Nature Of Science Conceptions Research Articles

The Effectiveness of ARICESA-based Learning Material on Students’ Motivations

This research aims to describe the effectiveness of ARICESA (Attention, Relevance, Inquiry, Confidence, Enjoyment, Satisfaction, and self-Assessment)-based learning material to improve students’ motivation on the basic concept of natural science. This research was conducted in 6 weeks by employing a pre-experimental research, that is one group pre-test and post-test design. The data to seek for the effectiveness was obtained through students’ motivation questionnaire that consists of 5 aspects (choice of tasks, effort, persistence, self-confidence, and achievement). Then, the data that were obtained were analysed descriptive and inferential statistics. The mean scores of students’ motivation before joining learning process with ARICESA-based learning material (initial motivation) is still in “very less” criteria in each aspect of motivation. The mean scores of students’ motivation after following the learning (final motivation) increase in “good” criteria. The increase was shown quantitatively with a normalized gain (N-gain) mean of 0.65 in the medium criteria. The dependent t-test results showed p-value (significance) of 0.000 (˂0.05). This means that there is a significant difference from the beginning and the end of students’ motivation in an undergraduate program of primary school teacher education for basic science concept learning.

ОБУЧЕНИЕ СТУДЕНТОВ ДИСЦИПЛИНЕ «ЕСТЕСТВЕННОНАУЧНАЯ КАРТИНА МИРА»: МЕТОДОЛОГИЧЕСКИЙ АСПЕКТ

Problem and purpose. The topical character of the problem of singling out particular methodical approaches in teaching “Natural-science Worldview” discipline, taking into account the Federal Educational Standard for Higher Education (ФГОС ВО)” in order to develop conceptual thinking in students of pedagogical universities, is substantiated in the article. Objective of the Research. Is to lend credibility to the authors» approach and to present it marking out the ways arranging structuring theoretical and practical activities of man for scientific cognition of the world. Methodology of the research is based on the logic and philosophic generalizations made by the authors while analyzing articles and monographs written on the problem under consideration and regarding the interdisciplinary complex of natural sciences (physics, biology, chemistry, etc.). This approach allows to consider the research in the following sequence: “categorical analysis of the problem → dialectical logic and the principles of dialectics → the approaches by analogy → the method of simulation → the systematic approach and theoretical concepts of concrete sciences”. At the same time the principle of fundamentalism, on the basis of which fundamental notions, such as matter, movement, interaction, space and time are singled out, is also considered. Results. The comparative analysis of the content of the academic discipline under consideration, on the one hand, and the concepts of other contemporary natural sciences, on the other, was carried out. The structural content of the system of divisions was determined, and it was found out that the core of this system is the knowledge of nature. This basic factor is presented in the form of essential notions and models of the scientific worldview. It is suggested to consider this discipline with due regard to the methodological requirements concerning scientific cognition as a system: scientific facts – hypothesis – model – consequence – experiment. It was proved that the content, the structure and the methods of material presentation must meet the requirements of dialectics a theory of cognition, on the one hand, and methodology of natural sciences, on the other. Conclusion. The authors» assignments and questions are suggested as examples which should be discussed with the students in order to shape their conceptual thinking. The development of conceptual thinking will allow the students to perceive the unified scientific worldview as a model of the world round them. This model is to be built on the basis of systematizing theories and hypotheses corresponding to a certain stage of science development. It is necessary to rely upon the concepts of a systematic approach, evolution and self-actualization.

Using Video Integrated with Local Potentiality to Improve Students’ Concept Mastery in Natural Science Learning

This research is aimed at determining the effectiveness of using video that was integrated with local potentiality to improve students’ concept mastery in natural science learning. A quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control group design was used to pursue the purpose of this research. The population was all first-year students of State Junior High School 2 of Jetis that was located in Bantul Regency. Two groups observed and assessed in this research were VII C as the experimental group and VII D as the control group. While the control group students learned natural science concepts through conventional teaching methods, the experimental group through video. The assessment used to measure students’ concept mastery was a multiple-choice test related to the concepts of energy in the systems of life. The data related to students’ concept mastery were analyzed using the one-way ANOVA and the normalized gain analysis. The findings revealed that the use of video that was integrated with local potentiality was effective to improve students’ concept mastery in natural science learning. Furthermore, the significance of this research mainly lies in its findings that can be used as references to review or design natural science learning that is integrated with local potentiality.

