Journal of Baltic Science Education

167

Authors: Editorial Board

Contents, JBSE, Vol. 20, No. 2, 2021

171-183

Authors: Stanislav Avsec, Vesna Ferk Savec

Science and technology (S&T) plays a central role in today’s knowledge- and technology-based society. The transfer of S&T from the education system to the economy should be promoted by teachers using innovative behaviour as an important aspect of providing high-quality education. Several studies have found that a mismatch exists between the economy and the education sector, and that this can be gradually reduced by innovation in the education system. This research aimed to examine the innovative behaviour of pre-service S&T teachers. A sample of 140 pre-service teachers from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia was selected, and a set of instruments was used to measure their innovative behaviour in classrooms during the 2019–2020 academic year. A model was created and evaluated using multiple regression analysis. The results showed that self-efficacy and attitudes towards S&T strongly predict innovative behaviour, while situational interest may vary depending on the cognitive demands of tasks. A proactive personality was found to be a key factor determining innovative behaviour, while self-efficacy has direct and indirect influences on innovative behaviour, with its indirect influence mediated by creativity and situational interest. These findings have implications for the redefinition of educational design to enhance innovation in the classroom.

204-222

Authors: Mária Ganajová, Ivana Sotáková, Stanislav Lukáč, Zuzana Ješková, Veronika Jurková, Renáta Orosová

Formative assessment (FA) is considered a powerful tool to enhance learning. However, there have been few studies addressing how the implementation of FA influences the development of inquiry skills so far. This research intends to determine the efficacy of teaching using FA in the development of students’ inquiry skills. A test of inquiry skills was used as the main research instrument to identify the level of the selected inquiry skills before and after a period of teaching with or without FA in the experimental and control group respectively. In the experimental group (n=73), FA was implemented across five subjects: biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and informatics, while the control group (n=48) was taught without any external intervention. In both groups, mostly teacher-centred methods of teaching were applied. The research findings confirmed a low initial level of inquiry skills. Teaching using FA showed higher efficacy than teaching without FA, even without a special focus on the inquiry methods. The experimental group achieved significantly better results compared to the control group. In addition, the results confirmed higher efficacy of FA in lower performing students. Gender did not prove as a determining factor in the effective implementation of FA.

237-251

Authors: Mehmet Karakus, Zara Ersozlu, Muhammet Usak, Jude Ocean

The current research aims to explore the impact of Science and Mathematics teachers’ self-efficacy on their intentions to leave through the mediating effects of their affective wellbeing (stress, burnout, and depression). Data were collected from 329 teachers of Science and Mathematics who were selected randomly with a clustered sampling method from 232 secondary schools in South and East Anatolia, Turkey. The structural equation model that yielded the best fit indicated that as teachers’ self-efficacy levels increase, their stress, burnout, depression, and intent-to-leave levels decrease. Teachers with high self-efficacy are less likely to develop intention-to-leave because of their positive affective well-being indicators. Results suggest that maths and science teachers who have optimistic beliefs in their capabilities can more easily cope with the stressors at work and have better affective well-being, and consequently, a lower level of intention-to-leave. The results provide educational leaders with insights as to how better to retain qualified Science and Mathematics teachers.

261-276

Authors: Wael Musalamani, Ruhizan Mohammad Yasin, Kamisah Osman

This study examined the effect of the SB-CPBL on Jordanian 8th-grade students’ attitude towards science. A quantitative quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent control group was employed in this study. 120 8th-graders, divided into two groups, were involved in this study. Two groups (60 students, 30 males, and 30 females) were designated as the experimental group; they used the SB-CPBL module for six weeks, while two groups (60 students, 30 males, and 30 females) were designated as the control group and taught conventionally. The validity and reliability of the measurements used, comprising four sub-scales with 40-items, were already robust. The statistical comparison between the groups showed a significant improvement in the SB-CPBL students’ attitudes towards learning science compared with their conventionally-taught counterparts. The findings also confirmed the insignificant effects of gender vis-à-vis attitudes towards science. The results concluded the effectiveness of SB-CPBL approach in improving students’ attitudes towards science in school settings.

