Journal of Baltic Science Education

829-830

Authors: Editorial Board

Cover page

832-835

Authors: Todar Lakhvich

In April of 2017, I was working with the team of FEBS (Federation of European Biochemical Societies) Education Ambassadors from different European countries and Education Committee members in Université Paris Descartes. This was a significant event, involving FEBS Constituent Societies, to create a platform at the European level to brainstorm on educational issues across Europe. The discussions focused on what would be done in order to meet the mission and vision of FEBS on educational issues ̶ to promote education throughout Europe. Along with the other very important issues (curriculum, inventory of key skills, good practice, etc.) the working group on learning resources has elaborated short and long term objectives to formation of an appropriate learning database in the field of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology education. The participants discussed a lot about the importance of inquiry based approach which includes in particular the conduction, evaluation and presentation of Student Research.

855-872

Authors: Daihu Yang, Minghui Zhou

In the past decades much research on the image of the scientist has been conducted, but the image of the specific scientist who does biological work, namely, the biologist, is under researched. Without this aspect of research school biology education may operate nowhere near to promoting the growth of students’ appropriate image of the biologist. Drawing on previous approach, this research presents students’ images of the biologist by administering a Draw Biologist Test (DBT) to 121 lower-secondary school students from the 7th, 8th and 9th grades. Findings indicate that when compared with the images elsewhere, the lower-secondary school students exhibit similar patterns regarding gender, teamwork and general attitude, but tend to include more descriptors of white lab coat, tidy hairstyle, microscope, other ethnicities, serious looking, practical activities and indoor contexts, fewer descriptors of knowledge and technology symbols and less gloomy side of biological work. It is suggested that school biology education should mitigate the gendered image of the biologist, duly expose students to more theoretical and outdoor biological activities, value cooperation and collaboration as well as transform students’ positive attitude into future engagements.

898-907

Authors: Lindelani Mnguni

In spite of integrating HIV/AIDS education in South African curricula the prevalence of HIV in 2016 was the highest since 2002. HIV infection rate is particularly high among schoolgirls compared with boys. Using a closed-ended questionnaire, this quantitative survey research compared Biology and non-Biology schoolgirls’ (n=291) behavioural intention, Health Literacy and HIV/AIDS Literacy to determine if enrolling for Biology, and subsequently learning about the scientific nature of HIV/AIDS would reduce risk behaviour among schoolgirls. Results indicate that Biology students have higher Health Literacy and HIV/AIDS Literacy than non-Biology students. The behavioural intentions of both groups were not significantly different. Health Literacy and HIV/AIDS Literacy did not correlate significantly with behavioural intention, which were indicative of risk behaviour. These findings suggest that enrolling for Biology and other science subjects and subsequently learning about HIV/AIDS may not reduce risk behaviour among schoolgirls.

919-931

Authors: Abraham Motlhabane

The quality and standard of South African examination questions for the grade 12 examination have become an important issue for the South African education system. So far, the focus of empirical research has been on factors that lead to poor performance in the Physical sciences as well as the alignment of the grade 12 Physical Sciences examination with the core curriculum in South Africa. On the contrary, this research paper focuses on a different aspect: the weaknesses and the strengths of the Physics examination questions. It addresses the question of how the Physics examination questions cover higher and lower order level questions in the Bloom’s revised taxonomy. To answer this question, the Physics examination questions of the year 2014 and 2015 were analysed using Bloom’s revised taxonomy of learning objectives. The examination questions were codified and the frequencies and percentages of occurrence of different learning objectives were calculated. The results show that third level cognitive skills were more prevalent than other ones. Furthermore, examiners asked questions that require application and few questions requiring the recall of knowledge.

946-957

Authors: Zekri A. M. Zouhor, Ivana Z. Bogdanović, Sonja J. Skuban, Milica V. Pavkov-Hrvojević

Physics is generally regarded as difficult and uninteresting. The teaching of physics with the use of an appropriate teaching strategy can improve students' achievement. The aim of this research is to examine the effect of the modified Know-Want-Learn (mKWL) strategy on primary school students’ achievement in physics. The Know-Want-Learn (KWL) strategy was modified to be used for students’ inquiry. Quasi experimental research was carried out with 110 sixth-grade students divided into an experimental and a control group. The students in the control group were taught using direct teaching and the students in the experimental group were taught using TQHL charts. These charts consist of columns: T-What I Think and what I know, Q-What Questions I have, H-How can I find out, L-What I Learned. Pre-test and post-test were administered to both groups; two physics knowledge tests were constructed for that purpose. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired samples t-tests and independent samples t-tests. The implication of the research results is that using the mKWL strategy in a sixth-grade physics class has a positive effect on students’ achievement. It can be suggested to implement the described strategy in teaching physics in order to improve students’ achievement in this subject.

