National Research Council Framework Research Articles

PEMBELAJARAN BERBASIS STEM (SCIENCE ENGINEERING MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE) UNTUK MENINGKATKAN KEMAMPUAN TEKNIK SISWA

The purpose of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) in education is in line with the demands of the 21st century education, that is so that students have scientific and technological literacy seen from reading, writing, observing, and doing science, as well as being able to develop the competencies it has to apply in dealing with problems in daily life related to the science STEM (National STEM Education Center, 2014). Many STEM integration efforts revolve around engineering and design engineering as an impetus for learning science, mathematics, and technological content. The National Research Council Framework for Science Education K-12 (2012) articulates and discusses the role of engineering as a mechanism by which students can learn meaningful scientific concepts (Moore, et all 2014). This study aims to improve students' engineering ability. Explanatory survey method was used in this study to detect their conception deeply. The respondense or participants of this study was eleven graders from public vocational school in Lembang in Agribusiness course. The results of this study indicate that Lembang vocational school students experience an increase in students’ engineering ability in plant agribusiness subjects.

Learning to Teach to Argue: Case Studies in Professional Learning in Evidence-Based Science Writing

Background/ContextThe emphasis on scientific practices articulated by the National Research Council framework and the Next Generation Science Standards requires significant pedagogical shifts for U.S. science teachers.Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of StudyThis study provides a rare window into the challenges and opportunities teachers encounter as they introduce argument writing into their science classrooms with support from the National Writing Project's Inquiry into Science Writing project. The purpose of this study is to better understand the teacher-change process so as to inform the development of future professional development efforts.Population/Participants/SubjectsCase studies were drawn from a professional development network led by the National Writing Project to support teachers in studying and improving their practice while sharing knowledge and benefiting from the expertise of others. The network included 28 middle school teachers at five writing project sites around the United States; the case studies presented in this article are based on the experiences of three of these teachers.Intervention/Program/PracticeThe Inquiry into Science Writing Project was a 2-year practitioner-driven professional learning experience seeking to better understand and support student practice around evidence-based science writing. During the duration of the project, teachers taught at least one lesson series culminating in written arguments by students each semester, and participated in two summer institutes, an ongoing national professional learning community, and monthly meetings of their local teacher research group.Research DesignThe study uses a qualitative comparative case study approach.Data Collection and AnalysisThe case studies draw on interviews, lesson artifacts, written teacher reflections, and samples of student work.Conclusions/RecommendationsThe study findings reinforce the complexity of the change process: The relationship between teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes and their practice was not linear and unidirectional (i.e., change in attitude leads to change in practice) but rather iterative and mediated by both student work and the external supports they received. These findings confirm the need for sustained learning environments with features that promote enactment and reflection on student work to support teacher change. Further, they suggest that professional development providers should think about how to build habits of reflection into their own design processes, allowing space for feedback and learning from practitioners.

Time to Teach: Instructional Time and Science Teachers’ Use of Inquiry-Oriented Instructional Practices

Background There have been repeated calls for more widespread use of inquiry-oriented science instruction in K–12 education. At the same time, questions have been raised regarding whether the amount of time in school schedules for science instruction is sufficient to support inquiry-based teaching. This study investigates the relationship between the time available for science instruction and the extent to which eighth-grade science teachers used inquiry-oriented instructional practices in their teaching. Research Questions We consider two research questions: (1) To what extent is teachers’ use of inquiry-oriented instructional practices related to the time available for science instruction during the school week? (2) To what extent do differences in teachers’ professional training to teach science impact the relationship between instructional time and science teachers’ use of inquiry-based instructional practices? Research Design We use data from the 2011 NAEP Grade Eight Science Assessment and multilevel linear modeling to analyze the relationship between instructional time and science teacher practices. Our analyses include approximately 11,520 eighth-grade teachers in 6,850 public schools. Findings The extent to which science teachers used inquiry-oriented instructional practices in their teaching was related to the amount of time available for science instruction. Teachers with 5 or more hours per week were more likely to use inquiry-oriented instructional practices, and the extent to which teachers engaged in reform-oriented science instruction increased with more time for instruction. The relationship between instructional time and teacher practice was largely independent of teacher qualifications, suggesting that instructional time impacts teacher instructional practice regardless of teachers’ educational background, training, or science teaching experience. Conclusions Identifying optimal allocations of instructional time is a relevant consideration in efforts to promote the types of reform-oriented science teaching called for by the National Research Council's Framework for K–12 Science Education, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and other national and state science assessments. Although investments in teacher training and professional development are also necessary and important investments, with insufficient time, even the most qualified or best trained science teachers may struggle to use inquiry-based instructional approaches.