289-304

Authors: Jamilah Ahmad, Nyet Moi Siew

There are limited research studies about the development of questionnaire to assess the level of primary school students’ curiosity towards STEM education. In this research, curiosity towards STEM Education Questionnaire (CQ-STEM) instrument was developed based on Berlyne’s Theory of Curiosity. CQ-STEM consisted of 10 items measuring the two constructs of curiosity towards STEM, namely exploration and acceptance. A total of 166 fifth graders aged 10 to 11 years enrolled in five urban schools in Sabah, Malaysia made up the research sample. Rasch Measurement Model was applied to determine the validity and reliability of CQ-STEM. The validity of the CQ-STEM instrument was well established among the constructs of exploration and acceptance through the person fit, item fit, item polarity, unidimensionality, and variable map. The CQ-STEM instrument was found to have a high reliability with a Cronbach’s alpha value (KR-20) of .93. CQ-STEM has an excellent item reliability and moderate high item separation value of .96 and 4.83 respectively. In conclusion, CQ-STEM has good validity and high reliability in measuring curiosity towards STEM Education among primary school students.

316-331

Authors: Karel Vojíř, Martin Rusek

The (written) state curriculum is one of the cornerstones influencing education. Its specifically mediated by textbooks. In an open textbook market, the influence of the state curriculum is limited, and the main responsibility passes to individual schools or teachers. In order to understand education from the potential attainment of curriculum goals’ point of view, it is necessary to pay attention to the teachers’ textbook preferences. This research was focused on the field of lower-secondary chemistry education in Czechia, with special attention paid to the textbooks in use, their choice, and teachers’ perception of them. The data were gathered using a questionnaire distributed to a representative sample of 387 lower-secondary school chemistry teachers. The results showed that teachers favor traditional chemistry teaching conceptions. Most teachers stated that textbooks play a vital role for them when preparing lessons and new textbooks are mostly chosen by the most experienced teachers. Most teachers also expressed their preference for textbooks which contain subject-matter ordered according to the structure of chemistry, i.e. not adjusted for learners, as well as textbooks dominantly orientated towards the transmissive approach to education. Regarding the teachers’ perception of textbooks, potential limits were identified in implementing innovations in (chemical) education.

3

Authors: Editorial Board

Contents, JBSE, Vol. 20, No. 1, 2021

10-20

Authors: Michael Allan A. Bahtaji

5E instructional model is commonly utilized in science teaching to promote conceptual learning. However, the benefit of 5E instructional model cannot be fully attained if the knowledge and skills essential to learning were not properly established from past. Similarly, the development of new concepts cannot be fully attained if the important processes inculcated in the 5E model were not considered in teaching. In this research, the effects of 5E model instruction and previous learning experiences on the conceptual learning of students in Newtonian mechanics were evaluated. Using 2 x 2 factorial research design, the conceptual understanding of 172 undergraduate students was evaluated before and after the experiment. These participants were distributed into four groups with different programs. The result revealed that both 5E instructional model and previous learning experiences contributed to the conceptual learning of students in mechanics. Those students who received 5E instructional model and whose exposure to science and math courses is high, gained the highest increase in the mean score after the experiment. This suggests that the effectiveness of 5E instructional model can be fully achieved if the knowledge and skills essential to learning and conceptual change were properly established from previous learning experiences and activities.

38-49

Authors: Mustafa Fidan, Meric Tuncel

Physics subjects or topics as a part of science education enable students to explore nature and natural events by using physics laws and scientific methods. In the lower-secondary school, physics is a subfield within the science curriculum developed holistically with the broad field curriculum design unlike the subject-centred curriculum in the upper-secondary education. As an important factor that directs the achievement, self-efficacy is one of the predecessors of these cognitive and affective skills. Accordingly, most of the scales which evaluate the students’ cognitive or affective skills in the lower-secondary school are related to science course in a general context. This research aimed to develop a valid and reliable scale measuring the students’ self-efficacy beliefs toward physics subjects for lower-secondary schools. The sample consists of 2737 students. The draft scale consisted of 52 items and was applied to 1882 students in the first stage. To construct validity of the scale, exploratory factor analysis was performed. The results showed that the scale consisted of single- factor with 28 items. To confirm its factor structure, the scale was applied to 785 students. The research findings indicate that the scale is a valid and reliable instrument to measure the self-efficacy beliefs towards physics subjects.

