Science Homework Research Articles

Reflections on the Design of Junior High School Science Homework Pointing to the Core Literacy under the Background of "Double Reduction"

Science homework is an important part of junior high school science teaching and learning, playing an important role in the whole subject curriculum teaching system. How to design homework scientifically, reasonably and effectively according to the teaching contents and learning conditions is the key exploration of junior high school science teaching under the background of “double reduction”. Based on the understanding of the core literacy of science and the analysis of the current status of science homework in junior high schools, we combined with the teaching practice of science homework design, and considered the improvement path for the design of junior high school science homework that points to the core literacy under the "double reduction" policy. Teachers can proceed with the following four aspects to improve the quality of homework design: designing conceptual homework from science concepts to consolidate basic knowledge; designing improving homework from science thinking to enhance the quality of assignments; designing practice-based homework from inquiry and practice to enrich the form of assignments; designing value-oriented homework from attitude and responsibility to bring out the value of educating people, so as to truly help students achieve "quality improvement, efficiency increase, and burden reduction" in learning, and cultivate students' core literacy.

Causes, Effects and Management of Science Anxiety among Senior High School Students in Old Tafo Municipality of Ghana

The purpose of the study was to investigate the causes, effects, and management of science anxiety among Senior High School (SHS) students in the Old Tafo Metropolis of the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. A sample of 337 students were selected from Osei Kyeretwie Senior High School and Al Azhariya Islamic Senior High School using the stratified random sampling procedure. Data were collected by using the Science Anxiety Scale and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study revealed that the respondents had some level of science anxiety in relation to doing science homework, having a negative attitude toward the science teacher, having fearful when entering the science classroom as well as solving science problems. The study also revealed that the causes of science anxiety involve the content, lack of infrastructure, and inadequate teaching and learning materials to make the subject easy to understand. The study revealed that science anxiety affected students’ academic performance negatively, reduced their interest in science, prevent them from pursuing science programmes in the future, and also affected school attendance. The study recommended that school heads should provide the necessary infrastructure and teaching materials that will make the teaching and learning of science practical and easy to understand.

Bilingual teaching and homework: analysis of families’ emotional variables (Enseñanza bilingüe y deberes escolares: análisis de las variables emocionales familiares)

ABSTRACT For many families, homework is a real problem, as they often feel unable to answer the questions the school asks. This research aims to identify whether bilingual education is an influential factor in families’ attitudes when helping their children with science homework in Spanish or in English. Information was collected from 607 families at monolingual and bilingual schools using a questionnaire designed to assess intrinsic motivation, perception of usefulness and family attitudes towards science homework. The results show that the families that help their children with science homework in Spanish show more positive emotions than those that do so in English. In addition, the English language proficiency of parents whose children are in bilingual schools correlates positively with the parents’ emotions and attitude towards science.

Effectiveness of Systematic Procedures for Parents’ Involvement in Interactive Science Homework

Home-based Teaching and Learning (PdPR) is an alternative learning approach in many countries, including Malaysia, and is in line with the new normal. It emphasizes parental roles in helping children learn effectively at home. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of parental involvement through a systematic procedure in the implementation of Interactive Science Homework (KRIS). Using a Quasi-Experimental design, this study involved a total of 69 Year Three elementary school children with their parents. Children in the treatment group (n=37) underwent the KRIS intervention with homework systematic completion procedures. Meanwhile, children in the control group (n=32) underwent a KRIS intervention without the systematic procedures. Data were collected through the review of returned assignments from both groups. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with the children’s parents. The data from the returned assignments and records of the children and parents’ involvement were analyzed using descriptive analyses. The interview transcripts were analyzed thematically. The findings show that assigning KRIS with systematic procedures has a positive effect on the children, where the assignment return rate and parents’ involvement were higher compared with the intervention without systematic procedures. In this light, parents have the opportunity to guide their children in learning more systematically and are able to keep track of their children’s performance in school. The main implication of this study is that the development of guidelines for parental involvement in the science curriculum will encourage the children to learn science together with their parents.

