Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
Science--Study and teaching (Secondary)--Iowa; Science teachers--Iowa; Science--Study and teaching (Secondary); Science teachers; Iowa;
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which Science-Technology Society (STS) education has been implemented into the science curriculum and if teachers perceptions and personal assessment of STS education in Iowa senior high schools vary with the teacher's STS background or educational degree. Consisting of 190 senior high school science teachers (grades 9-12) in forty-nine schools distributed throughout the state of Iowa, the sample was obtained by a systematic, stratified sampling of school districts by enrollment size and Area Education Agency districts. Teachers were asked to complete questionnaires designed to collect data concerning: STS background, level of education, the method(s) used to incorporate STS education, and personal assessment of STS. An instruction sheet attached to each questionnaire allowed teachers to supply information concerning their teaching duties and textbooks used. Frequency tables were used to determine the most frequently used methods of incorporating STS education into the curriculum. Results indicate infusion activities and/or topic organizers were used most often, followed by modules, and then dilemma situations and case studies. The majority of the teachers reported using at least two different methods to incorporate STS into the science curriculum. The degree of incorporation varied over a wide range between school districts and within schools. The Kruskal-Wallis Test was used to test all hypotheses. Results indicated a positive relationship between a teacher's STS background, the degree of incorporation of STS education into the science curriculum, a teacher's personal assessment of STS education, and their willingness to participate in future STS workshops. As participation by teachers in university-related STS workshops increased, so did the degree of incorporation of STS education into the science curriculum, the teacher's personal assessment of STS education, and the willingness of teachers to participate in future STS workshops. Results also indicated that teachers with a master's degree did not incorporate STS education to a significant! y greater degree than teachers with a bachelors degree, nor did they have significantly higher personal assessments of STS education. Teachers with master's degrees were less likely to participate in future workshops.
Year of Submission
1993
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Department of Biology
First Advisor
David McCalley
Second Advisor
Robert T. Ward
Third Advisor
Daryl D. Smith
Date Original
1993
Object Description
1 PDF file (89 leaves)
Copyright
©1993 David L. Johnson
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Johnson, David L., "A Study of Science Teacher Perceptions and the Implementation of Science-Technology-Society Education in Iowa Senior High Schools" (1993). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 2141.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/2141
Comments
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