Date of Award

1976

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Education (MSEd)

Department

Teaching & Learning

Committee Director

Anne Raymond

Committee Member

William Brown

Call Number for Print

Special Collections; LD4331.E32C43

Abstract

The Elementary Science Study (ESS) is a ''hands on" inquiry oriented, science program with the major objective of putting; physical materials into the hands of children and allowing; them to investigate the nature of the physical world. An ESS unit Bulbs and Batteries was tested to find if this and other ESS units of similar structure do in fact develop science process skills. Science process skills may be broken down into the following representative areas: observing, classifying, using time-space relationship, using numbers, measuring, communication, inferring and predicting.

The study was conducted in a middle school approximately 1,000 sixth and seventh graders. Two teachers were utilized. Each teacher taught two ESS classes and two control classes which used a conventional textbook. Two group of fifty students were randomly selected from these classes. Students in the ESS and textbook groups received pretests and posttests which measured competency in eight science process skills area. The instrument was developed from modules of the SAPA program. After the pretest and been completed six weeks of instruction followed. The textbook and ESS units were on electricity. All students in both groups were again tested. The ESS group scored significantly higher than the textbook group on gain derived from the pre-post for process skills.

While the creators of the ESS units never stated that these ''hands on” units should or could develop science process skills it has been found that, for at least one unit, science '1rocess s ills are alive and well.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

DOI

10.25777/gnkp-t796

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