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"Science Interests"
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Conflict in Aristotle's political philosophy
\"By exploring the ways in which citizens can be at odds with one another, Conflict in Aristotle's Political Philosophy presents a dimension of ancient Greek thought that is startlingly relevant to contemporary concerns about social divisions, constitutional crises, and the range of acceptable conflict in healthy democracies\"-- Provided by publisher.
BOOK
Promoting student flow and interest in a science learning game
We report on a design-based research study that was conducted over three iterations. It chronicles the design, development, and implementation of School Scene Investigators, a forensic science game series for middle school students that utilizes mobile augmented reality. Played on mobile devices while exploring the school environment, School Scene Investigators embeds scientific practices in a real-world context. Students work collaboratively playing unique, interdependent roles as they collect and analyze scientific data in order to solve a mystery. School Scene Investigators aims to (1) engage students through the experience of flow, a positive psychological state often experienced during welldesigned games and (2) trigger science interest. In order to better understand how to design mobile game environments that engage students in flow and trigger their interest in science, we analyzed students’ self-reports of flow and interest after playing the game. Previous research demonstrated that each iteration of School Scene Investigators engaged students in a substantive flow-like experience. In this study, since engagement does not guarantee interest, we tested whether such engagement, measured as flow, was predictably related to triggered science interest. Data were pooled from all three iterations into a Bayesian multi-level model. Findings demonstrated that students with higher flow had a higher probability of triggered interest. Implications for the findings are discussed.
Journal Article
Interest, Mindsets and Engagement: Longitudinal Relations in Science Orientations for Adolescents in Informal Science Programs
Little is known about the factors that influence engagement for adolescents participating in informal youth science programs. This study examined longitudinal reciprocal associations between adolescents’ science engagement, interest, and growth mindset. Participants were adolescents (Mage = 15.06, SD = 1.82 years, 66.8% female) from the UK (n = 168) and the US (n = 299). A cross lagged path analysis indicated that participants’ science growth mindset at baseline was positively related to interest, and engagement at year 1, and science interest at year 1 was positively related to growth mindset at year 2. Additionally, girls had lower science growth mindsets than boys. This evidence suggests that informal programs may encourage positive STEM trajectories by fostering engagement, growth mindset and interest.
Journal Article
Talking about science interests: the importance of social recognition when students talk about their interests in STEM
Although interest development is often conceptualized as a process that occurs within an individual, interest can be developed through various social mechanisms. Messages that suggest that one is or is not welcome within a context may serve to bolster or attenuate interest in those contexts. In a sample of first semester freshmen undergraduate science students, we tested whether or not talking with close others about one’s interests, and receiving social recognition during those conversations, was related to having a greater science career interest over time. Our findings suggest that the way in which students perceive others’ reactions to their scientific interests (social recognition) during these conversations may have the greatest impact on students that face greater external barriers to persisting. We found that positive social recognition appraisals that convey that a listener understands and encourages one’s interest in science predicted a greater science career interest over time for women, but not men. The impact of positive social recognition appraisals on interest in a science career was greatest among women with relatively low or average science identities, but not for women with a relatively high science identity. The implications for the development of students’ interest and for broadening participation in science are discussed.
Journal Article
Effects of 3D Printing Project-based Learning on Preservice Elementary Teachers' Science Attitudes, Science Content Knowledge, and Anxiety About Teaching Science
3D printing technology is a powerful educational tool that can promote integrative STEM education by connecting engineering, technology, and applications of science concepts. Yet, research on the integration of 3D printing technology in formal educational contexts is extremely limited. This study engaged preservice elementary teachers (N= 42) in a 3D Printing Science Project that modeled a science experiment in the elementary classroom on why things float or sink using 3D printed boats. The goal was to explore how collaborative 3D printing inquiry-based learning experiences affected preservice teachers' science teaching selfefficacy beliefs, anxiety toward teaching science, interest in science, perceived competence in K-3 technology and engineering science standards, and science content knowledge. The 3D printing project intervention significantly decreased participants' science teaching anxiety and improved their science teaching efficacy, science interest, and perceived competence in K-3 technological and engineering design science standards. Moreover, an analysis of students' project reflections and boat designs provided an insight into their collaborative 3D modeling design experiences. The study makes a contribution to the scarce body of knowledge on how teacher preparation programs can utilize 3D printing technology as a means of preparing prospective teachers to implement the recently adopted engineering and technology standards in K-12 science education.