The Cheap Seats: A Note from the Editor

The Cheap SeatsA Note from the Editor Willie Steele As I sit at my kitchen table writing this on my trusty legal pad, my youngest daughter, Marianne, is in the living room working on her science homework. Normally, we'd have both finished our work on these projects days ago, but on short notice the week before the Field of Dreams game between the Yankees and the White Sox, we took some time off when my literary agent emailed me two tickets for the matchup in Dyersville, Iowa. It was Marianne's first major league game, so the combination of tenth row seats behind home plate and an upgrade to a Ford Mustang at the rental car counter made this a pretty tough trip to top. Much has been written about father-son relationships and baseball. I've probably been as prone to this as anyone. As I thought about how to put together this final double issue, I wanted to provide a place for authors to consider not only the game's rich history but its current state as well; however, I didn't want to neglect the future of the game either. With that in mind it seemed a good idea to dedicate a special topics issue to women and baseball. I called Jean Ardell, one of the first people I met when I began attending the NINE Spring Training Conference several years ago. As the person who literally wrote the book on women and baseball, I wanted to hear her thoughts on this idea. By the end of the phone call, Jean had agreed to come on board as the guest editor. This is no ceremonial title. Jean and I read each and every submission several times, chose the best among them, and worked tirelessly over ten months to produce what you hold in your hands. More than any of the other volumes of NINE I've edited, this one inspires me. I am moved by the beauty of Jean Fruth's photographs and touched by her thoughtful prose in her accompanying essays. Kat Williams's reflective memoir provides a moving look at one player's formative years in the game and how it led her to where she is today. Sam Marchiano recalls times with her father and her favorite player, former Met Rusty Staub. Jim Overmyer's work [End Page ix] on Effa Manley shows just how far we've come with regards to women in the game, but it also reminds us of how far we have to go. When I was a kid, it was an insult to hear, "You throw like a girl!" Reading Justine Siegal's narrative had me wishing I could throw like a girl. I could go on, but you'll have the chance to read all these and more in the coming pages. This volume includes serious scholarship, witty insights, personal narratives, and reflections on history. But what they all do is remind us that there is room for everyone in baseball. Baseball has women as coaches. With Kim Ng, there is a female General Manager in the majors. We are long overdue for a woman umpire in the major league ranks. It's not so far-fetched to envision a woman taking the field to play against men at the major league level sometime soon. So, this volume is for people who appreciate the game, its history, its growth in accepting women in numerous roles in recent years, and who are hopeful that we will soon reach a point when a women and baseball issue won't be needed to showcase their role in the game. As my daughter and I left Dyersville, pushing midnight with a four-hour drive ahead of us to catch an early morning flight, she thanked me over and over. She leaned the seat back and said, "This was a fun day, Dad." I asked what she liked about baseball. Showing me once again that a thirteen-year-old is far better than her editor-dad at articulating the game's beauty, she said, "It's fun." The line-up of authors in this collection shows that, while it's not...

Prediction of students' strategies for doing science homework by parental support and students' goal orientation

The aim of this study is to examine how parents’ support for their children’s science homework and the goal orientation of students in science homework predict their deep learning and management strategies that students use when doing homework. For this purpose, among quantitative research approaches, correlational method was used in the study. The sample of the study consisted of 328 middle school students enrolling in public schools in Erzurum. As data gathering tools, the Parental Homework Support Scale, Homework Goal Orientation Scale and Homework Strategy use Scale were used. The results of the hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the content- and autonomy-oriented support of the parents were positive predictors of deep learning and management strategies. The mastery and performance goal orientation predicted the management strategy positively, whereas the work-avoidance negatively predicted it. Among the goal orientations, it was seen that only the mastery goal orientation predicted the deep learning strategy and the relationship was in positive direction. The parental homework support and student’s goal orientation in homework explained 61.00% of the variance in the homework management strategy and 53.00% of the variance in the deep learning strategy.