Alternatives assessment of perovskite solar cell materials and their methods of fabrication

Perovskite solar cells have emerged as a new category of photovoltaics, gaining traction in the scientific community due to their high power conversion efficiencies, tolerance to material defects, and potential for scalable low cost manufacturing. Despite this, perovskite technology has been slow to commercialize in part due to toxic concerns of lead (Pb) in the benchmark composition CH3NH3PbI3, as well as the use of toxic solvents (e.g. dimethylformamide or chlorobenzene) used in perovskite film fabrication. To help identify safer alternatives, this study assessed 45 perovskite material alternatives to CH3NH3PbI3 (and their methods of fabrication) on the bases of ecological and human hazards, performance, and economic viability. This study followed the U.S. National Research Council's Framework to Guide Selection of Chemical Alternatives and thus collected and compared performance indicators, estimated levelized costs of energy (LCOE), and hazard data from 118 variables within 6 categories. In total, our analyses derived 38,184 cells of data (36,160 cells of hazard data, 1150 cells of performance data, and 874 cells of cost data). The best performing non-Pb-based perovskite was identified to be CH3NH3SnIBr2 synthesized via a mechanochemical fabrication approach. As the demand for affordable and competitive performing solar energy increases, this research could be utilized to inform and promote the sustainable development of this technology, ultimately guiding the entrance of perovskite solar cell materials into the photovoltaic market.

Using Epistemic Network Analysis to Examine Discourse and Scientific Practice During a Collaborative Game

According to the National Research Council, the ability to collaboratively solve problems is of the utmost importance in scientific careers, yet students are not exposed to learning experiences that promote such expertise. Recent studies have found that interdependent roles used within collaborative mobile games are an effective way to scaffold collaborative problem solving. School Scene Investigators: The Case of the Mystery Powder, a collaborative mobile game, incorporated interdependent roles in order to foster collaborative problem solving and promote scientific practice. Using epistemic network analysis (ENA), this study examined the conversational discourse of game teams to determine what connections exist between communication responses, language style, and scientific practice. Data included audio transcripts of three teams that played through the game. Transcripts were qualitatively coded for five types of scientific practice aligned to the National Research Council framework for K-12 science education, three types of communication responses (accept/discuss/reject), and an emergent language style (communal). ENA revealed that students developed scientific practices during gameplay. ENA also identified engaged communication responses and communal language style as two types of collaborative discourse used within School Scene Investigators: The Case of the Mystery Powder that fostered key linkages to effective data analysis and interpretation.

Improving Conceptual Understanding and Representation Skills Through Excel-Based Modeling

The National Research Council framework for science education and the Next Generation Science Standards have developed a need for additional research and development of curricula that is both technologically model-based and includes engineering practices. This is especially the case for biology education. This paper describes a quasi-experimental design study to test the effectiveness of a model-based curriculum focused on the concepts of natural selection and population ecology that makes use of Excel modeling tools (Modeling Instruction in Biology with Excel, MBI-E). The curriculum revolves around the bio-engineering practice of controlling an invasive species. The study takes place in the Midwest within ten high schools teaching a regular-level introductory biology class. A post-test was designed that targeted a number of common misconceptions in both concept areas as well as representational usage. The results of a post-test demonstrate that the MBI-E students significantly outperformed the traditional classes in both natural selection and population ecology concepts, thus overcoming a number of misconceptions. In addition, implementing students made use of more multiple representations as well as demonstrating greater fascination for science.

