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Science Teachers (science + teacher)
Kinds of Science Teachers Selected AbstractsFood Safety Education Using Music ParodiesJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE EDUCATION, Issue 3 2009Carl K. Winter ABSTRACT:, Musical parodies of contemporary songs with their lyrics altered to address current food safety issues were incorporated into a variety of food safety educational programs and the effectiveness of the music was evaluated by semiquantitative and qualitative measures. Audiences receiving the music-enriched curricula included school foodservice supervisors, school foodservice managers, culinary arts instructors, culinary arts students, Family and Consumer Sciences teachers, and youth aged 8 to 12 y and studies were conducted in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Delaware. Among school foodservice supervisors, school foodservice managers, and culinary arts students, most participants were able to recall the main points of each song that was introduced in the curriculum. The culinary arts students were less likely to recall the main points of each song than were the other 2 groups, possibly because of the lack of prior knowledge of food safety practices as well as a lack of preference for the style of songs used. Family and Consumer Sciences teachers were enthusiastic about the use of the music but also identified potential barriers to the successful use of the music, due to the potential lack of appropriate audiovisual equipment, a lack of skills in using such equipment, and time constraints for the use of music in curricula due to the strong emphasis on end of year testing. Participants in the summer youth groups demonstrated significant increases between pre- and posttest examinations of safe food handling behaviors and most were able to quote lines or phrases from the songs. [source] Anti-Colonialist Antinomies in a Biology Lesson: A Sonata-Form Case Study of Cultural Conflict in a Science ClassroomCURRICULUM INQUIRY, Issue 3 2003Paokong John Chang This case study illustrates and analyzes the tension an ESL science teacher encountered when his science curriculum came into conflict with the religious and cosmological beliefs of one of his Hmong immigrant students. A Hmong immigrant himself, the teacher believes the science he is teaching is important for all his students to learn. He also understands how his science curriculum can be one part of an array of cultural forces that are adversely affecting the Hmong community. The case study examines this tension, but does not resolve it. Instead, the study explores the knowledge the teacher draws upon to respond to the tension in a caring and constructive manner. This knowledge includes the teacher's understanding of science and pedagogy. It also includes his understanding of Hmong history, which enables him to hear what his science curriculum means to one of his students. The case study concludes that teachers need some knowledge of the history of students' specific cultural groups in order to teach science well to all students. This case study was one of seven produced by the Fresno Science Education Equity Teacher Research Project. It uses a special format, a "sonata-form case study," to highlight tensions between specific curricular imperatives and meeting broader student needs. The study is based on real experiences, and employs composite characters and fictionalized dialogue to make its conceptual point. A theoretical preface explaining the methods of research and the modes of representation used in the Fresno Project is included. [source] Preparing teachers to create a mainstream science classroom conducive to the needs of English-language learners: A feminist action research projectJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 9 2005Gayle Buck A feminist action research team, which consisted of a science educator, an English-language learner (ELL) educator, a first-year science teacher, and a graduate assistant, set a goal to work together to explore the process a beginning teacher goes through to establish a classroom conducive to the needs of middle-level ELL learners. The guiding questions of the study were answered by gathering a wealth of data over the course of 5 months and taken from the classroom, planning sessions, and researchers and students. These data were collected by observations, semistructured interviews, and written document reviews. The progressive analysis ultimately revealed that: (a) successful strategies a beginning teacher must utilize for teaching middle-level ELL children in a mainstream classroom involve complex structural considerations that are not part of the teacher's preparation; (b) learning increases for all children, but there are differences in learning achievement between ELL and non-ELL children; and (c) student and peer feedback proved to be an effective means of enhancing the growth of a beginning teacher seeking to increase her skills in teaching ELL learners. The experiences and findings from this project have implications for teacher preparation programs committed to preparing educators to teach science to all children. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 42: 1013,1031, 2005 [source] Characteristics of professional development that effect change in secondary science teachers' classroom practicesJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 6 2005Bobby Jeanpierre We studied the outcome of a professional development opportunity that consisted of 2-week-long resident institutes for teams consisting of a secondary science teacher and two students. The science content of the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded professional development institute was monarch butterfly ecology. The first institute took place in Minnesota during the summer, and the second in Texas during the fall. Staff scientists provided intense instruction in inquiry, with numerous opportunities for participants to conduct short inquiry-based research projects. Careful attention was paid to introducing each step of the full inquiry process, from asking questions to presenting research findings. All participants conducted independent team full inquiry projects between the two institutes. Project findings show that the number of teachers providing opportunities for their students to conduct full inquiry increased significantly after their participation. A mixed-methodology analysis that included qualitative and quantitative data from numerous sources, and case studies of 20 teachers, revealed that the characteristics of the program that helped teachers successfully translate inquiry to their classrooms were: deep science content and process knowledge with numerous opportunities for practice; the requirement that teachers demonstrate competence in a tangible and assessable way; and providers with high expectations for learning and the capability to facilitate multifaceted inquiry experiences. