Predictors of Science Fair Participation Using the Theory of Planned Behavior

The purpose of this study was to use The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to examine factors that predict junior high and secondary students' attitude toward participating in a district science fair competition (attitude toward behavior), beliefs about who would approve or disapprove of participation in a science fair (subjective norm), and perceptions of control about participating in the science fair (perceived behavioral control). Factors used to predict these included gender, type of school (public or private), grade level, GPA, participation in a gifted class, participation in a research course, requirement to complete a science fair project, and level of anxiety about completing a science fair project. Three hundred three participants completed a standard TPB questionnaire and the State-Trait Anxiety Indicator. Multiple regression models revealed that subjective norm and participation in a gifted class were predictors of attitude toward the behavior. Attitude toward the behavior, the science fair project counting toward a grade in science class, the parent's level of education, and the science fair entry being required predicted subjective norm. A discriminant function analysis found that type of school (public or private), parents' level of education, participation in a research program at school, grade level, and trait anxiety were the strongest predictors of perceived behavioral control. It was concluded that science fair entry appears to be involuntary, in conflict with NSTA's Position Statement on Science Fairs. Typically junior high students (whose parents have a higher level of education) attending private schools are required to enter science fairs, and the entry counts toward a grade in science class.     

Science Fairs: What Are the Sources of Help for Students and How Prevalent Is Cheating?

This study examined the sources and kinds of help that students who were required to participate in science fairs considered fair and reasonable and the kinds of help they actually received for their project. In addition, the possibility of cheating was explicitly probed. A previously reported gap between potential and actual sources and kinds of help was confirmed, and 5 of the 24 students whose participation was required in a science fair admitted to making up their data or results. Pressure of time was the most highly reported obstacle faced by all students. Although 5 students cheated, one demonstrated a strong sense of right and wrong, but all the students who cheated lacked or did not make use of adaptive strategies.     

Preservice Elementary Teachers' Attitudes Toward Their Past Experience With Science Fairs

The purpose of this research was to explore the experiences preservice elementary teachers have had with science fairs, to examine the attitudes resulting from their participation in science fairs as students, and to assess the importance of these past histories for their future students. Preservice teachers were asked what they liked, disliked, and what they considered to be the benefits of science fairs. While most felt that science fairs are beneficial activities for students, those who rated science fairs as most worthwhile had never participated in a science fair as either an elementary or a secondary student. Based on the results of the study, several recommendation were made to improve science fair experiences both for teachers and for students.     

An Audiotaped Program for Reduction of High School Students' Math Anxiety

This project was designed to develop and test an audiotaped program for the reduction of math anxiety. A tape was developed that uses systematic desensitization as a treatment technique. The taped program contains muscle relaxation exercises and a hierarchy of math-related activities to be visualized while in the relaxed state. Three hundred thirty-six ninth and tenth grade college-bound math students were given two instruments to measure their level of math anxiety as a pretest. Fifty-three measured high and were invited to participate in the treatment; they were given the same instruments as a posttest. Of the twenty who responded, ten completed the treatment and ten did not participate. Those who participated had significant reductions in math anxiety levels. Those who were not treated had math anxiety levels which remained virtually unchanged.     

Multiple Intelligences Theory: A Framework for Personalizing Science Curricula

This case study reports on the experiences of a high school science teacher, Dave, as he explored multiple intelligences (MI) theory within the context of an action research group. The theory was used as a framework to make decisions about how he would structure learning experiences for his grade nine students in a science unit on space and astronomy. Through participation in the project, Dave believed he was able to offer his students a more student-centered, engaging science curriculum that catered to individual learning needs. Thus, the case provides insight into the nature of MI theory and how the framework of MI theory can be used to make science accessible to students and to assist them in achieving high levels of scientific literacy.     