A metasynthesis of the complementarity of culturally responsive and inquiry‐based science education in K‐12 settings: Implications for advancing equitable science teaching and learning

AbstractEmploying metasynthesis as a method, this study examined 52 empirical articles on culturally relevant and responsive science education in K‐12 settings to determine the nature and scope of complementarity between culturally responsive and inquiry‐based science practices (i.e., science and engineering practices identified in the National Research Council's Framework for K‐12 Science Education). The findings from this study indicate several areas of complementarity. Most often, the inquiry‐based practices Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information, Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions, and Developing and Using Models were used to advance culturally responsive instruction and assessment. The use and development of models, in particular, allowed students to explore scientific concepts through families’ funds of knowledge and explain content from Western science and Indigenous Knowledge perspectives. Moreover, students frequently Analyzed and Interpreted Data when interrogating science content in sociopolitical consciousness‐raising experiences, such as identifying pollution and asthma incidences in an urban area according to neighborhood location. Specific inquiry‐based practices were underutilized when advancing culturally responsive science instruction, though. For example, Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking and Engaging in Argument from Evidence were infrequently encountered. However, culturally responsive engineering‐related practices were most often connected with these, and thus, represent potential areas for future complementarity, particularly as the United States embraces the Next Generation Science Standards. In considering innovative directions for advancing equitable science education, several possibilities are discussed in light of the findings of this study.© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 54:1143–1173, 2017

Defining and characterizing ecosystem services for education: A Delphi study

AbstractRecent advancements in science have led to an increasingly sophisticated understanding of the many ways in which humans benefit from environmental systems. These benefits, termed Ecosystem Services, are sparsely characterized in education literature, but were included in the most recent iteration of US national science standards: the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). In this paper, we introduce the concept of Ecosystem Services and discuss why it is emerging as an important idea to teach. Specifically, we present a definition and set of big conceptual ideas about ecosystem services developed using a Delphi technique: a method that uses repeat survey of a panel of experts in a domain, to reach a consensus about important ideas. Using the central ideas that emerged during this study, we developed a refined model of coupled human‐environment systems that articulates multiple human populations as embedded within ecosystems, connected to these ecosystems near and far, and benefiting from the resources and conditions provisioned by these ecosystems. We discuss the implications of this model to future education research, as well as to future revisions of Disciplinary Core Ideas in the National Research Council Framework for Science Education. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 54:737–763, 2017

Why Engaging in the Practices of Science Is Not Enough to Achieve Scientific Literacy

The National Research Council's Framework for K–12 Science Education and the resulting Next Generation Science Standards call for engaging students in the practices of science to develop scientific literacy. While these documents make the connections between scientific knowledge and practices explicit, very little attention is given to the shared values and commitments of the scientific community that underlie these practices and give them meaning. I argue that effective science education should engage students in the practices of science while also reflecting on the values, commitments, and habits of mind that have led to the practices of modern science and that give them meaning. The concept of methodological naturalism demonstrates the connection between the values and commitments of the culture of science and its practices and provides a useful lens for understanding the benefits and limitations of scientific knowledge.