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Building teacher identity with urban youth: Voices of beginning middle school science teachers in an alternative certification programJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 10 2004Amira Proweller Teacher identity development and change is shaped by the interrelationship between personal biography and experience and professional knowledge linked to the teaching environment, students, subject matter, and culture of the school. Working from this framework, this study examines how beginning teacher interns who are part of an alternative route to teacher certification construct a professional identity as science educators in response to the needs and interests of urban youth. From the teacher interns, we learn that crafting a professional identity as a middle-level science teacher involves creating a culture around science instruction driven by imagining "what can be," essentially a vision for a quality and inclusive science curriculum implicating science content, teaching methods, and relationships with their students. The study has important implications for the preparation of a stronger and more diverse teaching force able to provide effective and inclusive science education for all youth. It also suggests the need for greater attention to personal and professional experience and perceptions as critical to the development of a meaningful teacher practice in science. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 41: 1044,1062, 2004 [source] Investigating the efficacy of concept mapping with pupils with autistic spectrum disorderBRITISH JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, Issue 3 2007Veronica Roberts Pupils with autism often present significant challenges to teachers. They seem to have real strengths in visual processing but a cognitive style that encourages them to focus on detail rather than the overarching connections between concepts. Veronica Roberts, currently undertaking doctoral training at the Institute of Education, University of London, in order to become an educational psychologist, and Richard Joiner, senior lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath, set out to explore these issues. In this article, they report the outcomes of a naturalistic experiment in which they investigated the utility of concept mapping as an educational strategy with pupils diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Theoretical arguments supporting the use of concept mapping with an autistic population are outlined in the paper. A tutor group of ten pupils with ASD, aged between 11 and 14 years, took part in the study. Concept mapping tasks were integrated within National Curriculum science lessons in collaboration with the school's science teacher. The study found that the increase in pupil performance in subject-specific questionnaires was nearly four times greater in the concept mapping condition than after a more conventional teaching intervention. Veronica Roberts and Richard Joiner tentatively draw out the implications of their work for staff who work with pupils with ASD and make recommendations for further research into the use of these learning strategies. [source] Complicating Discontinuity: What About Poverty?CURRICULUM INQUIRY, Issue 1 2005MARY HERMES ABSTRACT In this article, two white science teachers at tribal schools in the Upper Midwest of the United States, who were identified by community members and school administrators as "successful" teachers, describe experiences of how they wrestle with the daily effects of generations of oppression. Most vividly, they talk about poverty. This article provides a description of some of the beliefs and attitudes, described by the teachers, that help them to be effective allies and teachers for Native American students. Their interviews offer a glimpse into the internal struggle with the contradictions of oppression. This article broadens the discussion of Native American culture-based education and raises questions for the general applicability of cultural discontinuity as an all-encompassing explanation for Native American school failure. [source] In search of well-started beginning science teachers: Insights from two first-year elementary teachersJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 6 2010Lucy Avraamidou Abstract The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore what aspects of two first-year elementary teachers' practices were most consistent with an inquiry-based approach, what PCK served as a mechanism for facilitating these practices, and what experiences have mediated the nature and development of these teachers' PCK. For each of the participants data included audio-recorded interviews, video-recorded classroom observations, lesson plans, and samples of student work. Data analysis illustrated that both participants engaged their students in question-driven investigations, the use of observational data, making connections between evidence and claims, and communicating those claims to others. Moreover, there was clear evidence in the findings of the study that a considerable degree of coherence existed between the two participants' knowledge on one hand and their instructional practices on the other hand. The participants perceived specific learning experiences during their programs as being critical to their development. The contribution of this study lies in the fact that it provides examples of well-started beginning elementary teachers implementing inquiry-based science in 2nd and 5th grade classrooms. Implications of the study include the need for the design of university-based courses and interventions by which teacher preparation and professional development programs support teachers in developing PCK for scientific inquiry and enacting instructional practices that are congruent with reform initiatives. