Interactive simulations to physics teaching: a case study in brazilian high school

This paper presents the results of a study that investigated the use of simulators to improve physics teaching. The study population consisted of eight classes totaling 205 second year high school students from Brazilian public school. The research methodology adopted compares the average performance of students on tests conducted in the classroom to performance on tests conducted in the laboratory using computer simulators. The results obtained showed that students’ performance on tests improved after the use of simulators. It was found that the students had more homogeneous test results when using the simulator.

Alternative Tasks for the Teaching and the Learning of functions: analysis of an intervention in the High School

In this paper we focus on the application of two mathematical alternative tasks to the teaching and learning of functions with high school students. The tasks were elaborated according to the following methodological approach: (i) Problem Solving and/or mathematics investigation and (ii) a pedagogical proposal, which defends that mathematical knowledge is developed by means of a balance between logic and intuition. We employed a qualitative research approach (characterized as a case study) aimed at analyzing the didactic pedagogical potential of this type of methodology in high school. We found that tasks such as those presented and discussed in this paper provide a more significant learning for the students, allowing a better conceptual understanding, becoming still more powerful when one considers the social-cultural context of the students.

Assessment of a high school geological field course

Fieldwork is supportive of students’ natural inquiry abilities. Educational research findings suggest that instructors can foster the growth of thinking skills and promote science literacy by incorporating active learning strategies (McConnel et al, 2003). Huntoon (2001) states that there is a need to determine optimal learning strategies and to document the procedure of assessing those optimal geoscience curricula. This study seeks to determine if Earth Space II, a high school geological field course, can increase students’ knowledge of selected educational objectives. This research also seeks to measure any impact Earth Space II has on students’ attitude towards science. Assessment of the Earth Space II course objectives provided data on the impact of field courses on high school students’ scientific literacy, scientific inquiry skills, and understanding of selected course objectives. Knowledge assessment was done using a multiple choice format test, the Geoscience Concept Inventory, and an open-ended format essay test. Attitude assessment occurred by utilizing a preexisting science attitude survey. Both knowledge assessments items showed a positive effect size from the pretest to the posttest. The essay exam effect size was 17 and the Geoscience Concept Inventory effect size was 0.18. A positive impact on students’ attitude toward science was observed by an increase in the overall mean Likert value from the pre-survey to the post-survey.

1.5 Vashon High School, Saint Louis, Missouri

After attending junior high school, Lloyd Gaines enrolled in Vashon High School two years later at the age of sixteen. Gaines proved to be an extremely talented student, especially excelling in history and English.

Comprehensive Validation Of A Measure Of Student School Engagement: A Pilot Study Of Middle School Students

Although it may sound reasonable that American education continues to be more effective at sending high school students to college, in a study conducted in 2009, The Council of the Great City Schools states that "slightly more than half of entering ninth grade students arrive performing below grade level in reading and math, while one in five entering ninth grade students is more than two years behind grade level...[and] 25% received support in the form of remedial literacy instruction or interventions" (Council of the Great City Schools, 2009). Students are distracted with technology (Lei & Zhao, 2005), family (Xu & Corno, 2003), medical illnesses (Nielson, 2009), learning disabilities and perhaps the most detrimental to academic success, the very lack of interest in school (Ruch, 1963). In a Johns Hopkins research study, Building a Graduation Nation - Colorado (Balfanz, 2008), warning signs were apparent years before the student dropped out of high school. The ninth grade was often referenced as a critical point that indicated success or failure to graduate high school. The research conducted by Johns Hopkins illustrates the problem: students who become disengaged from school have a much greater chance of dropping out of high school and not graduating. The first purpose of this study was to compare different measurement models of the Student School Engagement (SSE) using Factor Analysis to verify model fit with student engagement. The second purpose was to determine the extent to which the SSE instrument measures student school engagement by investigating convergent validity (via the SSE and Appleton, Christenson, Kim and Reschly's instrument and Fredricks, Blumenfeld, Friedel and Paris's instrument), discriminant validity (via Huebner's Student Life Satisfaction Survey) and criterion-related validity (via the sub-latent variables of Aspirations, Belonging and Productivity and student outcome measures such as achievement, attendance and discipline). Discriminant validity was established between the SSE and the Appleton, Christenson, Kim and Reschly's model and Fredricks, Blumenfeld, Friedel and Paris's (2005) Student Engagement Instruments (SEI). When confirming discriminant validity, the SSE's correlations were weak and statistically not significant, thus establishing discriminant validity with the SLSS. Criterion-related validity was established through structural equation modeling when the SSE was found to be a significant predictor of student outcome measures when both risk score and CSAP scores were used. The third purpose of this study was to assess the factorial invariance of the SSE instrument across gender to ensure the instrument is measuring the intended construct across different groups. Conclusively, configural, weak and metric invariances were established for the SSE as a non-significant change in chi-square indicating that all parameters including the error variances were invariant across groups of gender. Engagement is not a clearly defined psychological construct; it requires more research in order to fully comprehend its complexity. Hopefully, with parental and teacher involvement and a sense of community, student engagement can be nurtured to result in a meaningful attachment to school and academic success.