The Value of Alternatives Assessment

The pages of EHP are replete with studies documenting the potential human health and ecosystem impacts of toxic chemicals. Such research is critical to understanding chemical risks and developing prevention strategies to reduce those risks. Intramural research at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) as well as externally funded studies have led to a better understanding of mechanisms by which toxic chemicals may cause illness along with advanced tools to more rapidly assess risks. As knowledge of the potential impacts of specific chemicals increases, so do market and regulatory pressures to replace those chemicals with safer alternatives. Regrettable substitutions, implemented without adequate screening, can too quickly enter the market if we neglect to develop processes to evaluate those alternatives. For example, research at the NIEHS has shown that many of the substitutes for certain brominated flame retardants may be as concerning as the chemicals they are replacing (Jarema et al. 2015). It is critical, therefore, that we establish thoughtful yet efficient processes to guide the transition to safer chemicals and products. This is the emerging field of alternatives assessment, which focuses on identifying, comparing, and selecting safer alternatives to chemicals of concern on the basis of their hazards, performance, and economic viability. By focusing on function, both chemical and nonchemical options may be considered to achieve the desired property, such as fire retardancy, stain resistance, or degreasing ability. In this issue of EHP, Jacobs et al. (2016) provide a detailed analysis of 20 alternatives assessment frameworks, many developed by governments and industry to guide the selection of safer alternatives. Included in their analysis is the recently published National Research Council (NRC) Framework to Guide Selection of Chemical Alternatives (2014), which, much like the NRC’s famous “Red Book” on risk assessment (1983), can serve as a guide and foundation for this emerging science policy field. In March 2015 the NIEHS, along with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, hosted the International Symposium on Alternatives Assessment: Advancing Science and Practice (http://www.saferalternatives.org/). That workshop brought together more than 100 government, academic, industry, and nonprofit scientists from the United States, Canada, and Europe to explore ways to build a more coordinated community of practice around alternatives assessment. Participants discussed gaps in knowledge and methods, and developed the elements of a research agenda to support this growing field. Identifying safer alternatives makes sense for environmental health and safety as well as for economics. At the National Institutes of Health, we are doing this internally through the Substances of Concern Reduction Initiative (http://orf.od.nih.gov/EnvironmentalProtection/Pages/NIH-Substances-of-Concern-Reduction-Initiative.aspx), established to support institute purchasing of safer substitutes for chemicals of concern used in our laboratories, clinical centers, maintenance, and buildings. The NIEHS is committed to using its scientific research to support the design, evaluation, and adoption of safer chemicals. The NRC Framework (2014) identified a number of ways in which high-throughput and in silico research on chemical hazards and potential exposures could significantly enhance the alternatives assessment process, filling in important data gaps. Such research can also help in applying 21st-century toxicology to the design of new green chemistry solutions that are more healthful for people and the environment. Inherent in alternatives assessment is the idea that when we have reasonable evidence that a chemical could be problematic, thoughtful steps are taken to evaluate materials, processes, and technologies to identify a safer substitute. At the NIEHS we look forward to working with the scientific and regulatory communities to help advance this important field.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture Using Multiobjective Decision Analysis

ABSTRACTThe Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) of the Department of Homeland Security was created to increase the United States’ ability to detect radiological and nuclear (RN) material that could be obtained and then used by terrorists. The office coordinates the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture (GNDA), an international and interagency strategy for detecting, analyzing, and reporting of RN materials outside of regulatory control. In 2012, the Government Accountability Office expressed concern about the prioritization of GNDA resources as well as the documentation of GNDA improvements over time. As a result, the DNDO asked the National Research Council (NRC) for advice on how to develop performance measures and metrics to quantitatively assess the GNDA's effectiveness. The result of the NRC study was a report titled “Performance Metrics for the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture.” In the report, the committee created a notional strategic planning framework for evaluating the performance of the GNDA. Using the data from the public report, multiobjective decision analysis techniques, and notional data from our research, this paper expands the NRC framework to a complete value model and demonstrates that it is possible to evaluate the potential performance of the GNDA over time and use the model to evaluate the cost effectiveness of potential improvements.

SCIIENCE: The creation and pilot implementation of an NGSS-based instrument to evaluate early childhood science teaching

This paper describes the development, testing and implementation of the Systematic Characterization of Inquiry Instruction in Early LearNing Classroom Environments (SCIIENCE). The SCIIENCE instrument was designed to capture best practices outlined in the National Research Council's Framework for K-12 Science Education as they occur within a science lesson. The goals of the SCIIENCE instrument are to (a) assess the quality of science instruction in PK-3 classrooms, (b) capture teacher behaviors and instructional practices that engage students in the lesson, promote scientific studies, encourage higher-level thinking, and (c) provide a feedback mechanism for guiding professional development of PK-3 teachers. Science educators can apply this instrument to teacher behaviors and use the data to improve classroom inquiry instructional methodology.