Creating scientific dialogue through social media: exploration of Saudi pre-service science teachers

ABSTRACTBackground: This study explored how Saudi Arabian pre-service science teachers’ (PST) use of social media (SM) creates scientific dialogue.Design and method: Data were collected via (a) in-depth interviews with eight science PSTs completing their practice teaching during a field experience course (2017 academic year at a Saudi Arabia Eastern province university), (b) focus groups with 21 female science students being taught by the PSTs, and (c) an analysis of SM artifacts (i.e. PST’s students’ Tweets and Snapchat comments about their SM-based science homework).Results: Findings from content analyses indicate that the PSTs overwhelmingly perceived SM-based science teaching as providing their students with opportunities to pose critical questions, improve science learning, and engage in scientific dialogue and argumentation. Students welcomed the SM-based science learning, saying it excited them, made them want to learn science and helped with collaborative science learning. The majority (87%) of PST’s students expressed an interest in using SM to engage with science concepts. Also, findings affirmed that social media serve as mediating agents for reaching students in their learning Zone of Proximal Development; that is, SM-scaffolded science learning. The findings are considered in terms of further pre-service science teacher education and Saudi-based educational research.

High school experiences and climate change beliefs of first year college students in the United States

Climate change has not been well understood by high school students in the US and the topic is often connected to misconceptions, which is especially damaging since accurate understandings of the concepts are strongly predictive of intent to do something about it. We use data from a national (US) survey of first year college students to identify high school experiences which correlate with the belief that climate change is caused by human activities. In-class coverage of climate change is less predictive of belief than time spent on science homework or science-themed extracurricular activities. These correlations suggest that simply covering climate change in class may not necessarily lead to greater belief in the scientific consensus. While deeper understanding is a worthy goal, the results indicate that, when it comes to high school science education, social factors such as the process and culture of education are also important for belief in climate change. These finding aligns with previous research about college students, which suggest student activities are more strongly correlated with student viewpoints than professor beliefs. Given the potential for curricula to become politicized these finding suggests an alternative route to achieve climate change education goals.

DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF SCIENCE HOMEWORK SCALE FOR MIDDLE-SCHOOL STUDENTS

The aim of this study was to develop and validate Science Homework Scale (SHS) which assesses middle-school (grades 6–8) students’ perceptions of teachers’ homework practices and homework self-regulation in science. Students’ perceptions of teachers’ homework practices included homework quality and feedback on homework while students’ homework self-regulation consisted of homework goal orientations (i.e. mastery, performance, and work-avoidance), homework strategy use (i.e. deep learning and management), and homework procrastination; 3 studies were conducted with 7th-grade Turkish students. In study 1 (n = 618), the data were analyzed through exploratory factor analyses. In study 2 (n = 758), in order to test the hypothesized factor structure, the data were subjected to confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs). Goodness-of-fit indices indicated good model fit and Cronbach alpha reliabilities of subscales ranged from 0.77 to 0.96. Additionally, multi-group CFAs supported factorial invariance of SHS across boys and girls. In the 3rd study (n = 8318), CFA results supported 8-factor structure. Next, a homework model which suggested relationships among students’ perceptions of teachers’ homework practices, homework self-regulation, and achievement was proposed. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analyses results revealed that students’ perceptions of homework quality and feedback on homework were associated with homework self-regulation components which in turn related to science achievement.

English

Homework is a significant part of teaching and learning process. For this reason, teachers use it constantly as tools of teaching process. The effect of homework on students’ achievement and student-parent relationship has been emphasized in several studies. The present study aimed to find out the views of the middle school students (n=705) about homework. Additionally, it has been examined whether these views differ according to several variables such as gender, class level, and the education level of the parents. Survey method was used in the study. It was found out that the views of the students about homework do not significantly differ in terms of the variables such as gender or the educational levels of their parents, but they differ according to class levels. Furthermore, an important proportion of the students believe that science homework does not improve their power of thinking and creativity. In addition to this, the students stated that they were more careful about and spare more time for their homework because it will contribute to their success in the high school entrance exam. Key words: Science, homework, middle school students.

