Yael Friedler

The design and use of a Practical Tests Assessment Inventory

Following a discussion of the role and importance of practical laboratory tests an instrument which was designed to assess inquiry practical examinations is described. The Practical Tests Assessment Inventory (PTAI) has 21 categories representing different inquiry skills. Each category contains types of possible answers ranked according to their level of acceptability. Examples of PTAI and illustrative data based on the results in the biology matriculation examination in Israel are presented.

High school students’ difficulties in understanding osmosis

Preconceptions and misconceptions of 500 secondary students in years 9‐12 regarding osmosis were studied through the use of five different kinds of instruments: prior learning inventory, self‐report knowledge inventory, true/false test, definitions and clinical interviews. Some of the major findings were: (1) The most frequent explanation offered to osmosis is ‘a desire or drive towards equalizing concentrations’. (2) Hardly any student uses the concept ‘water concentration’. (3) Most students fail to realize that in dynamic equilibrium water molecules keep moving. (4) Students have special difficulty in understanding osmotic relations in plants. (5) Many students have difficulty in grasping solute‐solvent and concentration‐quantity relations. (6) Students often perform laboratory experiments without really understanding the underlying principles. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.

Sex Differences in Science Education in Israel: An Analysis of 15 Years of Research.

Abstract An analysis of 40 studies which compared the achievement in science and the attitudes of Israeli male and female students towards science and science learning showed that: (1) in the elementary school there are no sex differences in attitudes and only a small advantage to males in achievement in the physical sciences. (2) Very large sex differences in all areas exist at the end of junior high‐school and only 34% of the students who elect to take specialised science subjects in the senior high‐school are girls. (3) Among students who specialise in science in the senior high‐school there are, on average, no sex differences in biology and in chemistry, but males excel in physics. (4) Two sex polarities were found, namely, biology (females)‐physics (males) and botany (females)‐zoology (males). (5) Females’ orientation to science is enhanced by inquiry and laboratory‐based instruction.

The effect of age and of learning on the ability to distinguish between anthropomorphic and teleological explanations

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there are developmental differences in teleological and anthropomorphic reasoning and whether biology students differ from non‐biology students in teleological and anthropomorphic reasoning. The 168 high school and university participants responded to a Microcomputer‐based Interactive Test (MBIT) which identified their anthropomorphic/teleological versus causal reasoning patterns. The findings of the study indicate that maturation contributes to the development of causal, non‐teleological reasoning between tenth and twelfth grade. It was also shown that the study of biology is a major factor influencing the ability to distinguish between teleological and causal non‐teleological reasoning. The educational implications of the study refer to the need to deal with the issue of causal, non‐teleological reasoning explicitly and repeatedly during the study of biology.

The role of programming environments in Pascal instruction

Abstract Educators have long believed that feedback contributes to learning, yet the form feedback should take remains uncertain. Recently-developed computer learning environments can provide novices with easy access to feedback that experts often use when debugging complex programs. These studies constitute a preliminary investigation of novice responses to such environments. We investigated the advantages of the interactive programming features and optional debugging features in the Macintosh Pascal and Instant Pascal programming environments. The first experiment assessed how often precollege programming students used the unique capabilities of the environment. We found that such students rarely used the optional features without prompting. For the second experiment we devised activities to take advantage of the debugging features. We compared the performances of 10 students using Instant Pascal to that of 9 students using a traditional programming environment during a one-semester course. We found no conclusive evidence for the effectiveness of the optional features, although students who used Instant Pascal outperformed those who used the traditional environment.

An approach to cost‐effective courseware development

The limited quantity and quality of existing courseware restricts the use of computers in todays educational environment. Educators are often reluctant to become involved with the development of new courseware because of the high costs associated with courseware development. This article describes the evolution of courseware development and compares the advantages and disadvantages of existing development environments. The authors propose the use of an alternative environment: products which include customised courseware generators. This generator would allow the instructor to modify and expand the courseware to meet local needs. The development and subsequent use of a customised courseware generator is able to increase significantly the cost-effectiveness of courseware development. In order to illustrate the potential of the proposed development environment, the authors describe a customised generator which was developed as part of a courseware unit used to teach the human hormone regulatory system.

Development of Thinking Skills Through the Use of Database Software

The aim of the project described in this paper was to examine the effects of database software tool usage on students’ ability to manipulate data, to define hypotheses and queries using Boolean operators and to draw conclusions in the context of the standard biology curricula. Special instructional materials were developed in order to enhance those skills.

MBL, MML and the Science Curriculum—Are We Ready for Implementation?

In this paper dilemmas are raised concerning the development and implementation of microcomputer-based laboratories (MBL) and multimedia laboratories (MML) in science education for students in the age range 12–18 years old. Our purpose in doing this is to initiate a discussion on the advantages of MBL and MML in science education. Recent trends in science curricula show various areas where MBL and MML could contribute to improve science education. Any evidence of advantage should be a basis for subsequent curriculum development and educational research.