Assessment of Content and Language in Light of the New Standards: Challenges and Opportunities for English Language Learners

Current State of Education StandardsThe current state is as follows: The Common Core State Standards in Language Arts and Mathematics has been adopted in various adaptations by most 46 states (Achieve, 2013). Two consortia of states-Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC - http://www.parcconline.org/) and Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC - http://www.smarterbalanced.org/)-are developing assessments aligned to these standards for implementation in Spring, 2015. In addition, the Next Generation Science Standards, based on the National Research Council framework for K-12 science (National Research Council, 2012), has been adopted by multiple states.What is already clearly evident in the substance of the Common Core as well as the Next Generation Science Standards is the prominence of language-not just language as in parts of speech, grammar, and vocabulary, but also high levels of language embedded in the instructional actions expected in the new standards. It is the aspects of language that linguists would call pragmatics and systemic functional linguistics. They expect language to support the following sorts of expectations:Students can, without significant scaffolding, comprehend and evaluate complex texts across a range of types and disciplines and they can construct effective arguments and convey intricate and multifaceted information1Mathematically students understand and use stated assumptions, definitions, and previously established results in constructing arguments. They make conjectures, and build a logical progression of statements to explore the truth of their conjectures2This new angle on the language demands of the new standards has begun to be documented by the Understanding Language Initiative (ULI; available at ell.stanford.edu) and the papers widely disseminated with the primary audience being educators working on the content areas, who are coming to the realization that these content-embedded aspects of language are operational units of what has been traditionally and broadly termed academic language.The new standards, while clearly driving assessment through the federally funded consortia of states (PARCC and SBAC), have also begun to shape other parts of the system attempting to align to the standards, state and district policies regarding curriculum, professional supports, textbooks and materials, and teacher preparation. This author's observation in having engaged in various conversations with players and providers in these efforts to align the new standards systemically is that they vary and are all over the map. The variation is best characterized as piecemeal and unsystematic on one end, to strategic and thoughtful on the other. Piecemeal and unsystematic efforts will result in very little reform, whereas strategic and thoughtful efforts provide a chance. In turn, this variation is primarily attributable to system capacity to take on such a profound fundamental instructional shift that is called for by the new standards.In addition to the content assessments based on the Common Core and the new science standards, states are currently required to develop a separate assessment of Language Proficiency (ELP) that corresponds to the state content standards. English-language learners (ELL) are required by federal law to be identified, classified, and provided with additional appropriate services until their educational needs arising from their language minority status have been addressed, and they are reclassified as English proficient (ELP). In addition, the ELP assessments are used for Title III accountability purposes under the current No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2002). There is a strong enough constituency base for Title m assessments so that these provisions will remain in any reauthorization of ESEA. The author does not expect any changes in the federal mandate for identification and for special services, required under Lau v. …

Science Teacher Training in China

The most recent draft of the U.S. “next generation science standards” promoted a practice-oriented approach to inquiry-based science learning ([ 1 ][1]), guided by the 2011 U.S. National Research Council framework for K-12 science education ([ 2 ][2]). The key question is whether science teachers are able to implement practice-oriented, inquiry-based learning. Training is crucial to ensure the quality of teaching described in the “Next generation science standards” report. China faces similar challenges regarding how to offer effective training. The Ministry of Education of China began the National Teacher Training Project (NTTP) in 2010 ([ 3 ][3]) and has invested US$89.6 million every year to provide professional development opportunities for teachers, especially training in inquiry-based learning. The NTTP cultivates lead teachers, who in turn train local teachers. Approximately 68,700 middle school science teachers have taken the 15-day training to be lead teachers since 2010 ([ 3 ][3]). Lead teachers have provided training courses of 10 to 15 days to about 100,000 middle school science teachers ([ 3 ][3]). An effective science teacher training program, in China as well as in the United States, should engage scientists, education psychologists, and excellent middle school science teachers to provide trainees with research-oriented training. My experiences suggest that the NTTP program is meeting these goals. I have designed and led the lead science teacher training program of the NTTP in Soochow University for 4 years. We required the trainees to study science history, research the classic experiments underlying middle school science curriculum, identify problems in science and science teaching, research positive and negative cases of science instruction, and provide inquiry-based science lessons in our partner middle schools and report on the experience. We hope that such thorough training will fundamentally change science education in China. 1. [↵][4]Next Generation Science Standards ([www.nextgenscience.org][5]). 2. [↵][6]Committee on Conceptual Framework for the New K-12 Science Education Standards, National Research Council, A Framework for K–12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (National Research Council, Washington, DC, 2011). 3. [↵][7]National Teacher Training Project ([www.gpjh.cn/cms][8]) [in Chinese]. [1]: #ref-1 [2]: #ref-2 [3]: #ref-3 [4]: #xref-ref-1-1 View reference 1 in text [5]: http://www.nextgenscience.org [6]: #xref-ref-2-1 View reference 2 in text [7]: #xref-ref-3-1 View reference 3 in text [8]: http://www.gpjh.cn/cms

