Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/733
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Item Navigating scientific literacy in the midst of crisis: teachers' challenges and supports as framed by social ecological theory(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2024) Pavlovich, Christina Lynn; Co-chairs, Graduate Committee: Jayne Downey and Rebekah HammackThis dissertation investigated the long-standing challenge of achieving scientific literacy in K-12 public schools, highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasizing a need to understand teacher experiences to address systemic issues and enhance student scientific literacy. The study focused on describing factors impacting experiences teaching scientific literacy during the COVID-19 socio-economic-health crisis. Participants included ten high school science teachers in a Northwestern state of the United States. Methods were grounded in the theoretical framework of constructivism epistemology and Bronfenbrenner's (1997) Social Ecological Theory. Data collection was modeled from the methodology of Ali et al. (2022), collecting data from teacher surveys and one-on-one interviews. Interviews produced a 1) free-ranked list, 2) concept map, and 3) interview transcription for each participant. Data analysis employed complementary strategies and consisted of two phases: 1) an initial analysis phase which employed three complementary data analysis strategies, and 2) a secondary analysis phase rooted in constant comparison for triangulated synthesis. Findings revealed factors impacting teaching scientific literacy during the socio-economic-health crisis of COVID-19 including influence from community and societal perspectives of science, student inequities, teaching dynamics, and the balancing of demands between personal and professional responsibilities. Subfactors aligned to these themes helped further describe participant experiences in context. Participants described several relationships between their social networks, or social ecologies, and factors which impacted teaching scientific literacy. Science, particularly trust in science, was centered in participant descriptions of public-level impacts. The findings underscored the need for education systems to bridge the cultural gap between science and education. Interactions and processes involved in teaching within the classroom environment presented an unexpected result, with a precisely inverse relationship between frequency and magnitude. While it was frequently encountered, it was not perceived as highly impactful compared to other factors. This finding suggests the importance of considering both frequency and magnitude of impact in decision- making processes and raises questions about the prioritization of resources and support efforts within educational systems. Recommendations include the development of culturally responsive science policies, empowering local curriculum, fostering teacher support networks, and expanding pedagogical strategies to engage students and families beyond the classroom.Item The historian, the philosopher, and the scientist: three approaches to science history filmmaking(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2023) Lea, Emily; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dennis AigScience history films are an underutilized way to build public interest in science. Required. Science history portrays the genesis of a significant idea and is an ideal topic for documentaries that aim to improve science literacy in a low pressure, highly entertaining cinematic experience, without being overly rhetorical. When attitude towards science improves, understanding may follow. By analyzing three influential filmmakers in their different approaches to history films, Errol Morris's The Thin Blue Line, Agnes Varda's The Gleaners and I, and Carl Sagan's Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, I assemble a toolkit of helpful techniques for science history filmmakers to employ. I apply these conditions to my science history film "The Great French Wine Blight" in order to best present this history in a thoughtful and engaging way while remaining faithful to the science and ideally improving the audience's attitude towards science in general.Item Authentic science research in the classroom: does it promote science-related affective growth?(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2020) Shulstad, Andrew Michael; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisThe purpose of this concurrent mixed methods study was to investigate the effects of middle school science students' participation in authentic science research on their science-related affective characteristics. The affective characteristics considered for this study were those that have been repeatedly shown to be associated with student cognitive growth and academic achievement. These included science identity, science self-efficacy, interest and enjoyment of science, perceived relevance of science, and intrinsic motivation for science learning. Four authentic science treatments involving eight different classes and 166 total participants (120 unique) were administered. Data collection methods included novel Likert scales based on a novel student survey instrument, a naturalistic observation instrument, student interviews, and various formative assessments. Data were collected before, during, and after each treatment with the primary purpose of supporting a before versus after comparative research design. Data analysis strategies included validation and reliability analysis of the student survey instrument and Likert scales and a triangulated complex of inferential comparative quantitative analysis and thematic qualitative analysis. While effect size was small, student affective domain growth was determined to have taken place. Affective characteristics that were shown to be strengthened in a statistically significant way (p<0.05) include science identity, interest and enjoyment of science, and intrinsic motivation for science learning. Though it has some limitations, such as a significant time requirement, authentic science research in the classroom should be considered an effective way to promote student science-related affective growth.Item Impact of claim, evidence, reasoning instruction in the English classroom on argumentative writing in science and across the curriculum(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2020) Platt, Michelle L.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisEngaging in argumentation from evidence is a critical skill for participation as productive citizens in the 21st century enabling us to access the evidence in the world around us to make well-reasoned decisions about our lives, and the future of our country and world. The purpose of this study was to improve written explanations in the science classroom and other content areas by engaging the students' reasoning capabilities and improving student confidence in answering short answer questions. Instruction included introduction of the Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) framework in the English language arts classroom to promotes mastery of argumentative writing in the science classroom and other content areas through the use of graphic organizers and accessible non-content-based lessons. To assess the impact of the instructional treatment, student writing samples were collected during traditional instruction pre, and post-treatment and evaluated by rubric as measurement of skill growth. Pre and post-treatment, students were asked interview questions and given a self-confidence survey to determine student confidence, attitudes, and