Science Education Reform Movement Research Articles

STUDENTS’AND TEACHERS’ PERCEPTION OF SCIENTIFIC MODELS: TRANSITION FROM DAILY TO SCIENTIFIC LANGUAGE

The use of scientific models has been regarded as an important skill for scientific enquiry. However, although many national curricula and major international science education reform movements have stressed the use of scientific models in science teaching and learning, students and teachers generally do not know how to perceive models properly. This research explores these perceptions about scientific models using the Perception of Models in Science (PMS), a self-developed instrument designed to collect participants’ model perceptions, among 218 grade 4, 6 and 8 students, as including 57 of the science teachers in their respective schools, and treated these statistically with analysis of variance, post hoc analysis and cluster analysis. Results showed that the groups of students and teachers agreed that the most acceptable model representation is reality but remained uncertain on whether a model can be presented through nonreality representations (i.e., diagram, graph, symbol, writing and speech). Participants did not significantly differ in perception intensity of seeing each model representation and held three kinds of model perceptions: daily language, transitional and scientific language. This research thus proposes action plans in managing this transitional perspective in learning the concepts of scientific models. Keywords: model representations, scientific model, students’ view, teachers’ view

Inquiry-based professional development practices for science teachers

In science education reform movements, there is an emphasis on teaching science through inquiry, and teacher education is an important part in this process. In this context, this study aims to investigate the effect of inquiry-based professional development training on science teachers’ beliefs and self-efficacy about inquirybased teaching and science process skills. A group of 30 science teachers participated in the study. The data collection tools used were “Beliefs about Inquiry-based Teaching Scale,” the “Inquiry-based Science Teaching Self-efficacy Scale,” and the “Science Process Skills Test.” During two days of short-term professional development training, teachers attended five workshops that introduced the inquiry method. Analyses of the collected data showed that professional development training was effective in improving teachers beliefs (t = −6,57; p = .00), self-efficacy (t = −5,80; p = .00), and process skills (t = -−5,76; p = .00). The results of the study suggest that additional research about the improvement of students’ science learning and about the effect of professional development on different variables such as teachers’ learning design skills should be done.

Technology-enhanced stem (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education

Over the past decade, STEM education has received increasing attention and also has been widely recognized as one of the major emphases in contemporary science education reform movements. STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) involves the study of, and coherent integration among, various academic disciplines, especially the four cardinal disciplines of STEM. It has been advocated that STEM education could provide an opportunity for students to develop increasingly important 21st Century skills, such as complex problem solving, communication, and collaboration (Bybee 2010). Therefore, STEM education is becoming even more important in preparing students for work in the technologically advanced world and is vital for the nation’s competitiveness in the global economy (Breiner et al. 2012). In recent years, many STEM-related instructional materials, curricula, and guidelines for instruction are emerging. While most of the initial attempts in STEM education addressed one or more of the STEM subjects separately, there are increasing advocates for emphasizing connections between or among the subjects in STEM education (Honey et al. 2014). As a result of the prior lack of integration, a great diversity of foci and contexts are often found in STEM-related research. The research contexts of some STEM-related studies may only involve one of the STEM

Developing students' ability to engage critically with science in the news: identifying elements of the ‘media awareness’ dimension

Worldwide, science education reform movements are stressing the need to promote ‘scientific literacy’ among young people. Increasingly, this is taken to include empowering students to engage critically with science‐related news reporting. Despite this requirement now featuring in statutory curricula throughout the UK, there has, to date, been a dearth of research‐informed advice to assist science teachers as they identify appropriate instructional objectives in this regard and design relevant learning activities through which these might be achieved. In this study, prominent science communication scholars, science journalists, science educators and media educators were interviewed to determine what knowledge, skills and habits of mind they judged valuable for individuals reading science‐related news stories. Teachers of science and of English from nine secondary schools in Northern Ireland addressed the same issue. A striking – and significant – finding of the study was the very substantial number of statements of knowledge, skill and disposition offered by participants that relate to ‘media awareness’, an issue largely overlooked in the science education literature. The school‐focused phase of the research suggests that cross‐curricular approaches involving teachers of science collaborating with those of English/media education or media studies may best serve to address this important curricular goal.