Journal Article
Student Experiences and Changing Science Interest When Transitioning from K-12 to College
Student attitude and involvement in the sciences may be positively or negatively influenced through both formal academic experiences and informal experiences outside the classroom. Researchers have reported that differences in science interest between genders begin early in a student’s career and that attitudes towards a particular field of science can be correlated to achievement in that field. In this study, we approach the question of how attitudes towards science have been shaped using college-age students. Survey data from students in similar academic positions were employed to control for differences in cultural and academic progress. Results from a self-reflection survey indicated that general personal interest in both science as a process and field-specific content increased from elementary school through high school until entering college. Differences arose between self-identified genders in student experiences with science, both while in groups and when on their own. Female students had higher rates of participation and enjoyment with science in groups, while male students more frequently enjoyed science alone. Students, regardless of gender, rarely had negative experiences with science outside of the classroom. However, male students’ interest in science surpassed female students’ during high school. Declining interests in quantitative aspects of science (mathematics and statistics) were more frequently reported by female students and non-STEM majors during and before their college experience. Connecting student attitudes regarding science to their pre-college experiences with science early in their college career may be important to understanding how to best engage all genders, as well as non-STEM majors, in their college science courses.
Journal Article
Analysis of the Decline in Interest Towards School Science and Technology from Grades 5 Through 11
Interest in school science and technology (S&T) remains an important issue as it is linked to achievement and the intention to pursue studies or careers in S&T. Around the world, a number of studies have shown that interest in S&T declines with school years. However, some divergences from the general trend have been demonstrated in certain contexts, sub-periods, or for closely related subconstructs. We administered 2,628 questionnaires to students in grades 5 through 11 in the province of Québec, Canada. The questionnaire explored many factors (including out-of-school and school-related preferences, difficulty, importance, frequency), allowing us to track these closely related variables for a seven-year period. Among others, the results show a general degradation in-school S&T factors but an improvement in out-of-school S&T variables and of interest in S&T studies and careers. S&T is perceived as increasingly difficult and valuable compared with all other subject matters taken one-on-one. Some shorter fluctuations are analysed and interpreted in comparison with the evolution of certain teaching practices.
Journal Article
Exploring high school students’ learning interests and information sources on viruses and COVID-19
This study investigates high school students’ health-information seeking behaviors related to COVID-19 and viruses in a rural area of the south-central United States, and how these behaviors relate to students’ knowledge, perceptions, and learning interests. Survey data were collected from 83 students in Spring 2023, during the post-pandemic period, as part of a STEM and public health unit. Drawing on frameworks from Health Information-Seeking Behavior and student interest, the study examines students’ COVID-19 information sources, how these sources relate to their knowledge about viruses and their perceptions of COVID-19, and the specific topics about which they were most interested in learning. Our analysis showed that students most frequently reported using governmental health agencies, healthcare professionals, and mainstream media as sources of COVID-19 information, while science teachers were rarely cited. Students with higher general knowledge about COVID-19 were more likely to support individual protective behaviors such as mask-wearing. Thematic analysis of students’ open-ended responses (
N
= 233) revealed strong interest in learning about COVID-19 biology, treatment, and origin, with less expressed interest in vaccines. These findings highlight the importance of connecting students lived experiences with disciplinary knowledge by integrating the information sources they already use into science instruction. Insights from this work can inform science teaching and help educators better support students during future public health challenges.
Journal Article
MEASURING SCIENCE INTEREST: RASCH VALIDATION OF THE SCIENCE INTEREST SURVEY
Students in the USA have fallen near the bottom in international competitions and tests in mathematics and science. It is thought that extrinsic factors such as family, community, and schools might be more influential than intrinsic attitudes toward science interest. However, there are relatively few valid and reliable measures of intrinsic factors such as interest relating to science. With the lack of intrinsic measures, it is difficult to determine the impact of extrinsic factors on the intrinsic construct. A fuller picture of the factors affecting intrinsic factors such as science interest will allow interventions to become more refined and targeted. Several studies suggest that student interest toward science affects the likelihood of the student pursuing advanced courses in science. The goal of this paper is to establish the validity and reliability of the Science Interest Survey and to determine if the survey meets the formal requirements of measurements as defined by the Rasch model. Results using both IRT and CRT analysis suggest that Science Interest Survey is an adequate measure of the unidimensional construct known as science interest. Results further suggest the Science Interest Survey is a valid and reliable measure for assessing science interest levels.
Journal Article
Disentangling intensity from breadth of science interest: What predicts learning behaviors?
Overall interest in science has been argued to drive learner participation and engagement. However, there are other important aspects of interest such as breadth of interest within a science domain (e.g., biology, earth science). We demonstrate that intensity of science interest is separable from topic breadth using surveys from a sample of 600 middle school students. We also show that these two dimensions contribute differently to learning-relevant behavioral tendencies. Specially, regression analyses show: (1) that intensity of interest predicts both self-reported science classroom engagement and preferences to participate in optional science learning; and (2) that breadth of interest predicts science choice preference, but not science classroom engagement. These findings have implications for the conceptualization of interest, the measurement of interest, and practical applications for educators.
Journal Article