Hsin Kai Wu

Developing Sixth Graders’ Inquiry Skills to Construct Explanations in Inquiry‐based Learning Environments

The purpose of this study is to investigate how sixth graders develop inquiry skills to construct explanations in an inquiry‐based learning environment. We designed a series of inquiry‐based learning activities and identified four inquiry skills that are relevant to students’ construction of explanation. These skills include skills to identify causal relationships, to describe the reasoning process, to use data as evidence, and to evaluate explanations. Multiple sources of data (e.g., video recordings of learning activities, interviews, students’ artifacts, and pre/post tests) were collected from two science classes with 58 sixth graders. The statistical results show that overall the students’ inquiry skills were significantly improved after they participated in the series of the learning activities. Yet the level of competency in these skills varied. While students made significant progress in identifying causal relationships, describing the reasoning process, and using data as evidence, they showed slight improvement in evaluating explanations. Additionally, the analyses suggest that phases of inquiry provide different kinds of learning opportunities and interact with students’ development of inquiry skills.

Symphony: a case study in extending learner-centered design through process space analysis

We are exploring a new class of tools for learners: scaffoldedintegrated tool environments (or SITES), which address the needs oflearners trying to engage in new, complex work processes. A crucialphase within a learner-centered design approach for SITE designinvolves analyzing the work process to identify areas wherelearners need support to engage in the process. Here we discuss thedesign of Symphony, a SITE for high-school science students.Specifically, we discuss how the process-space model helped usanalyze the science inquiry process to help us identify a detailedset of learner needs, leading to a full set of process scaffoldingstrategies for Symphony.

Modelling a Complex System: Using novice‐expert analysis for developing an effective technology‐enhanced learning environment

The purposes of this article are to present the design of a technology‐enhanced learning environment (Air Pollution Modeling Environment [APoME]) that was informed by a novice–expert analysis and to discuss high school students’ development of modelling practices in the learning environment. APoME was designed to help high school students understand that air quality is the result of complex interactions among air pollutants, topographic effects, and meteorological variables. Using a novice–expert analysis, my research team specified atmospheric scientists’ modelling practices as learning objectives, designed a dynamic modelling tool in light of the knowledge bases of scientists and students, provided students with dynamic simulations to help them visualise complex processes, and designed learning activities to encourage model‐based reasoning. One teacher and 29 10th‐graders participated in an implementation study that examined students’ conceptual understandings and modelling practices in APoME. The results show that students’ understandings about air quality were significantly improved after they engaged in the APoME activities. Students designed plans with detailed procedures, identified more major variables relevant to air pollutant dispersion, carefully controlled and manipulated variables to test their model, and provided multiple ways for data collection. These findings suggest that APoME is effective in supporting students to demonstrate expert‐like modelling practices.

Separation of nine iridoids by capillary electrophoresis and high-performance liquid chromatography

A capillary zone electrophoretic (CZE) method and a high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method were developed for the separation of the nine iridoids, gardenoside, geniposide, geniposidic acid, shanzhiside, loganin, loganic acid, aucubin, harpagoside and catapol. Detection at 210 and 230 nm with a 2,6-di-O-methyl-β-cyclodextrin and sodium borate buffer as carrier or with a linear gradient elution system using acetonitrile and potassium dihydrogenphosphate solution as eluent was found to be the most suitable approach for this separation. The CZE analysis time (32 min) was shorter than that of HPLC (45 min), but the CE method can separate only eight of the nine compounds. The pH, buffer concentration and organic composition of the mobile phase were studied for their effects on the separability of the compounds.

Capillary electrophoretic determination of the constituents of paeoniae radix

A method combining the techniques of capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) has been developed to separate a total of eight peony constituents. The CZE method was used to determine the content of paeonol, oxypaeoniflorin, benzoic acid, pentagalloylglucose and gallic acid, and MEKC technique based on sodium cholate was applied to analyze albiflorin, paeoniflorin, benzoyla biflorin, paeonol and oxypaeoniflorin. Linearity around two orders of magnitude of concentration was generally obtained and limits of detection for these compounds were in the range of 2.6-23.7 micrograms/ml. The relative standard deviations of migration times were less than 1.43% (n = 6). Contents of peony constituents in an ethanol-water extract of Paeonia lactiflora Pall. sample could easily be determined by this method.

Integrating a mobile augmented reality activity to contextualize student learning of a socioscientific issue

Introduction Augmented reality (AR) technologies are identified as one of key emerging technologies for education in the next 5 years (Johnson, Levine, Smith & Haywood, 2010). AR takes advantage of virtual objects or information overlaying physical objects or environments, resulting in a mixed reality in which virtual objects and real environments coexist in a meaningful way to augment learning experiences (Arvanitis et al, 2007; Dunleavy, Dede & Mitchell, 2008). The recent development of mobile devices makes it possible for mobile AR environments to support outdoor learning enhanced by computer simulations and virtual objects with the focus on real environments (Dunleavy et al, 2008). Although more research is needed to investigate pedagogical topics using AR to enhance learning (Rushby, 2012), relatively little has been done regarding how to integrate AR to enhance the learning of socioscientific issues (SSI) that are real world, socially significant, and rooted in science. AR could leverage students’ learning of SSI because it could enhance their senses of presence, immediacy and immersion (Bronack, 2011) and situate learning in authentic environments that may in turn result in students making more informed decisions considering all environmental-related factors (Klopfer, 2008; Squire & Klopfer, 2007).

