Physical Science Classes Research Articles

Examining English learning students’ experiences related to home language use in a Physical Science and Language Development classroom

Research suggests that by allowing English Learner (EL) students to use their home languages in science class, they can better express their thinking and build content knowledge through underlying crosslinguistic awareness between languages. However, EL students’ educational backgrounds and home languages are incredibly varied. In this case study, we employ grounded theory to explore students' perceptions of their experiences in the context of a Physical Science and Language Development class [10]. We use a phenomenological approach to describe how the students experience their home language within this model of a science and language development class. Observation data, online video assignments, and small group, semi-structured interviews were used to find themes related to experiences of using home language in science class. The findings indicate varied student perspectives on the use of their home languages in science class. Some students preferred to use class time to practice using English, while others found value in using their home languages to help better understand science concepts. Student ideologies regarding English-only or multilingual practices for EL students varied. The findings also indicated that providing an opportunity for EL students to use their home languages in an asynchronous online communication platform outside of class was an effective strategy to allow time for students to practice English during science class, yet provide an opportunity to translate between home languages and English.

Intervention initiatives to raise young people's interest and participation in STEM.

For nearly a decade, two science interventions anchored in project-based learning (PBL) principles have been shown to increase student science learning in 3rd grade and high school physical science classes. Both interventions employed a randomized control trial of several thousand students (N = 3,271 in 3rd grade and N = 4,238 in 10th, 11th, and 12th grades). Incorporating a rich background of research studies and reports, the two interventions are based on the ideas of PBL as well as the National Academies of Science's publications, including how children learn; how science learning and instruction can be transformed; and the performance expectations for science learning articulated in the Next Generation of Science Standards. Results show significant positive increases in student academic, social, and emotional learning in both elementary and secondary school. These findings can be traced, in part, to carefully crafted experiential participatory activities and high-quality instructional materials which act as strong facilitators for knowledge acquisition and use. Reviewing the innovations undertaken by these two interventions, this article describes the importance of studying social and emotional factors 'in situ', using the Experience Sampling Method (ESM), that can motivate and engage students in science learning in both elementary and secondary school. Using these 'in situ' data collection (N = 596 students in 3rd and N = 1412 students in 10th, 11th, and 12th grades) along with case studies and repeated measures analysis gave deep insights into emotional and social development for young children and adolescents. These methods should continue to be considered when trying to understand key factors of improving engagement in science.

Students’ beliefs about agentic engagement: A phenomenological study in urban high school physical science and engineering classes.

Students’ beliefs about agentic engagement: A phenomenological study in urban high school physical science and engineering classes.

Effectiveness in Fostering Metacognition: Analysis Into the State of Metacognition within South African Physical Science Classrooms with the Aim of Improving Attainment

This research analyzed the state of metacognition in South African Physical Science classrooms, the extent to which South African Physical Science teachers possess metacognitive awareness, and how effective the teachers are in fostering metacognition. Assessment of the current state of metacognition in a sample of Physical Science classes at two KwaZulu-Natal districts, inferring the observed and analyzed level of metacognition of the participants, was based on the assumption that low levels of metacognitive awareness was the reason for achieved poor results. The major findings of this research found; there is a poor state of metacognitive awareness within the studied Physical Science classrooms.

Data-driven learning with younger learners: exploring corpus-assisted development of the passive voice for science writing with female secondary school students

Corpus-based approaches to language and literacy education, commonly known as data-driven learning (DDL), are increasing in prominence. However, the vast majority of DDL interventions involve adult tertiary level learners, leaving a dire need for comprehensive DDL studies for secondary education. The present study reports on a half-year DDL experiment conducted at an all-girls secondary school in Australia, focusing on the development of receptive and productive knowledge of passive voice constructions used when writing scientific research reports for a physical science class. Pre/post-tests were conducted testing learners’ receptive knowledge and productive use of the passive, alongside data on learners’ autonomous use of corpora within a written research report. Learners’ perceptions of corpora and DDL were also collected through questionnaire survey and interview data taken both immediately post-training and three months after training. The results suggest learners’ corpus consultation was effective in improving use of the passive voice for science writing with pre-tertiary learners, although clear preferences for (and criticisms of) certain corpus tools, functions and usage was apparent, and continued uptake post-training was relatively weak. Generally however, the implications of these findings paint a positive picture of what is possible regarding DDL with younger learners, and provide a model of how a DDL intervention with younger learners can be successfully managed and integrated in a context where secondary content teachers, rather than solely the applied linguist, can be the main stakeholders in a DDL intervention.

