Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2010, EDU Teaching and Learning

This study examined the understanding of nature of science among participants in their final year of a 4-year undergraduate teacher education program at a Midwest liberal arts university. The Logic Model Process was used as an integrative framework to focus the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of the data for the purpose of (1) describing participant understanding of NOS and (2) to identify participant characteristics and teacher education program features related to those understandings. The Views of Nature of Science Questionnaire form C (VNOS-C) was used to survey participant understanding of 7 target aspects of Nature of Science (NOS). A rubric was developed from a review of the literature to categorize and score participant understanding of the target aspects of NOS. Participants' high school and college transcripts, planning guides for their respective teacher education program majors, and science content and science teaching methods course syllabi were examined to identify and categorize participant characteristics and teacher education program features. The R software (R Project for Statistical Computing, 2010) was used to conduct an exploratory analysis to determine correlations of the antecedent and transaction predictor variables with participants' scores on the 7 target aspects of NOS. Fourteen participant characteristics and teacher education program features were moderately and significantly (p < .01) correlated with participant scores on the target aspects of NOS. The 6 antecedent predictor variables were entered into multiple regression analyses to determine the best-fit model of antecedent predictor variables for each target NOS aspect. The transaction predictor variables were entered into separate multiple regression analyses to determine the best-fit model of transaction predictor variables for each target NOS aspect. Variables from the best-fit antecedent and best-fit transaction models for each target aspect of NOS were the (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Arthur L. White PhD (Advisor); Donna F. Berlin PhD (Committee Member); Kathy Cabe Trundle PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Science Education; Teacher Education

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2014, Educational Leadership

Politicians and educators frequently refer to the lack of science being taught in public schools. President Obama has voiced concerns about employers' economic interests not being served through public school's science education. An understanding of science is also required in order to evaluate political and social justice issues. This project identifies aspects of the epistemological understandings of science known as Nature of Science (NOS) that were found in elementary school teachers' science identities and their teaching practices. The case study used surveys, interviews, and classroom observations, to construct individual stories that capture participants' science identities. Emergent themes were identified within the teachers' identities. Experiences with informed NOS instruction (K-16) were lacking. Instructional practices of teachers aligned with their understandings of science epistemology. Consequences of national, state, and local, education policies were identified. All participants acknowledged needs and desires for professional development in science instruction. However, no efforts were being undertaken to pursue or provide in-service training for science. The statuses of these teachers cannot be unique in a nation possessing numerous similar rural settings. The insight gained through this study provides an important glimpse of U.S. education that policy makers need to appreciate in order to be able to generate the political advocacy necessary to enact quality science education reform. This project concludes with proposals for future training designed to foster understandings of science epistemology that are necessary for effective science teaching. Providing support effecting informed science epistemology (NOS) requires alterations to professional and personal identities; not lists of standards or administrative directives to teach science. Teachers' naive science identities, transformed through an acculturation of NOS, may gene (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Richard Quantz PhD (Committee Chair); Thomas Poetter PhD (Committee Member); Lawrence Boggess PhD (Committee Member); Nazan Bautista PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Elementary Education; Epistemology; Inservice Training; Public Policy; Science Education; Teacher Education; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2012, EDU Teaching and Learning

Although many believe that students with mature understanding of NOS engage in argumentation more, mixed results were found in empirical studies. In argumentation studies, consensus assessment was lacking and most researchers only evaluated the structural aspects of argumentation. However in the science classroom, an assessment that examines the “content correctness” in addition to the “structural complexity” is necessary because scientific argumentation that is structurally complicated but full of misconceptions cannot be considered strong. Therefore, the goal of this study was first to develop a method to evaluate the quality of students' scientific argumentation in both the content and structure aspects. The second goal was to examine to what extent NOS knowledge and argumentation skills correlate. Furthermore, through semi-structured interview, this study documented students' NOS understandings in the target aspects of NOS. Significant correlation between NOS and argumentation was found in the first year of the study. Although no correlation between NOS and argumentation was found in follow-up study, the score distribution implied that students with mixed views of NOS engaged more in scientific argumentation in which specific scientific data were required to support their claims . The qualitative analysis of students' NOS interview revealed that students with strong argumentation skills view science as an open entity that may be challenged and discussed. Further, all of the interview participants placed high values on empirical support. The majority of the participants held the misconception about theories and laws, and expressed that the theory of evolution is less persuasive than other theories because some parts of the supporting evidence lack empirical support.