980-993

Authors: Ibrahim Erdogan, Ayse Ciftci, Mustafa Sami Topcu

In this research the argumentation levels of the 5th, 6th and 7th grade students and the questions of the teachers and students were examined. The sample group of the research was selected according to the homogeneous sampling method. This research is a descriptive research. The data were collected by using a voice recorder. The data of this research were evaluated according to the descriptive analysis approach. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that the students used Level 1 argumentation which has the lowest quality more frequently in comparison with the higher ones and used the claim component more than other arguments and did not use the backing, qualifier, and rebuttal components. Furthermore, it was found that the questioning rates of the teachers were higher in comparison with the students and the questions of the teachers and students were usually at the levels of remembering and understanding. One of the factors that caused the argumentation level of the students to be low may have been that the teachers asked questions which were oriented to remembering. Therefore, the high level questions that ensure the initiation and continuation of the argumentation process should be inquired in the lessons.

1009-1019

Authors: Majda Fiksl, Andrej Flogie, Boris Aberšek

For successful work in the classroom, it is important to create a positive climate and to involve students actively in the process of learning. The presented research focused on how the students perceived the classroom climate, and on their interest in the contents of the subject Science, Engineering and Technology (STE). 92 primary school sixth- and seventh-grade students had been included in research. Two groups are established, one from a class using mainly frontal teaching methods (control group) and another, expert group from a class using an innovative teaching/learning methods mainly as problem and research-based learning and participatory learning supported with information communication technology. To measure the classroom climate and the students' interest, a survey with 54 statements was used. The results confirmed changes in the perception of classroom climate and in the popularity of contents taught in STE, in relation to the teaching methods used. It was established that innovative teaching/learning methods increase the students′ interest, and help to improve classroom climate.

1035-1036

Authors: Editorial Board

End page

629-630

Authors: Editorial Board

Cover page

632-633

Authors: Andrej Šorgo

Hooray! You have succeeded in publishing an article based on your own, yet unpublished questionnaire. This can certainly be regarded as a personal success. However, many articles based on questionnaires are not particularly reader-friendly. I am sure that these authors are not being deliberately evil; however, in their path to fame, they forget that their writing is not a secret diary but something that should communicate readily with the reader.

651-665

Authors: Paken Pandiangan, I Gusti Made Sanjaya, Budi Jatmiko

The Physics Independent Learning (PIL) model is an authentic problem-based model designed teaching guide for improving self-directed learning and problem-solving skills in open and distance education. This research is aimed to analyze the validity and effectiveness of PIL model. This research was conducted using focus group discussions of experts that consisted of three science education experts and applies quasi-experiment of one group pre-test and post-test design to 144 students in East Java, Indonesia. Before applying the lesson using the PIL model, the students are given pre-test and after accomplishing the learning, the students are given post-test. The data collected from pre-test and post-test then is further analyzed by means of validity coefficient (rα), Cronbach’s alpha (α), pair t-test, n-gain and ANOVA. The result of research shows that rα = .75 and α = .92 is for content validity; rα = .79 and α = .99 is for construct validity, so that PIL model is validity and reliability qualified. In addition, there are increasing scores of physics problem solving skills and self-directed learning skills of α = 5% with moderate category of n-gain consistent in a limited trial test and of high category in a broader trial test for all groups.

678-693

Authors: Serap Çalışkan

The aim of this research is to determine the predictive level of physics self-efficacy with regard to physics anxiety and the correlations between the physics anxiety and self-efficacy of pre-service teachers, also to examine whether physics anxiety and self-efficacy beliefs differ depending on pre-service teachers' achievement in physics and their gender. The research was conducted with 344 pre-service teachers enrolled at a state university in Turkey. The data obtained were analyzed using means (M), standard deviation (SD), simple regression analysis, the one-way multivariate analysis of variance (one-way MANOVA) and as a follow-up test, the univariate analysis of variance (univariate ANOVA). The outcome of the research indicating the physics anxiety of the pre-service teachers was a significant predictor of their physics self-efficacy, significant differences between physics anxiety and self-efficacy depending upon the level of achievement in the physics course, also showing that in general, female pre-service teachers had significantly higher levels of anxiety compared to males and that with respect to self-efficacy, differences were in favor of male pre-service teachers only in the dimension of problem-solving in physics.