67-79

Authors: Insun Lee, Jongwon Park

Teachers’ and parents’ perceptions of scientific creativity are assumed to be an important environmental factor for scientific creativity, so this research surveyed their perceptions of the behavioral characteristics of scientific creativity and compared their perceptions to those of students. This is achieved with a list of behavioral characteristics of creative physicists during their growth period. For this survey, 48 science teachers, 112 parents, and 145 science gifted students participated. Out of the 30 items of the list, they selected 10 items that were considered important indicators to become creative scientists in the future, and they ranked them according to their importance. The results showed that the three groups all perceived ‘conducting experiments, asking questions, thinking logically to solve difficult problems, and sharing ideas’ as important for scientific creativity. For the items that were perceived to be less important, it was discussed why these items might be necessary for scientific creativity. Comparative result showed that parents gave more importance to learning-related aspects, teachers to thinking-related aspects, and students to activities such as making and experimenting. This research showed the behavioral characteristics that should be encouraged to improve students’ scientific creativity at school and at home.

93-107

Authors: Maxwell Jnr Opoku, Angela James

In Africa, Science education curricula have been instrumental in promoting Western worldviews as being universal. An educational transformation and decolonisation of the school curriculum is required. A focus on an African worldview and an integration of the local context and community-based information is necessary for survival, i.e., Indigenous Knowledge System (IKS). While IKS is enshrined in the schooling curriculum, Educators experience challenges with implementing it, because the pedagogical strategies have not been clearly described. An in-depth qualitative study was conducted with the Indigenous Knowledge (IK) holders of the Zulu cultural group and Senior High School (SHS) Science teachers to explore how IK on environmental sustainability could be taught in South African science classrooms. The research employed an interpretivist, multi-site ethnographic, qualitative approach, and naturalistic research style. In-depth interviews were used to generate data from the purposively selected community persons. The thematically analysed findings were used to develop a culturally specific pedagogical model on how to teach IK in science classrooms: touring cultural places; demystifying indigenous practices and perception; utilizing indigenous pedagogies; teaching wisdom behind indigenous practices etc. The research recommends that future studies be conducted on applying the model in different geographical and cultural schooling contexts.

119-133

Authors: Moonika Teppo, Regina Soobard, Miia Rannikmäe

Student perceptions of science teaching could be expected to differ in grade 6 compared with teaching in grade 9, as could student interest in science learning. To compare Estonian grades 6 and 9, lower secondary school student and science teacher perceptions of teaching/learning approaches as well as student perceived interests/enjoyment on science learning, an instrument was developed taken into account 18 different teaching approaches that could take place in science lessons. An analytical, exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM) approach supported 4-factor models differentiating between teacher-centred and constructivist approaches for both teachers and students, each having acceptable model fits. Based on outcomes, a regression model was developed associating student interest to learn science with the frequency of teaching and learning approaches explored. Results indicated that approaches associated with teacher-centred approaches were those most frequently undertaken in science classes when compared with those seen as social constructivist and student-centred, both among science teachers and students. Regression analysis showed that there was a relationship between student interest/enjoyment towards science subjects and the frequency, in which different teaching and learning approaches took place in the classroom.

146-159

Authors: Shao-Na Zhou, Qiao-Yi Liu, Kathleen Koenig, Qiu-ye Li，Yang Xiao, Lei Bao

The Lawson’s Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (LCTSR) is a popular instrument that measures the development of students’ scientific reasoning skills. The instrument has a two-tier question design, which has led to multiple ways of scoring and interpretation. In this research, a method of pattern analysis was proposed and applied to analyze two-tier item pairs on the subskill of Control-of-Variable (COV) of LCTSR. The data were collected from students in grade 4 through college in both the United States and China. Students’ response patterns to two combined item pairs were analyzed and compared against students at different grade levels and reasoning development levels. Six performance levels were established based on students’ response patterns, serving as indicators of COV reasoning development levels. With the new method, a relation was obtained between students’ level of COV skills and grade level, as well as their level of overall reasoning development. It can provide useful information on the possible developmental levels of students’ reasoning skills.

