Huann-shyang Lin

Study of factors affecting on the extraction efficiency of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from soils using open-vessel focused microwave-assisted extraction

As part of an evaluation of focused microwave-assisted extraction (FMAE) using an open-vessel system, the effects of matrix, moisture content, ageing, and solvent have been studied on the extraction efficiency of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from spiked soils. PAHs were spiked onto three different uncontaminated air dried and originally wet soil matrices with 1- and 20-day ageing periods. Solvents used were hexane-acetone (1:1), cyclohexane-acetone (1:1) and dichloromethane. FMAE only required a small amount of solvent (20 ml) and short extraction time (10 min) in the open cell under 90 W of microwave power. The results revealed that the extraction efficiency strongly depends on the nature of soil matrix; moisture content may enhance the recoveries of PAHs for many cases; and, the influence of the type of solvent is not significant. A comparison between microwave extraction and 16-h Soxhlet extraction has been made on spiked soils. It evidenced that the microwave method under ambient pressure is a suitable alternative to Soxhlet method for the analysis of PAHs in soils. For the evaluation of the developed FMAE method, three reference materials were used. The PAHs recovered from three reference materials were in a good agreement with reference values.

An Investigation of Students’ Personality Traits and Attitudes toward Science

The purposes of this study were to validate an instrument of attitudes toward science and to investigate grade level, type of school, and gender differences in Taiwan’s students’ personality traits and attitudes toward science as well as predictors of attitudes toward science. Nine hundred and twenty‐two elementary students and 1,954 secondary students completed the School Student Questionnaire in 2008. Factor analyses, correlation analyses, ANOVAs, and regressions were used to compare the similarities and differences among male and female students in different grade levels. The findings were as follows: female students had higher interest in science and made more contributions in teams than their male counterparts across all grade levels. As students advanced through school, student scores on the personality trait scales of Conscientiousness and Openness sharply declined; students’ scores on Neuroticism dramatically increased. Elementary school and academic high school students had significantly higher total scores on interest in science than those of vocational high and junior high school students. Scores on the scales measuring the traits of Agreeableness, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness were the most significant predictors of students’ attitudes toward science. Implications of these findings for classroom instruction are discussed.

Relationships among affective factors and preferred engagement in science-related activities.

This study investigated how affective factors impact participation in science learning using structural equation modeling. Using a dataset from Taiwan, a model was obtained that showed the relationships among science-related interest, enjoyment, self-efficacy, self-concept, competency, leisure time engagement, and future interest in science. The paths relating to engagement and future interest were much stronger for interest and enjoyment than for self-efficacy and self-concept. There was no significant path between science competency and future science interest or engagement. The results suggest that the affective and cognitive pathways to scientific competency are divergent and that they might be differentially activated by different contexts and activities. This indicates that school science educators might wish to reconsider the merit of overemphasizing achievement in comparison to interest. Finally, the results suggest that the development of science competency per se may not be the best way to ensure public engagement and understanding of science.

The Interplay of the Classroom Learning Environment and Inquiry‐based Activities

This quasi‐experimental study investigates how the classroom learning environment changed after inquiry‐based activities were introduced and student questioning was encouraged. Three science teachers and three classes of fifth graders (n=92) participated in this study. The analysis of covariance reveals that although the experimental group students perceived that their teacher’s support was significantly lower than that for the comparison group did (p< 0.05), they were significantly more involved in learning (p< 0.05) than their counterparts. Classroom observations of student questioning and inquiry activities revealed that those students with high quality levels in asking or responding to questions outperformed their counterparts in the inquiry ability of designing experimental procedures.

The Effect of Integrating Aesthetic Understanding in Reflective Inquiry Activities

The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of integrating aesthetic understanding in reflective inquiry activities. Three typical classes of Taiwanese eighth graders (n = 106) and nine additional low‐achieving students in the same school participated in the study. The treatment for experimental students emphasized scaffolding aesthetic understanding and reflections on inquiry strategies. It was found that the experimental group students consistently outperformed their counterparts on the post‐test and the delayed post‐test in conceptual understanding and application of science knowledge. In addition, the low‐achieving students were motivated by the treatment and made significant progress on the two tests. The results of interview and classroom observation also revealed that the intervention made a difference in students’ affective perceptions.