706-722

Authors: Lwun-Syin Lwo, Jim- Hua Fu, Cheng-Chieh Chang

This research aims to explore the tendency of the New Ecological Paradigm and environmental concerns on local environmental issues of secondary school teachers. Two hundred seventy teachers were selected by stratified random and cluster sampling from 13 schools to participate in the survey. The seven teachers were interviewed on their concepts and beliefs on the ecological worldviews and local environmental concerns. The results of the research include: With high pro-environmental beliefs, most of the teachers expressed their concerns about the environment. However, teachers believe that “Human will eventually learn enough about how nature works to be able to control it,” which is labeled as anti-NEP item. It seems that teachers mostly notice to “human learn” not to “human control”. It also seems that teacher’ environmental worldviews may be affected by their career training. The results of the research provide some implication for strengthening teachers’ environmental endorsement and therefore to affect people’s environmental ethics and friendly behaviors.

733-745

Authors: King-Dow Su

This research focuses on students’ tactic assessments of 3 correlations with illustrated 2-step strategic map and animated presentations in stoichiometry. The participants were divided into 2 learning groups: the experimental and the control group by quasi-experimental approach. Most of all, experimental group participants have been contingent on critical performances of thinking capabilities in accordance with tactic fulfillments of 3 correlations helpfully. In contrast with statistic findings of post-tests, experimental group participants get more formulated goals of individual learning in answering 5 algorithmic and conceptual pairs of achievement test items than those of control group participants. Students’ shift of reasoning from model-based to case-based requires them to explore an effective mental cognition and responses for full-fledged performances of problem-solving skills. After tactic fulfillments for 3 study objectives of visualized developments, experimental group participants have upgraded a distinct learning accumulation and project-based feedback at their best learning performances.

761-779

Authors: Mundilarto, Helmiyanto Ismoyo

The aim of the research was to know the effect of implementation of problem-based learning model on students' physics achievement and critical thinking. The research was a quasi-experimental using a pre-test-post-test control group design. It was conducted at a state senior high school in Indonesia. The data were collected by a students' physics achievement test, a students' critical thinking test, and an observation sheet. The data were analysed by calculating normalized gain scores and hypothesis testing by using MANOVA with the significance level of .05 as criterion. The research results indicated that the average gain scores for students' physics achievement of the experimental and control groups were respectively .63 and .32, the average gain scores for students' critical thinking of the experimental and control groups were respectively .49 and .34, and a value of p is .0001 was obtained from the MANOVA calculation so that it is concluded that such learning as that in the experimental group is better in comparison with such learning as that in the control group. The results of this research are expected to increase insight and knowledge of teachers in implementing the learning process in the classroom so as to apply varied learning models.

797-812

Authors: Arif Rachmatullah, Sariwulan Diana, Minsu Ha

Conceptions of learning have been known as having influence on students’ learning outcomes, the one of which is science learning as to be a scientifically literate person. Even, the effects of students’ conceptions in learning have been known, but the contributing factors are still vague. This research aims to explore Indonesian high-school students’ conceptions of learning science (COLS), to find out if gender and students’ favorite science subject cause differences in their COLS, and to validate the COLS instrument by using Rasch analyses. Thirty-one items measuring six COLS were administered to 609 Indonesian high-school students. Rasch analyses, an independent sample t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and cluster analyses featuring chi-square tests of interdependence were used to answer the research questions. Based on the analyses, it was found that the COLS instrument was best fitted as six-dimensional. Gender difference was emerged in memorizing, and differences based on students’ favorite science subject were also found in memorizing and calculating and practicing. Finally, the results of cluster analyses showed that Indonesian students were divided into three different classes based on their COLS, and that the clusters were significantly related to the school locations.