1039

Authors: Editorial Board

Contents, Vol. 19, No. 6A, JBSE, 2020. Theme: "Responding to Covid-19: The integration of online teaching and learning in STEM education" Guest Editors: L. Mnguni & H.O. Mokiwa

1043-1054

Authors: Mónica Baptista, Estela Costa, Iva Martins

This research aims to examine: (a) how Physics teachers who participated in a STEM project, adopted and implemented a STEM activity in the context of a pandemic; (b) from the perspective of Physics teachers, what were the effects on students' learning of a STEM activity implemented in the context of the pandemic; (c) what challenges had Physics teachers faced in implementing the STEM activity during the pandemic. A qualitative and interpretive methodology was used. The participants are four Physics teachers who implemented a STEM activity on sound, during the pandemic. Data were collected through interviews and written reflections. The study has shown how, in a crisis context such as COVID-19, which affected schools all around the world, teachers were able to deal with it and kept developing a STEM activity, revealing the main challenges and effects on student learning, from the teachers’ points of view. Moreover, it was clear that carrying out with success a STEM activity, in such an adverse scenario, was strongly related with teachers who found new strategies and keep students motivated, by guiding them proficiently, and that requires to merge scientific and technological knowledge.

1068-1077

Authors: Geoffrey Lautenbach, Nardia Randell

The 2020 pandemic led to the immediate lockdown of schools and universities worldwide with far-reaching implications for educators and learners. Individual stories of lockdown and isolation are documented using direct quotations from discussion forums, emails, live chats, and structured journal entries from the Blackboard learning management system. A ‘qualitative sense’ of a common narrative of turmoil and success within this ‘new [ab] normal’ is established. Educators’ contrasting accounts of uncertainty and hope are highlighted. The notion of anticipatory anxiety as a result of social lockdown restrictions is covered in terms of its impact on mental health and wellbeing, with special reference to the neuroscience that underpins this phenomenon. Strategies for the management of stress-related autonomic nervous system activation, as well as for building resilience and coping skills in classrooms, are highlighted, along with the need to address issues of cognitive dissonance and fatigue caused by increased online/blended teaching demands during uncertain times. The online format was found to be potentially impersonal and cold without the essential ‘human factor’. Despite technology in education there has to be human and social interaction, as well as support online. The most benefit was derived from live sessions and social interaction.

1092-1105

Authors: Mafor Penn, Lydia Mavuru

This research reports the assessment of pre-service teachers’ reception and attitudes towards virtual laboratory experiments in Life Sciences with the aim of advancing adaptability to digital learning. Using sequential mixed-methods in a quasi-experimental design, 68 pre-service teachers in the 3rd year of a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) program were surveyed before and after virtual learning interventions. This phase was followed by qualitative data gathering using focus group interviews with all participants. Findings from quantitative data analysis revealed a positive significant difference in pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards virtual laboratory experiments post learning interventions. From qualitative data pre-service teachers found the progression from using only traditional to including virtual experiments was useful in enhancing their conceptual understandings of Life Sciences concepts, convenience, inquiry-based learning, self-directed and autonomous learning. However, pre-service teachers noted that using virtual laboratories did not significantly develop their science process skills and as a result could not replace the experiences in a traditional biology laboratory. The implications of these findings project virtual laboratories as a supporting tool for experimentation in Life Sciences especially within and post the COVID-19 pandemic where issues of social distancing pose a threat to collaborative and inquiry-based science learning. Recommendations from these findings are discussed herein.

1125-1136

Authors: Asheena Singh-Pillay, Jayaluxmi Naidoo

To limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus conditions of lockdown were enforced by countries globally. Universities and schools revised the mode of delivery from contact teaching to online teaching and learning. This qualitative research was conducted at one university in South Africa and explored STEM discipline lecturers’ reflections on the use of online technologies and the factors which enable or constrain online teaching and learning. Three lecturers from STEM disciplines involved in online teaching were purposively selected to participate in this study. Data were generated via semi-structured interviews and reflective journals. The findings reveal that lecturers supplement the use of Moodle and Zoom with WhatsApp, the factor that enabled online teaching was the availability of data to lecturers and students. In contrast, the factors that constrained online teaching and learning were the technical training received for online teaching, the mismatch between pedagogy and students’ learning styles, the pressure of balancing work-home life and assumptions made about the availability of conducive home environments for learning, connectivity, and availability of devices for online learning. These findings have implications for professional development for online teaching and recommend that universities adopt WhatsApp to be a formal platform for online teaching and learning.

