Peter A. Rubba

An investigation of middle school students’ alternative conceptions of global warming

Because global warming presents a serious potential threat to our biosphere, it is receiving considerable attention by scientists, policy makers, and educators. This article presents alternative conceptions about global warming held by a sample of 24 grade 6 to 8 students. Students completed interviews on global’ warming approximately two weeks after instruction from a Science‐Technology‐Society (STS) global warming unit. The majority of students introduced ‘ozone layer’ or ‘ultraviolet radiation’ in response to the question, ‘When you think about global warming, what comes to mind?’ Approximately one‐half of the students held the alternative conceptions that ozone layer depletion is a major cause of global warming and that carbon dioxide destroys the ozone layer. These and other alternative conceptions evidenced by the students suggest that global warming instruction should help students clarify that ozone layer depletion and global warming are different environmental problems and that the ozone ‘hole’ d...

A new scoring procedure for the Views on Science-Technology-Society instrument

With the rise of Science‐Technology‐Society (STS) within the K‐16 science curriculum, helping students develop an understanding of the nature of science and technology, and their interactions in society, has become a goal of science instruction. Use of instrumentation with ‘empirically developed’ multiple‐choice items, such as the Views on Science‐‐Technology‐Society (VOSTS), has been proposed as a means for overcoming the ‘immaculate perception’ difficulty in instruments used in the past to assess the epistemology and sociology of science. However, as originally developed and implemented, the VOSTS did not lend itself to test‐‐retest comparisons and hypothesis testing using inferential statistical procedures. This paper describes the development of a scoring procedure that would allow for such comparisons, and the subsequent refinement of the scoring through a re‐analysis of VOSTS data from the initial application. If limitations associated with VOSTS item selection and categorization of VOSTS multiple‐c...

Goals and Competencies for Precollege STS Education: Recommendations Based upon Recent Literature in Environmental Education.

Abstract Initiated by recommendations in the reports of the study groups that examined the status of science education in the United States early in this decade, science-technology-society (STS) education has become accepted as a viable part of the school science curriculum. The social responsibility perspective on STS education that was embodied in those recommendations has become the most widely accepted. Approached from a social responsibility perspective, the goal of STS education is to help students develop the knowledge, skills, and affective qualities to take responsible action on the myriad of STS issues facing humankind. That goal is congruent with the superordinate goal of EE. Given the parallel and the lack of a body of research in STS education, recent EE research on responsible environmental behavior was used to generate a goal structure for STS education that is similar to one prepared for EE by Hungerford et al. in 1980. The STS goal structure is further explicated in a set of fifty-three l...

A Goal Structure for Precollege STS Education: A Proposal Based Upon Recent Literature in Environmental Education

In a recent issue of The Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society, Waks and Prakash (1985) examine four conceptions of STS education. The limitations of a technical, rational-academic, and personal conceptions of STS education are explicated, as arguments are put forth in favor of the social responsibility conception. Waks and Prakash recommend modificatior.s which are needed in teacher recruitment procedures, preservice and inservice teacher education, and the nature of the administrative support provided teachers if the social responsibility conception of STS education is to be implemented in our schools.

The Learning Cycle as a Model for the Design of Science Teacher Preservice and Inservice Education.

The design of effective teacher development activities for preservice and inservice science teachers is a continuing challenge to science teacher educators (Spector, 1987; Barufaldi, 1989). Science teacher development will be especially critical over the next decade as we work to update and renew the existing science teacher population, replace upon their retirement a significant number of science teachers who were hired during the 1960s and 1970s, and move to reform science education practice. But how should we proceed; what models of teacher education are most appropriate? Zeichner (1983) identified four distinct orientations or paradigms in the recent discourse on teacher development.

What happens during high school chemistry laboratory sessions? A descriptive case study of the behaviors exhibited by three teachers and their students

(1994). What happens during high school chemistry laboratory sessions? A descriptive case study of the behaviors exhibited by three teachers and their students. Journal of Science Teacher Education: Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 37-47.

Expert and novice, earth and space science: teachers' declarative, procedural and structural knowledge

This study sought to compare expert and novice earth and space science teachers in terms of the declarative, procedural and structural knowledge that they use while engaged in solving ‘typical’ earth science problems. In a qualitative analysis of the problem‐solving skills of six expert and six novice earth and space science teachers, it was found that expert earth and space science teachers: (a) brought more declarative knowledge to the problem, (b) used fewer steps to solve a problem, (c) generated more subroutines, (d) generated more alternative solutions, (e) moved less between declarative and procedural knowledge, and (f) solved problems more accurately than did the novice earth and space science teachers. Findings from this study support Normans (1982) theory of learning, that experts perform with ease while novices seem to work harder. The expert earth and space science teachers in this study seemed to function at the ‘tuning’ level, while novice earth and space science teachers function at the ‘a...

The Current State of Research in Precollege Sts Education: a Position Paper

In this position paper I examine the current status of research in precollege STS education and the implications it has for the stability and survival of STS education as part of the precollege curriculum. On any matter involving judgement, such as this one, one’s perspective is influenced by the complicated interaction of a number of factors. Among these would appear to be one’s philosophical perspective regarding education as a whole and STS education in particular, one’s educational background and professional experience, one’s level of scientific and technological literacy, and one’s research interests

Student Understanding of Global Warming Implications for STS Education beyond 20001

Many experts believe humans are imperiling the ecology of the earth by enhancing the natural greenhouse effect, which may result in global warming. Others suggest, however, that we do not yet fully understand all the factors operating in the earth’s system and their complex interactions, so it is possible that the warming observed during the past century may be due to natural variation. Whether or not there is a discernible human influence on global climate, global warming is an STS issue that will continue to be debated far into the next century. The potential significance of global warming makes it the STS issue that will shape STS education as STS enters the new millennium.

An examination of the conceptual structure and reading level of six sixth-grade science textbooks

Six current sixth-grade science textbooks were examined for conceptual structure and readabŸ One life, earth, and physical science topic common to all six textbooks was chosen. Hierarchical concept maps were composed on the text segments on the topics and the maps were scored. Reading analyses also were completed using the Fry readability method. Two trends were visually but not statistically evident in the concept maps. Fry readabflities were higher than sixth grade, but no relationship was found between them and total concept map scores. The findings suggest that concept mapping comparable text segments should be a part of the elementary science textbook selection process. Most elementary school science programs are structured around a textbook series. Textbooks are, in fact, used over 90% of the time by more than 90% of all science teachers (Harms & Yager, 1981). Textbooks are such ah integrar component of elementary science that it is important for elementary teachers, curriculum coordinators, and science educators to be well informed about current elementary science textbooks. In 1989, Staver and Bay analyzed the conceptual structure of 11 primary level (K-3) science textbooks. They found that the textbooks had well-defined conceptual structures, with few isolated concepts. However, the conceptual structures varied widely across the 11 textbooks. This study was partially patterned after the study by Staver and Bay, using current editions of six sixth-grade science textbooks.