Using “Limits to Growth” Modeling Software in an Environmental Physical Science Lab

Although teaching of environmental physics and energy-related topics has increased in the last several years, only a small portion of that has been for non-science majors. Environmental physical science can be used to teach physics to non-science majors by applying learned physics concepts to current issues of interest such as climate change, population growth, sustainability, and renewable energy. The combination of the subject of the environment and a more student-centered learning environment improves the learning experience of the student. It increases the understanding non-science students have for physics. Teaching a physical science class with emphasis on the environment requires labs that engage the students. This lab, in particular, is intended as a final lab in the semester, which shows the students that all the environmental topics are intertwined and influence each other. It ties population growth, climate change, and resource use to show the effects they have on the economy, pollution, ecological footprint, and the welfare of humanity as a whole.

Enhancing Student Learning in Introductory Physics Through Funds of Knowledge

Researchers have reported the funds of knowledge (FK) pedagogical approach effective in engaging minority students in learning. However, there are a lack of studies connecting FK to introductory college physics or physical science classes. By using examples from regional Mexican-American lived experiences at an Hispanic-serving institution located along the recently politicized U.S.-Mexico border, this paper provides evidence to show how physics educators can use FK to engage students in learning introductory college physics concepts.

An Exploratory, Preliminary Report on United States Weather Education Trends and General Population Links Between Weather Salience and Systemizing

Meteorologists have been interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education endeavors for many years. The present study’s authors recently observed an apparent trend in United States public schools away from weather content in physical science classes, especially at higher grade levels. Through the blending of multiple psychological theories, this study sought to examine when people in the United States are presented with educational weather content at the Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12) levels and also investigated links between two psychological constructs: Weather salience and systemizing. Recent evidence among people on the autism spectrum suggests that weather salience—psychological attention to weather—is linked to systemizing, a psychological process that involves attention-to-detail and pattern recognition, thus prompting an investigation of this relationship in the general population. Results preliminarily suggest that K-12 weather education in the United States occurs most often in the elementary and middle school years, but that people receiving weather education only in high school, and intriguingly a combination of elementary and high school, but not middle school, have the highest weather salience levels. There was also a positive relationship between weather salience and systemizing. Results are discussed in light of the weather salience, systemizing, and social cognitive career theories.

Relating leaf spectral reflectance to its color: an inquiry-based activity to enhance understanding of electromagnetic radiation

Understanding the concept of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) and its interaction with matter (absorption, reflection, and transmission) can be difficult for students in seventh and eighth grade physical science classes. This inquiry-based activity (IBA) is aimed at improving their understanding of these concepts by exploring the interaction of EMR with leaves of different plant species or health conditions. Incorporating at least two different types of leaves from the local environment and measuring their interaction with EMR peaks student interest in this activity. After completing this IBA, students will see how objects interact in different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum and gain a better understanding of phenomena such as reflection and absorption. Further, this IBA can help them understand how human eyes perceive different colors. This activity can be expanded by a biology teacher to include a discussion about leaf pigments and how their interaction with EMR determines the colors of leaves. Concepts covered in this IBA can be related to remote sensing science and how sensors on board satellites collect Earth Observation data.

Development of Two-Dimensional Classroom Discourse Analysis Tool (CDAT): scientific reasoning and dialog patterns in the secondary science classes

BackgroundIn a science classroom, students do not simply learn scientific ways of doing, knowing, and reasoning unless they find ways of appropriating scientific discourse. In the Next Generation Science Standards, major forms of scientific discourse are emphasized as a main part of the Science and Engineering Practices. To enhance student engagement in scientific discourse, teachers need to help students differentiate scientific ways of talking from everyday ways of talking. Thus, science teachers should be able to be aware of the differences to provide opportunities for students to engage in scientific discourse.ResultsIn this study, the classroom discourse analysis tool (CDAT) was developed to help science teachers and educators identify the patterns of their classroom discourse with the lens of scientific reasoning. The CDAT suggests a new way of discourse pattern finding with the two-dimensional graphic organizer and the quantitative data produced by the coding. To pilot the CDAT analysis, 13 videos and transcripts of two middle and one high school teachers’ physical science classes were viewed and analyzed. The results from CDAT coding show illustrative information that characterizes the classroom discourse patterns in relation to scientific reasoning and teachers’ questioning and feedback. A coded CDAT table shows what reasoning components used in the classroom dialogs between the teacher and students. It also shows how students engaged in the dialogs with the variations of their answers by the teacher’s question and feedback.ConclusionThe results show the patterns of students’ responses strongly depend on teacher’s question or feedback. In addition, this analysis also generates various quantitative data that represent certain characteristics of the classroom discourse, i.e., length of dialog and the number of reasoning components used. The possible implications of CDAT analysis are to explore the relationships between teachers’ discourse patterns and students’ achievement along with changes in their reasoning skills. Student attitudinal outcomes such as motivations, interests, or self-efficacy could also be compared by the classroom discourse patterns revealed by CDAT. CDAT analysis itself can also be used in a teacher professional development as an intervention to help teachers see their classroom discourse patterns.