Turkish Pre‐Service Science Teachers’ Views on Science–Technology–Society Issues

The international science education community recognises the role of pre‐service science teachers’ views about the interdependence of Science, Technology, and Society (STS) in achieving scientific literacy for all. To this end, pre‐service science teachers’ STS views signal the strengths and the weaknesses of science education reform movements. Turkey, a country that follows the international reform movement, aims at improving citizen’s understanding of the STS interdependence to enable them to fully participate in an industrialised, democratic society. This study explores the Turkish pre‐service science teachers’ views (n = 176) on STS issues and discusses the ongoing reform efforts’ strengths and weaknesses within the context of the study findings. Data were collected through an adopted “Views on Science–Technology–Society” instrument. Analysis revealed that many participants held realistic views on science, technology, and society interdependence, while their views on technology and the nature of science were differed. Some viewed technology as an application of science, and some viewed science as explanatory and an interpretation of nature. Most agreed that the scientific knowledge is tentative but they did not present a thorough understanding of the differences between hypotheses, laws, and theories.

Inquiry-based Learning and Digital Libraries in Undergraduate Science Education

The purpose of this paper is twofold: to describe robust rationales for integrating inquiry-based learning into undergraduate science education, and to propose that digital libraries are potentially powerful technological tools that can support inquiry-based learning goals in undergraduate science courses. Overviews of constructivism and situated cognition are provided with regard to how these two theoretical perspectives have influenced current science education reform movements, especially those that involve inquiry-based learning. The role that digital libraries can play in inquiry-based learning environments is discussed. Finally, the importance of alignment among critical pedagogical dimensions of an inquiry-based pedagogical framework is stressed in the paper, and an example of how this can be done is presented using earth science education as a context.

Approaches to Biology Teaching and Learning: Understanding the Wrong Answers—Teaching toward Conceptual Change

Underpinning science education reform movements in the last 20 years—at all levels and within all disciplines—is an explicit shift in the goals of science teaching from students simply creating a knowledge base of scientific facts to students developing deeper understandings of major concepts within a scientific discipline. For example, what use is a detailed working knowledge of the chemical reactions of the Krebs cycle without a deeper understanding of the relationship between these chemical reactions of cellular respiration and an organism’s need to harvest energy from food? This emphasis on conceptual understanding in science education reform has guided the development of standards and permeates all major science education reform policy docu

Enhancing Student Understanding of Environmental Sciences Research

E NGAGING students in original inquiry or research is a cornerstone of the national science education reform movement (AAAS 1993; NRC 1996). Ideally, students should participate in each step of the research process, starting with defining a research question and proceeding through carrying out experiments, analyzing and interpreting data, and raising new questions based on their results (Moss et al. 1998). Students who conduct research generally develop a better understanding of science content and processes than do students whose exposure has been limited to traditional classroom science teaching (SRI 1997). However, even students who have conducted all phases of a research project may not have an opportunity to reflect on and discuss key issues in the practice of and thus may have an unrealistic picture of how scientists actually conduct research. They may miss key understandings of the of science, such as science can be messy or fuzzy and involves creativity and making decisions; scientists often work collaboratively; and an experiment does not always give a definitive answer to the original research question (AAAS 1993; Cunningham & Helms 1998). Students are more likely to gain accurate insights into the nature of scientific research if, in addition to conducting a research project, they also have a framework for discussing and reflecting on concepts related to research (Friedler & Tamir 1986). As part of a summer enrichment program for high ability 111 graders, we developed a class project designed to give students experience conducting research and to enhance their understanding of the sociology of science. The research project focused on the impact of non-indigenous worms on forest soils. We used a series of readings, joumal-writing exercises, and class discussions to address one key sociological understanding of science-the importance of investigator judgment and creativity at all stages of the research process.

The Changing Image of Biology

THE current science education reform movement has been underway since 1970. Since then, hundreds of local, state and national committees have proposed curricula simply by making science courses more rigorous or updating the subject matter. The result has been a list of concepts, principles and theories regarded as ‘‘standards’’ because they are to be learned by all students. A renewed emphasis has also been placed on teaching science as inquiry. Neglected in reform efforts so far, however, has been the changing face of the science of biology itself. Because of changes in the nature of science and its social implications, the time has arrived to reinvent school science curricula. The purpose of this article is to summarize the new image of biology and its future, and to relate the new biology to science education.