Development of Methodical Materials for Teaching of Modern Physics

In the paper, the results of a study into a problem of cognitive barriers (difficulties) related to the third component of a pedagogical triad “how to teach what to teach to how to be learned study” are reported. At the first stage, methodical approaches to academic performance rating for students learning mathematical and natural-science disciplines were proposed. At the following stage, the cognitive barriers of students arising in the course of studying the specified disciplines were established. The results, obtained during realization of the above two stages were used as a basis for the development of methodology for teaching the discipline “Concept of modern natural sciences”, which is intended for the students of humanitarian and economic profiles. The core of the methodology for teaching the mentioned discipline is a theoretical course, guided by the fundamental ideas of physics, which have been formulated conceptually. Also, the content of a special course entitled “Physical foundations of new composite materials” is disclosed. The special course is intended for senior students of the technical universities studying in the directions training technical officers of industrial productions. The purpose of this course is to give to students the basic knowledge on the physical phenomena of material world of nano – and microscales, which are used for design of the advanced materials.

Nanotechnology and future applications of graphene in the construction of flexible screens as a component of the scenography

Since the beginning of the nineties, human civilization has introduced many modern and advanced industries, and it has become the age of technology, and it seems that we will talk about nanotechnology, which is an industry that depends on materials whose dimensions are measured in nanometers, depending on the application of applied concepts of natural sciences ( a micro levels), by creating structures and systems with properties and functions that are controlled at the atom level to produce new materials capable of dealing with particles of materials. nanotechnology has been widely used in the field of many engineering industries, and this technology has been used to manufacture graphene, which consists of a single carbon atom bonded with other atoms in the form of repeating hexagonal patterns with a thickness of nearly a million times less than the thickness of ordinary paper, making it appear as a two-dimensional material. One of the properties of graphene is its extreme strength, and it is also one of the emerging options available for alternatives to LED screens, which enables us to reduce costs and provide flexible and transparent conductive materials, in addition to being non-reflective, and because graphene is very strong and thin, it can be folded without To be broken, when searching for new forms and materials to be reformulated in a way that changes their functions and use, whether, at the level of basic sciences or future applications of human sciences, it was noted that graphene and the applications based on it in the industry are the optimal axes to talk about.

Authentic research in an introductory geology laboratory and student reflections: Impact on nature of science understanding and science self-efficacy

ABSTRACTThis study examines the effects of an extended authentic research experience on students’ understanding of the nature of science (NOS) and self-efficacy toward science. The curriculum of an introductory physical geology lab was transformed to include a six-week, student-driven research project focused on local groundwater and surface water issues. Students’ NOS understanding was measured by using a modified version of the Student Understanding of Science and Scientific Inquiry questionnaire (n = 181) and their science self-efficacy using a modified vocational self-efficacy survey (n = 179). Data were collected on students during four semesters. We found that the combination of having students explicitly reflect on the NOS and working on a research project improves students’ overall NOS understanding, and that the increase was higher for female students. We found that for non-STEM students the research project alone had a more positive effect on their NOS understanding. A research project alone did not significantly increase non-STEM students’ science self-efficacy, but adding explicit NOS reflections did, and more so for female students. The self-efficacy of STEM students increased more than the one of non-STEM students if they completed both a research project and reflected on NOS concepts. This complex set of results suggests that there are multiple ways to implement an authentic research experience to increase students’ NOS understanding, whereas to increase students’ self-efficacy, reflections on the NOS are a good strategy, particularly for STEM students. For female students, a promising approach is designing an experiment and reflecting on the NOS.

