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an innovative approach

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1. Surveys: Content Analysis<br />

Content <strong>an</strong>alysis is the identification of people’s communication which<br />

includes texts of books, tr<strong>an</strong>scripts of interviews <strong>an</strong>d visual communication, through<br />

categorizing <strong>an</strong>d coding (Patton, 1990; Sar<strong>an</strong>takos, 1993). In this study, content<br />

<strong>an</strong>alysis was used to <strong>an</strong>alyze the students’ responses in the two surveys <strong>an</strong>d interviews<br />

as reflection of the impact of the intervention. Categorization involves the selection<br />

<strong>an</strong>d classification of the data appearing in the contexts i.e. the two surveys, IPS <strong>an</strong>d<br />

APS. Goetz <strong>an</strong>d LeCompte (1984) suggested that good categorizing recognized what<br />

the research would like to acquire as the research questions. Coding involves<br />

interpreting the categorized data <strong>an</strong>d its frequency <strong>an</strong>d then giving them a me<strong>an</strong>ingful<br />

code such as a word, symbol, or character. Sar<strong>an</strong>takos (1993) suggested that good<br />

interpretation of the data depends on adequate skills <strong>an</strong>d training of the researcher. In<br />

addition to the <strong>an</strong>alysis, use of a cross-case study of particip<strong>an</strong>ts or research methods<br />

in the same category (Glaser <strong>an</strong>d Strauss, 1967), <strong>an</strong>d member checking e.g. students<br />

<strong>an</strong>d teachers (Lincoln <strong>an</strong>d Guba, 1985) were suggested as techniques which might<br />

help the researcher establish a me<strong>an</strong>ingful code.<br />

The <strong>an</strong>alysis of the students’ written responses in the Introductory<br />

Photosynthesis Survey (IPS) <strong>an</strong>d the Adv<strong>an</strong>ced Photosynthesis Survey (APS), beg<strong>an</strong><br />

with 1) a description of student conceptions 2) categorization of the conceptions<br />

involved photosynthesis compared <strong>an</strong>d contrasted with scientific conceptions 3)<br />

coding the conceptions by each photosynthesis topic e.g. roles of chlorophyll (see<br />

Table 3.2 <strong>an</strong>d 3.3). The percentage of all class students’ conceptions was calculated<br />

in the topic. There are five following categories of the students’ conceptions.<br />

1. Sound Underst<strong>an</strong>ding (SU) referred to the conceptions that<br />

fully/completely related to the scientific conceptions.<br />

2. Partial Underst<strong>an</strong>ding (PU) referred to the conceptions that incompletely<br />

related to the scientific conceptions.<br />

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