY OF ART OBJECTS

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Maria Eliza Dulamă

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The paper begins with some issues related to aesthetics, aesthetic education, art and axiological education. The empirical research has the general assumption that secondary school students and youth have difficulties in selecting values. The objective of the research was three fold: to design, to organize and to carry learning activities from which students shall acquire educational values through the study of art objects. The exploratory research was conducted on a sample of 50 students (25 in experimental group and 25 in control group. The content sample included fairy-tales and short stories (Beauty and the Beast; The money earned by Alexandru Mitru and artistic topics on several well-known art objects (The Endless Column, Table of Silence, The Gate of Kiss, Peleş castle, Voroneţ monastery, and St. Michael’s Cathedral from Cluj-Napoca. The tested hypothesis stated that if secondary school students are involved in learning contexts where they perceive, analyze and explain artistic objects then they develop aesthetic and ethic values. The learning context students were exposed to represents the independent variable and the outputs – the educational values themselves – represent the dependent variable. In order to test for the hypothesis we planned a formative didactic experiment. In order to test the hypothesis the pre-test/post-test design was used.

Conversational Skills in a Semistructured Interview and Self-Concept in Deaf Students

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Silvestre, Nuria; Ramspott, Anna; Pareto, Irenka D.

2007-01-01

The starting point for this study is the importance of linguistic competence in deaf students as part of their process of socialization and the formation of their self-concept. With the 56 deaf students who participated in the research, we consider the following sociodemographic variables: age, sex and degree of hearing loss, and the educational…

Developing an Instrument for Assessing Students' Concepts of the Nature of Technology

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Liou, Pey-Yan

2015-01-01

Background: The nature of technology has been rarely discussed despite the fact that technology plays an essential role in modern society. It is important to discuss students' concepts of the nature of technology, and further to advance their technological literacy and adaptation to modern society. There is a need to assess high school students'…

Student Conceptions of International Experience in the Study Abroad Context

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Streitwieser, Bernhard T.; Light, Gregory J.

2018-01-01

While much of recent study abroad research has focused on identifying and measuring different learning outcomes in terms of specific skills, competencies, perspectives and attributes acquired during study abroad opportunities, less research has considered how students' deeper conceptions and understandings of international experience may change…

Picture this: The value of multiple visual representations for student learning of quantum concepts in general chemistry

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Allen, Emily Christine

Mental models for scientific learning are often defined as, "cognitive tools situated between experiments and theories" (Duschl & Grandy, 2012). In learning, these cognitive tools are used to not only take in new information, but to help problem solve in new contexts. Nancy Nersessian (2008) describes a mental model as being "[loosely] characterized as a representation of a system with interactive parts with representations of those interactions. Models can be qualitative, quantitative, and/or simulative (mental, physical, computational)" (p. 63). If conceptual parts used by the students in science education are inaccurate, then the resulting model will not be useful. Students in college general chemistry courses are presented with multiple abstract topics and often struggle to fit these parts into complete models. This is especially true for topics that are founded on quantum concepts, such as atomic structure and molecular bonding taught in college general chemistry. The objectives of this study were focused on how students use visual tools introduced during instruction to reason with atomic and molecular structure, what misconceptions may be associated with these visual tools, and how visual modeling skills may be taught to support students' use of visual tools for reasoning. The research questions for this study follow from Gilbert's (2008) theory that experts use multiple representations when reasoning and modeling a system, and Kozma and Russell's (2005) theory of representational competence levels. This study finds that as students developed greater command of their understanding of abstract quantum concepts, they spontaneously provided additional representations to describe their more sophisticated models of atomic and molecular structure during interviews. This suggests that when visual modeling with multiple representations is taught, along with the limitations of the representations, it can assist students in the development of models for reasoning about

Student Analogy Reasons When Solving Area Concepts in Pyramids and Prisms

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Mashuri, A.; Sudjadi, I.; Pramudya, I.; Gembong, S.

2017-09-01

The purpose of this study is to describe the reasoning of students’ analogies in solving the broad concept problem in pyramids and prisms. This research method using descriptive qualitative. Data collection uses analogous reasoning tests and interviews. After that tested to 32 students of Junior High School. Based on the results of the analysis can be concluded that (1) 16% of students solve the problem of source and target problem correctly. (2) 29% of students correctly solve source problems and target problems incorrectly. (3) 55% solve source problems and target problems wrong. This is because students tend to memorize formulas not using analogy reasoning to solve new problems. Finally, the students have difficulties in solving new problems, because students are not accustomed to using the experience they have gained to solve new problems.

The Effectiveness of MURDER Cooperative Model towards Students' Mathematics Reasoning Ability and Self Concept of Ten Grade

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Sofan Tri Prasetiyo

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research was to know the effectiveness of MURDER cooperative model towards students’ mathematics reasoning ability and self concept of ten grade. Population of this research were students of MIA ten grade Senior High School 1 Kebumen in the academic year 2016/1017. Sampling technique using simple random sampling technique. The data collected by the method of documentation, test methods, observation methods, and questionnaire methods. The analyzed of data are used completeness test and average different test. The results showed that: (1 mathematics reasoning ability of students that following MURDER cooperative model have completed individual and classical study completeness; (2 mathematics reasoning ability of students that following MURDER cooperative model better than mathematics reasoning ability of students that following ekspository learning; (3 self concept of students that following MURDER cooperative model better than self concept of students that following ekspository learning.

A Model of Academic Self-Concept for High School Hispanic Students in New York

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Calero, Flor R.; Dalley, Christopher; Fernandez, Nicole; Davenport-Dalley, Tania Marie; Morote, Elsa-Sofia; Tatum, Stephanie L.

2014-01-01

This study examined how Hispanic students' academic self-concept influences the independent variables of family academic expectations, peer relationships, schoolwork, and student-teacher relationships. A survey was administered to 222 ninth-grade students in Long Island, New York, 99 of whom self-identified as Hispanic. A structural equation model…

Student-Faculty Trust and Its Relationship with Student Success in Pre-Licensure BSN Nursing Education

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Scarbrough, John E.

2011-01-01

Objective: Student-faculty trust and related concept characteristics have been shown to be factors associated with successful student learning. Research investigating the role of trust in communications and education has been conducted with students in other disciplines but not with nursing students. The purpose of the research is to investigate…

THE STUDY OF SELF-CONCEPT BETWEEN VOLUNTEER AND NON-VOLUNTEER STUDENTS IN SPORT OF UNIVERSITIES

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Reza Andam

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Understanding personality characteristics of volunteers are important for their recruitment and retention in sport associations. This study compared self-concept as a personality characteristic between volunteer and non-volunteer students in sport associations. The method of this research was survey and descriptive. The statistical population consisted of volunteer and non-volunteer students in sport associations of Iran universities. Two hundred and fifty two students (120 volunteers and 132 non-volunteers from 10 universities were selected as subjects by using random clustered sampling method. Pyryt and Mandaglio Self Perceived Survey (PMSPS was used to collect the data. The content and face reliability of questionnaire was checked and confirmed. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to test the reliability of the questionnaire (alfa=0.90. Independent t test and U Mann-Whitney test were used for comparison of the factors between volunteers and non-volunteers. Findings of this study indicated that there was a significant difference between volunteer and non-volunteer students in social and athletic self-concept. The mean of scientific and value factors were higher in volunteers than non-volunteers, however, they were not statistically significant. We concluded that the nature of sport (active and sport volunteering (social encourage students who have higher self-concept for volunteering. Moreover, the characteristics of sport associations can increase self-concept in sport volunteers.

Engineering students' conceptions of entrepreneurial learning as part of their education

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Täks, Marge; Tynjälä, Päivi; Kukemelk, Hasso

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine what kinds of conceptions of entrepreneurial learning engineering students expressed in an entrepreneurship course integrated in their study programme. The data were collected during an entrepreneurship course in Estonia that was organised for fourth-year engineering students, using video-recorded group interviews (N = 48) and individual in-depth interviews (N = 16). As a result of the phenomenographic analysis, four qualitatively distinctive conceptions of entrepreneurial learning were discerned. Entrepreneurial learning was seen to involve (1) applying entrepreneurial ideas to engineering, (2) understanding entrepreneurial issues in a new way, (3) action-oriented personal development, and (4) self-realising through collective effort. These qualitatively distinct categories differed from each other in four dimensions of variation: nature of learning, response to pedagogy, relation to teamwork, and learning outcomes.

Friendship Predictors of Global Self-Worth and Domain-Specific Self-Concepts in University Students with and without Learning Disability

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Shany, Michal; Wiener, Judith; Assido, Michal

2013-01-01

This study investigated the association among friendship, global self-worth, and domain-specific self-concepts in 102 university students with and without learning disabilities (LD). Students with LD reported lower global self-worth and academic self-concept than students without LD, and this difference was greater for women. Students with LD also…

Students' Affordance of Teleologic Explanations and Anthropomorphic Language in Eliciting Concepts in Physics

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Bautista, Romiro G.

2015-01-01

This study ascertains that the students' affordance of teleologic explanations and anthropomorphic language in eliciting concepts in Physics is influenced by their age and learning exposure and experience. Using Explicative-Reductive Method of Descriptive Research, this study focused on the determinants of students' affordance of…

Visualizing Volume to Help Students Understand the Disk Method on Calculus Integral Course

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Tasman, F.; Ahmad, D.

