Teacher characteristics, student curiosity, and problem selection in high school biology

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of: (1) teachers' pupil control ideology; (2) dogmatism; and (3) the type of instructional system employed on changes in student curiosity behaviors and the diversity of problems chosen by students for study during a Laboratory Exploration in Biology. In order to assess changes in curiosity behaviors, a Curiosity Inventory was constructed and tested for reliability and validity. Teachers were tested using the Pupil Control Ideology Form and the Dogmatism Scale: Form E at the beginning of the study. Students were pretested using the Curiosity Inventory prior to beginning the first Laboratory Exploration in Biology (LEIB) and thereafter selectively posttested after completing one or two LEIB. No one student was posttested more than once. These data were collected from suburban schools in the Kansas City and New Orleans areas and analyzed to determine the relationship of the: 1. Instruction system used to change in curiosity. 2. Teachers pupil control ideology and dogmatism to change in curiosity. 3. Teachers pupil control ideology and dogmatism to the diversity of problems chosen for study in a class during a LEIB. Other intervening variables were investigated to determine their influence; these were student sex, scholastic ability as measured by the DAT, Curiosity Inventory pretest scores, geographic location, and the time delay between pre and posttests. The results indicated that a significant relationship did exist between the pupil control ideology of the teacher and changes in student curiosity. Also a significant relationship did exist between teacher dogmatism and pupil control ideology and the diversity of problems chosen for study in a class during a LEIB. A significant relationship did not exist between the instructional systems used and changes in student curiosity.