BEST PRACTICESNASA’s Digital Learning NetworkDr. Robert Starr and Caryn Long

RESEARCH STUDIES• Bob – this is your slide. Add others as you

feel necessary.

CHERRY, 2005

Analysis of Attitude and Achievement using the 5E Instructional Model in an Interactive Television

Environment

Dr. Gamaliel R. Cherry – Old Dominion University

Problem: Lack of an empirical focus on inquiry-based strategies via Interactive Television at

intermediate grade level levels (Anderson, & Rourke, 2005).

CHERRY-RESEARCH QUESTION 1 WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF THE 5E VS. A

TRADITIONAL INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL ON 5TH GRADERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD SCIENCE, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT PRIOR ATTITUDE AND PRIOR KNOWLEDGE?

No significant difference for attitudes

Measures attitudes about science opposed to attitudes about learning science

Examine specific content area related to science

CHERRY – RESEARCH QUESTION 2

What are the differential effects of the 5E vs. a traditional instructional model on 5th graders’ achievement, taking into account prior knowledge and attitudes? 0

0.1

0.2

0.3

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0.5

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Friction Gravity Newton'sFirst Law

Newton'sSecond Law

Newton'sThird Law

Control

Inquiry

Topic Area

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

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Recognize Recall Understand Apply

Control

Inquiry

Levels of Learning

CHERRY-RESEARCH QUESTION 3

• What is the relationship between attitude and achievement in science delivered using the 5E instructional model?

Apply Understand Recall Recognize Positive Attitude

Negative Attitude

Apply 1 .473** .258** .477** - -Understand

.473** 1 .432** .575** - -

Recall .258** .432** 1 .288** - -Recognize

.477** .575** .288** 1 - -

Positive Attitude - - - - - .151*

Negative Attitude - - - - .151* -

Positive linear relationship • p = .000 (less than the criteria

value of p < .05)

CHERRY-CONCLUSIONS

Study provided data supporting the use of the 5E Instructional Model as an inquiry-based strategy through ITV

Study provided data pertaining to elementary grade level learner’s achievement towards science through ITV formats

Study adds to the literature examining the use of the 5E Instructional Model

Study adds to the literature examining the use of instructional strategies through ITV

BROWN, 2011SOUTH DAKOTA SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ SCIENCE

ATTITUDES AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NASA’S

DIGITAL LEARNING NETWORK’S “CAN A

SHOEBOX FLY? CHALLENGE”

Dr. Lisa Ogle Brown– Oklahoma State University

Problem: To what extent will student attitudes in science change after participating in NASA’s Digital Learning Network’s “Can a Shoebox Fly?

Challenge.”

BROWN-RESEARCH QUESTION 1To what extent will the DLN module “Can a Shoebox Fly?

Challenge” promote scientific attitudes in the secondary science curriculum?

quantitative data:55 students in grade 6-9parallel pre- and post-science attitudes survey

Factor 1: Interest in science classes and activities in science class. Factor 2: Confidence in ability to do science. Factor 3: Interest in science-related activities outside of school.

BROWN-RESEARCH QUESTION 1Factors 1, 2, and the general science test = positive change in science attitudes after completing DLN module “Can A Shoebox Fly? Challenge.”

Factor 3 indicated a negative change after completing the challenge.

Qualitative data of 22 interviews were conducted to determine extent of student learning and science attitudes via the DLN. Responses to the interview questions showed that the students enjoyed learning with the DLN despite some frustration with the engineering design process.

BROWN – RESEARCH QUESTION 2

Is there a gender difference in science attitudes with regards to “Can a Shoebox Fly? Challenge?”

Both quantitative and qualitative data showed no appreciable differences between the genders regarding science attitudes for factors 1 and 2 which were both positive. Factor three showed a negative impact from both genders.

BROWN – RESEARCH QUESTION 3

How effective the DLN is with regards to student interest in STEM careers?