Improving Science Teaching for All Students

An inservice program designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of elementary school teachers with respect to science content, effective teaching strategies, and gender equity was implemented as a semester-long course. During the course, teachers explored new science content in chemistry and physics and then collaboratively developed lesson plans from it based on hands-on, discovery-centered learning, enmeshed in strategies that could maximize female student interest and participation in science. Teachers tried out their lessons between course sessions in their own classrooms and then collaboratively reflected on their progress and problems in subsequent sessions. Program results were positive for both teachers and students. Teachers reported significant increases in both their level of knowledge of and their confidence in teaching chemistry and physics concepts, as well as in their knowledge of strategies for addressing gender inequities. Project students' attitudes, particularly those of the girls, improved for some dimensions, remained stable for others, and declined for one; the girls also increased their level of active participation in science activities. Overall, the project seems to have had a positive impact on science teaching content and pedagogy, and on student (especially girls') interest and active participation in science.     

Perceived parental influence and students' dispositions to study mathematically-demanding courses in Higher Education

We explore the influence of family on adolescent students' mathematical habitus by investigating the association between students' perceptions of parental influence and their dispositions towards mathematics. A construct measuring ‘perceived parental influence’ was validated using Rasch methodology on data from 563 Cypriot students on ‘core’ and ‘advanced’ mathematics pre-university courses, and was then used to predict students' dispositions towards future study of mathematically-demanding courses at university. In most of the regression models, perceived parental influence was not associated significantly with students' dispositions towards mathematics, when other variables were included in the models. However, further statistical analysis showed that perceived parental influence is mediated by (i) the mathematics course students are studying and (ii) their mathematical inclination. We suggest that family influences on students' dispositions are significantly accounted for by students' prior choice of mathematics course and the family's inculcation of their mathematical inclination; these are important factors influencing university choices.     

The Effects of Self-Regulation,Motivation, Anxiety,and Attributions on Mathematics Achievement for Fifth and Sixth Grade Students

For this quantitative study, a total of n = 761 students (58.1% female) from selected fifth- and sixth-grade mathematics classrooms in Alabama were surveyed in order to investigate the relationships between self-regulated learning, motivation, anxiety, attributions and achievement in mathematics. Data analyses revealed that significant contributions are made by motivation and anxiety on both test score and mathematics grade for fifth grade students. Specific factors (e.g., self-efficacy, worry, other, and failure) were related to academic performance while failure attribution was significantly related to mathematics grade. As for sixth grade students, data analyses showed relationships exist between motivation, anxiety and academic performance with specific factors (i.e., self-efficacy, intrinsic value, and worry) significantly predicting both test score and mathematics grade for sixth graders. The findings underlie the importance of motivation and anxiety for students and how these constructs interact to facilitate self-regulation over the course of developing expertise in a domain, such as mathematics.     

The Influence of Science Summer Camp on African‐American High School Students' Career Choices

This study explored if a weeklong science camp changed Louisiana African‐American high school students' perception of science. A semi‐structured survey was used before and after the camp to determine the changes in science attitudes and career choices. Among the perceived benefits were parental involvement, increased science academic ability, and deepened scientific knowledge. These perceived benefits influenced the identities that students constructed for themselves in relation to science in their lives. Students who reported doing well in school science courses believed that science was more relevant to their lives. Female students who cited doing well in science reported less parental involvement in their schoolwork than males. This study draws attention to gender differences in science and to designing informal science learning experiences for African‐American high school students that can change attitudes toward career choices in science‐related fields.     

Student Performance on Asking Questions,Identifying Variables,and Formulating Hypotheses

The purpose of this study was to extend attempts to develop a research framework for encoding and analyzing students' responses to the tasks of asking questions, identifying variables, and formulating hypotheses, and to use the research framework to analyze and classify the responses of seventh grade students. A performance-based assessment instrument was used. The topic was heat and temperature. The responses of 364 seventh grade students were used to develop a framework for evaluating student written responses which allows researchers to classify student responses according to their general completeness and usefulness, and according to the manner in which responses were incomplete or not useful. Interrater reliability was 82%. Seventh grade students who reportedly have had instruction in the science processes did not perform well on this performance-based assessment.     