2018-04-01

Many research shown that students have difficulty in understanding the concepts of integral calculus. Therefore this research is interested in designing a classroom activity integrated with design research method to assist students in understanding the integrals concept especially in calculating the volume of rotary objects using disc method. In order to support student development in understanding integral concepts, this research tries to use realistic mathematical approach by integrating geogebra software. First year university student who takes a calculus course (approximately 30 people) was chosen to implement the classroom activity that has been designed. The results of retrospective analysis show that visualizing volume of rotary objects using geogebra software can assist the student in understanding the disc method as one way of calculating the volume of a rotary object.

Building Students' Understanding of Quadratic Equation Concept Using Naïve Geometry

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Fachrudin, Achmad Dhany; Putri, Ratu Ilma Indra; Darmawijoyo

2014-01-01

The purpose of this research is to know how Naïve Geometry method can support students' understanding about the concept of solving quadratic equations. In this article we will discuss one activities of the four activities we developed. This activity focused on how students linking the Naïve Geometry method with the solving of the quadratic…

Relation between self-concept and students alcohol drinking

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H.M. Fernandes

2009-01-01

Full Text Available This study examines the relation between multiple self-concept dimensions and alcohol consumption within the adolescent schooling. A sample of 642 students (263 boys and 379 girls aged between 15 and 23 years completed the Self-Description Questionnaire II (SDQ II and an alcohol drinking measure. Results reveal an absence of significant relationships between global self-esteem and alcohol consumption and a small relation, found only in the female, between alcoholic drinking and global self-concept, supporting the assumption that supports the low sensitivity and the consequent use of scarce global dimensions of the self. In contrast, there are significant relations between some specific dimensions of the self and alcohol consumption, whilst the correlation coefficients vary according to subject’s gender, suggesting a cultural involvement based analysis.

Relation between self-concept and students alcohol drinking

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José Vasconcelos-Raposo

2009-03-01

Full Text Available This study examines the relation between multiple self-concept dimensions and alcohol consumption within the adolescent schooling. A sample of 642 students (263 boys and 379 girls aged between 15 and 23 years completed the Self-Description Questionnaire II (SDQ II and an alcohol drinking measure. Results reveal an absence of significant relationships between global self-esteem and alcohol consumption and a small relation, found only in the female, between alcoholic drinking and global self-concept, supporting the assumption that supports the low sensitivity and the consequent use of scarce global dimensions of the self. In contrast, there are significant relations between some specific dimensions of the self and alcohol consumption, whilst the correlation coefficients vary according to subject’s gender, suggesting a cultural involvement based analysis.

Developing Preschool Teachers' Knowledge of Students' Number Conceptions

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Tsamir, Pessia; Tirosh, Dina; Levenson, Esther; Tabach, Michal; Barkai, Ruthi

2014-01-01

This article describes a study that investigates preschool teachers' knowledge of their young students' number conceptions and the teachers' related self-efficacy beliefs. It also presents and illustrates elements of a professional development program designed explicitly to promote this knowledge among preschool teachers. Results…

Relationship of Academic, Physical and Social Self-Concepts of Students with Their Academic Achievement

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Zahra, Asma-Tuz; Arif, Manzoor H.; Yousuf, Muhammad Imran

2010-01-01

This study investigated relationship between self-concept and academic achievement of bachelor degree students. Female students at bachelor were considered the target population. A sample of 1500 students was selected by using two stage cluster sampling technique. An amended form of Self-Descriptive Questionnaire developed by Marsh (1985) was used…

An Anatomy of Feedback: A Phenomenographic Investigation of Undergraduate Students' Conceptions of Feedback

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McLean, Angela J.; Bond, Carol H.; Nicholson, Helen D.

2015-01-01

The aim of this research was to investigate how undergraduate students conceptualise feedback, and compare this with research into conceptions of teaching and learning related phenomena in higher education. Using a phenomenographic approach, 28 physiotherapy students in New Zealand were interviewed about their experiences. Data analysis resulted…

Piano Students' Conceptions of Musical Scores as External Representations: A Cross-Sectional Study

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Bautista, Alfredo; Perez Echeverria, Ma del Puy; Pozo, J. Ignacio; Brizuela, Barbara M.

2009-01-01

Musical scores are some of the most important learning tools for musicians' acquisition of musical knowledge. However, despite their educational relevance, very little is known about how music students "conceive" of these cultural external representations. Given that these conceptions might act as mediators of students' learning…

How Role Play Addresses the Difficulties Students Perceive when Writing Reflectively about the Concepts They are Learning in Science

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Millar, Susan

A fundamental problem which confronts Science teachers is the difficulty many students experience in the construction, understanding and remembering of concepts. This is more likely to occur when teachers adhere to a Transmission model of teaching and learning, and fail to provide students with opportunities to construct their own learning. Social construction, followed by individual reflective writing, enables students to construct their own understanding of concepts and effectively promotes deep learning. This method of constructing knowledge in the classroom is often overlooked by teachers as they either have no knowledge of it, or do not know how to appropriate it for successful teaching in Science. This study identifies the difficulties which students often experience when writing reflectively and offers solutions which are likely to reduce these difficulties. These solutions, and the use of reflective writing itself, challenge the ideology of the Sydney Genre School, which forms the basis of the attempt to deal with literacy in the NSW Science Syllabus. The findings of this investigation support the concept of literacy as the ability to use oral and written language, reading and listening to construct meaning. The investigation demonstrates how structured discussion, role play and reflective writing can be used to this end. While the Sydney Genre School methodology focuses on the structure of genre as a prerequisite for understanding concepts in Science, the findings of this study demonstrate that students can use their own words to discuss and write reflectively as they construct scientific concepts for themselves. Social construction and reflective writing can contribute to the construction of concepts and the development of metacognition in Science. However, students often experience difficulties when writing reflectively about scientific concepts they are learning. In this investigation, students identified these difficulties as an inability to understand

Teaching Map Concepts in Social Science Education; an Evaluation with Undergraduate Students

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Bugdayci, Ilkay; Zahit Selvi, H.

2017-12-01

One of the most important aim of the geography and social science courses is to gain the ability of reading, analysing and understanding maps. There are a lot of themes related with maps and map concepts in social studies education. Geographical location is one of the most important theme. Geographical location is specified by geographical coordinates called latitude and longitude. The geographical coordinate system is the primary spatial reference system of the earth. It is always used in cartography, in geography, in basic location calculations such as navigation and surveying. It’s important to support teacher candidates, to teach maps and related concepts. Cartographers also have important missions and responsibilities in this context. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the knowledge of undergraduate students, about the geographical location. For this purpose, a research has been carried out on questions and activities related to geographical location and related concepts. The details and results of the research conducted by the students in the study are explained.

Student ability to apply the concepts of work and energy to extended systems

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Lindsey, Beth A.; Heron, Paula R. L.; Shaffer, Peter S.

2009-11-01

We report results from an investigation of student ability to apply the concepts of work and energy to situations in which the internal structure of a system cannot be ignored, that is, the system cannot be treated as a particle. Students in introductory calculus-based physics courses were asked written and online questions after relevant instruction by lectures, textbook, and laboratory. Several difficulties were identified. Some related to student ability to calculate the work done on a system. Failure to associate work with the change in energy of a system was also widespread. The results have implications for instruction that aims for a rigorous treatment of energy concepts that is consistent with the first law of thermodynamics. The findings are guiding the development of two tutorials to supplement instruction.

Effects of professional development seminars on role conception, role deprivation, and self-esteem of generic baccalaureate students.

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Lengacher, C A

1994-01-01

This study compared differences in role conception (professional, bureaucratic, and service), role deprivation, and self-esteem among baccalaureate students enrolled in specially designed professional development seminars. More than 100 students participated in the pretests, given on entry to the program, of which 63 completed both the pretest and the posttest given on program exit. The Corwin Role Conception Scale assessed role conceptions and role deprivation and the Coopersmith Adult Form Self-Esteem Inventory assessed self-esteem. Statistically significant differences were found within groups in bureaucratic role conceptions (P = .0009) and self-esteem (P = .0019) and between groups in professional role conception (P = .0057). No differences were found between or within groups for service role conception or role deprivation.

Improving Student Understanding of Lipids Concepts in a Biochemistry Course Using Test-Enhanced Learning

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Horn, Savannah; Hernick, Marcy

2015-01-01

Test-enhanced learning has successfully been used as a means to enhance learning and promote knowledge retention in students. We have examined whether this approach could be used in a biochemistry course to enhance student learning about lipids-related concepts. Students were provided access to two optional learning modules with questions related…

Developing Objective Criteria for Evaluating Student Athletic Trainers.

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Treadway, Linda

In devising a form for the evaluation of students preparing to become athletic trainers, it is helpful to have a checklist in which objectives and behavioral responses are organized into categories, such as prevention of injury, first aid, emergency care, treatment, rehabilitation, and taping and wrapping. It is also important to have records and…

Students' Understanding of Genetics Concepts: The Effect of Reasoning Ability and Learning Approaches

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Kiliç, Didem; Saglam, Necdet

2014-01-01

Students tend to learn genetics by rote and may not realise the interrelationships in daily life. Because reasoning abilities are necessary to construct relationships between concepts and rote learning impedes the students' sound understanding, it was predicted that having high level of formal reasoning and adopting meaningful learning orientation…

Development of the Flame Test Concept Inventory: Measuring Student Thinking about Atomic Emission

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Bretz, Stacey Lowery; Murata Mayo, Ana Vasquez

2018-01-01

This study reports the development of a 19-item Flame Test Concept Inventory, an assessment tool to measure students' understanding of atomic emission. Fifty-two students enrolled in secondary and postsecondary chemistry courses were interviewed about atomic emission and explicitly asked to explain flame test demonstrations and energy level…

High School Students' Understanding of Acid-Base Concepts: An Ongoing Challenge for Teachers

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Damanhuri, Muhd Ibrahim Muhamad; Treagust, David F.; Won, Mihye; Chandrasegaran, A. L.