859

Authors: Editorial Board

Contents, JBSE, Vol. 19, No. 6, 2020

864-874

Authors: Fayadh Hamed Alanazi

This research explored science teachers’ perceptions of BBL. Data was collected from 105 Saudi Arabian science teachers via a questionnaire survey, establishing how BBL is viewed and applied, and whether this interrelates with teachers’ years of professional experience or qualification level. Furthermore, in a quasi-experiment comprising a single experimental group, a chemistry learning unit was designed using BBL methods and approaches and was delivered to 26 Saudi Arabian Grade 7 students. Pre- and post-lesson measurements of knowledge and achievement were conducted. The findings confirm the arguments in the BBL literature and show that BBL awareness is relatively high and BBL is viewed very positively. The results of the quasi-experimental component show that BBL methods are likely to improve student learning and outcomes. Teacher qualifications and years of experience were unrelated with BBL perceptions.

893-907

Authors: Bo Chen, Bing Wei, Xiaoling Wang

This research aimed to examine the impact of different factors on high school chemistry teachers’ use of curriculum materials in China. The examination was conducted on a theoretical framework in which three aspects of curriculum materials and three ways of curriculum use are involved and nine factors are suggested. Through a questionnaire survey of 212 chemistry teachers, the findings included the following aspects. Firstly, the nine factors more induced teachers to supplement the teaching elements, but less affected teachers to delete the original contents in the curriculum materials. Secondly, among the nine factors, ‘knowledge about students’ was recognized as the core factor in the three dimensions of teaching objectives, teaching strategies, and teaching activities, whereas ‘class size’ was regarded as the peripheral factor in all three dimensions. ‘Teaching resources’ was another peripheral factor for the dimensions of teaching strategies and teaching activities. Thirdly, two factors were found to be significantly different among teachers who are in different areas of economic development: ‘knowledge about students’ and ‘class size’. Fourthly, ‘knowledge about curriculum’ and ‘knowledge about instructional strategies’ were two factors that made significant differences in the comparison among teachers who have different years of teaching experience.

923-939

Authors: Jeng-Fung Hung, Chun-Yen Tsai

Previous studies on the effectiveness of virtual laboratories for learning have shown inconsistent results over the past decade. The purpose of this research was to explore the effects of a virtual laboratory and meta-cognitive scaffolding on students' data modeling competences. A quasi-experimental design was used. Three classes of eighth graders from southern Taiwan participated in this research and were assigned to the Experimental Group Ⅰ (EG Ⅰ), the Experimental Group Ⅱ (EG Ⅱ), and the Control Group (CG). EG Ⅰ (n=25) received the virtual laboratory and meta-cognitive scaffolding in the teaching and learning. EG Ⅱ (n=28) received the virtual laboratory only in the teaching and learning. The CG (n=27) received the lecture with the cookbook laboratory. The teaching unit was Heat and Specific Heat, and the teaching time for the three groups was six lessons (of 45 minutes each). The Data Modeling Competences Test (DMCT) designed by the research team was used as the data collection instrument. The results showed that the virtual laboratory and meta-cognitive scaffolding had effects on students' data modeling competences. This research shows the importance of the meta-cognitive scaffolding strategy for virtual laboratories when conducting data modeling teaching.