A Collaborative Effort to Improve University Engineering Instruction

This study focused on the instructional development of an assistant professor of environmental engineering in collaboration with science education and higher education faculty members. One semester of data was collected in the assistant professor's environmental engineering laboratory class as he endeavored to address his teaching goals. Data collection included pre and post interviews with the assistant professor, students, and program coordinator, and collection of course documents, such as the course syllabus and assignments. In addition, all of the classroom sessions were observed and videotaped, and a midsemester video stimulated‐recall interview was conducted. Results show the assistant professor made growth in the areas of questioning strategies, “think time” for students, increased class participation, and the implementation of a student‐designed field research project. Implications include that new professors can benefit from peer faculty support, and they and their students can benefit when the new professors recognize the complementary nature of research and teaching.     

The Impact of Participation in an Ancillary Science and Mathematics Program (SEMAA) on Engagement Rates of Middle School Students in Regular Mathematics Classrooms

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of participation in a federally sponsored, short‐term, cocurricular, mathematics and science program (Science Engineering Mathematics Aerospace Academy, SEMAA) on the engagement rates of sixth‐ and seventh‐grade students in public school mathematics classes. Engagement was measured with the Student Record of Behavior at three time intervals. Results of a 22.3 ANOVA investigating three main effects (participation, level of access to technology, and time) and their primary and secondary interactions reflected no discernable impact of the SEMAA program on student engagement rates. Ancillary programs designed to compensate for deficiencies in daily instructional programs may represent engagement opportunities vastly different from the daily instructional programs they support. Consequently, ancillary programs may not impact engagement in regular classrooms and subsequently improve achievement outcomes, especially when implemented in low‐performing schools and high‐stakes accountability settings. Recommendations include alignment of ancillary programs with the daily instructional programs they support and with ongoing professional development activities and that further study include broadened samples, settings, and variables.     

A hybrid model of mathematics support for science students emphasizing basic skills and discipline relevance

The problem of students entering university lacking basic mathematical skills is a critical issue in the Australian higher-education sector and relevant globally. The Maths Skills programme at La Trobe University has been developed to address under preparation in the first-year science cohort in the absence of an institutional mathematics support centre. The programme was delivered through first-year science and statistics subjects with large enrolments and focused on basic mathematical skills relevant to each science discipline. The programme offered a new approach to the traditional mathematical support centre or class. It was designed through close collaboration between science subject coordinators and the project leader, a mathematician, and includes resources relevant to science and mathematics questions written in context. Evaluation of the programme showed it improved the confidence of the participating students who found it helpful and relevant. The programme was delivered through three learning modes to allow students to select activities most suitable for them, which was appreciated by students. Mathematics skills appeared to increase following completion of the programme and student participation in the programme correlated positively and highly with academic grades in their relevant science subjects. This programme offers an alternative model for mathematics support tailored to science disciplines.     

Science Self‐Efficacy and School Transitions: Elementary School to Middle School,Middle School to High School

This study examined the science self‐efficacy beliefs of students at the transition from elementary school (Grade 6) to middle school (Grade 7) and the transition from middle school (Grade 8) to high school (Grade 9). The purpose was to determine whether students' perceived competence is impacted at these important school transitions and if the effect is mediated by gender and ethnicity. Science self‐efficacy was measured through a modified Self‐Efficacy Questionnaire for Children, which was adapted to focus specifically on science self‐efficacy. Multiple ordinary least squares regression was used to analyze the data. Two models were developed, one using ninth grade as the comparison group and the other using sixth grade as the comparison group. In each model, the independent variables (grade level, gender, and ethnicity) were regressed on the dependent variable, science self‐efficacy. The most striking finding was the large and significant decline in science self‐efficacy scores for ninth graders at the transition to high school. We also found that females and Hispanic students had lower scores across grades as compared to males and Caucasians. How these results relate to existing studies, and implications for practice and future research are discussed.     

