Improving Indicators of the Quality of Science and Mathematics Education in Grades K-12 (1988) / Chapter Skim
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5 Indicators of Student Behavior
5 Indicators of Student Behavior
Pages 73-89
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From page 73... ...
For example, it is relatively straightforward to collect information on the number of students who choose to study physics. The decision to study physics is a clear behavioral event, an observable activity that sums up the effects of parental suggestions, guidance counselors' advice, college admission requirements, the reputation of the local physics teacher, and the student's own interest in science.
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From page 74... ...
This is not to argue that all science learning will easily and naturally flow from the Hanson activities that can be carried out successfully by students, given that they are also expected to learn complex scientific principles not easily derived from experiments that are possible in the school laboratory. It does imply that students learn much of the core of science and mathematics more effectively by emulating the behavior and habits of mind of scientists and mathematicians.
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From page 75... ...
scientific and mathematical habits of mind. Student activities are the observable actions of students, or adults for that matter, that have been demonstrated to be important in attaining some modicum of scientific and mathematical literacy, whether or not one wishes to infer some underlying affective trait.
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From page 76... ...
It is the behaviors rather than the attitudes that are observed and measured and that can become indicators of the state of science and mathematics education. The third category of behaviors derives from scientific attitudes or scientific habits of mind, as discussed in Chapter 2 in defining scientific and mathematical literacy.
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From page 77... ...
Activities The relationship between instructional time and student learning was discussed in the committee's earlier report, leading to recommendations on monitoring course enrollment for both science and mathematics in secondary school and instructional time in elementary and middle school (Raizen and Jones, 1985, Chapter 4~. The committee still considers these measures of student behavior whether courses and instruction are imposed on the students through school requirements or elected by them voluntarily to be important indicators of educational quality because of their well-established effects on student achievement.
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From page 78... ...
The former provides such statements as: "The average third grader received 34 minutes of instruction in science each week," while the latter yields such information as: "The average school allocated 41 minutes per week to instruction in science.n The latter number is likely to be larger because of student absenteeism or being out of the class (e.g., at the library or in a special reading group) when the science instruction is offered.
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From page 79... ...
Studies of how students use class time should be conducted by trained observers. The observers should assess the extent to which students are engaging in laboratory activities or similar hands-on experiences that entail making observations and taking measurements of natural phenomena, doing experiments or exercises that pose prom lems that capture students' imagination, working alone and in teams seeking answers to questions they themselves have formulated about the world around them, communicating the results of their investigations by the written and spoken word, and questioning their findings and seeking verification by gathering additional evidence.
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From page 80... ...
Other out-of-school behaviors that have been hypothesized to affect student learning include exposure to or involvement in (1) informal science learning situations at zoos, museums, science fairs, and the like; (2)
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From page 81... ...
At each policy level national, state, and local experts may wish to define the minimum amount of class time necessary in each grade, particularly for science. However, care needs to be taken not to countervene, through efforts to mandate or log instructional time, the potential benefits of integrating mathematics and science instruction to some extent.
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From page 82... ...
In science classes, this would include, in addition to the teaching of conceptual and factual knowledge, the percentage of time spent by students involved in the processes of science (observing, measuring, conducting experiments, asking questions, etc.~. A similar study is recommended for mathematics classes; a panel of mathematics educators should determine the nature of student behaviors sought.
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From page 83... ...
The research should be designed not only to validate current findings on the linkages of these factors to learning but also to allow for the discovery of other student behaviors that strongly affect learning. Second, more work needs to be done to elaborate the constructs of student activities and how they might be measured in order to improve related indicators.
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From page 84... ...
In general, the percentages of positive attitudes expressed by the nation's youth toward various components of science are disappointingly low (Hueftie et al., 1983~. In mathematics, the areas investigated include relationships between attitude and achievement, the influence of parents and teachers on student attitudes, and other factors related to attitudes and attitude change (Kulm, 1980~.
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From page 85... ...
In the committee's view, it is time to examine carefully the purpose of the attitude assessments included in the NAEP, the IEA, and other major studies, to define the domain more precisely, and to develop better measures of the attitudes that are in themselves considered important outcomes of mathematics and science education or that have been demonstrated to have strong positive effects on student learning. Recommendation Research and Development: Given the importance attached by science and mathematics educators to the development of attitudes that will foster continuing engagement with science and mathematics, the committee recommends that research be conducted to establish which attitudes affect future student and adult behavior in this regard and to develop unambiguous measures for those that matter most.
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From page 86... ...
Because scientific and mathematical habits of mind are an integral part of scientific and mathematical literacy, indicators for them should be developed, monitored, and; the findings reported to educators and policy makers. We provide a brief overview of several constructs thought to be relevant and recommend that further research and development be undertaken in the area of scientific and mathematical habits of mind.
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From page 87... ...
One of the purposes of science and mathematics education is to enable and interest students in attending to these endeavors in some form throughout their lives. However, the motivation for individuals to do so, inside and outside school, is in need of much research.
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From page 88... ...
88 INDICATORS OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION Engagement Engagement means the active, interested involvement in learning science and mathematics and making appropriate application to real problems or situations. The opposite of engagement is disaffection, which may be manifested by inattentiveness, avoidance, rebellion, or by resort to rote learning when one does not understand.
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From page 89... ...
INDICATORS OF STUDENT BEHAVIOR Recommendation Research and Development: The committee recommends research to identify and validate constructs related to the continuing involvement of students and adults with science and mathematics throughout their lives. In addition to the refinement of these constructs, strategies should be explored for obtaining indicators of the relevant constructs and associated behaviors.
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