Scholarship & Research
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Item The effect of personalized feedback on the ability of students to overcome misconceptions in a project-based science curriculum(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2019) Wolfe, Amanda M.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisA large part of a science teacher's role is in both helping students understand concepts, as well as helping students address common science misconceptions through a variety of means. Students in a blended-learning environment independently demonstrate mastery of content through online assessments, while teachers assist students in developing specific academic skills through project-based learning. In a blended-learning environment, a science teacher's role becomes morphed. A teacher in this learning paradigm may not be the first point of contact for new material as students learn at their own pace. Special care must be taken to monitor student misconceptions and plan interventions that support conceptual change. One of the main roles of a project-based teacher is giving feedback to students. The purpose of this research was to assess the effectiveness of the feedback and revision process in helping students identify and overcome misconceptions in their modeling skills in a project-based curriculum. The research included the evaluation of student attitudes and perceptions of feedback through pre-project and post-project surveys. Student concept attainment and the ability to overcome misconceptions was assessed through pre- and post-surveys which focused on content as well as the comparison of draft models of a climate change in a bottle experiment and final draft models after students received feedback from teachers. Further data was gathered through student interviews about feedback and the process of addressing their misconceptions. Results of the experiment indicate that feedback is effective in helping students overcome misconceptions regardless of the type of feedback, either brief or detailed.Item Misconception probes in human anatomy and physiology(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2019) Quinton, Murvyn Scott; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisLearning is a process of acquiring knowledge and understanding. When students enter the classroom, they bring their current knowledge and understanding with them. Teachers build upon this knowledge to move students toward new levels of comprehension. The problem is that in many cases, students bring incorrect information or misconceptions into the classroom. When teachers add more upon these concepts, the students often end up with a blending of the correct and inaccurate information. Misconception probes are a tool that requires students to address these problematic concepts and allow teachers to identify the specific misconceptions that students have so that they can be corrected. This study investigated how the use of misconception probes would affect students in a science classroom. Specifically, the areas investigated were the impacts on learning and achievement and the impact on student confidence. Students were given misconception probes that focused on problem concepts within the selected unit, and then remedial instruction was given to address the misconceptions. Performance on the unit exams did not show a significant change; however, some students showed a marked decrease. Student metacognitive awareness of what they did and did not know increased. This resulted in students providing more accurate assessments of their confidence on the surveys given before the exams. This action research showed that misconception probes can be a valuable tool to help inform the teacher and to help students to recognize where their understanding is lacking.Item Inquiring into measurement error in the science laboratory(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2011) Holst, Daryl Allan; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy Taylor.High school students often struggle with accurate data collection in the science laboratory. This study examined the effects of inquiry-based laboratory learning experiences on student ability to recognize the limited precision of measurements, ability to see error, manipulative ability in using laboratory instruments and commitment to accuracy. Results indicate increased student ability to see and correct error as well as improved understanding of error.