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Current status of energy education at the secondary level in Nebraska public schools

Thesis/Dissertation ·
OSTI ID:6519037
The purpose of this study was to: (1) determine the current status of energy education in Nebraska public secondary schools, and (2) to examine the relationship between a person who teaches energy topics and the following variables: subject areas taught, teacher's undergraduate degree, school district size, teacher's personal conviction about the importance of energy i the curriculum, availability of materials, the inclusion of better quality energy topics in commercial textbooks, and workshops on teaching strategies and curriculum development in energy. The sample consisted of 496 randomly selected secondary public school teachers. A questionnaire was developed and sent to the randomly selected teachers. A total of 221 questionnaires were returned. Major findings were: (1) subject areas taught and the undergraduate degree of the teacher were related to whether or not a person taught about energy; (2) a teacher would most likely teach about energy if he or she felt it was important; (3) workshops on teaching strategies and curriculum development in energy were not related to the teaching of energy topics; (4) school district size was not related to the teaching of energy topics; and (5) the inclusion of better energy topics in commercial textbooks and the availability of energy materials would most likely affect whether a person taught about energy or did not teach about energy. The primary method of instruction of energy topics was through infusion within a course.
Research Organization:
Nebraska Univ., Lincoln (USA)
OSTI ID:
6519037
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English