Top

Journal of Science Education and Technology

Published in:

01-02-2013

The Impact of a Geospatial Technology-Supported Energy Curriculum on Middle School Students’ Science Achievement

Authors: Violet Kulo, Alec Bodzin

Published in: Journal of Science Education and Technology | Issue 1/2013

Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.

search-config

AI-assisted search

Off

Abstract

Geospatial technologies are increasingly being integrated in science classrooms to foster learning. This study examined whether a Web-enhanced science inquiry curriculum supported by geospatial technologies promoted urban middle school students’ understanding of energy concepts. The participants included one science teacher and 108 eighth-grade students classified in three ability level tracks. Data were gathered through pre/posttest content knowledge assessments, daily classroom observations, and daily reflective meetings with the teacher. Findings indicated a significant increase in the energy content knowledge for all the students. Effect sizes were large for all three ability level tracks, with the middle and low track classes having larger effect sizes than the upper track class. Learners in all three tracks were highly engaged with the curriculum. Curriculum effectiveness and practical issues involved with using geospatial technologies to support science learning are discussed.

previous article Developing School-Scientist Partnerships: Lessons for Scientists from Forests-of-Life

next article Measuring Model-Based High School Science Instruction: Development and Application of a Student Survey

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 102.000 Bücher
über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 67.000 Bücher
über 390 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

American Association for the Advancement of Science (1993) Benchmarks for science literacy: project 2061. Oxford University Press, New York

American Association for the Advancement of Science (2007) Atlas of science literacy, vol 2. AAAS Project 2061, Washington

Arcury TA, Johnson TP (1987) Public environmental knowledge: a statewide survey. J Environ Educ 18(4):31–37CrossRef

Audet RH, Ludwig G (2000) GIS in schools. ESRI Press, Redlands

Baker TR, White SH (2003) The effects of GIS on students’ attitudes, self-efficacy, and achievement in middle school science classrooms. J Geogr 102:243–254CrossRef

Barrow LH, Morrisey JT (1987) Ninth-grade students’ attitudes toward energy: a comparison between Maine and New Brunswick. J Environ Educ 18(3):15–21CrossRef

Barrow LH, Morrisey JT (1989) Energy literacy of ninth-grade students: a comparison between Maine and New Brunswick. J Environ Educ 20(2):22–25CrossRef

Bednarz SW, Audet RH (1999) The status of GIS technology in teacher preparation programs. J Geogr 98:60–67CrossRef

Bednarz SW, Acheson G, Bednarz RS (2006) Maps and map learning in social studies. Soc Educ 70:398–404

Bell P, Hoadley CM, Linn MC (2004) Design-based research in education. In: Linn MC, Davis EA, Bell P (eds) Internet environments for science education. Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah, pp 73–85

Black JB, McClintock RO (1996) An interpretation construction approach to constructivist design. In: Wilson BG (ed) Constructivist learning environments: case studies in instructional design. Educational Technology Publications, Englewood Cliffs, pp 25–31

Blum A (1981) A survey of environmental issues treated in science education curricula, before and after 1974. J Res Sci Teach 18(3):221–228CrossRef

Blum A (1987) Student’s knowledge and beliefs concerning environmental issues in four countries. J Environ Educ 18(3):7–13CrossRef

Bodzin A (2011) The implementation of a geospatial information technology (GIT)-supported land use change curriculum with urban middle school learners to promote spatial thinking. J Res Sci Teach 48:281–300CrossRef

Bodzin A (in press) Investigating urban eighth grade students’ knowledge of energy resources. Int J Sci Educ

Bodzin A, Anastasio D (2006) Using web-based GIS for earth and environmental systems education. J Geosci Educ 54(3):295–300

Bodzin A, Cirucci L (2009) Integrating geospatial technologies to examine urban land use change: a design partnership. J Geogr 108:186–197