2016-01-01

Using a quantitative case study design, the "Acids-Bases Chemistry Achievement Test" ("ABCAT") was developed to evaluate the extent to which students in Malaysian secondary schools achieved the intended curriculum on acid-base concepts. Responses were obtained from 260 Form 5 (Grade 11) students from five schools to initially…

[(Inter)national and regional health goals in academic social-medical education conception for teaching medical students at the Eberhard Karls University Tuebingen].

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Simoes, E; Hildenbrand, S; Rieger, M A

2012-07-01

Social medicine deals with the specific interactions between medicine and society within a constantly changing social environment. The Institute of Occupational and Social Medicine, University Hospital Tuebingen, focuses on this relationship within the academic teaching of the Medical Faculty. Many of the issues thus directly affect the national health objectives and especially the health targets of the state of Baden-Württemberg, summarised in the Health Strategy Baden-Wuerttemberg. In addition to the recommendations of the German Society for Social Medicine and Prevention (DGSMP) for the social medicine curriculum and the specific definition of the content by the Tuebingen medical faculty, national and regional health-care goals are also taken into account in the teaching conception. Classes are increasingly offered as training courses in small groups (seminars, group work with practical training), instead of classic lectures. These teaching methods allow the students to take part more actively in social medicine issues and to think and act within a comprehensive understanding of health management based on societal goals and the needs of a good health system. The concept is supported by the curriculum design element "log-book skills" of the Medical Faculty of Tuebingen. Feedback elements for teachers and students shape the further development of the concept. In dealing with real system data, practical experience on site and case vignettes, the students experience the links between societal influences, political objectives and medical action as well as the importance of accessibility of medical services for equity in health chances. The fact that advice and expertise play a crucial role in accessibility is a component to which too little attention is paid and calls for emphasis in the teaching concept. This teaching approach will deepen the understanding of the influence of psychosocial context factors and the conditions of the structural framework on the medical

Relational Analysis of College Chemistry-Major Students' Conceptions of and Approaches to Learning Chemistry

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Li, Wei-Ting; Liang, Jyh-Chong; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2013-01-01

The purpose of this research was to examine the relationships between conceptions of learning and approaches to learning in chemistry. Two questionnaires, conceptions of learning chemistry (COLC) and approaches to learning chemistry (ALC), were developed to identify 369 college chemistry-major students' (220 males and 149 females) conceptions of…

Relations between Young Students' Strategic Behaviours, Domain-Specific Self-Concept, and Performance in a Problem-Solving Situation

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Dermitzaki, Irini; Leondari, Angeliki; Goudas, Marios

2009-01-01

This study aimed at investigating the relations between students' strategic behaviour during problem solving, task performance and domain-specific self-concept. A total of 167 first- and second-graders were individually examined in tasks involving cubes assembly and in academic self-concept in mathematics. Students' cognitive, metacognitive, and…

Students' Conceptions on White Light and Implications for Teaching and Learning about Colour

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Haagen-Schützenhöfer, Claudia

2017-01-01

The quality of learning processes is mainly determined by the extent to which students' conceptions are addressed and thus conceptual change is triggered. Colour phenomena are a topic within initial instruction of optics which is challenging. A physically adequate concept of white light is crucial for being able to grasp the processes underlying…

Differences in Learning Strategies, Goal Orientations, and Self-Concept between Overachieving, Normal-Achieving, and Underachieving Secondary Students

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Castejón, Juan L.; Gilar, Raquel; Veas, Alejandro; Miñano, Pablo

2016-01-01

The aims of this work were to identify and establish differential characteristics in learning strategies, goal orientations, and self-concept between overachieving, normal-achieving and underachieving secondary students. A total of 1400 Spanish first and second year high school students from the South-East geographical area participated in this study. Three groups of students were established: a group with underachieving students, a group with a normal level of achievement, and a third group with overachieving students. The students were assigned to each group depending on the residual punctuations obtained from a multiple regression analysis in which the punctuation of an IQ test was the predictor and a measure composed of the school grades of nine subjects was the criteria. The results of one-way ANOVA and the Games-Howell post-hoc test showed that underachieving students had significantly lower punctuations in all of the measures of learning strategies and learning goals, as well as all of the academic self-concept, personal self-concept, parental relationship, honesty, and personal stability factors. In contrast, overachieving students had higher punctuations than underachieving students in the same variables and higher punctuations than normal-achieving students in most of the variables in which significant differences were detected. These results have clear educational implications. PMID:27729879

More Than Only Skin Deep: Appearance Self-Concept Predicts Most of Secondary School Students' Self-Esteem

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Tanja Gabriele Baudson

2016-10-01

Full Text Available One important goal of education is to develop students' self-esteem which, in turn, hinges on their self-concept in the academic, physical, and social domains. Prior studies have shown that physical self-concept accounts for most of the variation in self-esteem, with academic and social self-concepts playing a much lesser role. As pressure towards perfection seems to be increasing in education, appearance, and social relationships (three aspects that relate to crucial developmental tasks of adolescence, the goal of the present field study was to examine whether former findings still hold true in the light of the changing societal context. A sample of 2,950 students from a broad range of German secondary schools (47% girls, age 10–19 years responded to a recently validated German-language questionnaire assessing multiple self-concept facets (Weber & Freund, 2016. We examined which self-concept aspects predict self-esteem best and whether the pattern is comparable across genders and achievement levels using latent regression analyses. Results show that self-concept of appearance is still by far the strongest predictor (total sample: B = 0.77, SE = 0.02, p < .01 and that this is especially the case for girls and students from special educational schools. Other aspects play a much lesser role. The discussion explores why appearance is so neglected, compared to the more academic subjects, and what school can do to account for its vast importance for students' self-esteem.

Alternative Conceptions Concerning the Earth's Interior Exhibited by Honduran Students

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Capps, Daniel K.; McAllister, Meredith; Boone, William J.

2013-01-01

Although multiple studies of misconceptions in Earth science have been completed using samples of North American and European students and teachers, little research has been conducted on alternative Earth science conceptions in developing countries. The current study was conducted in 5th- and 6th-grade classrooms in eastern Honduras, Central…

Teachers' Conceptions of Student Engagement in Learning: The Case of Three Urban Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Barkaoui, Khaled; Barrett, Sarah Elizabeth; Samaroo, Julia; Dahya, Negin; Alidina, Shahnaaz; James, Carl

2015-01-01

Although student engagement plays a central role in the education process, defining it is challenging. This study examines teachers' conceptions of the social and cultural dimensions of student engagement in learning at three low-achieving schools located in a low socioeconomic status (SES) urban area. Sixteen teachers and administrators from the…

Determining Science Student Teachers' Cognitive Structure on the Concept of "Food Chain"

Science.gov (United States)

Çinar, Derya

2015-01-01

The current study aims to determine science student teachers' cognitive structure on the concept of food chain. Qualitative research method was applied in this study. Fallacies detected in the pre-service teachers' conceptual structures are believed to result in students' developing misconceptions in their future classes and will adversely affect…

Student Ideas About Cosmological Concepts: Age, Expansion, and the Big Bang

Science.gov (United States)

Trouille, Laura; Coble, K.; Camarillo, C.; Bailey, J.; Nickerson, M.; Cochran, G.; Hayes, V.; McLin, K.; Cominsky, L.

2012-05-01

Students enter introductory astronomy classes with ideas about the universe that are often misaligned with accepted scientific beliefs. In this presentation we will describe the results from a multi-semester study of urban minority students’ ideas in an introductory astronomy course. We use in-depth student interviews, homework assignments, lab responses, and exams to identify pre-instructional ideas. We also examine the resilience of alternate conceptions to modification through instruction. In this presentation we focus on students’ ideas with regards to the Big Bang, the age of the Universe, and the expansion of the Universe over time. We find that a significant fraction of students enter our astronomy courses with alternate conceptions, including that the Big Bang refers to an explosion from a small, single point in space, that there is no evidence for the Big Bang, that there is a center to our Universe, that the Universe expands into pre-existing matter, and that the Universe has either a much smaller or much larger age than its accepted age. Some of these alternate conceptions are relatively easy to overcome through active learning (for example, whether there is a center to the Universe), while others are more resistant to change (for example, whether the Universe expands into pre-existing matter). Also see our presentations on student ideas of structure and distances (Camarillo et al.) as well as the overview of our methodology (Coble et al.). This work was supported by NASA ROSES E/PO Grant #NNX1OAC89G, as well as by the Illinois Space Grant Consortium and National Science Foundation CCLI Grant #0632563 at Chicago State University and the Fermi E/PO program at Sonoma State University.

A Mixed Methods Analysis of Students' Understanding of Slope and Derivative Concepts and Students' Mathematical Dispositions

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Patel, Rita Manubhai

2013-01-01

This dissertation examined understanding of slope and derivative concepts and mathematical dispositions of first-semester college calculus students, who are recent high school graduates, transitioning to university mathematics. The present investigation extends existing research in the following ways. First, based on this investigation, the…

Examining the Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect on Students' Self-Concept of Learning Science in Taiwan Based on the TIMSS Databases

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Liou, Pey-Yan

2014-08-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between student self-concept and achievement in science in Taiwan based on the big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE) model using the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003 and 2007 databases. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the effects of the student-level and school-level science achievement on student self-concept of learning science. The results indicated that student science achievement was positively associated with individual self-concept of learning science in both TIMSS 2003 and 2007. On the contrary, while school-average science achievement was negatively related to student self-concept in TIMSS 2003, it had no statistically significant relationship with student self-concept in TIMSS 2007. The findings of this study shed light on possible explanations for the existence of BFLPE and also lead to an international discussion on the generalization of BFLPE.

