Graduate Research Papers

Availability

Open Access Graduate Research Paper

Keywords

Analogy in science education; Paleontology--Study and teaching (Middle school); Gifted children--Education (Middle school); Science--Study and teaching (Middle school); Fossils;

Abstract

Twenty-eight identified gifted elementary to middle school students (n=28) (16 female, 12 male; 26 Caucasian, 1 Hispanic, and 1 Native American), participated in the study of Iowa fossils through form and function analogy compared to self-research of information on the Internet, and practiced new concepts through technology-rich or hands-on craft projects. This study compared using analogical thinking skills along with technology skills to determine the effects on science learning in the elementary gifted classroom. Analogical thinking or teaching is a method recognized as a valuable source of new ideas, a way to transfer previous knowledge to solve new problems. Content learning, creativity, and enjoyment of learning were key assessment points in this study that compared analogical and non-analogical instruction. This study found instruction highlighting analogy enhanced creativity in products. This study also found students preferred creating hands-on projects more than creating computer technology projects. They felt restricted in their creativity by the technology. The highest rate of recall of scientific knowledge in regards to an organism's body parts was produced through model-making of the organism studied.

Year of Submission

2012

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Education

Department

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

First Advisor

Audrey C. Rule

Comments

If you are the rightful copyright holder of this graduate research paper and wish have it removed from the Open Access Collection, please submit a request to scholarworks@uni.edu and include clear identification of the of the work, preferably with URL.

Date Original

2012

Object Description

1 PDF file (45 pages)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

Click below to download additional content.

Klopp,Tabatha.pdf (770 kB)

Comments?

Share

COinS