Course Title: Evaluating Research in Science Education
Campus Course Code: SCE 5305
Campus: UT Dallas
Program: MAT-SE
Description
Examination of selected topics in the methodological and philosophical foundations of science education as applied to contemporary issues affecting today's students. Topics include current research on hands-on/inquiry teaching, concept mapping, student misconceptions, learning/teaching styles, alternative assessment, gender differences, learning environments, action research, and knowledge transfer to provide a context for the history of science literacy and educational literacy; quantitative and qualitative research methods; and professional writing techniques.
Professor Barry Fraser, in his presidential address at the National Association for Research in Science Teaching conference, commented that educational research was not useful unless it could be translated into practice in classrooms across the world. That’s what Evaluating Research in Science Education is all about… Why does anyone conduct research? From the educational researcher’s point of view, we are interested in extending the knowledge of our field and in making changes that will enhance the learners’ ability to achieve. Why would an educator want to read research? First, you’ll want to know when authors are ‘feeding you a line’. Next you’ll want to know what has worked in other classrooms and how likely the program is to work with your students. Third, like educational researchers, you want to help your students achieve. What does research mean for the success of our students? As concerned citizens, we want all students, no matter their level in school, to be able to successfully function in our society.
SCE 5305 is a required core course for the Master of Arts in Teaching – Science Education (MAT-SE) Online degree program offered by the Science/Mathematics Education Department (SciMathEd) at The University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas). It is a prerequisite for SCE 5308, Research Design & Methodology for Science Educators.
Offered completely online, this course has the same learning objectives as the on-campus section. Meeting or exceeding the UT TeleCampus ‘Principles of Good Practice’, a student-centered approach promotes high expectations for coursework and academic performance. Established on a solid foundation of scientific research and academic excellence, this course specifically supports the MAT-SE Online program goal to produce students who are able to use and contribute to current educational research and methodology.
If you have any concerns about your readiness for this course, please discuss issues with your advisor.
- Students must be eligible to take graduate courses at The University of Texas at Dallas.
- Students must know how to and be able to send and receive electronic mail messages.
- Students must know how to and be able to access and navigate web pages on the Internet.
- Students must be fluent in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Objectives
The goal of this course is to familiarize students with research in science education. Toward that end, students will be able to:
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appropriately search the current body of literature,
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critically evaluate relevant research documents, and
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formulate an independent research plan based on a formal review of literature.
Students will produce ten high-quality research paper evaluations relevant to an approved research question and a formal review of literature within the genre of science education research.
Materials
Visit the Bookstores page for links to campus bookstores that provide information on course materials.
Prerequisites: Graduate in good standing. Students are expected to have some practical experience teaching and working with students in an educational setting, i.e., one semester teaching experience in science or consent of Instructor. Students are expected to have some familiarity with district, state and national guidelines for science education.
Credits:3
Level:Graduate
Faculty
Cynthia Ledbetter
ledbeter@utdallas.edu
972-883-2496