Search

This report outlines a 2-year investigation into how secondary science teachers used professional development (PD) to build scientific classroom discourse communities (SCDCs). Observation data, teacher, student, and school demographic information were used to build a hierarchical linear model. The length of time that teachers received PD was the exclusive predictor of change over time, whereas a schools' percentage of low socioeconomic students predicted how PD concepts was initially implemented. Prior to PD teachers expressed a desire to increase opportunities for students to engage in SCDCs, but found some aspects more challenging than others to implement. Generally, there were three categories of the teachers' frequency of use of SCDC strategies: (a) "most observed" that required teachers to change their own communication, classroom management, and direct instruction; (b) "occasionally observed" that provided opportunities for greater oral and written discourse to facilitate students' meaning making of science; and (c) "least observed" that encouraged students' executive control of their learning and teachers' use of formative assessment in response to students' diverse learning needs. Teachers identified administrative support, PD strategies, and teacher collaboration as supports for implementation. However, they rated students' science knowledge, diverse language skills, and discourse abilities as the greatest barriers to implementing a SCDC.

Students in grades kindergarten through 12 were interviewed to study attitudes toward science education. Results indicated that the youngest children enjoy science activities, but junior high school students begin to dislike open-ended activities with unspecified outcomes. By high school, students reported not being to understand science, not liking it and finding that it had no importance in their lives.

Examines the variables that influence females' success in science by experimenting with the outcomes of measures of formal reasoning ability. Concludes that women turn away from science for reasons that have little or nothing to do with their reasoning ability. (YP)

Discusses attitude of school children toward science. Semistructural approach in interviewing students; Attitudes about science and school; Comments on instructional techniques, materials and activities; Nature of science and scientific work; Academic and career goals in science; Ideas of students on how science should be taught.

The article discusses the study on sex differences in proportional reasoning and the various performance factors that affect the scientific ability of women. The purpose of the study was to examine the variables that might influence the success of females in science by experimenting with the outcomes of measures of formal reasoning ability under various conditions. A finding that sex differences persist across task type and experimenter sex would tend to support the deficit hypothesis. Methods and results of the study was presented and evaluated. Results suggest that women turn away from science as avocation or profession for reasons that have little or nothing to do with their intellectual ability.