441-442

Authors: Editorial Board

Cover page

444-445

Authors: Milan Kubiatko

Active learning is a form of learning in which teaching strives to involve students in the learning process more directly than in other methods. This term has got many synonyms like learning through play, technology based learning, activity based learning, group work, project method, etc. the underlying factor behind these are some significant qualities and characteristics of active learning. The term “active learning” was introduced by the English scholar R. W. Revans. The definition was developing through time. In more detail, in active learning, students must do more than just listen: They must read, write, discuss, or be engaged in solving problems. It relates to the three learning domains referred to as knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSA). In particular, students must engage in such higher-order thinking tasks as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Active learning engages students in two aspects – doing things and thinking about the things they are doing (Renkl et al., 2002). Active learning should transform students from passive listeners to active participants, helps the student understand the subject through inquiry, gathering and analyzing data to solving higher order cognitive problems. There is intensive use of scientific and quantitative literacy across the curriculum, and technology based learning is also in high demand in concern with active learning.

459-471

Authors: Mehmet Demirbağ, Sevgi Kingir

In order to reach students who can efficiently use intended scientific understandings, it is important to have science teachers without conceptual difficulties. The aim of present research is to enhance pre-service science teachers’ conceptual understanding about boiling by dialogic teaching. The sample consisted of forty-three pre-service science teachers in their first year of teacher education. Dialog-based instructional activities were conducted in a chemistry laboratory course. Audio recordings of classroom discourse and written texts were used for data collection. Pre-service science teachers’ conceptions about boiling identified before and after dialogic teaching were analyzed using content analysis.. The findings showed that dialogic teaching efficiently supported pre-service science teachers’ understanding about boiling.

500-509

Authors: Gordana Miscevic Kadijevic

Adequate mental representations of animals are important for children’s personal development, because they result in their appropriate treatment of such animals, which would not, for example, compromise either animals’ or children’s safety. By using a convenient sample of 101 six- to seven-year old children, this research examined these representations regarding animals’ names, feeding habits, body coverings, and dangerousness. The representations were assessed using a questionnaire referring to 18 animals, and the research focused on the frequency of correct responses and gender differences in these responses for each animal. It was found that whereas the naming of animals was very successful, the mental representations of animals’ feeding habits and body coverings were less mature, including some misconceptions not found in previous studies. In addition, the participants’ explanations about why animals are dangerous or harmless revealed that their mental representations about different animals were correct to a moderate degree. Finally, gender differences in the mental representations were almost missing. Some implications for school or kindergarten work with children are given (e.g., reducing misconceptions about and fear of some animals).

524-532

Authors: Stanisława Katarzyna Nazaruk, Anna Klim-Klimaszewska

The contemporary theory of learning treats pre-school instruction as the first level of early child education. The pre-school age is seen as a very important period of life. A pre-school child grasps knowledge spontaneously, naturally, in all circumstances, thus, direct learning seems to be of particular importance. It may therefore seem that children living in the village have more stimuli for direct learning about nature, developing their knowledge and skills. However, children living in the city have more access to different amenities and financial resources to develop their talents and interests. The following studies have been conducted to determine whether there is a difference in the knowledge and skills about nature in 6-year-old children regarding the place of residence. The research covered 50 children in the city and 40 children in the village. The examination consisted of two stages: the pre-test and post-test. There were used age-appropriate flash cards. During 6 months, teachers systematically introduced a direct learning project on nature in four ecosystems: a meadow, a park, a forest, a zoo. The analysis of the data gathered in the research showed that direct cognition has an impact on increasing children's knowledge and skills.

549-561

Authors: Iwan Wicaksono, Wasis, Madlazim

VS-TM refers to a teaching model that applies virtual media aided scientific approach. VS-TM is required to prepare students who are trained problem-solving process through scientific creative thinking opportunities and complete physics concept mastery. The aim of this research is to analyze the effectiveness of VS-TM to improve student’s scientific creativity and concept mastery on Senior High School physics subject. This research involves 318 students from 3 State Senior High Schools in Jember Regency, Indonesia. Pre-test and post-test scores obtained using Sign Test and Paired Sample T-test are used to analyze VS-TM impact on student’s scientific and concept mastery improvement. Such impact consistency then is observed through the calculation of n-gain achieved by each testing class using ANOVA. The research of VS-TM application on Senior High School physics subject indicates that there is a high categorized significant improvement student’s scientific creativity (n-gain > 0.7) and concept mastery (n-gain > 0.8) on physics subject, before and after VS-TM application with p-value is < 0.05 and there is not any difference between 9 testing classes with p-value is > .05.