Using the Sociology of Associations to Rethink STEM Education

Using three constructs taken from Latour's 2005 book, Reassembling the Social, we consider our work in 2 contexts that were part of a project to support science teachers working with English learners: an 8th-grade physical science class in a summer science enrichment academy, and a 6th-grade Earth science class in a public middle school. We utilize Latour's constructs of (a) group formation, (b) mediators and intermediaries, and (c) traces of intentionality to interpret the interactions that occur in these spaces. We analyze these interactions to make a broader argument about the limitations of improvement science perspectives that are increasingly influential in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education research in the U.S. context.

Short-Form Science

Close reading is the practice of investigating a short (ranging from one or two paragraphs to three pages) piece of high-quality text. The text should be complex enough to be worthy of multiple readings and sufficiently supportive of learning goals (Brown and Kappes 2012, p. 2). In this article, we share a lesson plan and strategies that we used to implement close reading in a physical science class. Students spanned a wide range of reading ability, including multilingual learners. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Close reading is an effective core practice for engaging deeply with text. Characteristics of close reading include (Brown and Kappes 2012, p. 3): [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Multiple readings: This often occurs over multiple class periods. Teachers can model active reading and students can read independently, in pairs, or in small groups (Frey and Fisher 2013, pp. 33.38). * Annotation: Students use text-marking strategies to note unknown words or phrases, important ideas, connections to prior knowledge, and questions. * Text-dependent questions: Teachers can use these to guide students in making meaning of what they read (for online guides for writing questions, see gOn the webh). * Writing and discussion: Discussion is critical to student understanding. Students should reference the text to support their claims and arguments (Fisher et al. 2015, pp. 26.27; Frey and Fisher 2013, Chapter 3). Close reading requires science students to engage text in new ways and teachers to model best practices and gradually transfer responsibility. Teachers can remove scaffolds at their discretion, based on individual student needs, as students may understand close reading practices at different rates--even if they are investigating the same text. Examples of teaching strategies to enable differentiation include * The teacher works with a group of struggling readers to guide and model close-reading practices while other groups work independently. * Assigned reading pairs annotate together while taking turns reading aloud. * Based on each student groupfs level of understanding, groups receive different text-dependent questions of varying complexity. After each group answers its questions, students rearrange into mixed groups to share their responses and discuss other questions with classmates. Selecting text is a complex process. Many factors contribute to a text's difficulty level (Frey and Fisher 2013, p. 9; see On the web). Factors that make scientific text complex include vocabulary and technical language, prior knowledge demands, and the norms of scientific communication. Texts for science also include data tables, graphs, and scientific illustrations. Atomic structure unit Students often turn to Wikipedia for information; however, even though this information is easily accessible, students have a difficult time understanding it. For this reason, we chose to revamp our existing atomic structure unit to incorporate modified Wikipedia readings (see On the web for a list of articles) about key developments in the understanding of atomic structure. The revised five-day unit centers on close reading about the work of John Dalton, J.J. Thomson, Ernest Rutherford, Niels Bohr, and Erwin Schrodinger. To reinforce the learning that students gain through reading, we also incorporate demonstrations, interactive games, and mini lectures. John Dalton: Day 1 Teachers first use John Dalton's drawings of atoms and molecules (Figure 1, p. 36) to lead the class through the Critical Response Protocol. Critical response is an arts-based technique for engaging students in equitable and critical discourse (Ellingson et al. 2016). The complex visuals can elicit important insights and support the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for literacy in science (NGAC and CCSSO 2010). Important characteristics of the Critical Response Protocol are that teachers ensure that all students contribute, document all student responses, and encourage students to engage with the visual without the teacher front-loading information. …

Smartphones and Time Zones

Using the Sun to tell time is an ancient idea, but we can take advantage of modern technology to bring it into the 21st century for students in astronomy, physics, or physical science classes. We have employed smartphones, Google Earth, and 3D printing to find the moment of local noon at two widely separated locations. By reviewing GPS time-stamped photos from each place, we are able to illustrate that local noon is longitude-dependent and therefore explain the need for time zones.