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 47:661,686, 2010 [source] Science teachers' perceptions of the school environment: Gender differencesJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 4 2009Shwu-yong L. Huang Abstract Because the school environment has been shown to play an important role in teacher and student performance, we undertook research into the assessment of school environment, differences between female and male science teachers' perceptions of their school environments, and associations between these school environment perceptions and teachers' background characteristics. Although gender differences in science education have attracted both public concern and academic interest, little research has specifically addressed this issue in terms of the school environment. Data were collected from a large sample of 300 female and 518 male science teachers from secondary schools in Taiwan. Statistically significant gender differences were found in most aspects of the school environment, with female science teachers perceiving greater collegiality among teachers, higher gender equity among students, and stronger professional interest, and with male science teachers perceiving lower work pressure and better teacher,student relations. Gender differences in science teachers' perceptions of collegiality, work pressure, and gender equity in the school environment persisted even after controlling for teachers' background and school characteristics. Among the implications are recommendations about administrative policy for improving the school environment for both male and female teachers and about future research on factors associated with teachers' perceptions. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 46: 404,420, 2009 [source] National Board Certification (NBC) as a catalyst for teachers' learning about teaching: The effects of the NBC process on candidate teachers' PCK developmentJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 7 2008Soonhye Park Abstract This study examined how the National Board Certification (NBC) process, especially the portfolio creation, influenced candidate teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). In a larger sense, this study aimed to construct a better understanding of how teachers develop PCK and to establish ecological validity of the National Board assessments. Qualitative research methods, most notably case study, were utilized. Participants were three high school science teachers who were going thorough the NBC process. Data sources included classroom observations, interviews, teachers' reflections, and researcher's field notes. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method and enumerative approach. Findings indicated that the NBC process affected five aspects of the candidate teachers' instructional practices that were closely related to PCK development: (a) reflection on teaching practices, (b) implementation of new and/or innovative teaching strategies, (c) inquiry-oriented instruction, (d) assessments of students' learning, and (e) understanding of students. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 812,834, 2008 [source] Minding the gap: Needed research on beginning/newly qualified science teachersJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 4 2007Julie LuftArticle first published online: 16 FEB 200 First page of article [source] Proliferation of inscriptions and transformations among preservice science teachers engaged in authentic scienceJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 4 2007Eddie Lunsford Abstract Inscriptions are central to the practice of science. Previous studies showed, however, that preservice teachers even those with undergraduate degrees in science, generally do not spontaneously produce inscriptions that economically summarize large amounts of data. This study was designed to investigate the production of inscription while a group of 15 graduate-level preservice science teachers engaged in a 15-week course of scientific observation and guided inquiry of two organisms. The course emphasized the production of inscriptions as a way of convincingly supporting claims when the students presented their results. With continuing emphasis on inscriptional representations, we observed a significant increase in the number and type of representations made as the course unfolded. The number of concrete, text-based inscriptions decreased as the number of graphs, tables and other sorts of complex inscriptions increased. As the students moved from purely observational activities to guided inquiry, they made many more transformations of their data into complex and abstract forms, such as graphs and concept maps. The participants' competencies to cross-reference ultimate transformations to initial research questions improved slightly. Our study has implications for the traditional methods by which preservice science teachers are taught in their science classes. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 44: 538,564, 2007. [source] Socioscience and ethics in science classrooms: Teacher perspectives and strategiesJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 4 2006Troy D. Sadler This study explored teacher perspectives on the use of socioscientific issues (SSI) and on dealing with ethics in the context of science instruction. Twenty-two middle and high school science teachers from three US states participated in semi-structured interviews, and researchers employed inductive analyses to explore emergent patterns relative to the following two questions. (1) How do science teachers conceptualize the place of ethics in science and science education? (2) How do science teachers handle topics with ethical implications and expression of their own values in their classrooms? Profiles were developed to capture the views and reported practices, relative to the place of ethics in science and science classrooms, of participants. Profile A comprising teachers who embraced the notion of infusing science curricula with SSI and cited examples of using controversial topics in their classes. Profile B participants supported SSI curricula in theory but reported significant constraints which prohibited them from actualizing these goals. Profile C described teachers who were non-committal with respect to focusing instruction on SSI and ethics. Profile D was based on the position that science and science education should be value-free. Profile E transcended the question of ethics in science education; these teachers felt very strongly that all education should contribute to their students' ethical development. Participants also expressed a wide range of perspectives regarding the expression of their own values in the classroom. Implications of this research for science education are discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 43: 353,376, 2006 [source] Enhancing the quality of argumentation in school scienceJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 10 2004Jonathan Osborne The research reported in this study focuses on the design and evaluation of learning environments that support the teaching and learning of argumentation in a scientific context. The research took place over 2 years, between 1999 and 2001, in junior high schools in the greater London area. The research was conducted in two phases. In phase 1, working with a group of 12 science teachers, the main emphasis was to develop sets of materials and strategies to support argumentation in the classroom, and to support and assess teachers' development with teaching argumentation. Data were collected by video- and audio-recording the teachers' attempts to implement these lessons at the beginning and end of the year. During this phase, analytical tools for evaluating the quality of argumentation were developed based on Toulmin's argument pattern. Analysis of the data shows that there was significant development in the majority of teachers use of argumentation across the year. Results indicate that the pattern of use of argumentation is teacher-specific, as is the nature of the change. In phase 2 of the project, the focus of this paper, teachers taught the experimental groups a minimum of nine lessons which involved socioscientific or scientific argumentation. In addition, these teachers taught similar lessons to a comparison group at the beginning and end of the year. The purpose of this research was to assess the progression in student capabilities with argumentation. For this purpose, data were collected from 33 lessons by video-taping two groups of four students in each class engaging in argumentation. Using a framework for evaluating the nature of the discourse and its quality developed from Toulmin's argument pattern, the findings show that there was improvement in the quality of students' argumentation. This research presents new methodological developments for work in this field. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 41: 994,1020, 2004 [source] Building teacher identity with urban youth: Voices of beginning middle school science teachers in an alternative certification programJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 10 2004Amira Proweller Teacher identity development and change is shaped by the interrelationship between personal biography and experience and professional knowledge linked to the teaching environment, students, subject matter, and culture of the school. Working from this framework, this study examines how beginning teacher interns who are part of an alternative route to teacher certification construct a professional identity as science educators in response to the needs and interests of urban youth. From the teacher interns, we learn that crafting a professional identity as a middle-level science teacher involves creating a culture around science instruction driven by imagining "what can be," essentially a vision for a quality and inclusive science curriculum implicating science content, teaching methods, and relationships with their students. The study has important implications for the preparation of a stronger and more diverse teaching force able to provide effective and inclusive science education for all youth. It also suggests the need for greater attention to personal and professional experience and perceptions as critical to the development of a meaningful teacher practice in science. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 41: 1044,1062, 2004 [source] An investigation of experienced secondary science teachers' beliefs about inquiry: An examination of competing belief setsJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 9 2004Carolyn S. Wallace The purpose of this study was to investigate the beliefs of six experienced high school science teachers about (1) what is successful science learning; (2) what are the purposes of laboratory in science teaching; and (3) how inquiry is implemented in the classroom. An interpretive multiple case study with an ethnographic orientation was used. The teachers' beliefs about successful science learning were substantively linked to their beliefs about laboratory and inquiry implementation. For example, two teachers who believed that successful science learning was deep conceptual understanding, used verification labs primarily to illustrate these concepts and used inquiry as a type of isolated problem-solving experience. Another teacher who believed that successful science learning was enculturation into scientific practices used inquiry-based labs extensively to teach the practices of science. Tension in competing beliefs sets and implications for reform are discussed. ? 