576-591

Authors: Ana Valdmann, Jack Holbrook, Miia Rannikmae

This research examined the effectiveness of a design-based, continuous professional development (CPD) programme intended to promote teachers’ self-confidence and teaching reflection skills. The CPD was associated with teacher implementation of theoretically devised, motivational, context-based, inquiry teaching modules, based on a justified 3-stage teaching model. The CPD programme was devised from prior identification of teacher needs, using a validated teacher questionnaire (TNQ) covering subject and pedagogical content knowledge, as well as other literature-identified, desirable teaching attributes. The effectiveness of the CPD provision was determined through two approaches - by re-administering the TNQ at the end of the programme and identifying significant self-confidence gains through application of the K-means clustering technique, and was also by the range of teacher reflections in, on and for action, provided by teachers after using modules in their teaching. Each teacher’s reflections were qualitatively grouped, based on comments made during a semi-structured interview about the teaching, opinions on students’ learning and attitudinal outcomes. Findings suggested a strong correlation between teaching confidence gained from the CPD programme and the range of identified types of reflective skills mentioned during the interview, which provided the depth of feedback related to classroom teaching in implementing the modules.

599-611

Authors: Mustafa Akilli, Murat Genç

It is well known affective, cognitive and psychomotor factors have positive effects on science learning process. All these factors have interaction between themselves. So it is important to research what is the size and direction of these interactions. The aim of this research is to analyze the effects of value, attitude and self-efficacy on active learning strategies and classroom activities using Structural Equation Model. The research was conducted by the analysis of students’ answers to questionnaires data using Structural Equation Modelling. Initially KMO and Bartlett’s tests were done to test appropriateness of scale to factor analysis. Then theoretical structural model was tested using LISREL. At the end of the SEM test, it was found that there are positive effects of selected affective factors on learning strategies and classroom activities.

281-282

Authors: Editorial Board

Cover page

284-288

Authors: Konstantinos Ravanis

The last twenty-five years have seen an increase in the development of an area of educational research and implementation which is known internationally as Early Childhood Science Education. In fact, this is a broad framework within which different theoretical trends coexist with corresponding research orientations and fields of teaching applications. These trends converge in an effort to study the mechanisms of initiation of children aged 4-8 years into the properties of the materials and objects and into the phenomena and concepts of Natural Sciences.

300-307

Authors: Naciye Somuncu Demir, Pelin Aksüt, Dündar Yener, Fatih Aydın, Özge Subaşı, Hilal Fidan, Mehmet Aygün

The purpose of research is to examine the changes in attitudes towards astronomy following alternative astronomy education among pre-service teachers with different cognitive styles. Accordingly, it was thought to be appropriate to use pre-and post-test control group design among the experimental designs. The sample of the study included 4th year students at Abant İzzet Baysal University Department of Science Teaching during 2015-2016 spring term (N=64). In the treatment group, a process enriched with activity-based astronomy practices was followed, while the control group used a 12-week program designed as consistent with the program developed by Higher Education Council. The results seem to evidence that at undergraduate level there is an urgent need to intensify the efforts, education and practices that focus on increasing the levels of attitudes towards astronomy regardless of cognitive styles and on transferring these attitudes to skill areas and these kinds of studies need to be encouraged and extended.

324-336

Authors: Tereza Horáková, Milan Houška, Ludmila Dömeová

Modern educational methods emphasize the necessity to transfer knowledge instead of data or information within the educational process. Thus it is important to the educational texts supporting the educational process contain knowledge in a particular textual representation. But it is not trivial to decide whether the particular piece of text contain knowledge or not. The solution is to measure the similarity between the particular text structure and a typical structure of a knowledge-designed text. This research aims at analysing the classification ability of three commonly-used classification techniques: artificial neural networks (ANNs), classification and regression trees (CARTs) and decision trees (bigMLs) to separate texts or text fragments into two groups. The texts in the first group contain mainly data and information (common texts), the texts in the other group contain knowledge in one of the particular knowledge representations (knowledge texts). The sample of 120 text fragments was used for the analysis. The results show that the ANN techniques are significantly more able to make the right classification of the text than the CART or bigML ones, and evidence good classification abilities. Thus the ANN approach could broaden the set of methods used for evaluation of difficulty of educational texts or textbooks.

