Investigation of the effect of using data collection technology on students' attitudes to science instruction

The purpose of this project was to investigate the effect of using of data collection technology on student attitudes towards science instruction. The study was conducted over the course of two years at Madison High School in Adrian, Michigan, primarily in college preparatory physics classes, but also in one college preparatory chemistry class and one environmental science class. A preliminary study was conducted at a Lenawee County Intermediate Schools student summer environmental science day camp. The data collection technology used was a combination of Texas Instruments TI-84 Silver Plus graphing calculators and Vernier LabPro data collection sleds with various probeware attachments, including motion sensors, pH probes and accelerometers. Students were given written procedures for most laboratory activities and were provided with data tables and analysis questions to answer about the activities. The first year of the study included a pretest and posttest measuring student attitudes towards the class they were enrolled in. Pre-test and post-test data were analyzed to determine effect size, which was found to be very small (Coe, 2002). The second year of the study focused only on a physics class and used Keller’s ARCS model for measuring student motivation based on the four aspects of motivation: Attention, Relevance, Confidence and Satisfaction (Keller, 2010). According to this model, it was found that there were two distinct groups in the class, one of which was motivated to learn and the other that was not. The data suggest that the use of data collection technology in science classes should be started early in a student’s career, possibly in early middle school or late elementary. This would build familiarity with the equipment and allow for greater exploration by the student as they progress through high school and into upper level science courses.

AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTS OF BIODIESEL BLENDS ON PARTICULATE MATTER OXIDATION IN A CATALYZED PARTICULATE FILTER DURING ACTIVE REGENERATION

Active regeneration experiments were carried out on a production 2007 Cummins 8.9L ISL engine and associated DOC and CPF aftertreatment system. The effects of SME biodiesel blends were investigated in this study in order to determine the PM oxidation kinetics associated with active regeneration, and to determine the effect of biodiesel on them. The experimental data from this study will also be used to calibrate the MTU-1D CPF model. Accurately predicting the PM mass retained in the CPF and the oxidation characteristics will provide the basis for computation in the ECU that will minimize the fuel penalty associated with active regeneration. An active regeneration test procedure was developed based on previous experimentation at MTU. During each experiment, the PM mass in the CPF is determined by weighing the filter at various phases. In addition, DOC and CPF pressure drop, particle size distribution, gaseous emissions, temperature, and PM concentration data are collected and recorded throughout each experiment. The experiments covered a range of CPF inlet temperatures using ULSD, B10, and B20 blends of biodiesel. The majority of the tests were performed at CPF PM loading of 2.2 g/L with in-cylinder dosing, although 4.1 g/L and a post-turbo dosing injector were also used. The PM oxidation characteristics at different test conditions were studied in order to determine the effects of biodiesel on PM oxidation during active regeneration. A PM reaction rate calculation method was developed to determine the global activation energy and the corresponding pre-exponential factor for all test fuels. The changing sum of the total flow resistance of the wall, cake, and channels was also determined as part of the data analysis process in order to check on the integrity of the data and to correct input data to be consistent with the expected trends of the resistance based on the engine conditions used in the test procedure. It was determined that increasing the percent biodiesel content in the test fuel tends to increase the PM reaction rate and the regeneration efficiency of fuel dosing, i.e., at a constant CPF inlet temperature, B20 test fuel resulted in the highest PM reaction rate and regeneration efficiency of fuel dosing. Increasing the CPF inlet temperature also increases PM reaction rate and regeneration efficiency of fuel dosing. Performing active regeneration with B20 as opposed to ULSD allows for a lower CPF temperature to be used to reach the same level of regeneration efficiency, or it allows for a shorter regeneration time at a constant CPF temperature, resulting in decreased fuel consumption for the engine during active regeneration in either scenario.

INCORPORATING STIMULATING QUICK-WRITE PROMPTS WITHIN A SECONDARY SCIENCE CLASSROOM: A CASE STUDY IN LESOTHO

The use of intriguing open-ended quick-write prompts within the Basotho science classroom could potentially provide a way for secondary teachers in Lesotho to have a time-efficient alternative to stimulate student thinking and increase critical thinking or application of scientific principles. Writing can be used as a powerful means to improve the achievement of students across many subject areas, including the sciences (Moore, 1993; Rivard, 1994; Rillero, Zambo, Cleland, and Ryan, 1996; Greenstein, 2013). This study focuses on the use of a non-traditional nor extensively studied writing method that could potentially support learning in science. A quasi-experimental research design, with a control and experimental group, was applied. The study was conducted at two schools, with one experimental classroom in one school and a second control group classroom in the second school for a period of 4 weeks. 51 Form B (US Grade 9 equivalent) students participated as the experimental group and 43 Form B students as the control group. In an effort to assess learning achievement, a 1 hour (35 mark) pre-test evaluation was made by and given to students by Basotho teachers at the beginning of this study to have an idea of student’s previous knowledge. Topics covered were Static Electricity, Current Electricity, Electromagnetic Waves, and Chemistry of Water. After the experimental trial period, an almost completely identical post-test evaluation was given to students in the same fashion to observe and compare gains in achievement. Test data was analyzed using an inferential statistics procedure that compared means and gains in knowledge made by the experimental and control groups. Difference between the gains of mean pre-test and post-test scores were statistically significant within each group, but were not statistically significant when the control and experimental groups were compared. Therefore, there was no clear practical effect. Qualitative data from teachers’ journals and students’ written feedback provides insight on the assessments, incorporation of the teaching method, and the development of participating students. Both mid and post-study student feedback shows that students had an overall positive and beneficial experience participating in this activity. Assessments and teacher journals showed areas of strength and weaknesses in student learning and on differences in teaching styles. They also helped support some feedback claims made by students. Areas of further research and improvement of the incorporation of this teaching method in the Basotho secondary science classroom are explored.