ghs evaluating a student science project program at gladstone high school

GHSGHS

Evaluating a Student Science Project

Program at Gladstone High

School

GHSGHSDale Ingram

Gladstone High School18800 Portland Avenue

Gladstone, OR 97027503-655-2544 ext 488

ingramd@gladstone.k12.or.us

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In association with the LIGO Hanford Observatory

PO Box 159Richland, WA 99352509-372-8106outreach@ligo-wa.caltech.edu

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The relationship between GHS and LHO began in 1999.

Gladstone received a two-year appointment with LIGO through the Scientist-Student Teacher program

of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland.

With LIGO’s help, Gladstone developeda program that involves studentsin projects related toLIGO science.

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LIGO and Gladstone decided to continue their association

when the SST program expired in 2001. LIGO offers Gladstone project ideas,

ongoing mentoring and technical expertise

and a highly relevant context for involving students in independent work.

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In which courses do students build independent projects?

Physics (long term, part time)

Science Independent Study (long term, full time)

Introduction to Technology (short term, full time)

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What are the types of student projects?

Data analysis using LHO and Internet dataProgramming for specific data analysis

tasksInstrument building and data collection

Data acquisition systems, A-to-D electronics

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GHSGHSOur goals for students:

Understand science methods through authentic independent work

Apply science content to the solution of science & engineering problems

Improve skills in problem-solving, collaboration, technical writing, speaking and work management

Appreciate the role of science in society

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In the fall of 2003 Gladstone decided to examine the

program’s impact on students in an attempt to improve the

quality of our coursework. We will share the survey results

with LIGO.

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Our method: Administer a five-question survey to as

many present and past participants as possible.

Surveys for graduates were transmitted through email.

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Our survey makes five statements that represent

idealized positive responses from students in relation to

the goals. Students are asked to rank their personal

agreement with each statement on a 1 – 10 scale.Questions 3 – 5 were

modified for the Intro to Tech surveys but the intent of the questions remained the same.

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I) Personal Interest

“My individual project was interesting. I enjoyed

working on the project and I felt motivated to put in a lot of time and to

do a good job.” 

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1) I didn't find the project to be very interesting. I think my time would have been better

spent doing regular schoolwork.

5) I enjoyed the project. It was boring and frustrating at times but overall it was a nice change from

traditional work.

10) I really enjoyed the project. It gave me a chance to think and learn for myself. I enjoyed managing the work myself. I looked forward to spending time on

the project.

Response Guide

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II) Useful Skills

“ I learned or improved one or more useful skills in my project.

The project was valuable because I gained some practical benefit from it.” 

GHSGHS1) I don't recall any practical value

from my project or any particular skill that I gained or improved. I probably would

have benefited just as much from regular coursework instead.

5) I remember that I learned some skills while doing the project that were meaningful at the time but these have not been of significant lasting value. The project was helpful because it

let me learn more about working independently, but the other benefits were not that significant.

10) Some of the skills I learned and practiced on my project have become very important to me. The project environment

helped me develop skills/knowledge more deeply thanwould have happened in a regular class environment.

Response Guide

GHSGHSIII) Understanding of Science

 "I think the project gave me good insight into what science is

really like. I came away from the experience with an understanding of what constitutes

'good' science -- initiative, creativity, perseverance, collaboration, problem-solving,

clear communication and attention to detail." 

GHSGHS1) I don't recall that the project

changed my perspective of scienceor my ideas on how science is done.

5) I realized from the project that 'real' science is not like the ideas you get from science textbooks. I realized that

it’s hard to prove what's 'right' in science.

10) I learned a lot about how science is done because I had the chance to do science myself. There wasn't a book or a teacher there who knew the answer and expected me to learn it -- I had to develop my own knowledge through the

process of working on the project.

Response Guide

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IV) Post High-School Work 

"I think that my experiences in my high school science courses, including the

course in which I worked on my project, will be valuable to me in my years

following high school."

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1) My post-high school plans do not include science. My science experiences in high

school are not very relevant to my future plans.4) I probably won't do much with science after high school

but I feel that my high school science experiences, including the project, have been valuable and worthwhile.

7) My post-high school experiences will include at least some science or engineering, but my high school science

classes have not been of particular benefit to me.10) I feel that my high school science courses and my

independent project have been reasonably good preparation for my future schooling & work.

Response Guide

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V)__Science in Society

 "My independent project helped me understand the roles of science and scientists more clearly. Learning about LIGO helped make professional science less mysterious to me. I feel that I can

interpret science in our society more clearly because of my experiences in the project.”

GHSGHS1) For me there wasn't

really a connection between my project and 'real-world' science. I don't

feel that I understand science in our society any better from my project experiences.

5) Becoming more familiar with LIGO helped me view science in our society with more confidence, but it’s

not an issue that I think about very much.10) The independent project and my exposure to LIGO

helped me understand science in our society more clearly. I'm not so intimidated by the highly technical

aspects of modern science -- I understand that at its core, science is still very much about people, ideas and

communication.

Response Guide

GHSGHSPotential Quality

Control Issues:

Control (?)Problematic questions

Limited or skewed responseComplicated questions and

structurePossible reluctance to assign low

values

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Results

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Data from the Participants

Physics: 21 returned; ~40 sent; ~100 eligible

Ind. Study: 15 returned; ~30 sent, ~55 eligible

Intro to Tech: 8 returned; 11 sent, 15 eligible

Total Responses = 4460 – 70 responses are a possibility as we continue locate participants

Histogram of Responses on Question 1(Personal Interest in Your Project)

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Histogram of Responses on Question 2(Developed Useful Skills)

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Histogram of Responses on Question 3(Understanding Science Methods)

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Histogram of Responses on Question 4(Future Benefits)

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Histogram of Responses on Question 5(Understanding Science in Society)

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Standard Deviations of Individual Students Across the Five Questions

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Standard Deviation Bins

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Phys, STDEV Single Respondents

IndStdy, STDEV Single Respondents

IntTech, STDEV Single Respondents

Evaluation of Project Experiences in Three GHS Courses, 1999-2003

0.01.02.03.04.05.06.07.08.09.0

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Ave StDev Ave StDev Ave StDev

Physics Ind Study Intro Tech

Agreement

Interest Skills Understanding Future Society

GHSGHSConclusions

The survey indicates generally positive outcomes in relation to our goals.

A surprisingly high percent of graduate respondents have pursued technical endeavors.

The responses from the Intro to Tech students were comparable to those of more advanced students,

possibly suggesting that the project approach is effective

for a variety of levels of ability and experience.

GHSGHSFuture Directions

Continue to incorporate the project approach into our science and technology

coursework

More strongly emphasize the general skills (speaking, writing, collaboration) that all students

will need

Seek more specific information from graduatesabout the quality and appropriateness of their

high school science work

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AcknowledgementsGladstone High School’s project Program has benefited from the financial support of the Gladstone Education Foundation, the Moe Foundation and the Clackamas County Technical Education Consortium

LIGO is operated by Caltech and MIT and is supported by the National Science Foundation (Cooperative Agreement PHY-0107417)