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 41: 936-960, 2004. [source] A cultural perspective of the induction of five reform-minded beginning mathematics and science teachersJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 7 2004J. Randy McGinnis The purpose of this empirical study was to present a detailed description and interpretation of what happens in schools to beginning teachers who are prepared to enact reform-based practices in mathematics and science. The focus was on a select sample of graduates from the Maryland Collaborative for Teacher Preparation [MCTP], a statewide reform-based undergraduate teacher preparation program funded by the National Science Foundation. Interpretative research methodology was used to conduct a cultural case study of the beginning teachers' first 2 years of practice (first year, N,=,5; second year, N,=,3). We documented differential experiences and perceptions of the beginning teachers from both inside (emic) and outside (etic) perspectives. Documented discussion centered on an analytical framework suggested elsewhere. Findings were framed in two components: the individual's intentions, needs, and capabilities; and the institutional demands, affordances, and constraints. The major insight was that the beginning teachers' perception of their school culture was a major factor in whether reform-aligned mathematics and science teaching was regularly implemented by the beginning teachers. In instances where the beginning teachers' perceived that their school cultures offered a lack of support for their intent to implement reform-based practices the beginning teachers exhibited differing social strategies (resistance, moving on, and exit). Therefore, to sustain reform (and, by extension, to retain beginning mathematics and science teachers), a key implication is to place additional attention on the use of the school culture perspective to improve teacher preparation and induction experiences. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 41: 720,747, 2004 [source] Folk theories of "inquiry:" How preservice teachers reproduce the discourse and practices of an atheoretical scientific methodJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 5 2004Mark Windschitl Despite the ubiquity of the term "inquiry" in science education literature, little is known about how teachers conceptualize inquiry, how these conceptions are formed and reinforced, how they relate to work done by scientists, and if these ideas about inquiry are translated into classroom practice. This is a multicase study in which 14 preservice secondary science teachers developed their own empirical investigations,from formulating questions to defending results in front of peers. Findings indicate that participants shared a tacit framework of what it means to "do science" which shaped their investigations and influenced reflections on their inquiries. Some facets of the participants' shared model were congruent with authentic inquiry; however, the most consistent assumptions were misrepresentations of fundamental aspects of science: for example, that a hypothesis functions as a guess about an outcome, but is not necessarily part of a larger explanatory system; that background knowledge may be used to provide ideas about what to study, but this knowledge is not in the form of a theory or other model; and that theory is an optional tool one might use at the end of a study to help explain results. These ideas appear consistent with a "folk theory" of doing science that is promoted subtly, but pervasively, in textbooks, through the media, and by members of the science education community themselves. Finally, although all participants held degrees in science, the participants who eventually used inquiry in their own classrooms were those who had significant research experiences in careers or postsecondary study and greater science-content background. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 41: 481,512, 2004 [source] Constructing views of science tied to issues of equity and diversity: A study of beginning science teachersJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 1 2003Julie A. Bianchini In this study, we examined the discursive and social practices of a teacher educator (the first author) and her eight beginning science teachers in a course on the nature of science and issues of equity and diversity. We focused our investigation on beginning science teachers' views of science and science teaching, as well as the grounds they offered for their views. We organized our discussion of the nature of science, teacher learning, and grounds for views along three dimensions: personal, social, and political. We found that beginning teachers routinely drew from only one of these three dimensions to support their views of the nature of science and ways to represent science to all students. In our implications, we recommend that teacher educators encourage teacher learners to examine personal, social, and political grounds carefully and critically in the process of constructing or revising their views. We argue that attention to these three dimensions of grounds for views will assist beginning teachers in adopting nature of science positions that are broad and complex, that more clearly reflect the goals of equity and excellence, and thus, that hold greater promise for achieving a science education inclusive of all students. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 40: 53,76, 2003 [source] Investing in the renewal of urban science teachingJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 10 2001Michael S. Knapp This article provides a conceptual framework for understanding what is involved in improving urban science teaching and what might be implied by conducting research on its improvement. It is argued in this article that three sets of forces and conditions have a direct impact on urban science classrooms: first, the array of interdependent policies at school, district, and state levels about science teaching in particular and about education improvement more broadly construed; next, the investment and use of instructionally relevant resources at each of the three levels and their differing impacts on the renewal of urban science teaching; and finally, the broader context in which urban science teaching occurs mediating how these resources are,or can be,used. Mediating factors include the professional peer community, subject-specific instructional leadership, the professional development infrastructure, the supply of available science teachers, and the broader community context. The article concludes with suggestions for how this framework informs directions for future research on the promise and limits of efforts to renew science teaching in urban settings. