Conceptual change and science achievement related to a lesson sequence on acids and bases among african american alternative high school students': ateacher's practical arguments and the voice of the "other"

<p>The study of teaching and learning during the period of translating ideals of reform into classroom practice enables us to understand student-teacher-researcher symbiotic learning. In line with this assumption, the purpose of this study is threefold:(1) observe effects of the Common Knowledge Construction Model (CKCM), a conceptual change inquiry model of teaching and learning, on African American students' conceptual change and achievement; (2) observe the shift in teacher's practical arguments; and (3) narrate the voice of "the Other" about teacher professional learning.</p> <p>This study uses retrospective data from a mixed-method approach consisting of Phenomenography, practical arguments and story-telling. Data sources include audio-recordings of a chemistry teacher's individual interviews of her students' prior- and post-intervention conceptions of acids and bases; results of Acid-Base Achievement Test (ABA-T); video-recordings of a chemistry teacher's enactment of CKCM acid-base lesson sequence; audio-recordings of teacher-researcher reflective discourse using classroom video-clips; teacher interviews; and teacher and researcher personal reflective journals. </p> <p> Students' conceptual changes reflect change in the number of categories of description; shift in language use from everyday talk to chemical talk; and development of a hierarchy of chemical knowledge. ABA-T results indicated 17 students in the experimental group achieved significantly higher scores than 22 students in the control group taught by traditional teaching methods. The teacher-researcher reflective discourse about enactment of the CKCM acid-base lesson sequence reveals three major shifts in teacher practical arguments: teacher inadequate preparedness to adequate preparedness; lack of confidence to gain in confidence; and surface learning to deep learning. The developing story uncovers several aspects about teaching and learning of African American students: teacher caring for the uncared; cultivating student and teacher confidence; converting dependence on teacher and self to peer interdependence.</p> <p>The study outlines six implications: caring conceptual change inquiry model for the often unreached mind; developing simple chemical talk into coherent chemical explanation; using CKCM for alternative high school students' conceptual change and achievement; engaging teachers in elicitation and appraisal of practical arguments for reconstruction of beliefs; overcoming challenges in teacher practical argument research; and "storytelling" as a way of unpacking teacher transformation amidst complexities of classroom teaching and learning.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Science Education

Year dc:date.available

2012

Author dc:creator

• Wood, Lynda Charese

Contributors dc:contributor

• Jazlin Ebenezer

• achievement, acids and bases, african american, conceptual change, practical arguments, professional learning
• Science and Mathematics Education
• Teacher Education and Professional Development

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations/487

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.wayne.edu:oa_dissertations-1486