Impact what do urban student think about science

What do secondary school students in high needs urban schools think of science? A survey of student perceptions of the value of science.

Presented by:Charlene M. Czerniak, ProfessorGale A. Mentzer, Evaluator

InquiryMasters Program forAdvancingContent forTeachers

Funded by the United States Department of Education

Goals of IMPACT• Increase the number of high quality science teachers in

Toledo Public Schools and the Toledo area by adding 20 science teachers with a MS in Biology degree.

• Maintain a minimum of 90% retention of participants.• 100% of program completers will remain as science teachers

in TPS or other high needs schools for at least two years after degree completion.

• Improve student academic achievement in science in IMPACT classrooms.

• Increase the number of secondary school students enrolled in upper level science courses by 20% in the schools where participants teach.

• Increase the number of secondary school students who plan to pursue postsecondary education in a science-related field by 15% in the classes taught by IMPACT teachers.

IMPACT Coursework• EEES 6606 Lab and Field Methods Field Ecology• EEES 6607 Data Mgt & Interpretation• EEES 6600 Foundations of Ecology• EEES 6930 Ecology Seminar : Intro to Grad. Studies• CI 5890 Project Based Science• EEES 5750 Conservation Biology• Patterns in Biodiversity: Lab & Field• Ecological Theory• EEES 6400 Biostatistics • EEES 5250 Soil Ecology• Independent Study• Master’s Project

Project Based Science (PBS)

Project-Based Science organizes science class around a driving question. Instruction focuses on answering the driving question: investigations, computer work, library research, class discussions, and student-designed experiments Krajcik, J., & Czerniak, C. M. (2007). Teaching Science in

Elementary and Middle School. New York: Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Michelle, Lisa, and Mary Lynn’s PBS Unit

Driving Question:

Would you go swimming in Shanty Creek?

Sub Questions:1. What is in the water?

a. Quality Testingb. Living Organism

2. How does it get in there?a. What are watershedsb. Identify Local Systems

Student’s working on PBS unit

The affective domain:

• Feelings• Appreciations• Attitudes• Values

The Survey• 20 items• 2 scales• Value of science• Interest in science

The sampleAge Percent14 2315 4016 2317 1018 4

Gender Percent

Male 53

Female 47

Grade Percent

9 38

10 41

11 18

12 3

Race Percent

African American

47

Hispanic 8

Bi-racial 18

Other 27

Treatment n Control n192 164

Analysis

Reliability/items 0.82

Reliability/persons 0.77

Pretest ScoresValue Scale Mean Standard Dev.

Treatment 16.08 1.60

Control 15.97 1.52

Personal Perception Scale

Mean Standard Dev.

Treatment 16.25 1.45

Control 15.98 1.42

Value of sciencePersonal Perception

Posttest ScoresValue Scale Mean Standard Dev. Effect Size Interpretation

Treatment 16.56 1.75 0.33 small

Control 16.46 1. 78 0.33 small

Personal Perception Scale

Mean Standard Dev. Effect Size Interpretation

Treatment 15.48 1.70 -0.45 medium

Control 15.59 1.68 -0.25 small

What does all this mean?

For more information:• Dr. Gale A. Mentzergale.mentzer@utoledo.edu

• Dr. Charlene M. Czerniakcharlene.czerniak@utoledo.edu

http://impact.utoledo.edu/