350-365

Authors: Nilay Şener, Erol Taş

The aim of this research is to develop a guide material prepared according to Purdue Model for the ‘The Let's Solve the Puzzle of Our Body’ unit in the 5th grade Science class at secondary school and to research the effects of this guide material on students’ creative thinking. For this purpose, the research was carried out by using the quasi experimental model, with pre-test and post-test control groups. Experimental application was carried out with 43 experimental group and 44 control group students, in total 87 students in Turkey. While in the experimental group applications were carried out based on the Purdue Model, in the control group the course was taught according to the activities stated in 2013 Ministry of National Education Science Curriculum in Turkey. The data of the research were collected using Torrance Test of Creative Thinking Verbal Form A-B and Figural Form A-B. As a result of the research, it was determined that verbal and formal creative thinking levels of the experimental group and the control group students were significantly different in favour of the experimental group students. On the basis of the results obtained from this research, some suggestions have been made to the educators and future researchers.

379-394

Authors: Nyet Moi Siew, Ruslan Mapeala

This research was conducted to evaluate the effects of Thinking Maps (TM)-aided Problem-based Learning (PBL) teaching method (TM-PBL) on motivation towards science learning among Fifth Graders. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test non-equivalent control group design was employed to measure students’ motivation towards science learning (SMTSL) in motivational factors of self-efficacy, active learning strategies, science learning value, performance goal, achievement goal, and learning environment stimulation. The sample consisted of 270 Fifth Graders aged 11 years old. The students were randomly selected and assigned to TM-PBL (n=90), PBL (n=90), and Conventional Problem Solving (CPS) (n=90) teaching groups. The SMTSL questionnaire was administered prior to and after each intervention. A MANCOVA was conducted on the post-test measures of motivation using the students’ pre-test as the covariates. The result indicated that students taught via the TM-PBL teaching method gained significantly higher levels than their counterparts from the PBL group in Self-efficacy, Active learning strategies, Achievement Goal and Learning environment stimulation. Likewise, students taught via the TM-PBL teaching method gained significantly higher levels than their counterparts from the CPS group in all motivational factors. The findings suggest that the Thinking Maps-aided Problem-Based Learning method is effective in improving motivation towards science learning among Fifth Graders.

414-428

Authors: Hakki Kadayifci

Science lecturers usually do not pay special attention to giving students the chance to evaluate persistent unexpected experimental findings that they cannot explain with their existing theories, propose alternative hypotheses and develop new theories in inquiry tasks at schools, despite the importance of these processes in scientific discoveries. Students’ reactions to this type of findings have been a subject for conceptual change studies that new theories were presented to explain the findings. This research, in contrast, examined students’ ways of interpreting their unexpected experimental findings about the molar mass of the sulfur element while hiding a new theory, and their barriers to discovering the scientific explanation of these findings, which is new to them, in the framework of the creativity paradigm. The research was conducted with 155 first-year undergraduate students who were enrolled in a chemistry laboratory course. A majority of the participants said that the unexpected findings might have resulted from experimental errors or methodical problems. Few students stated that these findings might be valid and have a new explanation. The barriers to students' discovery of new scientific explanation for findings were classified as: lack of pre-knowledge, obstacles of existing structures, failure of creative cognitive processes and social-personal blocks.

438-441

Authors: Editorial Board

End page, JBSE, Vol. 16, No. 3, 2017

141-142

Authors: Editorial Board

Cover page

144-147

Authors: Uladzimir Slabin

Strictly speaking, knowledge for every object in educational Universe is limited by ignorance or, in other words, these two components co-exist. However, pedagogy primarily deals with knowledge, its acquisition and retention. It ignores the ignorance, leaving it as a subject for a more generic science of psychology. Similarly, atomic nuclei in real Universe are a subject for a more generic science of physics, being only slightly studied in chemistry. To research on knowledge is by far easier than on ignorance, same as chemical research involving mere electron shells is easier than physical research targeting atomic nuclei.

163-174

Authors: Tülay Şenel Çoruhlu

There has been various researchers focus on “heat transfer". "Convection, radiation and conduction" discussed as mere elements of the wider object of analysis in these research. Given the lack of sufficient emphasis on conduction in solids, no cross age research conducted with pre-service science teachers supported by drawings, interviews, and open-ended questions could be found. Employing a cross-age design, this research determined pre-service science teachers' (PSTs’) conceptions in the "conduction of heat in solid". The sample group of the research consists of 257 PSTs (first year student-n=55; second year student-n=76, third year student-n=56, and fourth year student-n=70) selected from Department of Science Education in Fatih Faculty of Education at the Karadeniz Technical University in the city of Trabzon in Turkey. Conceptual understanding test and semi-structured interview were used in the data collection process. The test including two questions was administered to 257 PSTs from different years. Semi-structured interview including one question was conducted with 16 voluntary PSTs (4 students from each grade level). The research found that PSTs had difficulties in terms of describing and showing the movement of the particles of solid under the impact of heat. In the light of the findings, it can be suggested that animations should be used to the teaching of the movement of the particles under the impact of heat.

