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Eric.ed.gov – Computer Use, Parental Expectations, & Latino Academic Achievement

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In the United States, traditionally underrepresented minority children have lower levels of academic achievement than their white counterparts. In the broadest perspective, this quantitative study seeks to help stakeholders and policymakers understand the factors responsible for Hispanic or Latino student achievement relative to that of comparison groups. The key dependent variables in this study are student achievement in reading and writing, and in math and science. Specifically, the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) examines the impact on reading and writing, math and science achievement levels of computer use both at school and at home, and of teacher preparation for computer-based instruction. TRPI researchers analyzed the effects of these factors not only on comprehension of math and science, but also on reading and writing since research demonstrates that… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Findings from the Third-Grade Round of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011): First Look. NCES 2016-094

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011), is collecting information about the early educational experiences of a nationally representative sample of children who were in kindergarten or who were of kindergarten age in ungraded classrooms or schools in the 2010-11 school year. The data collection began in the 2010-11 school year, when the children in the sample were in kindergarten, and will continue through the spring of 2016, when most of the children in the sample are expected to be in fifth grade. This brief report provides information from the data collection conducted in the spring of 2014, when the majority of the students were in third grade. The ECLS-K:2011 provides information on students’ status at school entry, on their transition into school, and… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Evaluation of Learning by Making i3 Project: STEM Success for Rural Schools

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The Learning by Making (LbyM) project is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Investing in Innovation Fund (i3). As a five-year development project (2014-2018), Sonoma State University (SSU), in partnership with high-need schools and districts, has been developing an innovative, integrated high school Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum. The curriculum consists of Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs) in earth science and biology as described in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS, 2013) and utilizes an easy-to-use Logo programming language that conducts data transfer and network communications in support of student-designed investigations. The purpose of this study is to understand how LbyM is implemented in high school classrooms in rural environments, to observe the influences of this curriculum on student learning and engagement, and to explore… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Professional Development Integrating Technology: Does Delivery Format Matter?

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The goal of the two Power of Data (POD) projects was to increase science, technology and math skills through the implementation of project-based learning modules that teach students how to solve problems through data collection and analysis utilizing geospatial technologies. Professional development institutes in two formats were offered to encourage teachers to implement the modules. We compared teacher learning, teacher implementation, and student learning from the two different professional development formats to examine how each format supported teachers to implement the modules, and, ultimately, improve student understanding. Teacher surveys, content and technology assessments, classroom observations, student assessments, and student work samples were analyzed for comparison between a two-week summer institute and monthly meetings held throughout the academic year. Teachers and students from both formats showed improvement in… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – MIXED: Educational Perspectives from Families of Mixed East and West Educational Background

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Will my children’s creativity be hindered if I place them within the rigidity of an East Asian school? Conversely, could my children’s math and science skills benefit from the high expectations of an East Asian curriculum and teacher? The purpose of this study is two-fold. Firstly, it aims to demonstrate that comparison between Eastern and Western educational traditions can be framed in terms of a dialectic concerning students’ development, autonomy, learning environment, and curricula. Secondly, it is to analyze the substance and effects of this dialectic in the context of 15 families of mixed educational background situated between Eastern and Western educational traditions. These families in Hong Kong have access to educational opportunities for their children in adherence to educational styles associated with either Eastern or Western… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Planning Science Instruction for Critical Thinking: Two Urban Elementary Teachers’ Responses to a State Science Assessment

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Science education reform standards have shifted focus from exploration and experimentation to evidence-based explanation and argumentation to prepare students with knowledge for a changing workforce and critical thinking skills to evaluate issues requiring increasing scientific literacy. However, in urban schools serving poor, diverse populations, where the priority is on students’ assessment results in reading and math, students may not receive reform-based science. The rationale for this qualitative study was to examine how two elementary teachers from high-poverty urban schools planned for reform-based science in response to a quality state science assessment in conjunction with their training and resources. Their state assessment included an inquiry task requiring students to construct responses to questions based on their investigation data. From evaluating evidence using Zembal-Saul’s continuum for teaching science as… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Student Achievement Data and Findings, as Reported in Math and Science Partnerships’ Annual and Evaluation Reports

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: A primary feature of the Math and Science Partnership Program Evaluation (MSP PE) is the examination of K-12 student achievement changes associated with the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Math and Science Partnership (MSP) Program. This article describes one of three complementary assessments of K-12 student achievement being conducted by the MSP-PE, and consists of a synthesis of student achievement findings reported by the MSP projects themselves (the other two assessments also are described in this volume). The assessment described in this article covers 39 of the 48 MSP project awards made by NSF from 2002 to 2004. Data sources included the MSP projects’ annual and evaluation reports submitted to NSF through 2006-07 and research manuscripts developed by the MSPs for presentation at three MSP evaluation conferences. A… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The Effect of Conventional Laboratory Practical Manuals on Preservice Teachers’ Integrated Science Process Skills

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This study explored the effect of conventional laboratory practical manuals on pre-service teachers’ integrated science process skills (ISPS). A validated multiple-choice questionnaire with the ISPS components was used to collect data. No significant difference between pre-service subject-specific teachers’ (biology, physics and chemistry) ISPS scores was found. The ISPS scores significantly increased along with proliferation in lab practical works, except for physics. Pre-service math teachers, who had no lab practical works, showed significantly higher ISPS scores than pre-service science teachers. The results indicated that all pre-service teachers’ ISPS scores fell into intermediate level. Further, it was found that they possessed the lowest scores for such ISPS as identifying and controlling variable, stating operational definition and designing experiments. The common format of the conventional laboratory manual adopted from many… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Math and Science Are America’s Future. National Math and Science Initiative Annual Report, 2008

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This paper presents the annual report of the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) for 2008. Eighteen months ago, the National Math and Science Initiative did not exist. Today NMSI is helping lead the country forward in math and science. In just 18 months, NMSI has rolled out the first round of grants and has implemented programs in 14 vanguard states. In 2007, NMSI awarded grants of $13.2 each to non-profits in six states to institute AP Training and Incentive programs and grants of $2.4 million to 13 institutions of higher learning for the replication of the UTeach training program for math and science teachers. These programs are essential to address two of the country’s most pressing challenges: (1) Getting more American students to master the math… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The Green Bean Has to Be Longer than Your Thumb: An Observational Study of Preschoolers’ Math and Science Experiences in a Garden

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: School gardening has become increasingly popular as a context for learning in which children construct new knowledge, learn cultural and societal values related to ecological awareness, and develop and practice authentic or real-world skills (Blair, 2009; Bowker & Tearle, 2007). The present research was a longitudinal case study of children’s gardening experiences at a Reggio-inspired preschool in the United States. Eleven children and their teacher were observed over nine days in various activities such as preparing the garden beds, planting, and harvesting. Through sustained participation in a variety of gardening activities, preschoolers engaged in science-rich dialogue utilizing complex and abstract science process skills such as observing, predicting, evaluating, and comparing. Discussion of number-related concepts, spatial orientation, and size estimation and comparison was also recurrent during gardening activities.… Continue Reading