ABSTRACT. The objective of this study was to develop an instrument to measure school students' competence in learning science as part of a large research project in Taiwan. The instrument consisted of 29 self-report, Likert-type items divided into 2 scales: Competence in Scientific Inquiry and Competence in Communication. The Competence in Scientific Inquiry scale contained 4 subscales: presenting questions and hypothesis, planning, experimenting and data gathering, and data analyzing, interpreting, and concluding. The Competence in Communication scale contained 4 subscales: expressing, evaluating, responding, and negotiating. Students were recruited randomly from primary, junior, and senior high schools in different regions of Taiwan to validate the instrument and establish its reliability and validity. The results of the analyses indicate that the instrument, scales, and subscales have reasonable internal consistency; that the theoretical structure was supported by empirical data; and that the subscales are homogeneous. These results indicate that it is an appropriate tool for measuring students' competence in learning science. Implications and suggestions for further studies are included.

The proposed experiment can help students to understand the factors involved in the stability of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) by exploring the adsorption interaction between Au NPs and various substances. The students in this study found that the surface plasmon resonance band of Au NP solutions underwent a red shift (i.e., from 520 to 650 nm) because of NaCl-induced aggregation caused by the elimination of the repulsive electrostatic force. In addition, a sufficient amount of bovine serum albumin molecules (29.4 nM) adsorbed on the surface of Au NPs (1.8 nM) through electrostatic interactions provides steric barriers that hinder electrolyte-induced aggregation. This experiment was performed in the fall 2014 semester to improve the recognition of nanoscale science and engineering concepts of undergraduates.

No abstract

Inclusion of nanotechnology in the science curriculum has received great attention in many countries. Taiwan's government has been funding the National Program on Nanotechnology (NPNT) for nearly 10 years. The purpose of this study was to examine Taiwanese secondary school science teachers' understanding of nanotechnology teaching after implementing the NPNT, as well as the teachers' perceptions of school support and their professional development intentions. The study adopted the questionnaire survey method. Using stratified cluster sampling, a total of 1600 questionnaires were distributed to 178 secondary schools. Finally, the responses of 663 junior high school teachers and 632 senior high school teachers who completed the instrument were analyzed. The instrument for the study is the Teachers' Perceptions of Nanotechnology Teaching Scale (TPNTS). The TPNTS included 42 Likert-scale items. The results reveal that secondary school teachers' intentions to pursue professional development are high, but their perceptions of school support are low. Teachers' knowledge and understanding of nanotechnology teaching is significantly above average, but failed to reach the "very satisfied" level. In addition, the senior high school teachers' perceptions of nanotechnology teaching and professional development are significantly higher than those of the junior high school teachers. Implications of the findings are discussed.

No abstract