Powered by the Sun

Teaching the science of energy, force, and motion through an engineering design challenge Solar energy is clean, free, and abundant worldwide. The challenge, however, is to convert it to useful forms that can reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. This article presents an activity for physical science classes in which students learn firsthand how solar energy can be used to produce electricity specifically for transportation. The activity introduces students to solar-powered mass transit currently in use and then challenges them to create their own vehicle (Figure 1). When students create a successful solar-powered mass transportation vehicle, they use the engineering-design process to create designs that solve problems and carry out relevant scientific investigations (see box, p. 32, for connections to the Next Generation Science Standards). Engaging students Directly or indirectly, people and products are transported by fossil fuels that are mined or drilled from the Earth, then burned with many environmental consequences; there is a growing need for cleaner sources of energy. After describing this problem, give students a miniature toy solar car, a Matchbox car, and a shop light (Figure 2; see On the web for sources for materials and parts). Explain that energy from the light transforms into motion for the solar car. Share images of solar transportation--of say, the Solar Impulse or the Turanor (see sidebar, p. 29)--or let students browse the internet for images, videos, and news stories related to solar transportation. Plan on one class period for the pretest on energy and motion (included in the complete curriculum; see On the web); learning about solar trains, planes, boats, and automobiles; and the investigation with the toy solar and Matchbox cars described above. [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] [FIGURE 2 OMITTED] Testing the components Next, students will prepare to design their own solar vehicles by devoting a few class periods to testing the various design components: the solar cells, motors, gears, and wheels. Solar cells Distribute the solar panels for students to examine. Ideally, one panel should be rated for high voltage and low current (5.0 V and 100 mA) and another for low voltage and high current (1.0 V and 415 mA). Have students compare them by measuring surface area, counting the number of cells within the panels, and observing the wires beneath the plastic surface. Challenge them to use a light source and multimeters to determine how much energy the solar cells produce (Figure 3). (See On the web for a video on how to use a multimeter.) Have students use the multimeters' direct current (DC) settings to measure voltage and current. Many will be familiar with the former but not the latter. Both are important for understanding how much energy a solar cell can produce. Have students test the solar cells in series and in parallel to see which configuration produces more power over time. The overhead light in the classroom might be sufficient as a power source, but we find it better to conduct this activity outside in the sunshine or with shop lights in the classroom. (Safety note: When using shop lights, 150-watt incandescent bulbs are ideal but get very hot. Mount the shop lights so that students do not have to touch them and remind students to keep all hands and solar panels at least 50 cm away.) After testing, students might create a data chart similar to the one in Figure 4. FIGURE 4 Data collected from solar cells. Voltage Current Energy per second Power Solar cell (volts) (amperes) (joules/second) (watts) A B A+B in series A+B in parallel [FIGURE 3 OMITTED] Electric motors Distribute inexpensive electric motors typically used for hobbies and robotics. Ideally, one should be rated for high speed and low torque and another for lower speed and higher torque. …

The Effect of Online Collaboration on Adolescent Sense of Community in Eighth-Grade Physical Science

Using a quasi-experimental, nonequivalent pretest/posttest control group design, the researchers examined the effects of online collaborative learning on eighth-grade student’s sense of community in a physical science class. For a 9-week period, students in the control group participated in collaborative activities in a face-to-face learning environment, whereas students in the experimental group participated in online collaborative activities using the Edmodo educational platform in a hybrid learning environment. Students completed the Classroom Community Scale survey as a pretest and posttest. Results indicated that the students who participated in the face-to-face classroom had higher overall sense of community and learning community than students who participated in collaborative activities in the online environment. Results and implications are discussed and suggestions for future research are provided.