954-971

Authors: Ying-Yan Lu, Huann-shyang Lin, Thomas J. Smith, Zuway-R Hong, Wen-Yi Hsu

The research aim was to examine the effects of a Critique-Driven Inquiry (CDI) intervention on primary and secondary school students’ critical thinking and scientific inquiry competency. Twenty-five 4th grade Taiwanese students from a typical primary school were selected to participate in experimental group 1 (EG1), while 28 7th grade students from a typical secondary school were randomly selected to participate in experimental group 2 (EG2). For each group, a 2-semester CDI intervention was implemented. In addition, another 28 4th graders and 30 7th graders from the same two schools were selected to participate in, respectively, control group 1 (CG1) or control group 2 (CG2). Analyses of covariance, repeated measures analysis of variance, and content theme analyses were conducted to analyze the quantitative and qualitative data. Research results indicated that EG1 and EG2 students significantly outperformed their comparison counterparts in critical thinking and scientific inquiry competency both during and following the CDI intervention. The empirical evidence provides insight into the mechanisms of promoting primary and secondary school students’ critical thinking and scientific inquiry competency.

989-1007

Authors: Jelena Ž. Maksimović, Jelena S. Osmanović, Anastasija S. Mamutović

The research was motivated by the necessity to examine the perspectives of STEM professions in Serbia. The aim of this research was to study students’ motives for career choices and their attitudes towards STEM sciences. The empirical scientific approach was applied, i.e. the quantitative and qualitative research method. The most frequently chosen undergraduate majors, the motives that determined that choice and the professional interests were examined by the interviewing technique in the first phase and the scaling and survey techniques in the second phase of the research. The participation in the research was voluntary and comprised of Serbian secondary school students. The research ascertained that a poor state of the national economy determined the students’ decision to be trained for “jobs of the future” rather than attend the desired studies. The professions in the IT sector, engineering and sciences proved to be the most profitable ones. These results proved a growing popularity of STEM professions among the Serbian students, but they also implied the prospective necessity to promote mathematics and engineering within the education system considering the present insufficient interest in these academic studies. Regarding the fact that this type of scientific research is still rarely conducted by Serbian experts in the relevant field, this research contributes to a more comprehensive review of the STEM education.

1020-1033

Authors: Katarina Susman, Jerneja Pavlin

Literature review shows that many primary school teachers have poor understanding of basic astronomy contents. Therefore, the aim of the study was to introduce specific astronomical content to in-service primary school teachers through two didactic games, to evaluate the didactic games and the teachers’ knowledge and understanding before and after the implementation of the didactic games. The research included 24 in-service primary school teachers. The data were collected through the knowledge test (pre-post design) and questionnaires for each didactic game. The results showed that the teachers evaluated the didactic games as suitable for use in the classroom as they emphasized that they are educational, explicit and interesting. The implementation was identified as effective because the median for fractional gains was 0.54 and showed the medium gain in teachers’ knowledge and understanding of selected astronomy contents. It was recognized that in-service primary school teachers do not feel competent for introducing complex astronomical contents to their students. However, the presented approach could encourage in-service primary school teachers to deepen their knowledge and to teach astronomy contents with a method that is closer to their students. University teachers could point out the advantages and disadvantages of didactic games in astronomy content and discuss them with pre-service primary school teachers.

691

Authors: Editorial Board

Contents, Vol. 19, No. 5, 2020, JBSE

696-717

Authors: Bulent Aydogdu, Koray Kasapoglu, Nil Duban, Tugba Selanik Ay, Fatih Ozdinc

Professional development programs might affect teachers' perceptions of how STEM disciplines are interconnected. The purpose of this research was to examine the change in perceptions of science teachers particularly in disadvantageous schools, who participated in a practice-based professional development program offered in Turkey, about STEM, entrepreneurship, and E-STEM, and their experiences related to E-STEM. This qualitative research had a phenomenological design. The participants were totally 30 science teachers who were teaching in each of the seven geographical regions of Turkey. The data were collected through semi-structured pre- and post-focus group interview forms finalized after the expert review and pilot study. Furthermore, the science teachers were asked to keep a diary about the implementation process throughout the research. The data collected through focus group interviews were examined using content analysis and the data collected through the diaries were examined using descriptive analysis. The findings of the study indicate that the science teachers defined E-STEM as a process containing the aspects of entrepreneurship (communication, perseverance and determination, self-confidence, motivation, risk-taking, presentation, and marketing) more comprehensively compared to the pre-interviews.