Articulating Space in Terms of Transformation Groups: Helmholtz and Cassirer

Hermann von Helmholtz’s geometrical papers (1868–1878) have been typically deemed to provide an implicitly group-theoretical analysis of space, as articulated later by Felix Klein, Sophus Lie, and Henri Poincaré. However, there is less agreement as to what properties exactly in such a view would pertain to space, as opposed to abstract mathematical structures, on the one hand, and empirical contents, on the other. According to Moritz Schlick, the puzzle can be resolved only by clearly distinguishing the empirical qualities of spatial perception from those describable in terms of axiomatic geometry. This paper offers a partial defense of the group-theoretical reading of Helmholtz along the lines of Ernst Cassirer in the fourth volume of The Problem of Knowledge of 1940. In order to avoid the problem raised by Schlick, Cassirer relied on a Kantian view of space not so much as an object of geometry, but as a precondition for the possibility of measurement. Although the concept of group does not provide a description of space, the modern way to articulate the concept of space in terms of transformation groups reveals something about the structure and the transformation of spatial concepts in mathematical and natural sciences.

Teaching natural science concepts to young children with mobile devices and hands-on activities. A case study

Over the years, researchers and educators have used various forms of ICT to deliver innovative ideas and teach young children. Technologies are always perceived as catalysts which can enliven the process of teaching and learning. The present study presents, an experimental teaching intervention, which seeks to examine whether early childhood children aged five to seven can develop an understanding of the concept of gravity and knowledge about the planets using hands-on activities, as well as smart mobile devices and the programming environment of ScratchJr. The need to use ScratchJr emerged from the lack of developmentally appropriate software suitable for digital creation and programming in preschool education. The results of the study were quite encouraging as the children started developing an understanding of the concept of gravity, and there was an improvement in their existing knowledge of the planets.

Teaching natural science concepts to young children with mobile devices and hands-on activities. A case study

Over the years, researchers and educators have used various forms of ICT to deliver innovative ideas and teach young children. Technologies are always perceived as catalysts which can enliven the process of teaching and learning. The present study presents, an experimental teaching intervention, which seeks to examine whether early childhood children aged five to seven can develop an understanding of the concept of gravity and knowledge about the planets using hands-on activities, as well as smart mobile devices and the programming environment of ScratchJr. The need to use ScratchJr emerged from the lack of developmentally appropriate software suitable for digital creation and programming in preschool education. The results of the study were quite encouraging as the children started developing an understanding of the concept of gravity, and there was an improvement in their existing knowledge of the planets.

Pemahaman Aspek-Aspek dalam Hakikat Sains (Nature of Science) oleh Guru Sekolah Dasar di Wilayah 4P (Pedalaman, Perbatasan, Perkotaan, dan Pesisir)

Nature of Science knowledge understanding can be related to natural science conceptual understanding. It is expected that having understanding in nature of science concepts will minimize misconception in science concepts. Therefore, every teacher should understand aspects on nature of science. Because of the importance of nature of science, a research on elementary school teachers’ understanding on nature of science in 4P areas (rural, bordered, coastal, and urban) should be done. This research is aimed to to know the use of View of Nature of Science form B that has been translated and adapted to Bahasa Indonesia. This is qualitative research, in which focusing on evaluating elementary school teachers’ view of nature of science and the use of transadapted VNOS form B questionnaire that has been developed by Lederman and El-Khalick in the USA. Indeed, there are six aspect of Nature of Science that has been measured using VNOS form B. The result shows that most of respondents are naïve in understanding those six NOS aspects.