Academic Effort and Achievement in Science: Beyond a Gendered Relationship

This study employs the 2004 School Achievement Indicators Program (SAIP) data to examine whether academic effort manifested by greater investments in school and homework does result in higher literacy scores in science for Canadian students. The study compares four gender–immigrant profiles: Canadian-born males, immigrant males, Canadian-born females, and immigrant females on their scores on teacher-assigned grades in science and on the SAIP science literacy test, and across a range of dispositions, beliefs, and behaviors suggested in the literature as predictive of achievement in science. Study findings show that Canadian-born students, particularly boys, have higher performance in the science literacy test despite their lower achievement in the science classroom and the least investments of time in doing science homework. In contrast, immigrant female students demonstrate the highest academic effort and achievement in science courses which are not matched by similar results in the science literacy test. We discuss these results in relation to different socialization experiences with science and technology that limit female and immigrant students’ abilities to transfer knowledge to new situations that have not been learned in the classroom.

Making Science Homework Work: The Perspectives of Exemplary African American Science Teachers

Background/ContextDespite the best intentions to close the achievement gap, the under-achievement of African American students in science is a persistent problem. It is surprising to note, however, that research on science education has often failed to consider students’ cultural diversity as it relates to science education. On the few occasions when efforts were made to link science disciplines and students’ cultural backgrounds, these studies were largely limited to classroom learning environments.Purpose/Research QuestionThis study examines the perspectives of exemplary African American teachers toward science homework. Specifically, we address two research questions: What does science homework mean to exemplary African American science teachers? How do they approach science homework?Research DesignA qualitative study was conducted, with data obtained from the following sources: (a) three open-ended, in-depth interviews with each exemplary teacher during the first year of the study, and (b) two focus group interviews with these teachers during the second year of the study. The participants were 8 exemplary African American science teachers in Grades 3–6 in the southeastern United States.Findings/ResultsData revealed that these teachers shared a strong sense of urgency to use homework as an important vehicle in science learning. To help their students be successful with their homework, these teachers often provided additional provisions and used a variety of strategies to promote students’ interest in their homework. In addition, the teachers adapted an approach comparable to both Boykin's Afrocultural ethos (e.g., concerned with affect, expressive individualism, and verve) and “being a warm demander” (i.e., setting high expectations and insisting firmly yet respectfully that students meet those expectations).ConclusionsThese findings suggest that there is merit in integrating these two frameworks to better understand the perspectives of exemplary African American teachers toward science homework. These findings highlight the need to examine the perspectives of exemplary African American teachers toward secondary school science homework given that the poor achievement of African American students becomes more pronounced as they progress through school, and homework is found to be more strongly associated with secondary school students than elementary school students.

