Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemEgan's stage theory : an exploratory study of its use in the analysis of science textbooks( 1985)Kieran Egan (1979) has challenged educationists to consider the need for a Theory of Development which is specifically Educational. Such a need is discussed and examined in the context of science teaching. Egan's Theory was applied to the selection of science text material for a group of eleven and twelve year old students. The students' responses to the materials were compared with Egan's descriptions of certain developmental stages, particularly of his Romantic Stage. The author concluded that Egan's theoretical proposition assisted in interpeting certain student behaviour and preferences. Possible classroom uses of Egan's theory are discussed, implications for text usage and design are outlined, and some areas of research are suggested.
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ItemBeyond school science: students and teachers perceptions of the science talent search( 1986)Every year the Science Teachers Association of Victoria (STAV) conducts a Science Talent Search (STS) which they maintain is one of the largest and longest running science fairs in the world. This study aimed to provide some insights into why this activity is so popular with students and teachers and to what extent it complements or provides outcomes different from school science. Information was collected by searching the archives of STAV and by interviews with teachers and students. The findings indicate that over the years STS has adapted to changes in the social and economic contexts of schooling, which have also influenced thinking about but not forced major changes in the secondary school science curriculum. This has contributed to its increased popularity with keen students and teachers as evidenced by increased participation. The students who were interviewed enjoyed and valued their experiences in STS. In particular they commented on the freedom to choose projects according to their abilities, interests and preferred modes of working. Many of their projects arose from every day life problems or recreational pursuits of themselves and their families. STS catered for a wide range of abilities and interests and provided an attractive forum for the involvement of girls in science activities. Girls said that they had gained great satisfaction from confirmation of their ability to meet challenges and solve problems relying mostly on their own resources. Based on students responses some distinctions can be made between school science and the science activities of the STS which indicate ways in which school science may need to change in order to attract and cater for a wider range of students.
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ItemA cognitive analysis of problem solving in examinations( 1981)The acquisition of the cognitive skill of problem solving is generally considered to be a necessary attainment for science students. The aim of this study was to evaluate the contribution of the problem solving component to item difficulty. Success in this aim would enable examiners to select items which validly test for the cognitive objectives of their courses. Three schemes which can provide a hierarchical cognitive classification of items were considered (Bloom's Taxonomy, Piagetian levels, and Gagne's outcomes of learning), and a task analysis based upon Gagne's concept of the rule was chosen as the most appropriate for use with HSC physics items. From this analysis an operational definition of the higher cognitive component of item difficulty was derived: item difficulty is proportional to the number of rules involved in the solution of the problem. Two additional aspects of item construction which have been reported to affect item difficulty were also investigated: response style, and the use of certain logical connectives. Neither of these factors was associated with item difficulty after the effect of number of rules is accounted for.
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ItemInvestigations of informal learning in science using postage stamps with some Victorian ten-year-old children( 1986)Primary school children learn matters of a scientific nature through many sources of informal learning. These include radio, television, newspapers, comics, books, mother, father, films, travel, museums, zoos, animal parks, gardens, youth groups and other sources. This thesis concerns three investigations of informal learning in science using observations of postage stamps having 'science' themes with 21 10 year-old children attending Victorian Independent schools. In the first, each child was asked what the word 'science' meant to him or her. Then, a number of Australian and Malaysian postage stamps depicting animals were handed to each. The participant was asked to sort them into any arrangement that appealed, but such that all the stamps could be viewed at once by an observer. Each child was asked the basis for his or her arrangement. Each arrangement was photographed and examined for signs consistent with any informal knowledge of the hierarchical classification of the animals depicted. In the second, Malaysian stamps were used to enhance the children's observation of postage stamps and, through this guided observation, they learned previously unknown features of Malaysia. In the third, seven cards, all but one displaying a postage stamp or a set of postage stamps having a 'science' theme, were observed and discussed one at a time with each child. The form of discussion was such that ideas of a scientific nature, probably learned through previous informal learning, were identified. Some of their sources were identified by the children. From these interviews some evidence was obtained which supported the hypotheses: 1. That 'Science' has a variety of connotations in the minds of the 10 year-olds, most suggesting experimental activity. 2. That the children showed little evidence of informal learning associated with a hierarchical classification of the animals depicted, other than in terms of 'air, land and water' in some cases. 3. That the 10 year-olds learned previously unknown facts about Malaysia through guided observation of Malaysian postage stamps. 4. That the stamps in the third investigation acted as stimuli to memory-recall of matters related to the subjects depicted on the stamps. Many of the children's responses provided comments which reflected the children's ideas on some scientific matters. The thesis supports the idea that the use of selected postage stamps as described is one means of investigating the nature, extent and sources of informal learning in science in some Victorian 10 year-old children. It also illustrates the use of postage stamps in the design of science instruction for possible use in primary schooling.