Summary of the Study

The summary of the study discusses the results of the research questions this study sought to answer. The results were arrived at through data analysis of the results of a pre- and post- survey. The significance of these results is discussed in this chapter.

Research Question 1: What was the demographic profile of students who completed a one- or two-semester sequence of reformed science teaching during 2003-2013?

In summary, 55.8% (234) of PET students and 45.9% (1,509) of University Physics students participated in the study from fall 2003 to spring 2013. The PET sample was comprised of 97.0% (227) female students and 3.0% (7) male students compared to the University Physics sample comprised of 70.9% (1070) males and 29.1% (239) females. 85.5% (200) of the PET students self-selected as sophomores or juniors while 64.7% (976) of the University Physics students self-selected as freshman at the time of pre-survey. All but 11 (4.7%) of PET students indicated a major in education with and emphasis in either mathematics or science while 14.0% (211) of University Physics students declared a major in education at the time of pre-survey but dropped to 11.2% (169) at the time of the post-survey.

Research Question 2: What were the entering and existing attitudes of students who completed one- or two-semester sequence of reformed science teaching during 2003-2013?

Overall pre-survey PET participants displayed a slightly positive attitude and belief for constructs X1, X2, X3, and X4, while having a slightly negative attitude and belief for construct X5.

Students entering PET tend to demonstrate that learning about and teaching about mathematics and science is important to them while also demonstrating a slight negative attitude and belief toward their ability to teach and integrate the two subjects.

Overall University Physics participants displayed slightly positive attitudes and beliefs towards constructs X3, X4, and X5 demonstrating an importance in learning to teach Mathematics

and Science as well as a slightly positive belief in the ability to teach and combine both subjects. University Physics students had a high attitude and belief (M = 4.37) toward construct X2,

describing themselves as liking mathematics and science and looking forward to taking more math and science courses. The students also displayed a medium high attitude and belief toward construct X1 (M = 3.69), believing that mathematics and science can be understood by most

people and that the disciplines consist of discret sets of related topics and skills.

Research Question 3: To what extent are there significant differences in the change (pre- and post-test) between entering and exiting students who completed one- or two-semester

sequence of reformed science teaching?

After completing the semester course, PET participants, pre-service education majors, in the study had non-significant positive gains in means for constructs X1 (DM = +.07), X2 (DM =

+.08), and X3 (DM = +.05). The means for construct X4 had a significant decrease from pre-

survey of 4.39 to post-survey of 4.22 at P < .001 with a small affect size of .24. The means for construct X5 had a significant increase from pre-survey of 3.02 to post-survey of 3.26 at P < .001

Overall, pre-service education majors had slightly higher than neutral attitudes toward construct X1, Beliefs about the nature of mathematics and science, and construct X3, Beliefs

about the teaching of mathematics and science. While having a high positive attitude toward X4,

Attitudes towards learning to teach mathematics and science, M = 4.39.

University Physics students, science majors, entered into the course with a slightly positive attitude and belief toward the first three constructs, X1, X2, and X3, with X2 having a high

positive attitude and belief mean of 4.18. Participants had negative pre-survey attitudes and beliefs toward constructs X4 and X5 with means M = 1.05 and M = 1.99 respectively.

After completing the two-semester sequence for University Physics, participants in the study had significant positive gains in means for constructs X2 (DM = +.18) and X3 (DM = +.05)

at P < .001. Post-survey results for constructs X4 (DM = -.10), and X5 (DM = -.10) had non-

significant decreases in means along with a significant drop in mean for X1, from pre-survey

mean of 3.69 to post-survey 3.56 at P < .001 with a small affect size of .27.

Overall, science majors, had slightly higher than neutral attitudes toward construct X1,

Beliefs about the nature of mathematics and science, and construct X3, Beliefs about the teaching

of mathematics and science. While keeping a high positive attitude toward X4, Attitudes towards

learning to teach mathematics and science, despite a small drop in means.

Research Question 4: To what extent are there significant differences between science majors and pre-service education majors for pre- and post-class data?

Overall, pre-service education majors had slightly higher than neutral attitudes and beliefs toward constructs X1, Beliefs about the nature of mathematics and science, X3, Beliefs

about the teaching of mathematics and science and X5 - Attitudes towards teaching mathematics

teach mathematics and science, while, having neutral attitudes and beliefs toward X2 - Attitudes

towards mathematics and science.

In comparison, science majors had high attitudes and beliefs toward constructs X1, Beliefs

about the nature of mathematics and science, and X2 - Attitudes towards mathematics and

science, and slightly higher than neutral attitudes and belief toward construct X3, Beliefs about

the teaching of mathematics and science. In comparison to pre-service education majors, science

majors had low attitudes and beliefs toward constructs X4 – Attitudes towards learning to teach

mathematics and science, and X5 - Attitudes towards teaching mathematics and science.

PET students had no significant changes in means for constructs X1, X2, and X3.

However, PET students showed a significant negative change in means for construct X4, from

pre-survey of M = 4.39 to post-survey of M = 4.22 at P < .001 with a small affect size of .24. They also showed a significant positive shift in construct X5, with means shifting from pre-

survey of M = 3.02 to post-survey of M = 3.26 at P < .001 with a small affect size of .28. University Physics students displayed negative change in means for construct X1 (M =

3.69 down to M = 3.56, P > .001), and significant positive changes in means for constructs X2 (M

= 4.18 up to M = 4,36, P < .001) and X3 (M = 3.29 up to M = 3.34, P > .001). University

Physics students showed no significant changes to constructs X4 and X5.

Research Question 5: To what extent are there significant differences in pre- and post- class data based on student academic performance?

Overall PET participants completed the course with an average grade of M = 3.46 with

SD = .78 on the standard 4-point scale. Participants in the PET course who earned a grade of A

showed significant change in means in constructs X2, X3, and X5, see Table 4. Participants with a

teaching mathematics and science, while, participants with course grades C, D, or F showed no significant shift in means for all five constructs.

University Physics participants completed a sequence of two courses with an overall average grade of M = 3.28 and SD = .86 on the standard 4-point scale.

Research Questions 6: To what extent do students’ attitudes and beliefs about learning and teaching mathematics and science change after completing a one or two-semester sequence of reformed science teaching?

Both PET and University Physics courses were all determined to be reformed science courses based on scores from using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP). PET students had significant changes in their attitudes and beliefs toward learning to teach and teaching mathematics and science while University Physics students had significant changes in the beliefs about the nature of science, attitudes toward mathematics and science, and beliefs about the teaching of mathematics and science.