Prospective associations between meth/amphetamine (speed) and MDMA (ecstasy) use and depressive symptoms in secondary school students

Background Research has raised significant concern regarding the affective consequences of synthetic drug use. However, little evidence from well-controlled longitudinal studies exists on these consequences. The aim of this study was to determine whether use of meth/amphetamine (speed) and 63,4- methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) is independently predictive of subsequent depressive symptoms in adolescents. Methods A sample of 3880 adolescents from secondary schools in disadvantaged areas of Quebec, Canada, were followed over time (2003e2008). Logistic regression was used to test the association between meth/ amphetamine and MDMA use in grade 10 (ages 15e16 years) and elevated depressive symptoms on an abridged Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale in grade 11, controlling for pre-existing individual and contextual characteristics. Results After adjustment, both MDMA use (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.6) and meth/amphetamine use (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.3) in grade 10 significantly increased the odds of elevated depressive symptoms in grade 11. These relationships did not vary by gender or pre-existing depressive symptoms. Increased risk was particularly observed in concurrent usage (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.2 to 2.9). Conclusions Adolescent use of meth/amphetamine and MDMA (particularly concurrent use) is independently associated with subsequent depressive symptoms. Further enquiry must determine whether these associations reflect drug-induced neurotoxicity and whether adolescence is a period of increased vulnerability to the hazards of synthetic drug exposure.

Prospective associations between meth/amphetamine (speed) and MDMA (ecstasy) use and depressive symptoms in secondary school students

Background Research has raised significant concern regarding the affective consequences of synthetic drug use. However, little evidence from well-controlled longitudinal studies exists on these consequences. The aim of this study was to determine whether use of meth/amphetamine (speed) and 63,4- methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) is independently predictive of subsequent depressive symptoms in adolescents. Methods A sample of 3880 adolescents from secondary schools in disadvantaged areas of Quebec, Canada, were followed over time (2003e2008). Logistic regression was used to test the association between meth/ amphetamine and MDMA use in grade 10 (ages 15e16 years) and elevated depressive symptoms on an abridged Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale in grade 11, controlling for pre-existing individual and contextual characteristics. Results After adjustment, both MDMA use (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.6) and meth/amphetamine use (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.3) in grade 10 significantly increased the odds of elevated depressive symptoms in grade 11. These relationships did not vary by gender or pre-existing depressive symptoms. Increased risk was particularly observed in concurrent usage (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.2 to 2.9). Conclusions Adolescent use of meth/amphetamine and MDMA (particularly concurrent use) is independently associated with subsequent depressive symptoms. Further enquiry must determine whether these associations reflect drug-induced neurotoxicity and whether adolescence is a period of increased vulnerability to the hazards of synthetic drug exposure.