The Case of William Dick: Ransom County, North Dakota

The Case of William Dick: Ransom County, North Dakota MYRON H. BRIGHT* In May 2009, a decision of the United States Supreme Court with North Dakota roots turned fifty years old. A case unique in the annals of the law, Dick v. New York Life Insurance Company^ still fascinates lawyers today. Factually, the case presented a strange question: could an experienced hunter accidentally shoot himselfnot once, but twice? Some of North Dakota’s finest lawyers, including Philip Vogel, Donald Holand, and Norman Tenneson, aimed to get to the bottom of that matter. The judges were equally impressive: Judge Ronald Davies of the federal district court; Judge John Sanborn of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit; and Chief Justice Earl Warren and Justice Felix Frankfurter. Finally, as a matter of Supreme Court jurisprudence, Dick may have been the last time the High Court granted a petition for certiorari in a case that turned almost exclusively on questions of fact. In honor of its golden anniversary, this article recounts the captivating story ofDick v. New York Life. The Facts William Dick, a healthy, good-natured, 47year -old farmer from rural Ransom County, began the morning of January 20, 1955, like any other. Dick sat down for an otherwise or­ dinary breakfast with his 14-year-old daughter and his beloved wife, Blanche. The night be­ fore, the family had eaten ice cream together as they watched television, and Dick had helped his daughter with her science homework. At breakfast, Dick and Blanche discussedhis plan to make sausage with his cousin later that day. After breakfast, Dick put on his winter work clothes—including bulky gloves and a heavy jacket—and Blanche drove their daughter to school. Before leaving, Dick said goodbye in the normal way, and he started to feed silage to his cattle and milk to his pigs. About thirty minutes later, Blanche re­ turned to the farm and went inside the main house to complete her housework. When Blanche thought it was time to go to Dick’s cousin’s house, she went to the barn to look for her husband. After a short search, Blanche found Dick lying on his back in a pool ofblood in the silage shed. Dick’s double-barreled 26 JOURNAL OF SUPREME COURT HISTORY shotgun, which he kept loaded in the shed because of animal attacks on his livestock, was on the floor nearby, as was a screwdriver that Dick used to open the silage shed’s bro­ ken door. Dick had been hit by pellets from two shotgun shells: one discharge entered his chest and was not immediately fatal; the other entered his head, killing him instantly. A coro­ ner’s jury later determined the death to be a suicide. At the time of his death, Dick carried a life insurance policy with the New York Life Insurance Company with benefits of $7,500 on his death but $15,000—that is, double indemnity—for an accidental death. Blanche, the policy’s beneficiary, filed a claim. New York Life, while admitting liability for the pol­ icy’s face value of $7,500, denied Blanche’s claim for the double indemnity, contending that Dick’s death was a suicide. The Lawyers, a Theory, and a Lawsuit Dick’s family, unsatisfied with the finding that Dick had killed himself, eventually retained lawyer and state senator Donald Holand on Donald Holand (left) was a state senator and a leading lawyer in Lisbon, North Dakota, when the Dick fam­ ily hired him as their counsel. THE CASE OF WILLIAM DICK 27 Philip B. Vogel (left) served as lead counsel in the Dick case and worked with the author in their law firm for twenty-one years. Vogel, whom the author has described as a true “Renaissance man,” served as his mentor during their early years. the advice of Dick’s brother, state represen­ tative Lawrence Dick. Holand was my good friend; both our families had immigrated from Europe and first settled near the turn of the twentieth century in the small city of McKin­ ley, on Minnesota’s Iron Range. Holand at­ tended the University of North Dakota and started out at the...

Science Homework and Parental Involvement: Factors Influencing Behaviors and Attitudes

The purpose of this study is to understand confounding information regarding homework and schoolachievement. Recent research has sought to identify specific factors impacting student success as itrelates to homework including parental involvement, parental education, gender, socio-economicstatus, computer and internet use, extra-curricular activities, and other factors. Unfortunately, the resultsof these studies have lacked consensus. The review of the literature shows attempts have been madeto isolate co-variates along with important factors such as gender, parental involvement, and studentcharacteristics, but the results have been unclear. This study utilized a qualitative design withinterviews, observations, and collection of artifacts to attempt to isolate and understand possiblefactors influencing homework among seventh grade, high achieving science students and address thegaps in the literature. Interviews with teachers, parents, and students were designed to learn from thesevarying perspectives possible relationships or similarities that may lead to a better understanding ofthe relationship between parental involvement, gender, homework, and school achievement.

Science engagement and science achievement: Longitudinal models using NELS data

The study explored the relationship of self-concept and locus of control to science engagement and science achievement. Furthermore, the relationship of self variables with science engagement and science achievement was studied across ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status (SES). The data were accessed from the 3 waves of the National Education Longitudinal Study: 88 (NELS:88) to estimate both cross-sectional and multilevel longitudinal models. It was hypothesized that self-concept and locus of control would have a positive effect on science engagement and science achievement and that science engagement would affect science achievement positively. The results supported the theoretical formulations of the conceptual model and showed significant effects of self-concept and locus of control constructs on science engagement and science Item Response Theory (IRT) scores. Furthermore, science engagement showed a positive but small effect on science achievement, especially the time spent on science homework. The study supported earlier findings that the inclusion of non-ability factors improves the explanation and understanding of differences in science achievement. The study has implications for practice.

Interactive Homework in Middle School: Effects on Family Involvement and Science Achievement

The purpose of this intervention study was to examine the effects of weekly interactive science homework on family involvement in homework, student achievement, and homework attitudes. Sixth- and 8th-grade students (N = 253) participated in the 18-week study. Six classes of students completed TIPS (Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork) assignments with directions for family and parent involvement. Four classes completed noninteractive homework (no family involvement directions). Interactive students reported significantly higher levels of family involvement than did noninteractive students. Students in both groups who more regularly involved family members completed more assignments; TIPS students turned in more accurate assignments than did non-TIPS students. TIPS students also earned significantly higher science report card grades. The findings of this study support the hypothesis that TIPS interactive homework affects family involvement in homework, science attitudes, and student achievement in the middle grades.