Russian/US comparison using the expert science teaching educational evaluation model (ESTEEM)

A small group of Russian teachers who were interested in adopting aspects of the US science educational reform movement, participated in a constructivist science teaching project. Baseline data from translated classroom observations were scored using the science classroom observation rubric from the expert science teaching educational evaluation model (ESTEEM) and compared with a traditional (teacher centered) group of US science teachers and a group of US constructivist (student centered) science teachers. The purpose of the research is to investigate how Russian teachers who were beginning a US science education reform project compared with two US groups of science teachers, a traditional and a reform group. Analysis of variance was used to analyse the total rubric score and four categories for the Russian/traditional US and the Russian/constructivist US studies in order to examine closely the traditional and the constructivist teaching practises. In the first study US traditional teachers were statistically higher on 'facilitating the learning process' and 'context-specific pedagogy'. Russian teachers were higher on the 'content' category. In the second study the experienced constructivist US teachers were statistically higher on all four categories and the total rubric score. The educational culture of both countries is very traditional. However, the reform movement in science education has changed some US teachers, and is in the process of changing some Russian teachers. Both countries are working on the reform process. The results of this study provide baseline information on a small group of Russian teachers, who have chosen to be a part of the ideas contained in the US science education reform movement. The study also promotes the mutual understanding of both cultures among teachers, administrators, and researchers, which should ultimately form a bond for working together on common educational issues.

The effects of professional development on science teaching practices and classroom culture

The current science education reform movement emphasizes the importance of professional development as a means of improving student science achievement. Reformers have developed a vision for professional development based upon intensive and sustained training around concrete tasks that is focused on subject-matter knowledge, connected to specific standards for student performance, and embedded in a systemic context. Using data from a National Science Foundation Teacher Enhancement program called the Local Systemic Change initiative, this study employs hierarchical linear modeling to examine the relationship between professional development and the reformers' vision of teaching practice. The findings indicate that the quantity of professional development in which teachers participate is strongly linked with both inquiry-based teaching practice and investigative classroom culture. At the individual level, teachers' content preparation also has a powerful influence on teaching practice and classroom culture. At the school level, school socioeconomic status was found to influence practice more substantially than either principal supportiveness or available resources.fl 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 37: 963 - 980, 2000

An informal elementary science education program’s response to the National Science Education Reform Movement

This report presents the experience of an informal elementary science education program, Hands on Science Outreach (HOSO), that is striving to maintain its identity as an informal program within the context of the National Science Education Reform Movement. We provide an overview of informal elementary science education programs in the United States including a definition and a historical summary. We then depiet how HOSO has reacted to the National Science Education Reform Movement by establishing links between its programmatic and science content and theNational Science Education Standards. We end by presenting three insights constructed as a result of HOSO’s efforts to maintain its informal elementary science education identity during a time of national discussion on who constitutes membership in the science education community.

Reflections on Nine Years of Conducting High School Research Programs

For 9 yr, I directed an environmental sciences research program for high school students, and for 4 yr, I directed a teacher research program focusing on composting. Through these programs, 10 to 20 high-ability students and four teachers conducted research under the guidance of Cornell scientists and participated in science enrichment actvities over the summer. Whereas the students worked on a variety of environmental and agricultural research topics, the projects for the teachers were chosen because they could be adapted for use in high school classrooms. Through the student program, I gained insights into (i) recruiting minority, rural, and other underserved students; (ii) ensuring a quality research experience for high school students; (iii) ensuring that students have an indepth understanding of the research process, including issues involved in sampling, data interpretation, and the relationship of science to wider societal issues; (iv) gaining support of university researchers for the program; (v) providing nonresearch science enrichment activities (related to teaching, ethics, and careers); (vi) ensuring that students feel comfortable and supported in the university setting; and (vii) building long-term sustainability of the program. The teachers conducting composting research adapted Cornell research protocols for use in their high school classrooms, thus further promoting research experiences for high school students. Teacher and student research programs will need to be combined with other efforts to meet the goals of the science education reform movement, which calls for every student conducting an independent research project before graduating from high school.

The science education reform movement: Implications for social responsibility

The science education reform movement: Implications for social responsibility