Method of Linear Programming as an Idea for High School Curriculum

2010 Mathematics Subject Classification: 97D40, 97M10, 97M40, 97N60, 97N80, 97R80

Self-determination theory and student motivation in social studies in an urban Broward County public high school

This study investigated how students perceived their motivation in high school social studies classes in school and to determine if a correlation exists between students’ grade level, race, gender, and their motivation. The sample included 337 high school students in Broward County, Florida. To assess students’ perceptions on their motivation the academic self-regulation questionnaire was utilized. Results indicate that social studies students show high levels of external regulation, with a mean score at 22.31 on a scale of 36 points. The results show a mean score of 24 on a scale of 28 points for identified regulation among social studies students. Findings revealed that student motivation could be gauged. No statistical significance was found between high school students’ grade level, race, gender, and their motivation in social studies classes. The findings of this study have shown that students at Boyd H. Anderson High School want to learn social studies.

Concept maps as a tool to analyze the ideas of teacher training students regarding what to teach on human nutrition in Primary Education

Concept maps are a technique used to obtain a visual representation of a person's ideas about a concept or a set of related concepts. Specifically, in this paper, through a qualitative methodology, we analyze the concept maps proposed by 52 groups of teacher training students in order to find out the characteristics of the maps and the degree of adequacy of the contents with regard to the teaching of human nutrition in the 3rd cycle of primary education. The participants were enrolled in the Teacher Training Degree majoring in Primary Education, and the data collection was carried out through a training activity under the theme of what to teach about Science in Primary School? The results show that the maps are a useful tool for working in teacher education as they allow organizing, synthesizing, and communicating what students know. Moreover, through this work, it has been possible to see that future teachers have acceptable skills for representing the concepts/ideas in a concept map, although the level of adequacy of concepts/ideas about human nutrition and its relations is usually medium or low. These results are a wake-up call for teacher training, both initial and ongoing, because they shows the inability to change priorities as far as the selection of content is concerned.

北京中小学生创造性思维的发展以及十三年前后之比较

This study investigated the major characteristics of creative thinking development for the school children in Beijing with paper/pencil tests. The “Creative Thinking Test” was executed. The representative samples were two groups of students who came from the classes in 3rd-grade to 12th-grade of normal schools in Beijing. The classes were selected at random, one grade one class. One group is composed of 387 students (218 males, 169 females) in 1993, the other is composed of 420 students (181 males, 239 females) in 2006. According to the data analysis, the major characteristics and the changes over the 13 years of the development of creative thinking for student were explored and discussed. 1) The development trends of three types of creative thinking were all flexuous increase with grade moving up. The mean score of elementary school students was the lowest. And scores of junior high school students and senior high school students were significant higher than elementary school students’. 2) The most rapid increase occurred from the 5th grade to 6th grade. 3) Slumps occurred in the 7th grade in PNE curve and also in the 9th and 12th grades in TPC curves. There was no slump in FGA curve. 4) The girl’s scores in PNE and TPC tests were significant better than boys’. No obvious gender difference was found in FGA test. 5) The scores of three creative thinking tests in 2006 were all better than those in 1993. Separately, the scores of FGA and TPC tests in 2006 were significant higher than the corresponding scores in 1993, and no significant difference was found in two PNE tests. 6) There was no significant difference in the maximum scores of the three creative thinking tests between 2006 and 1993. 7) The most rapid developing period of three types of creative thinking in 2006 were the 5th grade and the 6th grade. The same period in 1993 was from the 7th grade to 9th grade. 8) In 1993, there is no significant gender difference for each creative thinking test. In 2006, PNE and TPC results had remarkable gender difference that girls were higher than boys. No significant gender difference was found in FGA tests.

Grade nine teachers' perception of how teachers, parents, peers, administrators, and community members affect the development of the grade nine student /

The purpose of this study was to examine grade nine teachers' perception of how teachers, parents, peers, administrators, and community members influence the overall development of grade nine students. Ten grade nine teachers (four male and six female) participated in the study which consisted of the completion of a one hour, tape-recorded interview. The central findings were as follows: 1) the grade nine student has evolved; 2) peers have an important impact on the four developmental areas (physical, emotional, social, and academic) of the grade nine student; and 3) the role of the grade nine teacher appears to have dramatically changed over the last seventeen years. Suggestions and recommendations for future research in this field are based on findings related to the enhancement of the secondary school experience for the grade nine adolescent.