A Systematic Review of Studies about Conceptions on the Nature of Science in Science Education

The nature of science (NOS) has been highlighted as an important component of science education, since scientific knowledge can contribute to decision-making by contemporary citizens. There are few quantitative review studies in the field of science education. Given the importance of the topic, and the need to organize and understand the knowledge produced by research on conceptions of NOS, we carried out a systematic review based on the principles of PRISMA, in order to quantify and initiate reflection on (i) the publication trends of articles on NOS conceptions (ii) the main characteristics of these articles, (iii) the NOS aspects frequently cited as important for teaching, and (iv)the main strategies used to access NOS conceptions. We analyzed 396 articles published up to February 2015 in Teaching and Education journals listed on WebQualis 2013. Our systematic review represented an initial effort to present an overview of the area, and enabled us to identify research trends and gaps. Investigational efforts are needed to investigate NOS conceptions in the Brazilian context that are associated with the teaching of specific disciplines. We found twenty-five NOS aspects reported to be important for teaching, addressed part of the debate on consensus and the lists of NOS aspects, and presented general characteristics of the main questionnaires used to investigate NOSconceptions.

DECISÕES ENVOLVIDAS NA ELABORAÇÃO E VALIDAÇÃO DE UM QUESTIONÁRIO CONTEXTUALIZADO SOBRE CONCEPÇÕES DE NATUREZA DA CIÊNCIA

Dada a importância que as concepções de Natureza da Ciência (NdC) têm recebido nas pesquisas da área de Ensino de Ciências, relatamos o processo de elaboração de um instrumento para investigar as concepções de NdC de estudantes de Biologia. Propomos orientações e princípios que podem contribuir em pesquisas que objetivam levantar concepções de NdC. O questionário Visões de Estudantes sobre a Natureza da Ciência por meio da Contextualização em Ecologia (VENCCE) é composto por cinco situações contextualizadas que têm a Ecologia como tema e modelo de estudo para a compreensão das concepções de NdC. Cada situação é acompanhada de afirmações a serem assinaladas conforme o grau de concordância do respondente. O VENCCE fornece um índice que indica o quão informada é a visão de ciência dos respondentes. A confiabilidade do VENCCE foi considerada adequada conforme o Alfa de Cronbach estimado após uma aplicação com 691 estudantes de graduação. Apresentamos aqui o VENCCE na íntegra e discutimos as implicações de utilizar questionários contextualizados. Procuramos ainda justificar nossas decisões epistemológicas e metodológicas a fim de fomentar a reflexão e auxiliar na tomada de decisão de outros trabalhos. Ao expor nossas decisões de pesquisa procuramos generalizá-las para que a metodologia empregada por nós possa ser expandida e replicada durante a elaboração de outros instrumentos de pesquisa em geral. Organizamos nosso percurso na forma de um diagrama de perguntas, que podem ser consideradas para a criação de novos questionários de forma explícita e crítica.

EARLY CHILDHOOD SCIENCE EDUCATION: STATE OF THE ART AND PERSPECTIVES

The last twenty-five years have seen an increase in the development of an area of educational research and implementation which is known internationally as Early Childhood Science Education. In fact, this is a broad framework within which different theoretical trends coexist with corresponding research orientations and fields of teaching applications. These trends converge in an effort to study the mechanisms of initiation of children aged 4-8 years into the properties of the materials and objects and into the phenomena and concepts of Natural Sciences. When the first relevant efforts began to take shape, valid questions were raised as to whether the systematic approach to Natural Sciences at such an early age was desirable, possible and feasible.

For want of a better word: unlocking threshold concepts in natural sciences with a key from the humanities?

ABSTRACTThe process of identifying threshold concepts invites experts to reflect on their discipline in a new way with the ultimate goal of improving learning and teaching. During a workshop to identify threshold concepts in biochemistry, we asked a group of natural scientists to explore ‘signification,’ a threshold concept from the humanities, as a mechanism to push them out of their comfort zones and recall how it feels to experience learning from a student’s perspective. In addition to accomplishing this goal, we subsequently realized that signification could also help us uncover and remedy ways in which use of scientific terminology impedes learning in biochemistry. Using the results of a survey of university teachers that aimed at refining a list of possible threshold concepts, we present three scenarios to illustrate the challenges that teachers and students encounter when attempting to cement a label (the signifier) and a concept (the signified) into a coherent sign. Based on these findings, we propose that teachers can better explore threshold concepts if they carefully consider the role terminology plays in learning and teaching. Thus we describe the ‘terminological canyon’ through which university teachers must journey in order to produce effective learning and teaching activities related to the threshold concepts. While the work described here pertains to biochemistry, we believe the process and findings can be generalized to a broad range of disciplines.