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 38: 1089,1100, 2001 [source] Case-based pedagogy as a context for collaborative inquiry in the PhilippinesJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 5 2001Elvira L. Arellano The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential for using case-based pedagogy as a context for collaborative inquiry into the teaching and learning of elementary science. The context for this study was the elementary science teacher preparation program at West Visayas State University on the the island of Panay in Iloilo City, the Philippines. In this context, triple linguistic conventions involving the interactions of the local Ilonggo dialect, the national language of Philipino (predominantly Tagalog) and English create unique challenges for science teachers. Participants in the study included six elementary student teachers, their respective critic teachers and a research team composed of four Filipino and two U.S. science teacher educators. Two teacher-generated case narratives serve as the centerpiece for deliberation, around which we highlight key tensions that reflect both the struggles and positive aspects of teacher learning that took place. Theoretical perspectives drawn from assumptions underlying the use of case-based pedagogy and scholarship surrounding the community metaphor as a referent for science education curriculum inquiry influenced our understanding of tensions at the intersection of re-presentation of science, authority of knowledge, and professional practice, at the intersection of not shared language, explicit moral codes, and indigenization, and at the intersection of identity and dilemmas in science teaching. Implications of this study are discussed with respect to the building of science teacher learning communities in both local and global contexts of reform. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 38: 502,528, 2001 [source] Validation of core medical knowledge by postgraduates and specialistsMEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 9 2005Franciska Koens Background, Curriculum constructors and teachers must decide on the content and level of objectives and materials included in the medical curriculum. At University Medical Centre Utrecht it was decided to test relatively detailed knowledge at a regular level in study blocks and to design a progress test aimed at the medical core knowledge that every graduating doctor should possess. This study was conducted to validate the level of knowledge tested in this progress test. Aim, We designed a questionnaire to investigate whether postgraduate trainees and experienced specialists agree with item writers on what is required core knowledge. Methods, Postgraduates and specialists received a questionnaire with 80 items designed to test core knowledge. Respondents were asked to indicate to what extent the items actually represented the core knowledge required of a recently graduated medical student. Results, Of the clinical questions, 82.4% were judged to reflect core knowledge, whereas only 42.4% of the basic science questions were judged to reflect core knowledge. There was a strikingly high correlation on the mean judgements per item of postgraduate trainees versus medical specialists (r = 0.975). Conclusion, Many items, written to reflect core knowledge, appear to be judged by postgraduates and clinicians as pertaining to non-core knowledge. Postgraduate trainees appear to be as capable as experienced specialists of making judgements regarding core knowledge. Fewer basic science items are regarded as core knowledge than clinical items. This may suggest that, specifically, basic science teachers do not agree with physicians on what is to be considered medical core knowledge for graduating doctors. [source] Aid for science teachersASTRONOMY & GEOPHYSICS, Issue 1 2008Article first published online: 17 JAN 200 No abstract is available for this article. [source] The Relationship between Attitudes, Knowledge, and Demographic Variables of High School Teachers Regarding Food IrradiationJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE EDUCATION, Issue 2 2007B.M. Thompson ABSTRACT:,The purpose of this study was to use a validated instrument to determine the attitudes and knowledge of high school teachers regarding food irradiation, and to determine the correlations among their knowledge and attitudes and certain demographic variables. Knowledge and attitudes about food irradiation were measured in selected high school family and consumer sciences teachers (n= 121) who taught Food and Nutrition, Food Science and Technology, and/or Food Production Management and Services, via a 24-item instrument with 6 factors. Results revealed these teachers held neutral to positive attitudes about the safety of irradiated foods, their perception of the risk of foodborne illness, and learning about food irradiation, and neutral to negative perceptions of their understanding of food irradiation and their competence to teach about it. These teachers had a moderate knowledge base regarding food irradiation. Teachers' attitudes regarding the safety of food irradiation were positively correlated with their perceived understanding of food irradiation, actual knowledge of it, and competence to teach about it. Their perceived understanding of food irradiation was positively correlated with competence to teach about it, knowledge, and attitudes toward the safety of food irradiation. The only demographic variable correlated with knowledge or attitudes was teachers' previous food irradiation educational experiences. These data suggest the importance of education for family and consumer sciences teachers concerning food irradiation. [source] | |||||||||||||