Peter F. W. Preece

Science Process Skills: their nature and interrelationships

Abstract Assessments were made of the science process skills and of the Piagetian development level of about 90 secondary school students in Tears 7, 8 and 9. The reliability, stability and validity of the measures were investigated. Only a simple two‐level hierarchy (basic and integrated) of process skills was found, with no evidence to support a theoretical multilevel model. Considerable overlap, perhaps even an identity, was found between science process skills and Piagetian development level.

Scepticism and gullibility : the superstitious and pseudo-scientific beliefs of secondary school students

A survey of the superstitious and pseudo-scientific beliefs of secondary school students (N=2159) was undertaken, with some follow-up interviews. Gender differences were found at all ages with females generally less sceptical than males. An exception was a belief that aliens from another planet had visited the Earth, about which males were consistently less sceptical than females. The average level of scepticism increased steadily on going from Key Stage 3 students (11-13 years), through Key Stage 4 (14-16 years), to the sixth-form science students (17-18 years), with a further increase in scepticism in a sample of pre-service science teachers. Nevertheless many school students were very gullible and this should be of concern to science educators.

Teaching science process skills

The effects of teaching science with a special emphasis on process skills were investigated with Year 7, 8 and 9 classes, in a study employing experimental and control groups. The 28‐week intervention proved to be particularly effective in promoting science process skills and in raising the Piagetian development level in Year 8 males. In delayed post‐tests nine or ten weeks after the intervention, the positive effects on cognitive ability were still present. The results are interpreted in terms of ‘readiness’, associated with a spurt in brain development.

A Geometrical Model of Piagetian Conservation

A geometrical model is developed of behavior in a Piagetian conservation task. The model, which is based on Thoms catastrophe theory, encompasses the discontinuities in cognition found in such tasks and describes the changes in behavior as the subject progresses through the stages of intuitive, transitional, and concrete operational thinking.

The National Assessment in Science at Key Stage 3 in England and Wales and its Impact on Teaching and Learning

The development of a framework for the content and assessment of National Curriculum science in England and Wales, following the 1988 Education Reform Act, is described, with a particular emphasis on assessment at the end of Key Stage 3 (14-year-old pupils). The University of Exeter evaluations of Key Stage 3 science assessments in 1995 and 1996 are outlined and the findings concerning the reliability and validity of the testing are presented. The views of science teachers on the impact of this assessment on teaching and learning are summarised, with particular reference to the structure, delivery and interpretation of the National Curriculum, the setting of pupils, continuity and progression, the preparation of pupils for the tests and teacher assessment.

A measure of experimental effect size based on success rates

It is shown how the difference between the success rates in two treatment groups is related to the treatment-outcome correlation and the overall success rate. A new measure of effect size is proposed, which is easily calculated and readily interpretable in terms of the ratio of success rates in the treatment groups.

Class Size and Learning: A Theoretical Model.

AbstractA theoretical model of the relationship between class size and achievement is proposed, based on the assumption that a teacher adjusts the style and pace of a lesson to the least able student in the class. It is shown that the model and an extension to take into account the duration of instruction account well for various features of the data collected in the Glass and Smith (1978) meta-analysis of research. In particular, a correlation of 0.62 between predicted and empirical effect sizes was obtained.

A Comparison of Dome and Computer Planetaria in the Teaching of Astronomy

The learning of pupils from Years 5 and 6 (9-and 10-year-olds) when taught with the aid of dome and computer planetaria was investigated. The two kinds of planetarium were found to be equally effective, although the learning was confined to female pupils. It is suggested that the use of planetaria might enable females to catch up with males in areas of astronomy which make heavy demands on spatial ability. Substantial learning also took place in the pre-service education students who led the planetaria sessions.

Interactive Multimedia and Concrete Three-Dimensional Modelling

A multimedia package for teaching about the phases of the moon to Year 8 (12-year-old) students was compared with a conventional three-dimensional modelling approach. Both methods were highly and equally effective in terms of student learning, and the effectiveness of the multimedia package did not depend on a student’s experience of computers or attitude towards computers. The package was also equally effective for male and female students.

Teaching science process skills: long‐term effects on science achievement

Abstract In this follow‐up study to Brotherton and Preece (1996), the long‐term effects of teaching science with a special emphasis on process skills with Year 7, 8, and 9 classes were investigated. In a value‐added analysis, a positive effect of the intervention on Year 8 males was found on examining subsequent GCSE science results. (The GCSE‐‐General Certificate of Secondary Education‐‐is a public examination taken by pupils in England and Wales at the end of Year 11.) This finding was interpreted in terms of the particular ‘readiness’ of this group to enculturation into practices involved in teaching and assessment at the GCSE level.