Bodzin A, Anastasio D, Kulo V (in press) Designing google earth activities for learning earth and environmental science. In: MaKinster J, Trautmann N, Barnett M (eds) Teaching science and investigating environmental issues with geospatial technology: designing effective professional development for teachers. Springer, Berlin

Boyes E, Stanisstreet M (1990) Pupils’ ideas concerning energy sources. Int J Sci Educ 12:513–529CrossRef

Bransford JD, Brown A, Cocking R (eds) (2000) How people learn: brain, mind, experience, and school. National Academy Press, Washington

Broda HW, Baxter RE (2002) Using GIS and GPS technology as an instructional tool. Clgh 76:49–52

Bybee RW, Taylor JA, Gardner A, van Scotter P, Powell JC, Westbrook A, Landes N (2006). The BSCS 5E instructional model: Origins, effectiveness, and applications. Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, Colorado Springs. Retrieved 19 Feb 2009, from http://www.bscs.org/pdf/bscs5efullreport2006.pdf

Cobb P, Confrey J, diSessa A, Lehrer R, Schauble L (2003) Design experiments in educational research. Educ Res 32(1):9–13

Cohen J (1988) Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Lawrence Erlbaum, Hillsdale

Collins AC, Stevens AL (1983) A cognitive theory of inquiry teaching. In: Reigeluth CM (ed) Instructional-design theories and models: an overview of their current status. Lawrence Erlbaum, Hillsdale, pp 247–278

Davidson A (1999) Negotiating social differences: youth’s assessments of educators’ strategies. Urban Educ 34:338–369CrossRef

Davis EA, Krajcik JS (2005) Designing educative curriculum materials to promote teacher learning. Educ Res 34(3):3–14

DeMers MN (2005) Fundamentals of geographic information systems, 3rd edn. Wiley, Hoboken

DeWaters J, Powers S (2008) Energy literacy among middle and high school youth. In: Paper presented at the 38th ASEE/IEEE frontiers in education conference, Sarasota

Eisenkraft A (2003) Expanding the 5E model. Sci Teach 70(6):56–59

Environmental Systems Research Institute (1993) Understanding GIS: the ARC/INFO method. Wiley, New York

Farhar BC (1996) Energy and the environment: the public view. In: Renewable energy policy project REPP issue brief. University of Maryland, College Park, pp. 20

Gagné RM (1985) The conditions of learning and theory of instruction, 4th edn. Holt, Rinehart, & Winston, New York

Gambro JS, Switzky HN (1996) A national survey of high school students’ environmental knowledge. J Environ Educ 27(3):28–33CrossRef

Gambro JS, Switzky HN (1999) Variables associated with American high school students’ knowledge of environmental issues related to energy and pollution. J Environ Educ 30(2):15–22CrossRef

Gersmehl PJ, Gersmehl CA (2006) Wanted: a concise list of neurologically defensible and assessable spatial thinking skills. Res Geogr Educ 8:5–38

Hagevik RA (2003) The effects of online science instruction using geographic information systems to foster inquiry learning of teachers and middle school science students. Doctoral dissertation. North Carolina State University, Raleigh (Unpublished)

Henson RK, Smith AD (2000) State of the art in statistical significance and effect size reporting: a review of the APA task force report and current trends. J Res Dev Educ 33:285–296

Holden CC, Barrow LH (1984) Validation of the test of energy concepts and values for high school. J Res Sci Teach 21:187–196CrossRef

Jonassen DH (1997) Instructional design model for well-structured and ill-structured problem-solving learning outcomes. Educ Technol Res Dev 45(1):65–94CrossRef

Jonassen DH (1999) Designing constructivist learning environments. In: Reigeluth CM (ed) Instructional-design theories and models: vol. 2. A new paradigm of instructional theory. Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah, pp 215–239

Kerski JJ (2008) Geographic information systems in education. In: Wilson JP, Fotheringham AS (eds) The handbook of geographic information science. Blackwell, Malden, pp 540–556