motivation regarding writing short answer explanations. The results indicated that instruction with the CER framework in the English classroom significantly impacted the frequency of writing well-reasoned arguments in science and other subject areas while maintaining student confidence in writing.Item Concept maps in middle school science(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2020) Johnson, Trevor Adam; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisThe focus question for this study was, How does the use of concept maps impact the learning of science content? Concept mapping is a strategy used by students to visually represent their learning and understanding through a detailed, hierarchical map. Early learners, such as middle school students, need a way to connect their prior knowledge with newly learned material. Ninety students participated in the study which included treatment and nontreatment subgroups. During treatment units, students were explicitly taught concept mapping to support science content. Pre and post unit tests, surveys, and interviews were processed via quantitative and qualitative data analysis. Results suggested that concept maps increased students' unit test scores, with an average normalized gain of .58 across all treatment groups. Survey questions showed mixed results, with increases and decreases for selected question groups. Concept maps were seen by students to be beneficial to learning science content.Item What effect does the claim-evidence-reasoning framework have on teaching and learning in a middle school classroom?(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2020) Reamy, Allyson Tiffany; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisA technique for evidence-based writing called claim, evidence, reasoning was integrated into a middle school science classroom to help students be able to gain the ability to explain not only what happened, but also why. This study analyzed the use of argumentation and the ability of students to make observations through their 9-week chemistry unit utilizing rubrics, student interviews, Likert surveys, and confidence surveys to gauge student success. The results indicated that students improved the quality of their responses on labs where they were prompted to write a claim, evidence and reasoning.Item How the amplify science curriculum impacts 4th grade students and the teacher(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2020) Uppendahl, Kathryn Ann; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisIn this study, 4th graders at Benjamin Franklin Elementary in Kirkland, WA, were taught science using the newly adopted NGSS-aligned curriculum, Amplify. Throughout the Amplify Earth's Features unit, the author tracked student growth in the Science and Engineering Practice: engaging in arguments from evidence, measured student emotional and behavioral engagement, and measured student curiosity. Student pre-assessments and post-assessments, student surveys, short answer questions, teacher reflections, and video observed lessons were used to analyze the effects of the Amplify curriculum on students. While results suggest that insufficient opportunities for practice limited student growth, they also indicate that most students are both emotionally and behaviorally engaged. The study also found that while the Earth's Features unit fostered curiosity in the middle of the unit, students were less curious about the topics at the end of the unit.1Item Self-efficacy and science identify of second grade girls in STEM club(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2020) Shaw, Kathryn Elisa; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisSecond grade girls were invited to participate in an after-school STEM club. These students were identified because they would benefit from a STEM program, by both their teacher and our STEAM teacher. Girls in STEM fields are severely lacking in today's job market, and many programs target girls who are in upper elementary or middle school. This program was designed to catch girls at a younger age and give them exposure to science-based fields, so that positive experiences with science could keep them engaged throughout their elementary science career. This STEM club was jobs-based (and included jobs such as microbiologist, coder, aerospace engineer, forensic scientist, and geologist) and included mentors. Mentors were women, chosen from the community who had a specific interest in that science topic. Girls met the mentors and asked them about their jobs, hobbies, and goals. Girls came for one hour after school, two times a week. Girls were asked to be present for most, if not all, the STEM club dates. Students were assessed on their feelings of science identify and self-efficacy twice, once before the program began and once after the program had ended. These girls' scores were then compared to one another as well as the whole of second grade (both boys and girls), to determine importance. Girls in the STEM club were more likely to think of themselves as scientists, more likely to love science, more likely to have a belief that they can do any science and were more likely to believe that science came easy to them. Girls in the STEM club were also more likely to be familiar with science jobs and what they were more likely to believe that both boys and girls were good at science, or even that girls were better than boys at science. The girls in the STEM club were equally likely to want to be a scientist when they grew up as other second grade students.Item The effect of meditation on mindfulness in the science classroom(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2020) Brandon, Meredith Marie; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisHow does having mindfulness during classroom instruction contribute to student self-awareness and understanding of content? In this study, students participated in teacher-facilitated meditation as a means to focus and become more mindful in the classroom. Pre and post-treatment surveys, one-on-one interviews and assessment data was collected across one unit to measure the effectiveness of the meditation on student self-awareness and performance. Results showed improved self-awareness of distractors during class and a slight increase of scores on assessments.Item The effects of using a curriculum program with embedded literacy on middle school students' science performance and confidence(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2020) Hunt, Erin Ransford; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisIncorporating disciplinary literacy into content area instruction has been a focus of the district for several years. General strategies such as annotating text and note-taking were implemented with little success. The purchase of a new science curriculum program, Amplify Science, with embedded literacy strategies gave teachers the opportunity to teach students science content through embedded literacy strategies that utilize reading, writing, and communicating in science. The effectiveness of this program was measured by comparing students' pre- and post-unit assessment scores, ability to write science arguments using Amplify and non-Amplify prompts, reading comprehension, ability to annotate text, self-assessment of their reading abilities, and a survey of students' confidence in science. Students and the collaborating teacher were also interviewed to discuss specific areas of growth. Results indicate that Amplify Science has made a very significant, positive impact on this group of 6th grade students' performance and confidence in science, as well as their ability to read and write in science.