Descriptive Statistics of Pretest, Post-lecture, Post-RT Student Test Scores

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Constructivism

A central idea to the design of the ranking task curriculum materials developed and tested in this study (and in the interpretation of results) is the constructivist model of learning. The constructivist model holds that learners actively construct new knowledge by fashioning it to meet their own needs and capacities and integrating it into their existing cognitive structure (Yeager, 1991). Modern constructivist pedagogy holds that learning is 28 an interpretive and iterative process in which new learning is given meaning in terms of a studentsí previous knowledge (von Glasersfeld, 1981; Roth, 1994). Constructivism is a theory of learning that can be traced to the eighteenth century and the work of Giambattista Vico who held that humans can only clearly understand what they themselves construct from their own experience.

Astronomy Education Research

Over the past twenty years, astronomy education research (AER) has emerged as a distinct field of scholarly inquiry in which astronomers and education researchers are actively engaged. Prior to this, however, astronomy educators benefited from and relied almost entirely on the older and more extensive literature of physics education research (PER) as the primary source of insights into common issues and educational strategies. As presented by McDermott and Redish (1999) in their bibliography, the roots of PER extend back to the 1970ís and strongly follow the emergence of constructivism as the dominant paradigm of learning theory. While McDermottís bibliography identifies 224 key research papers in the field of physics, a similar bibliography of the highly dispersed AER literature by Bailey, Prather, and Slater (2003) finds only 37 papers during the same time period (1977 ñ 1999). Further, the great bulk (almost 80%) of AER papers have been published in only the last ten years.

Role of Conceptual Change Theory in Alternative Conceptions

The idea of conceptual change is essential to discussion of educational strategies for dealing with alternative conceptions. Within AER, a classic study and educational film is Schneps and Sadlerís (1985) ìA Private Universeî. After demonstrating common astronomy alternative conceptions held by even highly educated new college graduates, the film focuses on a bright high school student, Heather. The major part of the film follows the difficult process of conceptual change that Heather undergoes in trying to understand the phenomena of seasons. The film shows powerfully how her intuitive alternative conceptions about fundamental science concepts are resistive to change despite dogged effort to instill the correct concept. Even after lengthy instruction, Heatherís conception undergoes a major shift but never comes completely inline with scientific thinking.

Schema Theory & Mental Models

Schema theory is a view of constructivism developed in its modern form by Anderson (1984). Schema theory views organized knowledge as an elaborate network of abstract mental structures which represent a personís understanding of the world. Howard (1987) described it as ìa mental representation of a set of related concepts.î The basic idea of this theory of learning is that as students receive incoming information, they organize it around their previously developed schemata, or ìnetworks of connected ideasî (Slavin, 1988).

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Participants

Participants in this study were 285 college students at the University of Arizona (a major southwestern US doctoral-granting research university) and Rockhurst University (a midwestern private liberal-arts college). The participants were enrolled in one-semester introductory astronomy courses during the Spring and Fall semesters of 2004. Prior to data collection, pilot studies with draft astronomy ranking tasks were conducted with two small astronomy classes (N = 30) at Rockhurst University (Spring of 2004), and with a group (N=5) of astronomy graduate students (Spring and Summer of 2004) at the University of Arizona.

TABLE OF CONTENTS :

Page
ABSTRACT
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
LIST OF TABLES
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Chapter
1. INTRODUCTION
- 1.1 Background of the Study
- 1.2 Ranking Tasks
- 1.3 Motivation for the Study
- 1.4 Research Questions & Limitations
- 1.5 Definitions
- 1.6 Responsibilities of Study Team Members & Participants
- 1.7 Theoretical Framework & Design of Astronomy Ranking Tasks
- 1.8 Organization of the Study
2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
- 2.1 Introduction
- 2.2 Ranking Tasks
- 2.3 Constructivism
- 2.4 Astronomy Education Research
- 2.5 Alternative Conceptions & Conceptual Change
- 2.6 Schema Theory & Mental Models
3. METHODS AND PROCEDURES
- 3.1 Introduction
- 3.2 Participants
- 3.3 Treatments
- 3.4 Experimental Design
- 3.5 Research Instruments & Data Collection
- 3.6 Procedures
- 3.7 Early Project Development & Pilot Studies
- 3.8 Data Analysis
4. RESULTS
- 4.1 Introduction
- 4.2 Descriptive Statistics of Pretest, Post-lecture, Post-RT Student Test Scores
- 4.3 Statistics & Hypothesis Testing: Ranking Task Exercises Main Effect
- 4.4 Effect Size Measures
- 4.5 Statistics & Hypothesis Testing: Gender Effects
- 4.6 Statistics & Hypothesis Testing: Post-Ranking Task Scores vs. Upper/Lower Median Pretest Scores
- 4.7 Statistics & Hypothesis Testing: Qualitative Measures of Student Understanding
- 4.8 Student Attitudes about Ranking Tasks
- 4.9 Summary of Results
5. DISCUSSION OF RESULTS & STUDY IMPLICATIONS
- 5.1 Introduction
- 5.2 Summary of Study Goals & Methodology
- 5.3 Discussion of Results
- 5.4 Implications for Teaching
- 5.5 Recommendations for Further Study
- 5.6 Concluding Comments
APPENDIX
- A. Astronomy Ranking Task Exercises (Eight Topics)
- B. Pretest
- C. Post-Traditional Instruction Tests & Qualitative Questionnaires
- D. Post-Ranking Task Tests & Qualitative Questionnaires
- E. Student Attitude Survey
- F. SIRB Approval Forms