Teaching, Learning, Policy & Leadership Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2759
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Item EXPLORING THE DIMENSIONS OF GENDER AND STUDENT EPISTEMOLOGIES IN A REFORMED LEARNER-CENTERED ORGANISMAL BIOLOGY COURSE: A MIXED METHODS APPROACH(2019) Klosteridis, Jennifer Hayes-; Hultgren, Francine; Croninger, Robert; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Gender and student epistemology play a role in how students interact with STEM content and knowledge development in the classroom and may influence the retention of women in the sciences. Reform agencies have called for changes to the undergraduate biology curriculum to produce students with high level quantitative and critical thinking skills. As educators seek to reform college biology courses to align with policy maker recommendations, it remains important to consider how these dimensions influence student learning of reformed content and pedagogy. This mixed methods study explored the dimensions of gender and epistemology as they related to student learning in a reformed learner-centered organismal biology course at a large east coast university. Pre-test and post-test epistemological survey results and qualitative interview data collected over two semesters by Hall (2013) were analyzed. The results indicated that there was no significant relationship between gender and student epistemologies at pre-test or post-test on the MBEX I instrument or in 3 of the 4 epistemological clusters. Both women and men experienced significant positive shifts on the instrument overall and in two clusters of the survey instrument. Specifically, women and men became more sophisticated in their view of the structure of biological sciences knowledge as composed of principles, and how biology knowledge should be constructed rather than memorized. Qualitative findings, however, suggested that gender and level of epistemological sophistication played a role in how women and men experienced the reformed content and pedagogy in the course. Specifically, women expressed resistance to the inclusion of physical science content in the course, while most men expressed receptivity. This study is unique in that it explored the interplay between gender and epistemology as it related to course content and pedagogical reform. Through integration of the quantitative results and qualitative findings, the study concluded that the reformed learner-centered course was successful at creating more epistemologically sophisticated men and women who viewed biological knowledge as principles-based and developed a belief that biological knowledge is a process of knowledge construction. The results also suggested that women had a more favorable response to the active learning pedagogy. Gender may have created a potential resistance to the inclusion of other disciplinary perspectives and content in the course. The results and findings add to the higher education curriculum reform and instruction literature by providing some insight into how student epistemology and gender may influence faculty efforts to develop courses that align with national reform efforts.Item Biology Teachers' Perceptions of Satisfaction:The Mediating Effects of Workplace Conditions and Epistemological Beliefs(2014) Daniels, Elizabeth; Parham, Carol S; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)National policy discourses have placed biology at the heart of the Nation's goal to achieve a global knowledge-based economy. However, researchers are finding educational trends of increasing biology teacher shortfalls which may undermine the achievement of that goal (National Science Board [NSB], 2012). Indeed, researchers have found science teacher shortages have been inexorably tied to many U. S. educational and societal problems, such as the goal of maintaining global economic competitiveness with other nations (National Academy of Sciences [NAS], 2007). On the other hand, in addition to research findings of the large science teacher shortfalls, researchers have found biology teachers' perceptions of satisfaction have a high correlation with retention. As a result, it appears critical to maximize the needed retention of biology teachers by increasing teachers' perceived levels of job satisfaction. Over the years, educational researchers have investigated science teacher perceptions of satisfaction as discrete units of workplace conditions or ii epistemological views. Researchers have given little attention to the relationship between school workplace conditions and the epistemological belief system of biology teachers regarding their views on the nature of teaching and learning, which may contribute to high levels of perceived satisfaction and commitment to their schools. The purpose of this study is to examine the dynamic interactions between these factors to identify the positive and negative influences on biology teachers' perceptions of satisfaction, thusly impacting teachers' practice behaviors, motivation, and commitment to the profession. School systems share many features with large organizations; therefore the design of this study utilized prior research from industry on stress affecting employee perceptions of satisfaction in the workplace. From organizational literature, Kristof-Brown et al.'s (2005) organizational model of person to environmental fit is adapted to illustrate the interactive flow between teachers' personally held epistemic beliefs systems with extant school workplace conditions. A review of literature suggested there are four workplace conditions most salient to biology teachers' perceptions of satisfaction; administrative support, student discipline, collegiality, and accountability along with three predominant epistemological beliefs of realism, contextualism, and relativism which formed the basis of the study. For this qualitative case study a semi-structured interview developed by Luft and Roehrig (2007) is utilized. The Teacher Belief Interview (2007) questions are designed to capture the epistemological beliefs of biology teachers.Item Negotiating theTerrain of High-Stakes Accountability in Science Teaching(2007-11-20) Aronson, Isaak; Hultgren, Francine; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Teachers interact with their students on behalf of the entire educational system. The aim of this study is to explore how biology teachers understand and construct their practice in a high-stakes accountability environment that is likely to be riddled with tensions. By critically questioning the technical paradigms of accountability this study challenges the fundamental assumptions of accountability. Such a critical approach may help teachers develop empowerment strategies that can free them from the de-skilling effects of the educational accountability system. This interpretive case study of a high-school in Maryland is grounded in three streams of research literature: quality science instruction based on scientific inquiry, the effects of educational accountability on the curriculum, and the influence of policy on classroom practice with a specific focus on how teachers balance competing tensions. This study theoretically occurs at the intersection of educational accountability and pedagogy. In terms of data collection, I conduct two interviews with all six biology teachers in the school. I observe each teacher for at least fifteen class periods. I review high-stakes accountability policy documents from the federal, state, and district levels of the education system. Three themes emerge from the research. The first theme, "re-defining science teaching," captures how deeply accountability structures have penetrated the science curriculum. The second theme, "the pressure mounts," explores how high-stakes accountability in science has increased the stress placed on teachers. The third theme, "teaching-in-between," explores how teachers compromise between accountability mandates and their own understandings of quality teaching. Together, the three themes shed light on the current high-stakes climate in which teachers currently work. This study's findings inform the myriad paradoxes at all levels of the educational system. As Congress and advocacy groups battle over the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind, they may not pay adequate attention to all the inconsistencies. Educators and researchers must take a critical look at accountability policies. Accountability should promote optimism, responsibility, job satisfaction, avenues for developing pedagogical expertise, and collaboration between teachers and administrators. Only then is it likely to improve educational opportunities for all students.