A Comparison between Public School Teachers and Remedial Class Teachers’ Attitude toward Physics Learning

Many students in east-Asian countries study physics in not only public schools but also remedial classes. We survey 42 school teachers and 41 remedial class teachers with the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS). In this paper, we discuss the CLASS results from the two types of physics teachers. We also demonstrate the possible factors that attribute to the school teachers and remedial class teachers’ significant different attitudes toward problem-solving confidence.

Turkish Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Colorado Learning Attitudes About Science Survey (CLASS) in Physics

The Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) is an instrument to measure student beliefs about physics and learning physics. In this research, Turkish adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the CLASS is discussed. In the first stage, the translation process, which included examination of six experts (four experts in physics education and two experts in English and Turkish languages) for content validity and 13 student interviews for face validity, was described. In the second stage, exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory (CFA) factor analysis results obtained from 1391 freshman students were discussed for construct validty. The EFA yielded three factors that consisted of 20 items, which explained 39.61 % of the total variance. These factors were named as: Problem Solving Effort, Conceptual Understanding, and Personal Interest and Real-World Connection. Based on the CFA results, the three-factor 20-item instrument showed acceptable fit statistics. Compared to the original CLASS, the proposed version with 20-item model was shorter, easier to administer and easier to score, valid and reliable survey, so feasible to use. The overlapping of the constructs (i.e., violation of the unidimensionality) in the original CLASS was a problem, while in the proposed model none of the items were included in more than one construct.

Incorporating Physics Principles in General Biology to Promote Integrative Learning and Thinking

Students often struggle to identify correlations among various concepts in STEM courses, such as energy, mechanics, and cellular communication. Integrative learning incorporates numerous concepts and subjects to aid understanding and enhance critical thinking. This research describes an integrative learning approach in a General Biology I course where key physics-based concepts that are connected to biological topics were emphasized. In addition, students’ knowledge and their beliefs towards biology in all General Biology I classes were assessed using American Association of Colleges and Universities’ Integrative Learning VALUE Rubric and the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS). It was found that correlations existed between students’ attitudes towards biology and their overall content knowledge. The results of this study support that integrative learning is a powerful approach to aid in the understanding of physical and biological concepts, leading to improved student success.

Incorporating Physics Principles in General Biology to Promote Integrative Learning and Thinking

Students often struggle to identify correlations among various concepts in STEM courses, such as energy, mechanics, and cellular communication. Integrative learning incorporates numerous concepts and subjects to aid understanding and enhance critical thinking. This research describes an integrative learning approach in a General Biology I course where key physics-based concepts that are connected to biological topics were emphasized. In addition, students’ knowledge and their beliefs towards biology in all General Biology I classes were assessed using American Association of Colleges and Universities’ Integrative Learning VALUE Rubric and the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS). It was found that correlations existed between students’ attitudes towards biology and their overall content knowledge. The results of this study support that integrative learning is a powerful approach to aid in the understanding of physical and biological concepts, leading to improved student success.

The I SEA Project: Digital Publications

The I SEA project aimed at the development of a non-obtrusive, valid and replicable method to evaluate audience attitudes about science communication projects through an immersive virtual reality environment that can improve exhibitions while educating and empowering citizens. To achieve the objectives of this highly complex, highly interdisciplinary, and innovative project, a permanent articulation of the scientific approach with the technical and design development took place, aiming the construction of the non- invasive evaluation method. Because it is an intricate project, it required constant iterations and interactions among the team members. So, we’ve learned somehow to consider limitations as engines for developing the project, instead of seeing them as obstacles.