188-198

Authors: Hui-Min Chien

In Taiwan, the Science Volunteer Locomotive (SVL) Program has been in operation for the past ten years. During these years of its implementation, the SVL Program has continued to participate in and co-ordinate various national scientific activities. This study examined the relationships between volunteers’ prime motivations, self-directed learning and satisfaction among Taiwanese science volunteers. To explore volunteers’ perspectives on their involvement in science service, in this research, we developed three questionnaires to investigate the relationships among volunteers’ motivation, self-directed learning and satisfaction with their science service. The study sample included 289 volunteers, taken from a project for science volunteers run by the Ministry of Science and Technology in Taiwan. The results indicate that the prime motivations and self-directed learning of science volunteers are focused on doing something meaningful for others and for society in general. It was found that the science volunteers’ motivation, self-directed learning and satisfaction all had significant positive correlations. The findings suggest that science training programs may provide some motivational support to enhance satisfaction, so that science volunteers will be more inclined to participate in collaborative scientific projects.

207-217

Authors: Meng-Fei Cheng, Jang-Long Lin, Shih-Yin Lin, Chi-Ho Cheng

This research explores how scaffolding students’ reflections on scientific modeling criteria influence the students’ views on scientific models, development of explanatory models, and understanding of scientific models. This research recruited treatment groups and comparison groups in middle schools and high schools. The treatment groups adopted a modeling curriculum that was intended to help students engage in scientific modeling by developing scientific models of magnetism while considering scientific modeling criteria. The comparison groups used the traditional curriculum, which offers students scientific models of magnetism. The results show that the modeling curriculum enhanced the students’ views on scientific models and the students’ ability to develop explanatory models of magnetism and modeling criteria. Thus, the findings indicate that the modeling curriculum might serve as a promising tool to facilitate teaching scientific modeling to middle school and high school students, and that the curriculum should be promoted as early as middle school.

228-240

Authors: Syuhendri Syuhendri

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of conceptual change learning approach based on conceptual change model over traditional instruction on the improvement of physics education undergraduate students’ conceptual understanding in Newtonian mechanics. A quasi experimental research method with pre-test and post-test control group design was employed. The sample chosen based on purposive technique sampling comprising of 73 students was in two groups selected randomly each as experimental and control group. Predict-Observe-Explain-Apply (POEA) and using Conceptual Change Texts (CCT) strategies were implemented in the experimental group. The Force Concept Inventory (FCI) in Indonesian was used to collect data before and after treatments. The results show that the conceptual understandings of students who were taught using strategies under conceptual change approach was significantly better than those of the traditional approach. The research confirmed that only learning based on conceptual change model could improve learners’ Newtonian mechanics conceptual understanding.

250-265

Authors: Uladzimir Slabin, Vasili Krasitski

Chemical eponyms possess important didactic and axiological potential that can be utilized for implementation of the principles of humanization and historicism manifested in national educational standards. This study focused on students’ knowledge and views of eponyms in the light of history of science. 22 general chemistry students of Belarusian State University, 131 students of general and 119 students of organic chemistry of University of Oregon, all different majors, were surveyed on their knowledge and views of eponyms using a 24-item online questionnaire. Mann-Whitney coefficients were calculated to establish significant differences and Pearson chi-square test was applied to find correlations. It was found that students’ knowledge and views of eponyms are defined mostly by major: students majoring in teaching chemistry showed higher knowledge and expressed more positive views of eponyms than those majoring in non-teaching, non-chemistry and especially non-science. Other factors include students’ learning experience and study intensiveness. While didactic potential of eponyms is utilized anyway, utilization of their axiological potential depends on instructor’s willingness and mastery and should not be exaggerated as vehicles for the principles of humanization and historicism.

278-280

Authors: Editorial Board

End page, Vol. 16, No. 2, 2017, JBSE