Diverse Educational Innovations Studies

The Use of Cronbach’s Alpha When Developing and Reporting Research Instruments in Science Education

Cronbach’s alpha is a statistic commonly quoted by authors to demonstrate that tests and scales that have been constructed or adopted for research projects are fit for purpose. Cronbach’s alpha is regularly adopted in studies in science education: it was referred to in 69 different papers published in 4 leading science education journals in a single year (2015)—usually as a measure of reliability. This article explores how this statistic is used in reporting science education research and what it represents. Authors often cite alpha values with little commentary to explain why they feel this statistic is relevant and seldom interpret the result for readers beyond citing an arbitrary threshold for an acceptable value. Those authors who do offer readers qualitative descriptors interpreting alpha values adopt a diverse and seemingly arbitrary terminology. More seriously, illustrative examples from the science education literature demonstrate that alpha may be acceptable even when there are recognised problems with the scales concerned. Alpha is also sometimes inappropriately used to claim an instrument is unidimensional. It is argued that a high value of alpha offers limited evidence of the reliability of a research instrument, and that indeed a very high value may actually be undesirable when developing a test of scientific knowledge or understanding. Guidance is offered to authors reporting, and readers evaluating, studies that present Cronbach’s alpha statistic as evidence of instrument quality.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Organized groups of teachers of mathematics or of individuals preparing to become teachers of mathematics may petition the NCTM Board of Directors to become affiliated with the Council. Affiliated Groups are entitled to send a delegate to the delegate Assembly, which is held each year in conjunction with the NCTM Annual Meeting. The Assembly is a highly respected and influential recommending body of the Council that discusses and votes on resolutions concerning matters pertinent to mathematics education.

National Science Education Standards

Effects of Field Studies on Learning Outcome in Biology

The major purpose of this study was to determine the effects of field experiences on students’ knowledge of process of science and biology achievement. The design of the study was experimental, 2 x 2, pre-test, post-test control group design. The sample of the study consisted of 100 biology students in two intact classes. Four research questions were raised and collapsed to four hypotheses. The first three hypotheses were tested with t-test statistic at 0.05 level of significance. The fourth hypothesis was tested with Pearson Product Moment Correlation Statistic. The major findings of this study included: a significance difference in process of science scores between pre-test and posttest of field trip students; a significant difference in process of science test scores between students exposed to field trip experiences and those who were not exposed; a significant difference in biology achievement test scores between students exposed to field trip experiences and those who were not; and a strong correlation between process of science score and biology achievement score. It was concluded that field trip experiences enhanced students’ understanding of process of science, improved students’ attitude towards biology and significantly influenced their biology achievement.

Bridging culture and science: Culturo-Techno-Contextual Approach in culturally relevant biology pedagogy

As science educators seek innovative methods to engage students, the Culturo-Techno-Contextual Approach (CTCA) has emerged as a promising strategy, particularly for African students. CTCA is a culturally responsive teaching method that integrates culture, technology, and locational context, making science more relatable and meaningful. We assessed CTCA’s effectiveness in enhancing critical thinking in biology among 121 senior secondary students in Lagos State. An explanatory sequential design was used, with the experimental group taught using CTCA and the control group receiving traditional instruction. Data were collected using the Critical Thinking Test in Nutrition (a = 0.80) and interviews. Results showed a significant improvement in critical thinking for the CTCA group (F(1, 198) = 11.43; p < 0.05), with no significant gender differences (F(1,49) = .49; p > .05). Students responded positively to intervention, leading to the conclusion that CTCA effectively enhances critical thinking in biology; hence, adoption of CTCA in biology instruction is recommended.

Junior High School Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Inquiry-Based Science Teaching: Enabling or Disabling Dispositions?

This study sought to examine whether junior high school teachers’ attitudes are enabling or disabling dispositions toward inquiry-based science teaching. We used concurrent triangulation mixed methods design involving surveys and multiple case studies to collect quantitative and qualitative data. We sampled 308 integrated science teachers and a subsample of 18 teachers from junior high schools in urban and rural areas. Validity and reliability of the questionnaire were satisfactory for research. Credibility and dependability of the semi-structured interview schedule were also sufficient. Findings suggest that most junior high school teachers in the study context hold weak unfavourable attitudes that are disabling dispositions toward inquiry-based science teaching. Findings also suggest that the combination of societal subjective norms, perceived context dependency, and weak unfavourable attitudes of most junior high school teachers adversely influence their intentions and behaviours toward inquiry-based science teaching. Findings further suggest that most teachers in the study context developed weak unfavourable attitudes partly because they never had inquiry-based science teaching and learning experiences when they were students. Again, the teachers developed weak general attitudes toward science teaching partly because most science teaching and learning experiences they had were in specific subjects such as biology, chemistry, and physics instead of general (integrated) science. We recommend frequent attitude-focused inquiry-based science in-service trainings for junior high school teachers. We also recommend reforms in education that engages preservice teachers in attitude-focused inquiry-based science teaching and learning experiences.

Exploring the factors influencing undergraduate students’ decision to pursue physics at the University of Education, Winneba

Background Over the years, the number of prospective students intending to study physics at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) has gradually declined. This has drastically affected the number of trained physics teachers in the country. As a matter of urgency, there is therefore the need to look at the factors that influence the choice of physics at the undergraduate level in UEW in order to encourage more students to enrol in the course.Purpose This study sought to find out the factors motivating the students at UEW, to major in physics, despite the general belief that the course is very difficult.Sample The participants of this study were physics students at the Department of Physics Education, UEW, Ghana. Purposive sampling was used to select 101 respondents.Design and Methods Questionnaire was used in gathering data. Interview and focused group discussion were used to validate the responses of the participants to the questionnaire. The questionnaire was analyzed using R version 4.22. Additionally, Relative Importance Index (RII) was used to rank the Likert form items.Results The findings indicated that students ranked interest (RII = 0.92) as their major motivating factor to read physics in the Department. Students also claimed that their parents had little influence on their decision to study physics. Whiles professional teachers used it as a conduit to secure study leave with pay from GES. Students who had difficulty in the subject also attributed it to their long delay at home after completing senior high school before gaining admission to the University.Conclusions The study recommends that there should be a concerted effort to arouse the interest of physics learners at the lower levels of education in Ghana by the Department of Physics Education, Winneba and other stakeholders in order to increase the enrolment of students in physics.