Building a Smart E-Portfolio Platform for Optimal E-Learning Objects Acquisition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chih-Kun Ke

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In modern education, an e-portfolio platform helps students in acquiring e-learning objects in a learning activity. Quality is an important consideration in evaluating the desirable e-learning object. Finding a means of determining a high quality e-learning object from a large number of candidate e-learning objects is an important requirement. To assist student learning in a modern e-portfolio platform, this work proposed an optimal selection approach determining a reasonable e-learning object from various candidate e-learning objects. An optimal selection approach which uses advanced information techniques is proposed. Each e-learning object undergoes a formalization process. An Information Retrieval (IR technique extracts and analyses key concepts from the student’s previous learning contexts. A context-based utility model computes the expected utility values of various e-learning objects based on the extracted key concepts. The expected utility values of e-learning objects are used in a multicriteria decision analysis to determine the optimal selection order of the candidate e-learning objects. The main contribution of this work is the demonstration of an effective e-learning object selection method which is easy to implement within an e-portfolio platform and which makes it smarter.

Comparison of Science-Technology-Society Approach and Textbook Oriented Instruction on Students' Abilities to Apply Science Concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Kapici, Hasan Ozgur; Akcay, Hakan; Yager, Robert E.

2017-01-01

It is important for students to learn concepts and using them for solving problems and further learning. Within this respect, the purpose of this study is to investigate students' abilities to apply science concepts that they have learned from Science-Technology-Society based approach or textbook oriented instruction. Current study is based on…

The impact of self-concept and college involvement on the first-year success of medical students in China.

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Zhou, Ying-Xue; Ou, Chun-Quan; Zhao, Zhi-Tao; Wan, Cheng-Song; Guo, Cui; Li, Li; Chen, Ping-Yan

2015-03-01

Students' first-year academic success plays a critical role on their overall development in college, which implies the need to concentrate on identifying ways to improve students' first-year academic success. Different from most research on the subject, this study attempted to combine the sociological perspective of college impact with a psychological perspective to synthetically explore the causal relationship of specific types of self-concept and college involvement with academic success of medical students. A longitudinal study was conducted using 519 matriculates at a medical university in mainland China. We conducted the Cooperative Institutional Research Program freshmen survey and the Your First College Year survey to collect data of the pre-college and college academic and social self-concept, college involvement components, and some input characteristics. The academic success was measured by the first-year grade point average. A pathway analysis was conducted and showed the following results. Having high academic self-concept, being engaged in class and putting effort in homework or study directly contributes to increasing college achievement. Students' pre-college achievement and self-concept, faculty interaction, and homework involvement positively affected students' college academic self-concept development, which indirectly improved average grade point. These findings contribute to our understanding of a student's ability to interact with his or her collegiate environment and to experience academic success.

Comparison of French and Estonian Students' Conceptions in Genetic Determinism of Human Behaviours

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Castera, Jeremy; Sarapuu, Tago; Clement, Pierre

2013-01-01

Innatism is the belief that most of the human personality can be determined by genes. This ideology is dangerous, especially when it claims to be scientific. The present study investigates conceptions of 1060 students from Estonia and France related to genetic determinism of some human behaviours. Factors taken into account included students'…

Persistence of the Intuitive Conception of Living Things in Adolescence

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Babai, Reuven; Sekal, Rachel; Stavy, Ruth

2010-02-01

This study investigated whether intuitive, naive conceptions of "living things" based on objects' mobility (movement = alive) persist into adolescence and affect 10th graders' accuracy of responses and reaction times during object classification. Most of the 58 students classified the test objects correctly as living/nonliving, yet they demonstrated significantly longer reaction times for classifying plants compared to animals and for classifying dynamic objects compared to static inanimate objects. Findings indicated that, despite prior learning in biology, the intuitive conception of living things persists up to age 15-16 years, affecting related reasoning processes. Consideration of these findings may help educators in their decisions about the nature of examples they use in their classrooms.

Quasi-objects, Cult Objects and Fashion Objects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Bjørn Schiermer

2011-01-01

This article attempts to rehabilitate the concept of fetishism and to contribute to the debate on the social role of objects as well as to fashion theory. Extrapolating from Michel Serres’ theory of the quasi-objects, I distinguish two phenomenologies possessing almost opposite characteristics. T...... as a unique opportunity for studying the interchange between these two forms of fetishism and their respective phenomenologies. Finally, returning to Serres, I briefly consider the theoretical consequences of introducing the fashion object as a quasi-object.......This article attempts to rehabilitate the concept of fetishism and to contribute to the debate on the social role of objects as well as to fashion theory. Extrapolating from Michel Serres’ theory of the quasi-objects, I distinguish two phenomenologies possessing almost opposite characteristics....... These two phenomenologies are, so I argue, essential to quasi-object theory, yet largely ignored by Serres’ sociological interpreters. They correspond with the two different theories of fetishism found in Marx and Durkheim, respectively. In the second half of the article, I introduce the fashion object...

The enhancement of mathematical analogical reasoning ability of university students through concept attainment model

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Angraini, L. M.; Kusumah, Y. S.; Dahlan, J. A.

2018-05-01

This study aims to see the enhancement of mathematical analogical reasoning ability of the university students through concept attainment model learning based on overall and Prior Mathematical Knowledge (PMK) and interaction of both. Quasi experiments with the design of this experimental-controlled equivalent group involved 54 of second semester students at the one of State Islamic University. The instrument used is pretest-postest. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Levene test, t test, two-way ANOVA test were used to analyse the data. The result of this study includes: (1) The enhancement of the mathematical analogical reasoning ability of the students who gets the learning of concept attainment model is better than the enhancement of the mathematical analogical reasoning ability of the students who gets the conventional learning as a whole and based on PMK; (2) There is no interaction between the learning that is used and PMK on enhancing mathematical analogical reasoning ability.

THE CONCEPTION OF NURSING WORK BY STUDENTES AND TEACHERS FROM A TECHNICAL COURSE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amailson Sandro Barros

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This article aims at presenting the conception of work envisioned by students and teachers from a technical course on nursing. For that end, we interviewed 12 students and 03 teachers from the course. The data was collected through structured interviews. The data obtained pointed to a concept of work relied on pleasure and satisfaction for caring, as well as source of remuneration, which is related to the ideological background perpetuated that associates nursing to dedication, obedience and material detachment. The speech of the participants disregards the shock between capital and labor and the social construction and historical exploitation of the workforce, keeping strongly the dogma of charity in the field of nursing. The reports pointed to the dual character of the work which comprises the abstract and concrete conceptions, leading to a division between intellectual labor versus manual work and precarization of labor in nursing and teaching.

The Molecular Biology Capstone Assessment: A Concept Assessment for Upper-Division Molecular Biology Students

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Couch, Brian A.; Wood, William B.; Knight, Jennifer K.

2015-01-01

Measuring students' conceptual understandings has become increasingly important to biology faculty members involved in evaluating and improving departmental programs. We developed the Molecular Biology Capstone Assessment (MBCA) to gauge comprehension of fundamental concepts in molecular and cell biology and the ability to apply these concepts in…

Improving learning with science and social studies text using computer-based concept maps for students with disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Ciullo, Stephen; Falcomata, Terry S; Pfannenstiel, Kathleen; Billingsley, Glenna

2015-01-01

Concept maps have been used to help students with learning disabilities (LD) improve literacy skills and content learning, predominantly in secondary school. However, despite increased access to classroom technology, no previous studies have examined the efficacy of computer-based concept maps to improve learning from informational text for students with LD in elementary school. In this study, we used a concurrent delayed multiple probe design to evaluate the interactive use of computer-based concept maps on content acquisition with science and social studies texts for Hispanic students with LD in Grades 4 and 5. Findings from this study suggest that students improved content knowledge during intervention relative to a traditional instruction baseline condition. Learning outcomes and social validity information are considered to inform recommendations for future research and the feasibility of classroom implementation. © The Author(s) 2014.

Do Interracial Interactions Matter? An Examination of Student-Faculty Contact and Intellectual Self-Concept

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Cole, Darnell

2007-01-01

The purpose of this longitudinal, multi-institution study was to examine through multilevel analyses the influence of: (1) interracial interactions on student-faculty interactions; and (2) interracial interactions and student-faculty interactions on intellectual self-concept. Social participation and involvement theory, as they are constructed…

Students' Conceptions about the Sub-Microscopic Approach to ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

NICO

The main objective of this study was to test chemistry students' competence, throughout the ... liquids, solids, solutions); the changes in the nature, arrangement and ... Sub-microscopic particles, sub-microscopic approach, properties of matter, explanations in chemistry. .... (e) Intramolecular bonds within the H2O molecules.

Learning Quantum Chemical Model with Learning Media Concept Map and Power Point Viewed from Memory and Creativity Skills Students

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Agus Wahidi

2017-03-01

Full Text Available This research is experimental, using first class learning a quantum model of learning with concept maps media and the second media using real environments by power point presentation. The population is all class XI Science, number 2 grade. The sampling technique is done by purposive random sampling. Data collection techniques to test for cognitive performance and memory capabilities, with a questionnaire for creativity. Hypothesis testing using three-way ANOVA different cells with the help of software Minitab 15.Based on the results of data processing, concluded: (1 there is no influence of the quantum model of learning with media learning concept maps and real environments for learning achievement chemistry, (2 there is a high impact memory ability and low on student achievement, (3 there is no the effect of high and low creativity in student performance, (4 there is no interaction learning model quantum media learning concept maps and real environments with memory ability on student achievement, (5 there is no interaction learning model quantum media learning concept maps and real environments with creativity of student achievement, (6 there is no interaction memory skills and creativity of student achievement, (7 there is no interaction learning model quantum media learning concept maps and real environments, memory skills, and creativity on student achievement.