The Roles of Multimedia in the Teaching and Learning of the Triplet Relationship in Chemistry

Ever since Johnstone (1993) addressed the three levels of chemistry (symbolic, macro, and microscopic or so called submicro currently), many studies investigate how multimedia could support constructing, developing, and evaluating students’ mental representations of chemistry at the three levels. This chapter focuses on how multimedia could enhance chemistry learning of the triplet relationship and discusses theories and empirical studies from the following perspectives: (1) multimedia as a modeling tool (discussing multiple representations and mental models in learning and teaching chemistry), (2) multimedia as a learning tool (introducing tools such as 4M:Chem, eChem, and ChemSence), (3) multimedia as an assessment tool (such as presenting computerized two-tier diagnostic instruments), and (4) multimedia as an instructional tool (linking findings of students’ mental representations to the development of teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge in chemistry). Implications for chemical education are discussed in terms of theoretical and practical approaches.

Toward an integrated model for designing assessment systems: An analysis of the current status of computer-based assessments in science

Drawing upon an integrated model proposed by Bennett and Bejar (1998), this review study examined how 66 computer-based science assessments (CBSAs) in basic science and medicine took advantage of advanced technologies. The model regarded a CBSA as an integrated system, included several assessment components (e.g., assessment purpose, measured construct, test and task design, examinee interface, and scoring procedure), and emphasized the interplay among these components. Accordingly, this study systematically analyzed the item presentations of interactive multimedia, the constructs measured, the response formats in formative and summative assessments, the scoring procedures, the adaptive test activities administrated based on the algorithms related to the item response theory (IRT) and other rules beyond IRT, and the strategies for the automatic provision of informative hints and feedbacks in the CBSAs. Our analysis revealed that although only 19 out of 66 assessments took advantage of dynamic and interactive media for item presentations, CBSAs with these media could measure integrated understanding of science phenomena and complex problem-solving skills. However, we also found that limitations in automated scoring may lead to infrequent use of the automated provision of hints and feedbacks with open-ended and extended responses. These findings suggest the interrelatedness of the assessment components, and thus we argue that designers should repeatedly consider the relationships between components of CBSAs to ensure the validity of the assessments. Finally, we also indicate the issues for future research in computer-based assessments.

Investigating the effects of structured and guided inquiry on students’ development of conceptual knowledge and inquiry abilities: a case study in Taiwan

ABSTRACT In order to promote scientific inquiry in secondary schooling in Taiwan, the study developed a computer-based inquiry curriculum (including structured and guided inquiry units) and investigated how the curriculum influenced students’ science learning. The curriculum was implemented in 5 junior secondary schools in the context of a weeklong summer science course with 117 students. We first used a multi-level assessment approach to evaluate the students’ learning outcomes with the curriculum. Then, a path analysis approach was adopted for investigating at different assessment levels how the curriculum as a whole and how different types of inquiry units affected the students’ development of conceptual understandings and inquiry abilities. The results showed that the curriculum was effective in enhancing the students’ conceptual knowledge and inquiry abilities in the contexts of the six scientific topics. After the curriculum, they were able to construct interconnected scientific knowledge. The path diagrams suggested that, due to different instructional designs, the structured and guided inquiry units appeared to support the students’ learning of the topics in different ways. More importantly, they demonstrated graphically how the learning of content knowledge and inquiry ability mutually influenced one another and were reciprocally developed in a computer-based inquiry learning environment.

Development and Validation of a Multimedia-based Assessment of Scientific Inquiry Abilities

The potential of computer-based assessments for capturing complex learning outcomes has been discussed; however, relatively little is understood about how to leverage such potential for summative and accountability purposes. The aim of this study is to develop and validate a multimedia-based assessment of scientific inquiry abilities (MASIA) to cover a more comprehensive construct of inquiry abilities and target secondary school students in different grades while this potential is leveraged. We implemented five steps derived from the construct modeling approach to design MASIA. During the implementation, multiple sources of evidence were collected in the steps of pilot testing and Rasch modeling to support the validity of MASIA. Particularly, through the participation of 1,066 8th and 11th graders, MASIA showed satisfactory psychometric properties to discriminate students with different levels of inquiry abilities in 101 items in 29 tasks when Rasch models were applied. Additionally, the Wright map indicated that MASIA offered accurate information about students’ inquiry abilities because of the comparability of the distributions of student abilities and item difficulties. The analysis results also suggested that MASIA offered precise measures of inquiry abilities when the components (questioning, experimenting, analyzing, and explaining) were regarded as a coherent construct. Finally, the increased mean difficulty thresholds of item responses along with three performance levels across all sub-abilities supported the alignment between our scoring rubrics and our inquiry framework. Together with other sources of validity in the pilot testing, the results offered evidence to support the validity of MASIA.