As operações mentais e a aprendizagem da física teórica

O ensino dos Princípios de Física nas escolas de Ensino de Primeiro Grau oficial tem se mostrado ineficaz no que diz respeito ao preparo do aluno para compreender a Física do 2º grau, dificultando a integração do indivíduo na sociedade tecnológica contemporânea, quer no acesso a um mercado de trabalho de mão-de-obra especializada, como técnico, quer como candidato ao ensino de 3º grau. Os princípios da Ciência Contemporânea podem e devem ser mobilizados para a solução de problemas. A compreensão da Física contemporânea no nível de abstração em que se encontra, requer do indivíduo um pensamento favorito por estruturas que possibilitem operações abstratas. A Epistemologia Genética de Jean Piaget mostra que a explicação do mundo físico pelo indivíduo data dos primeiros contatos com a realidade. A estratutação dessa realidade vai-se tornando cada vez mais complexa de acordo com as possibilidades de raciocínio que o indivíduo possua para interpretá-la. O raciocínio é o resultado das operações realizadas pelo indivíduo, possibilitadas por estraturas mentais subjacentes. Essas estruturas se desenvolvem à medida que o indivíduo interage com o meio, permitindo de início uma interação sensório-motora, que, aos poucos, vai se operacionalizando até dominar o pensamento concreto, podendo então passar a realizar operações sobre operações que são chamadas de operações formais ou abstratas. Estas acontecem a partir da adolescência. Os princípios da Física lecionados nas escolas de Ensino de Primeiro Grau requerem para a sua compreensão, além do domínio do pensamento concreto, o pensamento formal. Realizou-se uma pesquisa com alunos de 7ª e 8ª séries do Ensino de Primeiro Grau e alunos da 2ª série do curso de formação de professores; verificou-se que esses sujeitos não haviam dominado as operações concretas nem tinham ainda atingido o início do pensamento formal. Consequentemente, a aprendizagem dos principios de Física que lhes são ministrados acha-se seriamente comprometido, fazendo-se necessária uma mudança de atitude do professor frente aos alunos, a fim de desenvolver o seu raciocfnio propiciando uma aprendizagem efetiva.

Cognitive abilities, sociocultural background and academic achievement

The infl uence of students’ sociocultural background on academic achievement is a well established fact. Research also points out that sociocultural background is related to students’ cognitive abilities and these have an effect on their academic achievement. However, the mediator role of cognitive abilities on the relationship between sociocultural background and academic achievement is less well known. A structural equation model that represents these relationships was tested in a sample (N= 728) of Portuguese junior high school students. Multigroup analysis of the model showed the importance of the cognitive ability mediation effect between sociocultural background and academic achievement in the 7th and 9th grades, but not in the 8th grade. This difference may be the result of the academic transition experienced in the 7th and 9th grades in the Portuguese educational system, which requires parents’ higher involvement in school.

O papel da atividade lúdica como motivadora da aprendizagem da língua inglesa: análise de um livro didático

This work aims at analyzing the activities presented in the book On Stage for junior high school students, which was selected by IFRN, as well as checking out the students interest for play activities. We have come from the point that playing activities can contribute to the increasing of motivation for the teaching of English (BROUGERE, 1999; WRIGHT, BETTERIDGE, BUCKBY, 2006; LANGRAN e PURCELL, 1994). At first place, our research is a document analysis and in second place, it is an action research. We have proposed two questionnaires for the participants of this work, all of them are High school students at IFRN-Campus Zona Norte, in order to check out their interests and the degree of motivation for the English learning before and after the carrying out of play activities. The obtained data also showed that the students became more motivated and interested in the classes after working with play activities, and most of the students agreed with the inclusion of these activities in the selected course book. The result of our work proved the benefits of play activities according to researches available in the literature about this subject. From the results acquired in the present work, we suggest that play activities should be included in English course books, even when they are addressed to High School teaching in order to help increasing the motivation for the learning of a foreign language