The Concept of Magnitude and What It Tells Us about How Struggling Students Learn Fractions

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Woodward, John

2017-01-01

This commentary summarizes emerging research into fractions instruction for students who are at risk for failure. Each of the three articles emphasizes a measure conception of fractions. Teaching fractions as measurement helps students learn the magnitude of rational numbers. However, measurement is only part of the way that students should…

Liberating Learning Object Design from the Learning Style of Student Instructional Designers

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Akpinar, Yavuz

2007-01-01

Learning objects are a new form of learning resource, and the design of these digital environments has many facets. To investigate senior instructional design students' use of reflection tools in designing learning objects, a series of studies was conducted using the Reflective Action Instructional Design and Learning Object Review Instrument…

Middle school students' learning of mechanics concepts through engagement in different sequences of physical and virtual experiments

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Sullivan, Sarah; Gnesdilow, Dana; Puntambekar, Sadhana; Kim, Jee-Seon

2017-08-01

Physical and virtual experimentation are thought to have different affordances for supporting students' learning. Research investigating the use of physical and virtual experiments to support students' learning has identified a variety of, sometimes conflicting, outcomes. Unanswered questions remain about how physical and virtual experiments may impact students' learning and for which contexts and content areas they may be most effective. Using a quasi-experimental design, we examined eighth grade students' (N = 100) learning of physics concepts related to pulleys depending on the sequence of physical and virtual labs they engaged in. Five classes of students were assigned to either the: physical first condition (PF) (n = 55), where students performed a physical pulley experiment and then performed the same experiment virtually, or virtual first condition (VF) (n = 45), with the opposite sequence. Repeated measures ANOVA's were conducted to examine how physical and virtual labs impacted students' learning of specific physics concepts. While we did not find clear-cut support that one sequence was better, we did find evidence that participating in virtual experiments may be more beneficial for learning certain physics concepts, such as work and mechanical advantage. Our findings support the idea that if time or physical materials are limited, using virtual experiments may help students understand work and mechanical advantage.

A Contrastive Study of Chinese and American University Students' "Friend" Concepts

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Chen, Cheng

2015-01-01

The research aims to get representations and cultural causes of cross-cultural differences in Chinese and American University Students' "friend" concepts by empirical studies including questionnaire and interviews. Based on the statistics of the research, the research analyzes the different interactions of "friends" in…

Prosocial behavior and self-concept of Spanish students of Compulsory Secondary Education

OpenAIRE

Inglés, Cándido J.; Martínez-González, Agustín Ernesto; García-Fernández, José Manuel; Torregrosa, María S.; Ruiz Esteban, Cecilia

2012-01-01

This study analyzed the relationship between prosocial behavior and self-concept dimensions in a sample of 2022 Spanish students (51.1% males) of Compulsory Secondary Education. The prosocial behavior was measured with the Prosocial Behavior scale of the Teenage Inventory of Social Skills (TISS) and the self-concept was measured with the Self-Description Questionnaire-II (SDQ-II). Logistic regression analyses revealed that prosocial behavior is a positive and significant statistically predict...

The influence of the Bible geographic objects peculiarities on the concept of the spatiotemporal geoinformation system

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Linsebarth, A.; Moscicka, A.

2010-01-01

The article describes the infl uence of the Bible geographic object peculiarities on the spatiotemporal geoinformation system of the Bible events. In the proposed concept of this system the special attention was concentrated to the Bible geographic objects and interrelations between the names of these objects and their location in the geospace. In the Bible, both in the Old and New Testament, there are hundreds of geographical names, but the selection of these names from the Bible text is not so easy. The same names are applied for the persons and geographic objects. The next problem which arises is the classification of the geographical object, because in several cases the same name is used for the towns, mountains, hills, valleys etc. Also very serious problem is related to the time-changes of the names. The interrelation between the object name and its location is also complicated. The geographic object of this same name is located in various places which should be properly correlated with the Bible text. Above mentioned peculiarities of Bible geographic objects infl uenced the concept of the proposed system which consists of three databases: reference, geographic object, and subject/thematic. The crucial component of this system is proper architecture of the geographic object database. In the paper very detailed description of this database is presented. The interrelation between the databases allows to the Bible readers to connect the Bible text with the geography of the terrain on which the Bible events occurred and additionally to have access to the other geographical and historical information related to the geographic objects.

Supporting Students' Preparation for the Viva: Their Pre-Conceptions and Implications for Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Wellington, Jerry

2010-01-01

There has been relatively little research on the pre-conceptions of doctoral students about the final examination, the viva voce and hence there is a shortage of evidence to underpin activities designed to prepare them for this experience. The present paper, which is based upon data from a wide range of focus groups of pre-viva students, seeks to…

The Grasp of Physics Concepts of Motion: Identifying Particular Patterns in Students' Thinking

Science.gov (United States)

Obaidat, Ihab; Malkawi, Ehab

2009-01-01

We have investigated the grasp of some of the basic concepts of motion by students taking the introductory physics course in Mechanics at United Arab Emirates University (UAEU). We have developed a short research-based multiple-choice test where we were able to extract some information about the state of knowledge of the students. In general, the…

Effectiveness of higher order thinking skills (HOTS) based i-Think map concept towards primary students

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Ping, Owi Wei; Ahmad, Azhar; Adnan, Mazlini; Hua, Ang Kean

2017-05-01

Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) is a new concept of education reform based on the Taxonomies Bloom. The concept concentrate on student understanding in learning process based on their own methods. Through the HOTS questions are able to train students to think creatively, critic and innovative. The aim of this study was to identify the student's proficiency in solving HOTS Mathematics question by using i-Think map. This research takes place in Sabak Bernam, Selangor. The method applied is quantitative approach that involves approximately all of the standard five students. Pra-posttest was conduct before and after the intervention using i-Think map in solving the HOTS questions. The result indicates significant improvement for post-test, which prove that applying i-Think map enhance the students ability to solve HOTS question. Survey's analysis showed 90% of the students agree having i-Thinking map in analysis the question carefully and using keywords in the map to solve the questions. As conclusion, this process benefits students to minimize in making the mistake when solving the questions. Therefore, teachers are necessarily to guide students in applying the eligible i-Think map and methods in analyzing the question through finding the keywords.

Personalised Learning Object System Based on Self-Regulated Learning Theories

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Alharbi

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Self-regulated learning has become an important construct in education research in the last few years. Selfregulated learning in its simple form is the learner’s ability to monitor and control the learning process. There is increasing research in the literature on how to support students become more self-regulated learners. However, the advancement in the information technology has led to paradigm changes in the design and development of educational content. The concept of learning object instructional technology has emerged as a result of this shift in educational technology paradigms. This paper presents the results of a study that investigated the potential educational effectiveness of a pedagogical framework based on the self-regulated learning theories to support the design of learning object systems to help computer science students. A prototype learning object system was developed based on the contemporary research on self-regulated learning. The system was educationally evaluated in a quasi-experimental study over two semesters in a core programming languages concepts course. The evaluation revealed that a learning object system that takes into consideration contemporary research on self-regulated learning can be an effective learning environment to support computer science education.

Exploring Middle School Students' Conceptions of the Relationship between Genetic Inheritance and Cell Division

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Williams, Michelle; DeBarger, Angela Haydel; Montgomery, Beronda L.; Zhou, Xuechun; Tate, Erika

2012-01-01

This study examines students' understanding of the normative connections between key concepts of cell division, including both mitosis and meiosis, and underlying biological principles that are critical for an in-depth understanding of genetic inheritance. Using a structural equation modeling method, we examine middle school students'…

Social Coping and Self-Concept among Young Gifted Students in Ireland and the United States: A Cross-Cultural Study

Science.gov (United States)

Cross, Jennifer Riedl; O'Reilly, Colm; Kim, Mihyeon; Mammadov, Sakhavat; Cross, Tracy L.

2015-01-01

Social coping and self-concept were explored among Irish (n = 115) and American (n = 134) grades 3-8 students. Denying one's giftedness or the impact it has on peer relationships were associated with poor self-concept in both samples. Among Irish students, denying giftedness was associated with more positive self-concept when paired with a high…

Organic Chemistry Students' Fragmented Ideas about the Structure and Function of Nucleophiles and Electrophiles: A Concept Map Analysis

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Anzovino, Mary E.; Bretz, Stacey Lowery

2016-01-01

Organic chemistry students struggle with multiple aspects of reaction mechanisms and the curved arrow notation used by organic chemists. Many faculty believe that an understanding of nucleophiles and electrophiles, among other concepts, is required before students can develop fluency with the electronpushing formalism (EPF). An expert concept map…

Student-Centred Teaching Strategies by Gender, Grade Level, and Teacher’s Self-Concept in Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

PEDRO SÁNCHEZ-ESCOBEDO

2018-05-01

Full Text Available This study examined the student-centred teaching strategies of Mexican teachers by gender, grade level, and self-concept as an instructor. A conventional sample of 573 teachers from diverse school settings in the state of Yucatan in Mexico responded to a paper and pencil questionnaire. Results indicated, in general, that teachers prioritized classroom management and independent learning activities, in contrast with teaching strategies emphasized by policies and teacher´s training programs in the country, such as cooperative learning, differentiation, or promoting critical thinking. There were some gender and grade level differences. In general, female teachers promoted more independent activities than males. As expected, primary school teachers were more concerned with using differentiation teaching strategies than secondary education teachers, considering the greatest variance in younger students. Teachers self-concept had differential effects. Whilst self-efficacy feelings had no influence in the use of specific student-centred teaching strategies, high self-esteem teachers used more student-centred teaching strategies. The importance of asking teachers what they did, and how they felt as teachers was argued in light of results. Future research avenues regarding self-concept and teaching strategies are posited.