The Importance of Training Needs’ Questionnaire in order to Arrange Science Teacher Training Program

<p>An ideal teacher training program is by participant’s need. The major aim of this study is getting information about science teacher’s perception and needs in their professional’s life as a science teacher in Junior High School. The main idea of teacher training is to strengthen the integrated science of Natural Science concepts and problem-based learning. Data is gathered by spreading training needs questionnaire to 20 science teachers under an education foundation in Bandung. The questionnaire consists of six main parts which are teacher’s profile, teacher’s training, integrated science, problem-based learning, environmental problem and lesson preparation. The result of the training needs questionnaire is used as a basic of Science Teacher Training Program’s Arrangement. There are four significant findings in training needs questionnaire. The first finding, the method of training is important. Most of the participant choose discussion method with sharing. The second finding, webbed model/ thematic approach in integrated science is unfamiliar for the participant. Therefore, the thematic approach can be a potential material for teacher training program. The third finding, 70% participants find obstacles in problem-based learning. This finding shows that the need to put problem-based learning material in teacher training program. The fourth finding, 65% participant, express opinions that material about lesson preparation is critical in teacher training. Based on the explanation above, we can conclude that training program for science teacher needs to be arranged according to teacher needs. So, the training program should use discussion method with sharing. Material about the thematic approach, problem-based learning and learning preparation are very potential to put into a training program for Junior High School science teacher.</p>

Elementary teachers’ perceptions about the effective features of explicit-reflective nature of science instruction

ABSTRACTThis qualitative study explored elementary teachers’ perceptions about the effective features of explicit-reflective nature of science (NOS) instruction. Our participants were four elementary teachers from a public charter school located in the Southwestern U.S.A. The four elementary teachers participated in an academic year-long professional development about NOS which consisted of NOS training and NOS teaching phases. After each phase of the professional development, we specifically asked our participants which features of the explicit-reflective NOS instruction they found effective in improving their NOS conceptions by presenting pre- and post-profiles of their NOS conceptions. We identified nine features perceived by the participants as effective components of explicit-reflective NOS instruction: (1) specific focus on NOS content, (2) participation in hands-on NOS activities, (3) introductory NOS readings, (4) multiple types/forms of reflection, (5) multiple exposure to NOS content, (6) structural consistency in the presentation of NOS content, (7) the evaluation of secondary NOS data from elementary students, (8) the analysis of national and state science standards in terms of NOS content, and (9) NOS teaching experience.

Understanding the Nature of Science Through a Critical and Reflective Analysis of the Controversy Between Pasteur and Liebig on Fermentation

This article presents a qualitative study, descriptive-interpretive in profile, of the effectiveness in learning about the nature of science (NOS) of an activity relating to the historical controversy between Pasteur and Liebig on fermentation. The activity was implemented during a course for pre-service secondary science teachers (PSSTs) specializing in physics and chemistry. The approach was explicit and reflective. Three research questions were posed: (1) What conceptions of NOS do the PSSTs show after a first reflective reading of the historical controversy?, (2) What role is played by the PSSTs’ whole class critical discussion of their first reflections on the aspects of NOS dealt with in the controversy?, and (3) What changes are there in the PSSTs’ conceptions of NOS after concluding the activity? The data for analysis was extracted from the PSSTs’ group reports submitted at the end of the activity and the audio-recorded information from the whole class discussion. A rubric was prepared to assess this data by a process of inter-rater analysis. The results showed overall improvement in understanding the aspects of NOS involved, with there being a significant evolution in some cases (e.g., conception of scientific theory) and moderate in others (e.g., differences in scientific interpretations of the same phenomenon). This reveals that the activity has an educational utility for the education of PSSTs in NOS issues. The article concludes with an indication of some educational implications of the experience.