Kulo V (2011) Design, development, and formative evaluation of a geographic information system-supported science Web-based inquiry module. Doctoral dissertation. Lehigh University, Bethlehem (Unpublished)

Kulo V, Bodzin A (2011) Integrating geospatial technologies in an energy unit. J Geogr 110:239–251

National Assessment of Educational Progress (1975) Selected results from the national assessments of science: energy questions. National Center for Education Statistics, Washington

National Environmental Education & Training Foundation and Roper ASW (2002) Americans’ Low “Energy IQ:” a risk to our energy future/why America needs a refresher course on energy. National Environmental Education & Training Foundation, Washington

National Research Council (1996) National science education standards. National Academy Press, Washington

National Research Council (2000) Inquiry and the national science education standards: a guide for teaching and learning. National Academy Press, Washington

National Research Council (2003) Engaging schools: fostering high school students’ motivation to learn. National Academies Press, Washington

Phillips M (1997) Makes schools effective? A comparison of the relationships of communitarian climate and academic climate to mathematics achievement and attendance during middle school. Am Educ Res J 34(4):633–662

Ramirez M, Althouse P (1995) Fresh thinking: GIS in environmental education. The Journal 23:87–90

Reigeluth CM, Frick TW (1999) Formative research: a methodology for creating and improving design theories. In: Reigeluth CM (ed) Instructional design theories and models: vol. II. A new paradigm of instructional theory. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, pp 633–651

Richey RC, Klein JD, Nelson WA (2004) Developmental research: studies of instructional design and development. In: Jonassen DH (ed) Handbook of research on educational communications and technology, 2nd edn. Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah, pp 1099–1130

Richmond JM, Morgan RF (1977) A national survey of the environmental knowledge and attitudes of fifth year pupils in England. ERIC/SMEAC Information Reference Center, Columbus

Rule A (2005) Elementary students’ ideas concerning fossil fuel energy. J Geosci Educ 53(3):309–318

Sanders RL, Kajs LT, Crawford CM (2002) Electronic mapping in education: the use of geographic information systems. J Res Technol Educ 34:121–129

Schultz RB, Kerski JJ, Patterson TC (2008) The use of virtual globes as a spatial teaching tool with suggestions for metadata standards. J Geogr 107:27–34CrossRef

Stahley T (2006) Earth from above. Sci Teach 73(7):44–48

Stevens JP (2002) Applied multivariate statistics for the social sciences, 4th edn. Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah

Strickland BB, Turnbull AP (1990) Developing and implementing individualized education programs, 3rd edn. Merrill, Columbus

Stubbs M (1985) Energy education in the curriculum. Educ Stud 11(2):133–150CrossRef

Wiggins GP, McTighe J (2005) Understanding by design, expanded 2nd edn. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria

Title: The Impact of a Geospatial Technology-Supported Energy Curriculum on Middle School Students’ Science Achievement
Authors: Violet Kulo
Alec Bodzin
Publication date: 01-02-2013
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Published in: Journal of Science Education and Technology / Issue 1/2013
Print ISSN: 1059-0145
Electronic ISSN: 1573-1839
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-012-9373-0

Springer Professional

Abstract

Please log in to get access to your license.

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Springer Professional "Technik"

Other articles of this Issue 1/2013

Measuring Model-Based High School Science Instruction: Development and Application of a Student Survey

Designing a Web-Based Science Learning Environment for Model-Based Collaborative Inquiry

A Case Study of the Alignment between Curriculum and Assessment in the New York State Earth Science Standards-Based System

Developing School-Scientist Partnerships: Lessons for Scientists from Forests-of-Life

What Do We Mean by Cyberlearning: Characterizing a Socially Constructed Definition with Experts and Practitioners

Science Teacher Efficacy and Extrinsic Factors Toward Professional Development Using Video Games in a Design-Based Research Model: The Next Generation of STEM Learning

Premium Partners