Five teacher profiles in student-centred curricula based on their conceptions of learning and teaching

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jacobs, J.C.; Luijk, S.J. van; Galindo-Garre, F.; Muijtjens, A.M.; Vleuten, C.P.M. van der; Croiset, G.; Scheele, F.

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: Teachers' conceptions of learning and teaching are partly unconscious. However, they are critical for the delivery of education and affect students' learning outcomes. Lasting changes in teaching behaviour can only be realized if conceptions of teachers have been changed accordingly.

Five teacher profiles in student-centred curricula based on their conceptions of learning and teaching

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jacobs, J.C.G.; van Luijk, S.J.; Galindo Garre, F.; Muijtjens, A.M.M.; van der Vleuten, C.P.M.; Croiset, G.; Scheele, F.

2014-01-01

Background: Teachers' conceptions of learning and teaching are partly unconscious. However, they are critical for the delivery of education and affect students' learning outcomes. Lasting changes in teaching behaviour can only be realized if conceptions of teachers have been changed accordingly.

The comparative effect of individually-generated vs. collaboratively-generated computer-based concept mapping on science concept learning

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, So Young

Using a quasi-experimental design, the researcher investigated the comparative effects of individually-generated and collaboratively-generated computer-based concept mapping on middle school science concept learning. Qualitative data were analyzed to explain quantitative findings. One hundred sixty-one students (74 boys and 87 girls) in eight, seventh grade science classes at a middle school in Southeast Texas completed the entire study. Using prior science performance scores to assure equivalence of student achievement across groups, the researcher assigned the teacher's classes to one of the three experimental groups. The independent variable, group, consisted of three levels: 40 students in a control group, 59 students trained to individually generate concept maps on computers, and 62 students trained to collaboratively generate concept maps on computers. The dependent variables were science concept learning as demonstrated by comprehension test scores, and quality of concept maps created by students in experimental groups as demonstrated by rubric scores. Students in the experimental groups received concept mapping training and used their newly acquired concept mapping skills to individually or collaboratively construct computer-based concept maps during study time. The control group, the individually-generated concept mapping group, and the collaboratively-generated concept mapping group had equivalent learning experiences for 50 minutes during five days, excepting that students in a control group worked independently without concept mapping activities, students in the individual group worked individually to construct concept maps, and students in the collaborative group worked collaboratively to construct concept maps during their study time. Both collaboratively and individually generated computer-based concept mapping had a positive effect on seventh grade middle school science concept learning but neither strategy was more effective than the other. However

How Things Work: Teaching Physics in the Context of Everyday Objects

Science.gov (United States)

Bloomfield, Louis

2015-03-01

How Things Work is an unconventional introduction to physics, a course that starts with whole objects and looks inside them to see what makes them work. Effectively ``case-study physics,'' it is designed primarily for non-science students who are unsure of the role of physics in the world and are looking for relevance in their studies. How Things Work is essentially the generalization of context-based introductory courses (Physics of the Human Body, Physics of the Automobile, and Physics of Music) and demonstrates that when physics is taught in the context of ordinary objects, these students are enthusiastic about it, look forward to classes, ask insightful questions, experiment on their own, and find themselves explaining to friends and family how things in their world work. In this talk, I will discuss the concept and structure of a How Things Work course and look briefly at how to teach its objects and assess what students learn from it. Although this course focuses on concepts rather than on calculations, it is rich in physics and requires that students think hard about the world around them. It also teaches problem solving and logical thinking skills, and demands that students face their misconceptions and failures of intuition. Lastly, it is actually quantitative in many respects, though its results are usually more words than numbers: your weight, the battery's voltage, or the acceleration due to gravity.

Exploration the conception of prospective students teacher about limit of function

Science.gov (United States)

Usman, Juniati, Dwi; Siswono, Tatag Yuli Eko

2017-08-01

The purpose of this research is to explore the conception of prospective students teacher that highly skilled on mathematical ability about limit function, especially in the aspects of understanding, representation, mental image and proposition. This study was conducted by a qualitative exploratory method. The subject was one of the students in the mathematics education of Syiahkuala University which being chosen according to the expected criteria.. The research instrument was divided into main and supporting instrument. The data was analyzed by reducing, presenting, interpreting and concluding. The analyzing data results obtained the subject's conception about limit function were elaborated the meaning of limit function with representation verbal, graphic, symbol, and logical explanation, expressing the limit function definition with verbal representation, graphic, table and symbol. The subject defined the correlation of limit function by imaging, revealing, and using one-sided the limit of function. They expanded the propositions by symbols, explained logically, and proved using a formal definition.

Using a Two-Tier Test to Analyse Students' and Teachers' Alternative Concepts in Astronomy

Science.gov (United States)

Kanli, U.

2015-01-01

This paper presents an analysis of physics teachers' as well as university and high school students' understanding of some astronomy concepts. In recent years, the significance of astronomy teaching in science education has gradually increased. Many research studies indicate that students have misconceptions about the reasons for seasons, the…

Influence of Self-Concept, Study Habit and Gender on Attitude and Achievement of Secondary School Students in Mathematics

Science.gov (United States)

Kamoru, Usman; Ramon, Olosunde Gbolagade

2017-01-01

This study examined the relationship between self-concept, attitude of the students towards mathematics, and math achievement. Also, this study investigated the influence of study habits on achievement; study habits on attitude of students to mathematics. The influence of gender and self-concept and study habit group on achievement and attitude…

The Web-based Module of Changes in Objects

Science.gov (United States)

Triayomi, R.

2017-09-01

To understand the changes of substances contained in such a kind of substance and substance characteristics then need a deep study of the concept. In this concept is expected to understand the changes of objects such as substance type and substance characteristics. Types of substances and characteristics of substances through physical changes and chemical changes and means of separation consisting of two or more substances. The principle of separation of the mixture is based on differences in physical properties of its constituents, such as substances, particle size, melting point, boiling point, magnetic properties, solubility, and so forth. This study aims to produce a web-based module of changes in objects that are valid, practical, and have effectiveness of student learning outcomes and activities on natural science learning. The experiment was conducted on 30 children in South Sumatera. The case of the development of the learning module of change of the object is influenced by the child’s understanding of the concept. Expected to be adapted by world teachers.

More Than Only Skin Deep: Appearance Self-Concept Predicts Most of Secondary School Students' Self-Esteem.

Science.gov (United States)

Baudson, Tanja G; Weber, Kira E; Freund, Philipp A

2016-01-01

One important goal of education is to develop students' self-esteem which, in turn, hinges on their self-concept in the academic, physical, and social domains. Prior studies have shown that physical self-concept accounts for most of the variation in self-esteem, with academic and social self-concepts playing a much lesser role. As pressure toward perfection seems to be increasing in education, appearance, and social relationships (three aspects that relate to crucial developmental tasks of adolescence), the goal of the present field study was to examine whether former findings still hold true in the light of the changing societal context. A sample of 2,950 students from a broad range of German secondary schools (47% girls, age 10-19 years) responded to a recently validated German-language questionnaire assessing multiple self-concept facets (Weber and Freund, 2016). We examined which self-concept aspects predict self-esteem best and whether the pattern is comparable across genders and achievement levels using latent regression analyses. Results show that self-concept of appearance is still by far the strongest predictor (total sample: B = 0.77, SE = 0.02, p educational schools. Other aspects play a much lesser role. The discussion explores why appearance is so neglected, compared to the more academic subjects, and what school can do to account for its vast importance for students' self-esteem.

Student-Led Objective Tutorial (SLOT) in Medical Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Sivagnanam, Gurusamy; Saraswathi, Simansalam; Rajasekaran, Aiyalu

2006-12-01

Purpose - To assess an innovative tutoring program named 'Student-Led Objective Tutorial' (SLOT) among undergraduate medical students. Method - The program was conceptualized by the Pharmacology Unit of Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Asian Institute of Medicine Science & Technology (AIMST), Malaysia and implemented in the middle of 2005. A cohort of 246 medical undergraduate students (spread across 5 consecutive batches) participated. Following a brief explanation on the purpose and nature of SLOT, each batch was divided into small groups and was given a reading assignment on 4 previously delivered lecture topics. Each group was asked to prepare 3-5 multiple choice questions (MCQs) of their own in PowerPoint format to be presented, in turns, to the whole class on the day of SLOT. The proceedings were facilitated by 2 lecturers. Student feedback on the efficacy and benefits were assessed through an anonymous self administered questionnaire. Results - About 76% (188) of the students favored SLOT. The acceptance rate of SLOT was higher among males. There was no significant difference between batches in their opinions on whether to pursue SLOT in future. The most prevalent positive comment was that SLOT enhanced learning skills, and the negative comment being, it consumed more time. Conclusions - SLOT is a novel tutorial method which can offset faculty shortage with advantages like enhanced interest among teachers and learners, uniform reach of content, opportunities for group learning, and involvement of visual aids as teaching-learning (T-L) method. SLOT unraveled the students' potential of peer tutoring both inside as well as outside the classroom. Consumer tutors (students) can be tapped as a resource for SLOT for all subjects and courses in healthcare teaching.