The Trouble with Chemical Energy: Why Understanding Bond Energies Requires an Interdisciplinary Systems Approach

Helping students understand "chemical energy" is notoriously difficult. Many hold inconsistent ideas about what energy is, how and why it changes during the course of a chemical reaction, and how these changes are related to bond energies and reaction dynamics. There are (at least) three major sources for this problem: 1) the way biologists talk about chemical energy (which is also the way we talk about energy in everyday life); 2) the macroscopic approach to energy concepts that is common in physics and physical sciences; and 3) the failure of chemistry courses to explicitly link molecular with macroscopic energy ideas. From a constructivist perspective, it is unlikely that students can, without a coherent understanding of such a central concept, attain a robust and accurate understanding of new concepts. However, changes are on the horizon, guided by the increasing understanding that difficult concepts require coherent, well-designed learning progressions and the new National Research Council Framework for K-12 Science Education. We provide supporting evidence for our assertions and suggestions for an interdisciplinary learning progression designed to better approach the concept of bond energies, a first step in an understanding chemical energy and behavior of reaction systems that is central to biological systems.

Assessing and Managing Risks Arising from Exposure to Endocrine-Active Chemicals

Managing risks to human health and the environment produced by endocrine-active chemicals (EAC) is dependent on sound principles of risk assessment and risk management, which need to be adapted to address the uncertainties in the state of the science of EAC. Quantifying EAC hazard identification, mechanisms of action, and dose-response curves is complicated by a range of chemical structure/toxicology classes, receptors and receptor subtypes, and nonlinear dose-response curves with low-dose effects. Advances in risk science including toxicogenomics and quantitative structure–activity relationships (QSAR) along with a return to the biological process of hormesis are proposed to complement existing risk assessment strategies, including that of the Endocrine Disruptor Screening and Testing Advisory Committee (EDSTAC 1998). EAC represents a policy issue that has captured the public's fears and concerns about environmental health. This overview describes the process of EAC risk assessment and risk management in the context of traditional risk management frameworks, with emphasis on the National Research Council Framework (1983), taking into consideration the strategies for EAC management in Canada, the United States, and the European Union.

Estimating the benefits of government-sponsored energy R&D

A National Research Council (NRC) committee recently conducted a retrospective study of the benefits of some of the energy efficiency and fossil energy programs in the US Department of Energy (US DOE). A subsequent conference discussed ways of adapting and refining the NRC framework for possible use by US DOE offices to help plan and manage their R&D. A framework that emerged from the conference is depicted by a matrix that categorizes different types of benefits. The rows of the matrix reflect the goals of the department, and the columns reflect the time-frame and level of certainty. The conference suggested many approaches for estimating the benefits within each category and also noted many challenges in making these estimates.

Canadian N.R.C. Committee on Scientific Criteria for Environmental Quality

This paper describes the development, testing and implementation of the Systematic Characterization of Inquiry Instruction in Early LearNing Classroom Environments (SCIIENCE). The SCIIENCE instrument was designed to capture best practices outlined in the National Research Council's Framework for K-12 Science Education as they occur within a science lesson. The goals of the SCIIENCE instrument are to (a) assess the quality of science instruction in PK-3 classrooms, (b) capture teacher behaviors and instructional practices that engage students in the lesson, promote scientific studies, encourage higher-level thinking, and (c) provide a feedback mechanism for guiding professional development of PK-3 teachers. Science educators can apply this instrument to teacher behaviors and use the data to improve classroom inquiry instructional methodology.