Search

Scientific modeling (SM) is a core practice of science and an important component of scientific literacy. Supporting students in developing the competence to construct, use, evaluate, and revise models is hence of particular relevance. While research has shown that spatial visualization (SV), a core component of spatial ability, is correlated with students' SM performance, it is unclear which role SV plays in students performing the four elements of SM: the construction, the use, the evaluation, and the revision of models. This study analyzes the role of SV in the performance of a series of SM tasks by 279 students in Grades 4 and 7. The findings indicate that SV affects students' performance in SM but that the effect is more significant in Grade 4 than in Grade 7. More specifically, SV is significantly predictive for model revision in Grade 4, but significant for model evaluation in Grade 7. However, there was no gender difference in the effect of SV on SM. The implications are that science teaching and learning must better attend to supporting younger students through visual aids when engaging them in SM. The study also suggests that further studies are needed to understand the different cognitive processes involved in students' SM and their complex interplay.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relations between primary school students' conceptions of, approaches to, and self-efficacy in learning science in Mainland China. A total of 1049 primary school students from Mainland China participated in this study. Three instruments were adapted to measure students' conceptions of learning science, approaches to learning science, and self-efficacy. The exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were adopted to validate three instruments. The path analysis was employed to understand the relationships between conceptions of learning science, approaches to learning science, and self-efficacy. The findings indicated that students' lower level conceptions of learning science positively influenced their surface approaches in learning science. Higher level conceptions of learning science had a positive influence on deep approaches and a negative influence on surface approaches to learning science. Furthermore, self-efficacy was also a hierarchical construct and can be divided into the lower level and higher level. Only students' deep approaches to learning science had a positive influence on their lower and higher level of self-efficacy in learning science. The results were discussed in the context of the implications for teachers and future studies.

Since the high degree of heritability of physiological traits was demonstrated by twin and adoption studies, contemporary researchers in the fields of clinical medicine, behavioral science, and genetics have acknowledged the crucial role of genetic factors in human physiology. The study described herein explores the association between physiological parameters and the dopaminergic system using molecular genetic techniques. A total of 558 Taiwanese female volunteers, ranging from 16 to 17 years, were recruited. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in genes involved in the dopaminergic pathway were selected for analysis. Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were associated significantly with the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism and the dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH) C1021T polymorphism. Furthermore, plasma uric acid was associated significantly with the COMT Val158Met polymorphism. Our study suggests the possible involvement of genetic polymorphisms in COMT and DBH in the regulation of blood pressure and plasma uric acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]