Promoting and Scaffolding Elementary School Students' Attitudes Toward Science and Argumentation Through a Science and Society Intervention

This study investigated the effects of a science and society intervention on elementary school students’ argumentation skills and their attitudes toward science. One hundred and eleven fifth grade students volunteered as an experimental group to join a 12-week intervention; another 107 sixth grade students volunteered to be the comparison group. All participants completed the Student Questionnaire at the beginning and end of this study. Observation and interview results were used to triangulate and consolidate the quantitative findings. The data showed that after the intervention, the quality of the experimental group students’ arguments and their attitudes toward science were significantly higher than their comparison group counterparts. In addition, the experimental group boys made significantly greater progress in the quality of their argumentation from the pretest to posttest than the girls; and low achievers made the most significant progress in their attitudes toward science and quality of argumentation. Interviews and observations indicated that their understandings of explanation and argumentation changed over the intervention. This indicated that a science and society intervention can enhance both the ability of students to develop strong arguments and their attitudes toward science.

Promoting Single‐Parent Family Children’s Attitudes toward Science and Science Performance through Extracurricular Science Intervention in Taiwan

This study investigated the efficacy of extracurricular science intervention in promoting students’ science learning performance and attitudes toward science. The Junior High School Student Questionnaire (JSSQ) was used to measure attitudes toward science, sexist attitudes and perceptions of the classroom learning environment. Twenty‐eight eighth graders from single parent families were participants in the one group pre‐test post‐test study. It was found that they made significant progress on most of the measurements. Additional qualitative results of interview and observation were used for triangulation and consideration of findings. The initial findings from the approach of multi‐methods reveal a positive impact on the students’ learning of science.

The Impact of Collaborative Reflections on Teachers’ Inquiry Teaching

This study investigates the impact of collaborative reflections on teachers’ inquiry teaching practices and identifies supportive actions relating to their professional development. Three science teachers in the same elementary school worked as a cooperative and collaborative group. They attended workshops and worked collaboratively through observing colleagues’ teaching practices and discussing with university professors about their own inquiry teaching. The pre- and post-treatment classroom observations and comparisons of their teaching reveal that the three teachers were more focussed on asking inquiry-oriented questions in the post-treatment teaching. With additional qualitative data analysis, this study identified supportive resources of professional development. Workshop training sessions and sample unit served as the initiative agent in the beginning stage. Discussions with peers and reflective observation of peer teaching acted as a facilitative agent. Finally, student responses and researchers’ on-site visit comments worked as a catalytic agent for their professional development.

RESEARCH REPORT: Student understanding of the nature of science and their problem-solving strategies

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between student understanding of the nature of science and their problem-solving strategies. Six hundred and twenty Year 8 students in Taiwan twice completed two conceptual problem-solving tests and a questionnaire on the nature of science. Four of these students were selected for follow-up interviews. The result of stepwise multiple regression indicated that the subscale on the nature of the scientific method consistently appeared as the best predictor for student problem-solving ability, explaining about 22% of the variance. It was also found that problem-solving strategies were more conceptually based for students that were high scorers on the nature of science survey.

How Might Adults Learn about New Science and Technology? The Case of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.

The nature of nanoscience and nanotechnology (collectively, nano) are discussed as important examples of the modern sciences and technologies that are having an increasing impact on all aspects of life. In this Position paper, general proposals are made for the levels of understanding of nano that might be attained by whole populations. The ideas that should be addressed in those levels of understanding are reviewed. The scope and limitations of formal and informal avenues to the attainment of such understanding are outlined. Proposals are made for the aspects of nano that are best conveyed by the different media available for informal provision and illustrated from the scant documentation of contemporary practice. Last, some substantial issues for further research and development are identified.