[Learning objectives achievement in ethics education for medical school students].

Science.gov (United States)

Chae, Sujin; Lim, Kiyoung

2015-06-01

This study aimed to examine the necessity for research ethics and learning objectives in ethics education at the undergraduate level. A total of 393 fourth-year students, selected from nine medical schools, participated in a survey about learning achievement and the necessity for it. It was found that the students had very few chances to receive systematic education in research ethics and that they assumed that research ethics education was provided during graduate school or residency programs. Moreover, the students showed a relatively high learning performance in life ethics, while learning achievement was low in research ethics. Medical school students revealed low interest in and expectations of research ethics in general; therefore, it is necessary to develop guidelines for research ethics in the present situation, in which medical education mainly focuses on life ethics.

The Effects of Using Concept Mapping for Improving Advanced Level Biology Students' Lower- and Higher-Order Cognitive Skills

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Bramwell-Lalor, Sharon; Rainford, Marcia

2014-01-01

This paper reports on teachers' use of concept mapping as an alternative assessment strategy in advanced level biology classes and its effects on students' cognitive skills on selected biology concepts. Using a mixed methods approach, the study employed a pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental design involving 156 students and 8 teachers from…

Design Concepts. Teacher Edition. Marketing Education LAPs.

Science.gov (United States)

Hawley, Jana

This learning activity packet is designed to help prepare students to acquire a competency: how to use design concepts in preparation for a career in the fashion industry. The unit consists of the competency, four objectives, suggested learning activities, transparency masters, and a pretest/posttest with answer keys. Activities include a…

Integrating 360° behavior-orientated feedback in communication skills training for medical undergraduates: concept, acceptance and students' self-ratings of communication competence.

Science.gov (United States)

Engerer, Cosima; Berberat, Pascal O; Dinkel, Andreas; Rudolph, Baerbel; Sattel, Heribert; Wuensch, Alexander

2016-10-18

communication items assessed by VAS and showed a pre-post effect size of ES = 0.74 on a global rating. This study demonstrates that the training concept based on 360° behavioral feedback was well accepted and generated significant changes in student self-ratings of their communication competence. Further research is needed to determine the effects on objective communication performance.

Concepts in surface physics

CERN Document Server

Desjonquères, M -C

1993-01-01

This textbook is intended as an introduction to surface science for graduate students. It began as a course of lectures that we gave at the University of Paris (Orsay). Its main objectives are twofold: to provide the reader with a compre­ hensive presentation of the basic principles and concepts of surface physics and to show the usefulness of these concepts in the real world by referring to experiments. It starts at a rather elementary level since it only requires a knowledge of solid state physics, quantum mechanics, thermodynamics and statistical physics which does not exceed the background usually taught to students early in their university courses. However, since it finally reaches an advanced level, we have tried to render it as self-contained as possible so that it remains accessible even to an unexperienced reader. Furthermore, the emphasis has been put on a pedagogical level rather than on a technical level. In this spirit, whenever possible, models which are simplified, but which contain the featu...

Profiling first-year students in STEM programs based on autonomous motivation and academic self-concept and relationship with academic achievement.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Soom, Carolien; Donche, Vincent

2014-01-01

The low success rate of first-year college students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs has spurred many academic achievement studies in which explanatory factors are studied. In this study, we investigated from a person-oriented perspective whether different motivational and academic self-concept profiles could be discerned between male and female first-year college students in STEM and whether differences in early academic achievement were associated with these student groups. Data on autonomous motivation, academic self-concept, and early academic achievement of 1,400 first-year STEM college students were collected. Cluster analyses were used to distinguish motivational profiles based on the relative levels of autonomous motivation and academic self-concept for male and female students. Differences in early academic achievement of the various profiles were studied by means of ANCOVA. Four different motivational profiles were discerned based on the dimensions of autonomous motivation (A) and academic self-concept (S): students scoring high and respectively low on both dimensions (HA-HS or LA-LS), and students scoring high on one dimension and low on the other (HA-LS or LA-HS). Also gender differences were found in this study: male students with high levels of academic self-concept and autonomous motivation had higher academic achievement compared to male students with low levels on both motivational dimensions. For female students, motivational profiles were not associated with academic achievement. The findings partially confirm the internal and external validity of the motivational theories underpinning this study and extend the present insights on identifying subgroup(s) of at risk students in contemporary STEM programs at university level.

Profiling First-Year Students in STEM Programs Based on Autonomous Motivation and Academic Self-Concept and Relationship with Academic Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Van Soom, Carolien; Donche, Vincent

2014-01-01

The low success rate of first-year college students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs has spurred many academic achievement studies in which explanatory factors are studied. In this study, we investigated from a person-oriented perspective whether different motivational and academic self-concept profiles could be discerned between male and female first-year college students in STEM and whether differences in early academic achievement were associated with these student groups. Data on autonomous motivation, academic self-concept, and early academic achievement of 1,400 first-year STEM college students were collected. Cluster analyses were used to distinguish motivational profiles based on the relative levels of autonomous motivation and academic self-concept for male and female students. Differences in early academic achievement of the various profiles were studied by means of ANCOVA. Four different motivational profiles were discerned based on the dimensions of autonomous motivation (A) and academic self-concept (S): students scoring high and respectively low on both dimensions (HA-HS or LA-LS), and students scoring high on one dimension and low on the other (HA-LS or LA-HS). Also gender differences were found in this study: male students with high levels of academic self-concept and autonomous motivation had higher academic achievement compared to male students with low levels on both motivational dimensions. For female students, motivational profiles were not associated with academic achievement. The findings partially confirm the internal and external validity of the motivational theories underpinning this study and extend the present insights on identifying subgroup(s) of at risk students in contemporary STEM programs at university level. PMID:25390942

Perceptions of Leadership: An Examination of College Students' Understandings of the Concept of Leadership

Science.gov (United States)

Haber, Paige

2012-01-01

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine how college students define the concept of leadership and to identify gender, racial, and age differences within these definitions. Participants were 1100 undergraduate students drawn from a national sample. Participants were asked to detail their definitions of leadership, which were analyzed…

Comparing large lecture mechanics curricula using the Force Concept Inventory: A five thousand student study

Science.gov (United States)

Caballero, Marcos D.; Greco, Edwin F.; Murray, Eric R.; Bujak, Keith R.; Jackson Marr, M.; Catrambone, Richard; Kohlmyer, Matthew A.; Schatz, Michael F.

2012-07-01

The performance of over 5000 students in introductory calculus-based mechanics courses at the Georgia Institute of Technology was assessed using the Force Concept Inventory (FCI). Results from two different curricula were compared: a traditional mechanics curriculum and the Matter & Interactions (M&I) curriculum. Both were taught with similar interactive pedagogy. Post-instruction FCI averages were significantly higher for the traditional curriculum than for the M&I curriculum; the differences between curricula persist after accounting for factors such as pre-instruction FCI scores, grade point averages, and SAT scores. FCI performance on categories of items organized by concepts was also compared; traditional averages were significantly higher in each concept. We examined differences in student preparation between the curricula and found that the relative fraction of homework and lecture topics devoted to FCI force and motion concepts correlated with the observed performance differences. Concept inventories, as instruments for evaluating curricular reforms, are generally limited to the particular choice of content and goals of the instrument. Moreover, concept inventories fail to measure what are perhaps the most interesting aspects of reform: the non-overlapping content and goals that are not present in courses without reform.

Comparison of student confidence and perceptions of biochemistry concepts using a team-based learning versus traditional lecture-based format.

Science.gov (United States)

Gryka, Rebecca; Kiersma, Mary E; Frame, Tracy R; Cailor, Stephanie M; Chen, Aleda M H

To evaluate differences in student confidence and perceptions of biochemistry concepts using a team-based learning (TBL) format versus a traditional lecture-based format at two universities. Two pedagogies (TBL vs lecture-based) were utilized to deliver biochemistry concepts at two universities in a first-professional year, semester-long biochemistry course. A 21-item instrument was created and administered pre-post semester to assess changes in confidence in learning biochemistry concepts using Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory (eight items, 5-point, Likert-type) and changes in student perceptions of biochemistry utilizing the theory of planned behavior (TPB) domains (13 items, 7- point, Likert-type). Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to evaluate pre-post changes, and Mann Whitney U tests for differences between universities. All students (N=111) had more confidence in biochemistry concepts post-semester, but TBL students (N=53) were significantly more confident. TBL students also had greater agreement that they are expected to actively engage in science courses post-semester, according to the perceptions of biochemistry subscale. No other differences between lecture and TBL were observed post-semester. Students in a TBL course had greater gains in confidence. Since students often engage in tasks where they feel confident, TBL can be a useful pedagogy to promote student learning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

"Inhloso Kanye Bizo": Exploring South African University Students' Conceptions and Enactment of Purpose

Science.gov (United States)

Mason, Henry D.

2017-01-01

This article reports a qualitative study that explored South African conceptions and enactment of life purpose. Data collected using semi-structured interviews with 25 first-year university students (female = 56%, age range = 18-25) offer a unique insight into African young adults' conceptions of life purpose. From a phenomenological analysis…

Influence of Physical Activity on Students' Physical Self-Concept and Satisfaction with Life: Physical and Non-Physical Education Students' Perspective

OpenAIRE

MEHDINEZHAD, Vali; GOLSANAMLOU, Masoumeh

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to find out the physical and non-physical education students' physical self-concept and satisfaction with life. 470 students were selected randomly as two sample groups (physical and non-physical education students). The valid sample of study was 449. The two questionnaires employed here were the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire (PSDQ-S) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. SPSS 20 was used to produce the Mean; Standard Deviations; Pearson's Pro...