Committee: Karen Irving E (Committee Chair); Steven Rissing W (Committee Member); Lin Ding (Committee Member) Subjects: Science Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2007, Teaching and Learning

This study explored the effect of history of genetics in teaching genetics and learning the nature of science (NOS). A quasi-experimental control group research design with pretests, posttests, and delayed posttests was used, combining qualitative data and quantitative data. Two classes which consisted of tenth grade biology students participated in this study. The present study involved two instructional interventions, Best Practice Instruction with History of Genetics (BPIw/HG) and Best Practice Instruction (BPI). The experimental group received the BPIw/HG utilizing various historical materials from the history of genetics, while the control group was not introduced to historical materials. Scientific Attitude Inventory II, Genetics Terms' Definitions with Concept Mapping (GTDCM), NOS Terms' Definitions with Concept Mapping (NTDCM), and View of Nature of Science (VNOS-C) were used to investigate students' scientific attitude inventory, and their understanding of genetics as well as the NOS. The results showed that students' scientific attitude inventory, and their understanding of genetics and the NOS were not statistically significantly different in the pretest (p>.05). After the intervention, the experimental group of students who received BPIw/HG demonstrated better understanding of the NOS. NTDCM results showed that the experimental group was better in defining the NOS terms and constructing a concept map (p<.01). In addition, the experimental group retained their understanding of the NOS two-months after the completion of the intervention, showing no statistically significant difference between the posttest and the delayed posttest of NTDCM (p>.05). Further, VNOS-C data indicated that a greater percentage of the experimental group than the control group improved their understanding of the NOS. However, the two groups' understanding of genetics concepts did not show any statistically significant difference in the pretest, the posttest, and the delayed posttes (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Karen Irving (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Sciences

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2004, Teaching and Learning

This dissertation presents a four-month study which investigated the effectiveness of curriculum materials incorporating the history of science on learning science, understanding the nature of science, and students' interest in science. With regards to these objectives, three different class contexts were developed with three main types of historical information. In the first class context, the similarities between students' alternative ideas and scientific concepts from the history of science were considered in developing teaching materials. In the second class context, the teacher developed discussion sessions on the ways scientists produce scientific knowledge. In the third class context, short stories about scientists' personal lives were used without connection to the concepts of science or nature of science. Ninety-four eighth-grade students were randomly assigned to four classes taught by the same science teacher. The concepts in the motion unit and in the force unit were taught. Three of the four classrooms were taught using the contexts provided by the history of science while the fourth class was taught in the same way that the teacher had used in previous years. The effects on student meaningful learning, perceptions of the nature of science, and interest in science were evaluated at the beginning, at the middle, and at the end of the study to compare differences between historical class contexts and the Traditional Class. Results of analysis showed that the changes in meaningful learning scores for the first class context were higher than other classes but the differences between classes were not significant. The history of science affected student perceptions of the process of science and the role of inference in the process of science. Stories from scientists' personal lives consistently stimulated student interest in science, while discussions of scientific methods without these stories decreased student interest. The positive effects of stories relat (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Arthur White (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Sciences

PHD, Kent State University, 2008, College of Education, Health, and Human Services / Department of Teaching, Leadership and Curriculum Studies