730-746

Authors: Vanessa Álvarez, Tarcilo Torres, Zulma Gangoso, Vicente Sanjosé

In physics and chemistry, the development of problem-solving skills is necessary to become an expert. A simple cognitive model to analyse such development is proposed and tested. An exploratory research was conducted with expert professors and students in initial and advanced years. A think aloud procedure was used to obtain relevant data while the participants tried to solve undefined, open problems. Solving these problems required a particular skill representative of expertise: modelling reality using science. More than 1350 solving actions were collected and related to the mental representations elaborated, developed and inter-related by solvers. The proposed model was able to account for expert-novice differences in terms of the respective distributions of solving actions among the mental representations. Large differences appeared in the mental representation of Conceptual scientific Model. In addition, advanced and initial students showed similar and significant averages of unproductive actions, while experts took very few. Experts showed high convergence in their distributions of actions among the mental representations. If the outcomes were replicated with higher external validity, the model could help researchers to analyse the cognitive mechanisms in problem-solving, and teachers to better focus their efforts on specific students’ lacks.

764-779

Authors: Jon-Chao Hong, Jian-Hong Ye, Ya-Jiuan Ho, Ya-Jun Wang

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education is recognized as the world’s top education program. However, few STEM programs have been designed based on cultural-historical events. To explore this issue, the present study drew on the cultural-historical activity theory and the content analysis method by adopting the descriptive-interpretative approach to explore the STEM content of the Dujiangyan Irrigation System (DIS) in present-day Sichuan, China. As early as 2,275 years ago during the Warring States period, Li Bing, the governor of Shu Shire in the Qin state, implicitly implemented the STEM concept when building the irrigation system. The results of this study indicate that the DIS incorporates Science (e.g., the hydraulic principle), Technology (e.g., making a large cobblestone Bamboo-Cage for building Fish Mouth), Engineering (e.g., water-level measurement) and Mathematics (e.g., Calculation of sand discharge). Adopting an educational pedagogy proposed by UNESCO which emphasized learning concepts from daily life, the present study draws on a cultural-historical event to inform STEM learning. The method and results of this study can be applied in the design of STEM programs based on other cultural-historical events from around the world.

804-823

Authors: Sevgi Kingir, Bilge Gok, Ahmet Selman Bozkir

Educational data mining is a developing research trend for exploring hidden patterns and natural associations among a set of student, teacher or school related variables. Discovering profiles of preservice science teachers using data mining methods would give important information about quality of teacher education programs and future science teachers’ performance. The aim of this research was to describe characteristics of preservice science teachers and to explore the relations among their motivational beliefs, learning strategy use, and constructivist learning environment perceptions. Participants included 480 preservice science teachers in their final semester of the teacher education program. Data were gathered using Demographic Questionnaire, Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, Achievement Goal Questionnaire and Constructivist Learning Environment Scale. Findings of clustering analysis revealed gender as a discriminating factor between the obtained two natural groups. Preservice science teachers’ characteristics including background characteristics, motivational beliefs, strategy use and constructivist learning environment perceptions were grouped into two clusters, namely males and females. Moreover, the association rules mining analysis revealed strong relations among preservice science teachers’ motivational beliefs, learning strategy use, and constructivist learning environment perceptions. This research provided many important findings that can be useful for further decision-making strategies.

842-854

Authors: King-Dow Su

To be familiar with micro and symbolic performances, students could work out more effective approaches of innovated techniques known as five hierarchical designs in chemistry equilibrium. However, the most frequently reported problem in students’ assessment of chemistry study is attributed to their poor skill recognizing basic concepts. The aim of this research was to construct the 6 test items to help undergraduate students assess their high-order and low-order cognitive skills as a deeper framework of particle representations. It takes a dynamic appeal for students to identify their profound understanding of cognitive skills in accordance with their potential performances of particle representations. In this research, students activate the test instrument to sustain their development of content validity and inter-rater reliability. The research results mark a different responsive engagement of both high-order and low-order cognitive skills in students’ total performances with the skill ratio score of 1:6 for conceptual recognition and analyses of micro and symbolic performances. All students’ micro and symbolic performances offer an indication for understanding their advanced cognitive skills in the particulate nature of matter. It is beneficial to improve new perspectives in the discussions and activity hierarchical designs in their chemistry equilibrium classrooms.