Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation

12-2025

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph. D.

Department

Elementary, Middle & Secondary Teacher Education

Degree Program

Curriculum and Instruction, PhD

Committee Chair

Tretter, Tom

Committee Member

Malone, Kathy

Committee Member

McFadden, Justin

Committee Member

Philipp, Stephanie

Author's Keywords

Science education; NGSS; modeling

Abstract

This dissertation employed a quasi-experimental design used to investigate the use of a modeling pedagogy in high school biology. Modeling is a key element of the Science and Engineering Practices of the Next Generation Science Standards. While research of Model Based Pedagogy (MBP) in physics and chemistry is well established, the influence on biology instruction remains less understood. This research examined how MBP affected both cognitive and non-cognitive components of student learning compared to traditional biology instruction. Existing data collected by Dr. Kathy Malone in collaboration with Ohio State University (2016) were analyzed to study the effectiveness of the MBP. A two-group pretest and post test design included thirty-five teachers (20 control,15 treatment) and their students (2,535). Treatment teachers participated in an extended professional development program focused on MBP implementation. Student data were obtained from established instruments: the Secondary Biology Concept Inventory (SBCI), the Lawson Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (LCTSR), and three science learning activation measures assessing fascination in science, value of science, and competency. The nested data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Hierarchical Linear Modeling to account for student and teacher level effects. Results indicated that students in MBP classrooms showed modest, though non-significant, gains in biology content knowledge and scientific reasoning compared to the control. Among non-cognitive measures, grade level was a positive predictor of fascination, and females showed higher growth in valuing science. The MBP treatment had a significant negative relationship with self-reported competency, possibly reflecting students’ heightened awareness of scientific complexity. These findings highlight the complexity of measuring MBP impact. Limitations include first-year implementation of the PD and implementation by teachers, assessment misalignment with the goals of MBP, and missing data. Future research should incorporate longitudinal approaches and model-aligned assessments. Overall, these results affirm modeling as a promising instructional approach with the potential to enhance both cognitive and non-cognitive student outcomes.

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