Relying on the book of Genesis as a source text, young-earth creationists or "creation scientists" claim to find physical evidence that the earth was created in six 24-hour periods less than ten thousand years ago and that most of the geologic column was laid down in a year-long worldwide flood. Unsurprisingly, these claims lead to a boundary dispute over the definition of science, in which mainstream scientists impugn the validity of creation science and creation scientists respond in kind. Although young-earth creationism is a growing movement, little is known about it. In particular, little is known about how creationists view the relationship between creationism and science or how the rhetoric of moral, cultural, environmental, and/or biological decline informs creationist practice. In order to investigate these issues, I studied the Fossil Museum (pseudonym), a local young-earth creationist institution, through a combination of naturalistic inquiry and visitor interviews. With respect to the rhetoric of decline, I found that cultural, environmental, and biological decline appear to function independently of one another in Fossil Museum rhetoric. With respect to views of the relationship between creationism and science, I found that despite having limited training or experience in science and despite committing numerous scientific errors, Fossil Museum associates respect and emulate science. Believing that physical evidence mediated by honest science will vindicate young-earth creationism, Fossil Museum associates speak of science in highly Baconian terms, invoking the ideal of assumption-free data and privileging observation over inference. They also accept the notion that science should be falsifiable and they suggest that on this criterion, mainstream science is not scientific. Yet because of their belief that physical evidence can vindicate their position, they openly discuss counterevidence to young-earth creationism, regarding such counterevidence as anoma (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Wendy Sherman Heckler PhD (Committee Chair); Andrew Gilbert PhD (Committee Member); Nathan Myers PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Science Education

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2007, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2023, Biological Sciences

Environmental degradation has led to a number of environmental issues including, but not limited to, habitat loss, plastic pollution, harmful algal blooms, and climate change. While many of those environmental issues are driven by human actions, there are also numerous environmentally positive, or pro-environmental, behaviors that individuals can adopt to help mitigate negative impacts on the environment. Several theories have aimed to uncover what encourages individuals to change their environmental behavior, such as connection to nature and Theory of Planned Behavior, however, the exact influence and interaction of these theoretical factors, as they encourage pro-environmental behavior adoption specifically, is still unclear. Yet, understanding the factors that influence pro-environmental behavior adoption is critical for environmental educators communicating environmental issues and solutions with the intention of raising awareness and changing behaviors. In this research, I explore the factors that influence pro-environmental behavior adoption in the Lake Erie region through examining the environmental identity of the author through autoethnography, the pro-environmental behaviors of individuals that attend environmental education events, and the influence of social circles on environmental mindedness. Using a mixed method approach, I have uncovered how individuals may be influenced by experiences, education, family, and friends. This information can be used to improve environmentally based communication and encourage more individuals to adopt pro-environmental behaviors.

Committee: Karen Sirum Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Pascal Bizarro Ph.D. (Other); Nathan Hensley Ph.D. (Committee Member); Maria Bidart Ph.D. (Committee Member); Matthew Cross Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Biology; Climate Change; Conservation; Ecology; Education; Environmental Education; Environmental Science; Environmental Studies; Social Research; Sociology; Sustainability; Wildlife Conservation

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2020, History

This thesis is a case study in a Social Gospel approach to nature, human health and environmental politics. Human health and non-human nature were mutually constitutive in Washington Gladden's vision of health. In sermons from 1869 to 1910, Gladden argued that human health was closely connected to the health of societies and cities, for the simple fact that humanity was a part of nature. The local, urban aspects of Gladden's Social Gospel vision of health were an important connective tissue to understand his broader moral and economic arguments. Gladden's distinct notions of social morality and social harmony are best understood at the intersection of religious histories of the Social Gospel, urban environmental histories and public health histories. Gladden emphasized social morality through scientific public health and the conservation movement. His vision of social health was an ideal of social harmony supported by professionals who understood that human beings were capable of ordering God's creation so that humanity could live healthy lives in healthy places around the world.