Minority Students’ Perspectives on Chemistry in an Alternative High School

Latinas/os form the largest minority group in the U.S. and they are growing more rapidly than any other ethnic group in this country. However, the number of Latinas/os in chemistry is not proportional to their population; they are noticeably absent from the physical science fields. Little research has explored the circumstances that Latino students encounter in high school chemistry. In this exploratory study, four Mexican American students and one Native American student were interviewed and observed in a physical science class at an alternative school that enrolled predominantly Latino students. Five underlying themes were found: negative perceptions of science, benefits and disadvantages of alternative school science, traditional teaching methods versus student-centered teaching, outreach possibilities, and changes in stereotypes of scientists. A further investigation and more in-depth contextual knowledge is needed in or der to determine more precisely what caused the students to have their opinions on physical science.

Investigating Student Perceptions of Vocabulary and Learning in Middle School Science

Science courses are all too often taught as a litany of facts leading many students to focus on rote memorization of terminologies instead of developing deep conceptual understanding (Groves, 1995). The frequent use of a textbook can contribute to the problem. The purpose of this teacher classroom research study was to investigate the vocabulary demands and students’ perceptions of instructional strategies in an 8 th grade physical science class. The findings indicate that 21 formal science vocabulary terms were presented for 17 relevant pages of the textbook. Students’ perceived “expanding vocabulary” and discussing examples of items as the most helpful instructional strategies for developing understanding. Students believed the pre-test of vocabulary content and reading and discussing vocabulary passages from the textbook at the onset of instruction were the least helpful instructional strategies. The results of this study provide a better understanding of the types of instructional strategies that students’ believe encourage vocabulary learning. Keywords: Vocabulary Teaching, Action Research, Middle School Science

Women in Physics

Education Women continue to be underrepresented in physical science classes and careers. Hazari et al. tested five hypotheses regarding what factors might affect women's interest: having a single-sex class, having a female teacher, having a female scientist guest speaker, discussing the work of female scientists, and discussing the underrepresentation of women in physics. Based on data from the Persistence Research in Science and Engineering project, which surveyed a sample of over 7000 U.S. college students, individuals were identified as being part of the treatment or control groups by virtue of having experienced, or not experienced, each of the five hypotheses. Next, students were matched so that the females in both treatment and control groups had equal prior physical science career interest, and students were asked to rate the likelihood that they would choose a career in physical sciences. Women who were exposed to discussions about the underrepresentation of women in the physical sciences were more likely to choose a career in physics than those who were not. Such student-centered discussions afford more opportunities for female students to picture themselves as physical scientists. On the other hand, the lack of support for the other hypotheses invalidates the common belief that female role modeling is necessary for attracting women. Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 9 , 020115 (2013).

Computer Supported Collaborative Rocketry: Teaching students to distinguish good and bad data like expert physicists

Each year our physical science class for pre-service elementary teachers launches water-powered rockets based on the activity from NASA.1 We analyze the rocket flight using data from frame-by-frame video analysis of the launches. Before developing the methods presented in this paper, we noticed our students were mired in calculation details while losing sight of physical concepts. Sloppy measurements and calculations (even when using spreadsheets with formulas provided) sometimes led to such poor results that physical concepts could not be reliably taught from the data, but students were unmotivated to either notice or correct their errors. We adopted a collaborative, computer supported approach using simple and easily available functions in Google Spreadsheets to pool observations, provide instant feedback, and publicly display results from all teams side-by-side in real time. These instant comparisons promote student accountability and engagement, inspiring them to think more carefully about why answers may be different and notice sloppy data or unlikely outcomes—in short, to facilitate and motivate expert thinking about data.

Measurements of exploding balloon demonstrations.

Exploding balloons are popular demonstrations in introductory chemistry and physical science classes and as part of outreach programs. However, as impulsive noise sources, these demonstrations constitute a possible hearing damage risk to both the demonstrator and the audience. Measurements of various hydrogen, hydrogen-oxygen, and acetylene-oxygen balloons were made in both a large lecture hall and an anechoic chamber. Condenser microphones (6.35 and 3.2-mm diameters) were placed at various angles, and distances from the balloon and time waveform data were collected at a sampling frequency of 192 kHz. For all balloon sizes tried, hydrogen-only balloons were found to produce peak sound pressure levels less than 140 dB at distances greater than or equal to 2 m. On the other hand, large (but reasonably sized) hydrogen-oxygen and acetylene balloons can result in peak levels exceeding 160 dB at a distance of 2 m, which constitutes a significant hearing risk for unprotected listeners at typical distances.