CONCEPTS OF COLORS IN CHILDREN WITH CONGENITAL BLINDNESS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniela DIMITROVA-RADOJICHIKJ

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This descriptive qualitative interview study in¬ves¬tigates knowledge of colours in students who are congenitally blind. The purpose of this research was to explore how the lack of direct experience with colour, as a result of congenital blindness, affects judgments about semantic concepts. Qualitative methods were used to conduct interviews with 15 students. The results of the study indicate that students know the colours and have a favourite colour. The implications for practice are to pay more attention when we teach students with congenital blindness to associate colours with specific objects.

Design Guide for Earth System Science Education: Common Student Learning Objectives and Special Pedagogical Approaches

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, D.

2006-12-01

As part of the NASA-supported undergraduate Earth System Science Education (ESSE) program, fifty-seven institutions have developed and implemented a wide range of Earth system science (ESS) courses, pedagogies, and evaluation tools. The Teaching, Learning, and Evaluation section of USRA's online ESSE Design Guide showcases these ESS learning environments. This Design Guide section also provides resources for faculty who wish to develop ESS courses. It addresses important course design issues including prior student knowledge and interests, student learning objectives, learning resources, pedagogical approaches, and assessments tied to student learning objectives. The ESSE Design Guide provides links to over 130 ESS course syllabi at introductory, senior, and graduate levels. ESS courses over the past 15 years exhibit common student learning objectives and unique pedagogical approaches. From analysis of ESS course syllabi, seven common student learning objectives emerged: 1) demonstrate systems thinking, 2) develop an ESS knowledge base, 3) apply ESS to the human dimension, 4) expand and apply analytical skills, 5) improve critical thinking skills, 6) build professional/career skills, and 7) acquire an enjoyment and appreciation for science. To meet these objectives, ESSE often requires different ways of teaching than in traditional scientific disciplines. This presentation will highlight some especially successful pedagogical approaches for creating positive and engaging ESS learning environments.

Self-Esteem and Self-Concept Examination among Gifted Students with ADHD

Science.gov (United States)

Foley-Nicpon, Megan; Rickels, Heather; Assouline, Susan G.; Richards, Allison

2012-01-01

Intellectually gifted students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) face unique academic and social challenges, yet little research has been conducted with this population. The purpose of this study was to examine the self-esteem and self-concept of intellectually gifted children with and without a coexisting diagnosis of ADHD.…

The Effect of Various Media Scaffolding on Increasing Understanding of Students' Geometry Concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Sutiarso, Sugeng; Coesamin, M.; Nurhanurawati

2018-01-01

This study is a quasi-experimental research with pretest-posttest control group design, which aims to determine (1) the tendency of students in using various media scaffolding based on gender, and (2) effect of media scaffolding on increasing understanding of students' geometry concepts. Media scaffolding used this study is chart, props, and…

Self-concept and quality of object relations as predictors of outcome in short- and long-term psychotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindfors, Olavi; Knekt, Paul; Heinonen, Erkki; Virtala, Esa

2014-01-01

Quality of object relations and self-concept reflect clinically relevant aspects of personality functioning, but their prediction as suitability factors for psychotherapies of different lengths has not been compared. This study compared their prediction on psychiatric symptoms and work ability in short- and long-term psychotherapy. Altogether 326 patients, 20-46 years of age, with mood and/or anxiety disorder, were randomized to short-term (solution-focused or short-term psychodynamic) psychotherapy and long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy. The Quality of Object Relations Scale (QORS) and the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) self-concept questionnaire were measured at baseline, and their prediction on outcome during the 3-year follow-up was assessed by the Symptom Check List Global Severity Index and the Anxiety Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory and by the Work Ability Index, Social Adjustment Scale work subscale and the Perceived Psychological Functioning scale. Negative self-concept strongly and self-controlling characteristics modestly predicted better 3-year outcomes in long-term therapy, after faster early gains in short-term therapy. Patients with a more positive or self-emancipating self-concept, or more mature object relations, experienced more extensive benefits after long-term psychotherapy. The importance of length vs. long-term therapy technique on the differences found is not known. Patients with mild to moderate personality pathology, indicated by poor self-concept, seem to benefit more from long-term than short-term psychotherapy, in reducing risk of depression. Long-term therapy may also be indicated for patients with relatively good psychological functioning. More research is needed on the relative importance of these characteristics in comparison with other patient-related factors. © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Academic Self-Concept and Academic Achievement of African American Students Transitioning from Urban to Rural Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Bacon, La Shawn Catrice

2011-01-01

The relationship between academic self-concept and academic achievement in African American students who have experienced geographic mobility was the focus of this study. Specifically, this study used quantitative methods to assess African American students from counties in Iowa to obtain information about the students' relocation from urban to…

Effects of different forms of physiology instruction on the development of students' conceptions of and approaches to science learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Yi-Hui; Liang, Jyh-Chong; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2012-03-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate students' conceptions of and approaches to learning science in two different forms: internet-assisted instruction and traditional (face-to-face only) instruction. The participants who took part in the study were 79 college students enrolled in a physiology class in north Taiwan. In all, 46 of the participants were from one class and 33 were from another class. Using a quasi-experimental research approach, the class of 46 students was assigned to be the "internet-assisted instruction group," whereas the class of 33 students was assigned to be the "traditional instruction group." The treatment consisted of a series of online inquiry activities. To explore the effects of different forms of instruction on students' conceptions of and approaches to learning science, two questionnaires were administered before and after the instruction: the Conceptions of Learning Science Questionnaire and the Approaches to Learning Science Questionnaire. Analysis of covariance results revealed that the students in the internet-assisted instruction group showed less agreement than the traditional instruction group in the less advanced conceptions of learning science (such as learning as memorizing and testing). In addition, the internet-assisted instruction group displayed significantly more agreement than the traditional instruction group in more sophisticated conceptions (such as learning as seeing in a new way). Moreover, the internet-assisted instruction group expressed more orientation toward the approaches of deep motive and deep strategy than the traditional instruction group. However, the students in the internet-assisted instruction group also showed more surface motive than the traditional instruction group did.

The 7th Workshop for PhD Students in Object-Oriented Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

1997-01-01

the communication and cooperation between them. In a year of the PhDOOS network the workshop is the main event where we meet face-to-face. Between workshops we stay in touch through our mailing list. More information on the PhDOOS network can be found at http://purl.org/net/PhDOOS.......It is a tradition at ECOOP conferences to have a workshop for PhD students, conducted by the network of PhD Students in Object-Oriented Systems (PhDOOS). The purpose of this network is to help leveraging the collective resources of young researchers in the object community by improving...

The InVEST Volcanic Concept Survey: Exploring Student Understanding about Volcanoes

Science.gov (United States)

Parham, Thomas L., Jr.; Cervato, Cinzia; Gallus, William A., Jr.; Larsen, Michael; Hobbs, Jon; Stelling, Pete; Greenbowe, Thomas; Gupta, Tanya; Knox, John A.; Gill, Thomas E.

2010-01-01

Results from the Volcanic Concept Survey (VCS) indicated that many undergraduates do not fully understand volcanic systems and plate tectonics. During the 2006 academic year, a ten-item conceptual survey was distributed to undergraduate students enrolled in Earth science courses at five U.S. colleges and universities. A trained team of graders…

Locus of Control, Academic Self-Concept, and Academic Dishonesty among High Ability College Students

Science.gov (United States)

Rinn, Anne N.; Boazman, Janette

2014-01-01

The purposes of the current study were to evaluate a measure of academic dishonesty and examine high ability college students' loci of control and its effect on behaviors of academic dishonesty, as moderated by academic self-concept. A total of 357 high ability college students enrolled at two universities in the southwestern United States took…

Predicting Eight Grade Students' Equation Solving Performances via Concepts of Variable and Equality

Science.gov (United States)

Ertekin, Erhan

2017-01-01

This study focused on how two algebraic concepts- equality and variable- predicted 8th grade students' equation solving performance. In this study, predictive design as a correlational research design was used. Randomly selected 407 eight-grade students who were from the central districts of a city in the central region of Turkey participated in…

Artificial Intelligence-Based Student Learning Evaluation: A Concept Map-Based Approach for Analyzing a Student's Understanding of a Topic

Science.gov (United States)

Jain, G. Panka; Gurupur, Varadraj P.; Schroeder, Jennifer L.; Faulkenberry, Eileen D.

2014-01-01

In this paper, we describe a tool coined as artificial intelligence-based student learning evaluation tool (AISLE). The main purpose of this tool is to improve the use of artificial intelligence techniques in evaluating a student's understanding of a particular topic of study using concept maps. Here, we calculate the probability distribution of…

Research Students' Conceptions of the Role of Information and Communication Technologies in Educational Technology Research

Science.gov (United States)

Markauskaite, Lina; Wardak, Dewa

2015-01-01

The emergence of "big data," "digital scholarship" and "eResearch" raises the question of how these digital developments in research methods and practices affect research students. This paper presents findings from a phenomenographic study that investigated postgraduate students' conceptions of the role of information…

Portraits of PBL: Course Objectives and Students' Study Strategies in Computer Engineering, Psychology and Physiotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Dahlgren, Madeleine Abrandt

2000-01-01

Compares the role of course objectives in relation to students' study strategies in problem-based learning (PBL). Results comprise data from three PBL programs at Linkopings University (Sweden), in physiotherapy, psychology, and computer engineering. Faculty provided course objectives to function as supportive structures and guides for students'…

Assessing Middle School and College Students' Conceptions About Wind, Fog, and Tornadoes