Committee: Steven Conn (Committee Chair); Amanda McVety (Committee Member); Marguerite Shaffer (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; History; Religious History

PHD, Kent State University, 2018, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Health Sciences

Very little research examines the critical intersection between science and special education (SPED), let alone between the nature of science (NOS) and SPED. Thus, this study focused on preservice SPED teachers' conceptions of NOS, their NOS instructional practices, and their perceptions of the influence of course components on their NOS conceptions. The participants were 18 preservice SPED teachers, majoring in mild to moderate (12) and deaf education (6) in a semester-long social studies and science methods course. A conceptual change framework guided the NOS interventions. Data sources included participants' pre and post course Views of the Nature of Science-C (VNOS-C) survey responses, lesson plans, observed lessons and interviews. VNOS-C responses were analyzed to categorize participants' NOS conceptions as informed, transitional or naive for each NOS aspect. Interview responses were used as a member check for VNOS-C responses and analyzed to determine participants' perceptions as to how the course components influenced their NOS conceptions. Lesson plans and observed lessons were analyzed using NOS Classroom Observation Protocol (NOS-COP) and categorized as high, medium, or low NOS implementation. Results showed participants made substantial conceptual gains in six out of eight NOS aspects. Participants' lesson plans and observed lessons showed substantive use of inquiry and NOS integration. This is a strong outcome, as participants were non-science majors and were provided only a short period of NOS intervention. The study showed how explicit reflective NOS instruction in a combined social studies and science methods course could be used to improve SPED teachers NOS conceptions and instruction.

Committee: Lisa Borgerding PhD (Advisor); Bridget Mulvey PhD (Advisor); Andrew Wiley PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Science Education; Special Education; Teacher Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2006, Teaching and Learning

This study mainly explored the efficacy of the two instructional interventions, namely Reform-Based Teaching with Multiple Representations (RBTw/MR) and Reform-Based Teaching (RBT) on stimulating change in students' conceptual understandings of the particulate nature of matter (PNM) and maintaining those scientific understandings constructed during the instruction over a three-month period. In this context, this study also examined the RBTw/MR and RBT students' types of conceptual understandings of the PNM before, immediately after and three-months after the interventions. This study was conducted in two introductory level chemistry classes of a suburban high school. The participants of the study included a total of 42 students who were enrolled in one of the two classes of the chemistry teacher who taught both of the classes. Both the RBTw/MR and the RBT group students were engaged in the same activities with the same sequence of experiences. However, the RBTw/MR instruction differed from the RBT instruction in terms of the frequency of using the multiple representations in relationship to the macroscopic phenomenon and the likely actions that occur at the submicroscopic level. A quasi-experimental control group research design with a pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest was employed by incorporating qualitative data collection and analysis methods. In order to assess students' conceptual understanding of the PNM, the open-ended questionnaire, namely Nature of Matter Diagnostic Questions, was administered to both groups just before, immediately after and three months after the instructional interventions. Fifteen of the 42 students were also interviewed following the posttest. The results of the study revealed the positive short- and long-term learning impacts on the RBTw/MR students' conceptual understandings of the PNM. Before the instruction, a majority of students in both groups (82.6%, RBTw/MR; 73.7%, RBT) held nonscientific types of conceptual understandin (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: KATHY TRUNDLE (Advisor) Subjects:

Master of Environmental Science, Miami University, 2008, Environmental Sciences

Included in this paper are accounts of my two internships undertaken in the fulfillment of my Master of Science degree from the Institute of Environmental Sciences; the first with Global Vision International (GVI) and the second with Imago Earth Center. As part of my GVI internship I conducted field research on the Meso-American coral reef and taught English in a small Mexican community, with emphasis placed on environmental education. The internship at Imago provided me with the opportunity to work as a naturalist educator with local Cincinnati school children in Price Hill. Further work at IMAGO included research on the energy efficiency of the IMAGO building, presenting my recommendations for increasing the energy efficiency to Imago's leadership, and then implementing those ideas.

Committee: Dr. Sandra Woy-Hazleton PhD (Advisor); Dr. R. Hays Cummins PhD (Committee Member); Dr. Mark Boardman PhD (Committee Member); Dr. Adolph Greenberg PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Science