Interactive Science Homework: An Experiment in Home and School Connections

A quasi-experimental study was conducted on whether family involvement in homework in the middle grades benefits students. Results suggest that well-designed interactive homework assignments positively engage parents and promote student achievement. Findings should be useful to middle school administrators and teachers for improving curriculum decisions and homework designs in science.

Science for Your Students?

Stonewall Elementary had adopted a co-teaching model for special education services in which one special educator was assigned to the primary grades and another to the intermediate level. Each grade had one designated class for inclusion of students formerly educated in resource rooms. Bill was looking forward to this new arrangement that would allow him to co-teach in fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade classes. This was especially exciting for him because the school district had recently adopted a new science program, and he thought co-teaching would offer him the chance to teach science. Until now, Bill had focused primarily on reading, writing, math, and social skills in his special education resource room. Occasionally, his students would bring in science homework or unfinished assignments to ask for his help. Bill felt motivated to think of multiple ways to present science concepts. He enjoyed hearing his students declare, "I get it!" The first disappointment was at the planning meeting with Alice, the fourth-grade teacher. Alice gave an overview of her schedule for the week, including the time it would be best for Bill to be in her class. She proposed 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., when she needed his help to divide the class into ability-level groups for reading and math. Bill responded, "I've been looking forward to the chance to teach science." Alice looked puzzled. She said, "Your students are so far behind in basic skills. That's where they need the extra help. They can learn science when they can read." Bill was too surprised to react. Carl, the fifth-grade teacher, never seemed to have time to co-plan with Bill. Carl assured Bill that anytime he showed up, the special kids needed help. Bill said, "I would like to be in the class when you teach science." "That would be 1:00 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday," Carl responded. Bill was ready when it was time for fifth-grade science. Carl had a lesson prepared with a hands-on activity for most of the class, but he provided some worksheets for the "lower" students to complete at their desks. Carl turned to Bill and commented proudly, "I found these for your students. With fill-in-the-blanks and pictures to color, they're basic enough for your kids to understand, although they could still use your help. And whatever you do, keep Larry from disturbing the rest of the class." Feeling devastated but determined not to strike out a third time, Bill approached Jennifer, the sixth-grade teacher, and shared his disappointments. Although she also had assumed Bill would be focusing on basic skills with the special students, she was willing to rethink their co-teaching arrangement. They looked at the science materials at the next lesson. Bill wanted to teach and had great ideas about ways to bring the concepts alive. Jennifer was a little reluctant to let go of the control of her class, but she was willing to give him at least one chance. The next day at science time, Bill taught an activity-based lesson with a follow-up writing assignment. Jennifer was interested to see that the special education students were really involved in the lesson. She also observed Bill's awareness of individuals. He seemed to know which students were keeping up and when he needed to change pace or modify his approach. After the lesson, Jennifer appeared to be disturbed. She quietly commented to Bill, "I learned a lot from observing that lesson. Now, should I thank you or be mad at you for invalidating my assumptions about teaching science to students with special needs?"

Computer science homework and grading practices: an alternative to the popular model

The approach to homework used in elementary school and high school is also popular in college computer courses, particularly those involving programming. Regardless of its popularity, there are compelling reasons to eschew this approach at the college level. This paper outlines the major problems inherent in the high school approach, and proposes an alternative. The proposed model provides opportunities for learning and maturation, while preventing further erosion of the meaning of an academic grade.

The relationship between cognitive preferences, student background and achievement in science

AbstractCognitive preferences of Israeli 12th grade students were studied as part of the Second IEA Science Study. It was found that during the last ten years Israeli students have become more oriented toward application. Higher sociocultural status, higher achievement in science, liking of science studies, more time devoted to science homework, and intentions to study science in college were all associated with a higher preference for principles and critical questioning as well as with a lower preference for recall. Science majors compared with non‐science majors exhibited a higher level of intellectual curiosity. There were no differences between cognitive preferences of boys and girls.