Journal of Baltic Science Education

64-77

Authors: Fatma Aggul, Mehmet Yalcin, Metin Acikyildiz, Erdal Sonmez

This study aimed to explore the effect of teaching through demonstration-simulation on students’ achievement of energy conservation in comparison with traditional teaching. The sample consisted of fifty nine 7th grade students from a state primary school in Turkey. In the study, non-equivalent groups pretest-posttest design was used and the data was collected through an achievement test developed by the researchers, Energy Conservation Test. The conservation of energy concept was taught using a demonstration and a simulation in the experimental group and traditional instruction method in the control group. Data collected by the test was statistically assessed applying the analysis of covariance. To explore obviously the class atmosphere in experimental group, it was utilized from the teacher’s observation notes and student interviews. The statistical comparison showed that there was a significant difference between groups with respect to students’ scores of the test. Moreover, the analysis of the qualitative data indicated that such a class atmosphere supported the constructive and meaningful learning.

86-102

Authors: Jari Lavonen, Janis Gedrovics, Reijo Byman, Veijo Meisalo, Kalle Juuti, Anna Uitto

This paper examines lower secondary school students’ motivational orientations on the characteristics of science and technology occupations. The survey data of 9th grade students were collected in spring 2003, in Finland from 75 schools (3626 students) and in Latvia from 39 schools (1065 students). An exploratory factor analysis was used to describe the students’ orientations towards the characteristics of or activities typical to occupations. The multi-group confirmatory factor analysis was used for the simultaneous analysis of Finnish and Latvian data and the factorial invariance across the two separate data was confirmed. The factors were named: Personally meaningful, Leadership, Craft, Nature, Innovation, and Social orientation. Characteristics related especially to Personally meaningful orientation, and also to Innovation and Social orientations appeared most important for choice of future occupations. Boys, on the average, were much more oriented towards conventional technology than girls, whereas girls had much stronger Personally meaningful, Nature, and Social orientations than boys reflecting traditional role models.