• Qualitative data only. • Interviews with 22 students. • 50% of the students stated they would want to pursue a STEM career• 27.3% stated they would explore careers where a background in STEM would

be beneficial • 4 students emphatically stated they were swayed towards pursuing a STEM

career due to participating in the “Can A Shoebox Fly? Challenge.”

BROWN – RESEARCH QUESTION 4

Does a need exist to modify the DLN module “Can A Shoebox Fly? Challenge?”

• Researcher questions and notebook responses

• 66 students showed frustration from not having a teacher or facilitator who had content knowledge of aeronautics and whom could have provided advice to the students during the design process of the gliders.

LONG, 2015Effective Asynchronous Course Design and its Effects on

Teacher Self-Efficacy/a Convergent Mixed Methods Research Design

Caryn Long– Oklahoma State University

Problem: A methodical approach to designing asynchronous educator professional development course work is needed. How do we design an

asynchronous course that not only increases content knowledge for educators but also increases their feelings of educator self-efficacy in

order to increase the likelihood that they will pass on the information to their students?

THEORIES

Study is grounded in the following theories:

• Richard Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning• Alan Paivio’s Dual Coding Theory• Alan Baddley’s Working Memory Theory

• Don Norman’s Emotional Design• Albert Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory

RESEARCH QUESTIONS• Which combination of text, audio, and graphics in an asynchronous

course best facilitates content acquisition as measured by comparative pre and post content knowledge tests?

• Will efficacy level positively correlate to the number of learning channels that are accessed during an asynchronous course?

• How do learners describe the relationship between the type of media used and their subjective sense of content self-efficacy? To what extent will the quantitative results on content acquisition agree with the open ended interview data on self-efficacy for middle school teachers learning a new science concept?

RESEARCH DESIGN

• Mixed Methods – including quantitative and qualitative measures• Quantitative – pretest and posttest multiple choice that measures concept of

knowledge presented in the course. (physics)• Qualitative – interviews of 6-12 participants from the larger sampling digging

in to their feelings of self-efficacy about the science content.

• Goal of 90 middle school teachers (national definition grades 5-8)

• Will inform the design of NVU courses

TEST METHODS• Asynchronous Course – Physics Content

• 3 different course designs• Standard textbook design – words and static pictures (control)• Words and video (no audio) (test condition 1)• Words and multimedia (test condition 2)

--Will seek volunteers during April/May--3 week 3 part course design for each test condition--Pre test conducted before access to the material. Those with greater than 80% average on content test will be eliminated from the design. --3-4 participants from each of the test groups will be interviewed pre and post

EVALUATION

• Conducted by external evaluator.

• Interviews and Surveys

• Team members and Customers

EVALUATION – CUSTOMER SURVEYS• A total of 239 DLN users responded in 2010 from 39 states, 381 responded in 2011 from

36 states and two territories, and 528 users in 2012 from 44 states.

• In both 2011 and 2012, the majority of DLN users rated the value an eight or higher on a scale of 1-10 in all areas.

• Ratings of the elements of DLN from 2010 to 2012 were consistently very positive with all ratings above 7.5 on a scale of 1-10.

• Educators responding to the survey in all three years rated the effect on students highly in all areas: interest in STEM topics (8.9 in 2010, 8.2 in 2011, 8.5 in 2012), interest in STEM careers (7.9, 7.8, 7.8), engagement in DLN activities (8.9, 8.6, 8.6), engagement in other STEM activities (8.2, 8.0, 8.1), questions about STEM topics (8.2, 7.9, 8.1), and knowledge about STEM topics (7.9, 7.7, 8.0).

EVALUATION – CUSTOMER SURVEYS

The majority of educators responding reported that they always recommend DLN to other teachers (1.3-1.6/4 with 1=always) and that their students are engaged with the events (1.4-1.5). After the events, students are talking about their experience (1.5-1.7) and sharing their experience with their parents (1.7-1.9).