An Investigation into How Grade 5 Teachers Teach Natural Science Concepts in Three Western Cape Primary Schools

Purpose: The rationale behind this study was to investigate how three Grade 5 Natural Sciences teachers in threeWestern Cape primary schools teach science concepts so as to enable the researcher to gain a deeper understanding andmore insightful perception of the ways in which the pedagogical practices of South African primary school teachersinfluence conceptual learning in the science classroom.Methodology: The sample comprised three teachers in a specific metropole district in the Western Cape. A qualitativeapproach was employed to ensure the collection of rich data.Results: The findings indicated that teachers tend to ignore learners’ misconceptions in class, that they rely heavily oneveryday empirical examples, that they fail to link these empirical examples to scientific concepts and that they devotelittle talk time to explaining scientific concepts.Recommendations: Based on its findings the study proposed a model of classroom practice that focuses onpromoting effective science learning with the aim of developing and transforming the everyday, familiar knowledgeof learners into new understandings of school-based scientific concepts and processes.Conclusion: The data from the study suggested that there may almost certainly be serious shortcomings in theinstructional practices of teachers and that such shortcomings are not confined to the three schools in the sample but areto be found in township primary schools in general. In addition, these shortcomings may require immediateintervention on the part of senior curriculum specialists as well as teacher training higher education institutions (HEIs).

Making learning last: teachers’ long-term retention of improved nature of science conceptions and instructional rationales

ABSTRACTDespite successful attempts to improve learners’ nature of science (NOS) conceptions through explicit, reflective approaches, retention of improved conceptions is rarely addressed in research. The issue of context for NOS instruction has implications for this retention. Whether to contextualise has been the question occupying science educators’ attention. We think this question is misplaced. Instead, we build upon recent research addressing a context continuum – drawing on the strengths of both contextualised and noncontextualised NOS instruction – to improve retention. Although there are many different potential contexts for NOS instruction, this investigation focuses on science content as context. The present investigation focused on long-term retention of improved NOS conceptions and rationales for NOS instruction. Participants were all 25 teachers who completed a professional development programme (PDP) utilising a mixed contextualisation approach to NOS instruction. We classified teachers’ NOS conceptions into three levels of understanding using the Views of the Nature of Science Form-C responses and interviews three times over the year: pre-, post-, and 10-month delayed post-PDP. Results indicated that initially participants held many alternative NOS conceptions. Post-instruction, responses were substantially improved across all NOS concepts. Furthermore, nearly all of the participants’ conceptions were retained across the academic year following the PDP. Participants offered varied rationales for NOS instruction including its potential to improve students’ scientific literacy, perceptions of the relevance of science, improve positive risk-taking, and increase tolerance for differences. These results contrast favourably with previous reports of the retention of improvements in NOS conceptions over time.

PENGARUH KONSEP DIRI DAN KEDISIPLINAN BELAJAR TERHADAP PENGUASAAN KONSEP IPA

<p>The aim of this research is to determine the influense of self-concept and discipline in learning, either directly or indirectly on mastery of concepts of natural science. The research method used was a survey, with a sample size of 75 students, drawn by simple random sampling technique from primary school in the area of South Jakarta. Data collection used a questionnaires that have been validated and the data values from the results of the written test students. Data analisys used path analisy, with the first test of normality, linearity test and multikolinearity test. The implications of this study were obtained, namely : that there is a direct influence on the discipline of self-concept study is r<sub>12</sub> = 0,617 and P<sub>21</sub>= 0,617, there is a direct influence on concept mastery learning discipline of natural science is r<sub>12</sub> = 0,407 and P<sub>21</sub>= 0,306, self-concept does not directly influence mastery of concepts of natural science is r<sub>13</sub> = 0,352 and P<sub>31</sub>= 0,163.</p><p> </p><p> </p>