Science learning in the Internet-based learning environments: An exploration about scientific epistemological beliefs and online searching strategies

• Main Authors: Chia-Ching Lin, 林佳慶
• Other Authors: Chin-Chung Tsai
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2006
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/67443328155355038715

碩士 === 國立交通大學 === 教育研究所 === 94 === This study was conducted to explore the interrelationships between students’ scientific epistemological views, information commitments, searching strategies and Internet-based science learning performances. Two self-reporting questionnaires, direct observations and in-depth interviews were employed to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. Through analyzing 62 Taiwanese high school students’ questionnaire responses, coding of direct observations and interview results, the following findings were revealed. High school students’ scientific epistemological views, information commitments, searching strategies, in some ways, were significantly related to the Internet-based science learning performances. In an Internet-based science learning activity with time constraint, female students spent more time on inspecting the content of Webpages than males and acquired better science learning performance. Both quantitative and qualitative results showed that students possessed different combinations of scientific epistemological scientific views or information commitments to deal with the encountering information on the Internet;and, some of students’ scientific epistemological views were significantly related to their information commitments. The results of regression analysis indicated that some of students’ information commitments could predict their Internet-science learning performances. Further, students having constructivist-oriented views toward science and proper information commitments may perform better than the others with empiricist-oriented views and inappropriate commitments. Consequently, the findings in this study revealed the importance of scientific epistemological views, information commitments and searching strategies in the open-ended online science learning activities. In addition to enhancing student’ searching strategies, the design of the Internet-based learning environments may not only include cognitive and metacognitive developments, but also address the concerns of epistemologies in the future.