Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item How the teaching and practice of scientific sketching affects the quality of scientific observations by high school students(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2022) Affleck, Willow Georgette; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: C. John GravesCould the teaching and practice of scientific sketching affect the quality of observational data collected by high school students in biology class? This question was investigated by comparing two groups of students. One group was taught about why scientific sketching is important and how to make a complete sketch. They were given time to practice their skills and direct teacher feedback after each session on how to improve their sketches. The other group of students did not receive any teacher instruction nor time to practice sketching. Through qualitative interviews and quantitative worksheets, both groups of students were evaluated on their attitudes about sketching and biology, as well as on their abilities to make qualitative observations. The data collected both before and after the scientific sketching lessons showed that not only did the treatment group's attitudes and qualitative observation skills improve post-instruction, but that attitudes and skills of the nontreatment group decreased. The conclusion was reached that scientific sketching is a useful tool in increasing student enjoyment in biology and in developing their abilities to make robust qualitative observations.Item The impact of learner generated drawings in the comprehension of earth science concepts(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2019) Temple, Thomas Allen; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisDrawing was an activity that was common in science classes in the early 20th century. The students of today live in a world where making an image can be done effortlessly with the cameras they have access to in their cell phones. Recently there has been renewed interest in the use of drawing to enhance memory and understanding of scientific phenomena. The purpose of this research study was to see how drawing impacted student comprehension of Earth science concepts. Sub-questions addressed by the study were if students could improve in creating scientific drawings, if their attitudes about using drawing to learn would change as a result of drawing treatment, and if their engagement and enjoyment of Earth science would increase. The study was conducted for a period of 10 weeks in a 9th-grade Earth science classroom. The population of students was split into two treatment groups. While in the treatment period students were asked to create drawings of selected Earth science topics before any reading assignments or class discussion. Students were then asked to create a second drawing after an assigned reading and discussion of the same topics. Students not in the treatment group were not required to draw and received direct instruction through presentation slides and discussion. Each group was exposed to two rounds of treatment and two periods of non-treatment. A variety of data collection instruments were used in this study to compare the two groups quantitatively, including pre- and post-test scores, quiz scores, and a standards-based drawing rubric. Qualitative measures used to assess student attitudes and enjoyment included surveys, student interviews, and a journal of observations kept by the instructor. Results of the study showed that drawing did impact comprehension of the selected Earth science topics positively. Although student attitudes about drawing remained mostly unchanged, many indicated that they planned on using drawing to help them study for tests in the future.Item Implementing student created atomic scale depictions across multiple units to improve understanding of molecular interactions in high school chemistry(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2019) Jones, Christopher S.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisOne of the most difficult aspects of studying chemistry is that one must imagine the atoms and molecules interacting to understand many of the concepts. A plan was developed to repeatedly draw out representations of the processes studied at the molecular scale in a high school chemistry curriculum. The goal was to provide increased understanding that would be reflected in exam scores. Analysis of exam results for the treatment year were compared to previous years' results of the same exams. Students were also surveyed about the perceived instructional benefit and enjoyment of the activities. Exam scores for the treatment year were not significantly higher or lower than in previous years. One aspect that was remarkable was the discrepancy between the students' belief in the efficacy of the intervention despite their lack of affect for it. The students generally believed the curriculum was more effective than it was. They also tended to express less satisfaction with the drawing treatment as the year progressed. Interviews were conducted with students who voluntarily expressed both positive and negative experiences, as well as others who were selected randomly.