The Cumulative and Residual Impact of a Systemic Reform Program on Teacher Change and Student Learning of Science

This longitudinal, five‐year study of teachers and students who had participated in a systemic reform program in science explored if (1) teacher change in practice realized during a three‐year program is sustained one, two, and three years following the program, (2) student performance on state science assessments two years following studying with teachers at this school still demonstrated significant differences from students who attended the control school, and (3) student performance continued to be enhanced for both White and Minority students. Student achievement was assessed using the Discovery Inquiry Test in Science during sixth through eighth grades and the Ohio Graduation Test was used in 10th grade. The same students completed the test in grades 6–8 and 10th grade. Students from the Program school significantly outperformed students who attended the control school on the 10th grade state assessment in science. Findings in this study revealed the ability for sustained, whole‐school, professional development programs to have a cumulative and residual impact on teacher change and student learning of science.     

A statistical analysis on the effectiveness of using a computer algebra system in a developmental algebra course

We evaluate the effectiveness of using a Computer Algebra System (CAS) in an Intermediate Algebra course. We measure the effectiveness of using technology in this developmental course by comparing the grade distributions in a follow-up course of three groups: students who went through the technology based course, students who went through a traditional course, and students who were not required to take a developmental course. This study indicates that using a CAS is a very effective teaching tool for the developmental mathematics program. We found that the students in the developmental program which had the technology based course did at least as well as the students who did not need to take any developmental courses. This is a real improvement since we also found that students who took the traditional Intermediate. Algebra course did not do as well in subsequent courses as students who took the technology based course.     

Influences on Science Fair Participant Research Design Selection and Success

The purpose of this investigation is to gain a better understanding of the characteristics of pre-college researchers by examining the influences on research design selection and success in competition. The 22 participants were finalists at the 44th International Science and Engineering Fair, where they completed a questionnaire describing the influences on their research activities and methodologies. Additional data consisted of artifacts collected from the participants and the Science Service. Data were analyzed using an interpretive methodology. Assertions generated from the analysis indicated that students are largely accurate in self-reports of design, interacted with mentors on several levels, outside influences reflect shifts in motivational orientation, and success attributions reflect internalization of influences. Recommendations for future research with science fair participants are included.     

Multi‐Year Professional Development Grounded in Educative Curriculum Focused on Integrating Technology With Reformed Science Teaching Principles

Visions of science teaching and learning in the newest U.S. standards documents are dramatically different than those found in most classrooms. This research addresses these differences through closely examining one professional development (PD) project that connects teacher learning and teacher practice with student learning/achievement. This study examines the effects on eighth grade science teachers and their students in the context of a PD focused on the integration of information communication technologies and reformed science teaching practices. Findings from this investigation suggest that teachers who participated in PD for two years learned more about technology, improved their practice, and their students’ achievement was significantly higher compared to teachers who participated in one year of the PD or non‐participating peers. Science educators face multiple challenges as they attempt to deliver instruction in fundamentally different ways than what they experienced as learners. The delivery of this professional learning suggest that PD for science teachers should include educative learning experiences if understandings of reforms supported by research are to be realized.     

What Factors Affect Attitudes Toward Women in Science Held by High School Biology Students?

To achieve the goal of science for all Americans, students of both genders must believe that careers in science are equally appropriate for women. Yet male and female students in high school science classes do not have the same views of women in science. This study investigated the influence of 17 factors on high school students' attitudes toward women in science. Data were collected from 844 students enrolled in biology classes in an urban school district in Georgia. Multiple regression determined that the 17 factors significantly influence students' attitudes toward women in science, accounting for 28% of common variance. The four most significant factors - student gender, science ability, level of education the student plans to complete, and career interest-accounted for 24.6% of total variance. Female students who have high science ability, plan to complete high levels of education, and who have career interests in science showed more favorable attitudes toward women in science. Males with low science ability, low levels of education they plan to complete, and no interest in science as a career had the least favorable attitudes toward women in science. Male students with less positive attitudes toward science careers for women need to be included in programs aimed at encouraging all students to consider science careers.