Dissertation
Students’ self-perceptions of their ability to perform the NGSS science practices and relationships with students’ science-specific domain epistemic beliefs
University of Iowa
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
Autumn 2022
DOI: 10.25820/etd.006659
Abstract
In the development of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) there was a purposeful effort to not only include but prioritize science and engineering practices as part of the standards. Including the science and engineering practices in science curriculum and instruction is thought to help students understand how scientific knowledge develops and embed this knowledge in their worldview (3 Dimension 1: Scientific and Engineering Practices, 2012). Epistemic cognition, the concept of how one views knowledge and what beliefs they hold about knowledge, has been found to have significant influences on learning and academic success (Cano, 2005; Greene et al., 2018; Schommer, 1990).
This study utilized a self-report survey and presents the results of mixed-methods both quantitative and qualitative analysis to identify and bring saliency to correlational relationships between recent U.S. high school graduates’ self-perceptions in their ability to perform the eight NGSS science practices and two dimensions of epistemic cognition (source and structure of knowledge) and between the dimensions across domain specificity. Undergraduate college students were recruited to complete a scenario-based survey intended to elicit both general and science-specific domain epistemic beliefs as well as rank their self-perception in their ability to perform the eight NGSS science and engineering practices (SEP).
Findings from this study indicate that these students’ self-perceptions in performing the SEP were correlated to a number of source and structure beliefs both in science-specific knowledge and knowledge generally or as an unspecified concept. Participants use multiple sources and justificatory standards when encountering science knowledge contexts. Engaging in the SEP may help students to develop sophisticated conceptualizations of science knowledge and components of both science-specific and general epistemic cognition.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Students’ self-perceptions of their ability to perform the NGSS science practices and relationships with students’ science-specific domain epistemic beliefs
- Creators
- Jeni Ruth Ann Sizemore Morrow
- Contributors
- Kathy Schuh (Advisor)Brian Hand (Committee Member)Matthew Lira (Committee Member)Ted Neal (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Psychological and Quantitative Foundations
- Date degree season
- Autumn 2022
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- DOI
- 10.25820/etd.006659
- Number of pages
- x, 146 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2022 Jeni Ruth Ann Sizemore Morrow
- Language
- English
- Description illustrations
- illustrations, tables
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 119-123).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
In 2015, the state of Iowa adopted the Performance Expectations (PE), which includes both Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) as well as Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) from the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), making them part of the Iowa CORE science standards. Now, six years later (with a pandemic in the middle), a full generation of high school students have graduated having had a science education centered around the NGSS standards. This study sought to identify relationships between students’ self-perception in their ability to perform the NGSS science practices after having graduated high school with an education based on NGSS standards and students’ beliefs about the sources and structure (degree of complexity) of science knowledge, and knowledge generally. Findings from this study suggest that students' self-perception in their ability to perform the SEP is related to more sophisticated science-specific and general epistemic beliefs.
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Quantitative Foundations
- Record Identifier
- 9984362858802771
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