Science Education Opportunities Research Articles

‘Don’t Pick, Don’t Lick’: Connecting Young Children’s Risky Play in Nature to Science Education in Australian Bush Kinders

AbstractThe forest school approach to nature learning has gathered momentum in the UK and across parts of Europe including Scandinavia for well over 50 years. In other contexts that include Canada, China, New Zealand and Australia, nature-based early childhood education and care settings, influenced by European forest school approaches, are in a rapid expansion phase as educators and policy makers acknowledge the benefits for children from time spent in nature. It is known that science education opportunities exist in these nature-based settings, yet this area has only garnered limited research attention to date. An example of a nature-based approach to early childhood education which emerged in the 2010s is the Australian ‘bush kinder’. Four- to five-year-old preschool children experience and learn from nature through play in bush kinders. This paper highlights the intersections that occur between risky play and science teaching and learning in the context of bush kinders. Through analysing research in early years science education, guiding curriculum frameworks and early childhood learning, I propose the importance of children’s risky play to early childhood science education. Drawing on vignettes from ethnographic fieldwork data, the merits of risky play in bush kinders to embed science knowledge is illustrated here. Participant observation was used to build a profile of each site and to gather data relating to how educators draw on children’s risky play to seek out opportunities to teach children about physical, chemical and biological science.

156 Art as a Multiplier of Science Communication

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Scientists are increasingly confronted with 'science critical' #_msocom_1 belief systems. The politicization of science fuels hesitancy towards evidence-based therapies. To overcome these barriers, we aim to devise strategies to communicate clinical translational science (CTS) through art. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: A two-year pilot artist-in-residency (AIR) program embedded in the Translational Research Immersion Program (TRIP). Since 2009, TRIP contributes to CTS Workforce Development (WD) through a 10-week mentored, curriculum-rich summer undergraduate research experience. Students are recruited from 5 regional institutions, 6 HBCUs, and the University of Puerto Rico. AIR is composed of 3 phases: the “Immersive Phase” where the artist gains intensive exposure to the scientific process through the lived experience of TRIP students, the “Productive Phase” where the artist conceptualizes the process of CTS into works of art, and the “Engagement Phase” where the CTS workforce, artists, and community members coalesce around science-to-art materializations. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: In 2022 & 2023 the AIR participated in ~35hrs of CTS research seminars, panel discussions, and professional skills workshops. Additional TRIP student-AIR interaction occurred in focus groups including visits to mentor’s labs. An AIR-led workshop culminated in an Empowering CTS Communication event where TRIP students engaged with community members through elevator pitches of their CTS summer project on a speed-rotating basis. A month-long art-CTS exhibition planned for 3/2024 will feature contributions from AIR, TRIP students, and ITMAT community members. Qualitative insights were that TRIP is an effective art-science incubator, students strengthened their CTS communication skills, art functions as an icebreaker between science and communities with an ocean of opportunities for science education. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: AIR embedded into existing CTS WD programs is proposed as creative approach to strengthen the reputation of science in the public. CTS-informed art functions as connective tissue between public and CTS workforce. The hands-on experience to adopt art as a science communication tool is a powerful soft skill for the next generation of CTS investigators.

Unravelling gender and ethnic bias in higher education: students’ experiences in access to ocean science education and career opportunities in Kenya

Unravelling gender and ethnic bias in higher education: students’ experiences in access to ocean science education and career opportunities in Kenya

Bridging Culture and Science Education: Implications for Research and Practice

Since the 19th century, many studies have claimed the importance of integrating culture in science education, grasping everyone’s experience and background. However, from 2012 to 2015, many recent works within these years describe how standardized curricula have marginalized cultural-based education. Scholars then re-emphasized the role of bridging funds of knowledge (FOK) as a conceptual framework to counter the deficit of marginalized groups and advance social justice in science education. However, up to this point, the extent and pattern of the growing body of literature on cultural-science integration is still less explored. Hence, in this review, we sought new and current inquiries that connect FOK or cultures with science education reform discourse to identify and understand the current trends of the integration phenomena by doing a systematic literature review. After constantly comparing the articles, we found three trends of the integration, which are (1) cultural-based lesson plan for equity in science educational opportunities, (2) effectiveness of integrating culture in science education, and (3) cultural-based science education as a voice of multidimensional perspectives. We hope that this review of research could reshape the future direction of research on equity and social justice issues in education and reshape the practice of education, particularly science education.

121. Evaluation of An Early High School Student Science Kickstarter Program: Virtual Gateway to Science Curricula and Mentorship During the COVID-19 Pandemic

People from racial and ethnic minority groups, those with disabilities, and those from low-income backgrounds are underrepresented in higher education and science-related careers. Adolescents from these groups are less likely to attend college and obtain a science degree or pursue a science-related career. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of a diverse healthcare workforce and exacerbated educational disparities already experienced by youth from disadvantaged backgrounds. While science internship programs can help encourage science interest and pursuit, we know less about the role that virtual curricula play in advancing science education and mentorship opportunities.

Pedagogical Models to Implement Effective STEM Research Experience Programs in High School Students

High school research experience programs (HSREPs) provide opportunities for true science education and expose students to scientific investigations in laboratory settings. Various HSREPs models have been practiced to shape students’ research understandings; however, a systematic comparison of the success, challenges, and opportunities of these HSREPs has not been gauged. This article compares the effectiveness of such science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) based HSREP models reported in the last two decades. We shortlisted seventeen studies on the most effective HSREPs and identified the characteristics of these reports. Results show that student research experiences vary depending on the structure of the model used and the nature of the laboratory setting to which students are exposed. However, there is a dire need to integrate more collaborative and customized research practices to accommodate more students in HSREPs. Additionally, intensive support, mentoring, and coaching are essential to provide students a comprehensive understanding to excel in their research career pathway. Finally, there is a desperate need for further studies to develop the frameworks that can help the smooth transition of high school students into research-oriented university programs.

LEADING the Way: A New Model for Data Science Education

AbstractAddressing the data skills gap, namely the superabundance of data and the lack of human capital to exploit it, this paper argues that iSchools and Library and Information Science programs are ideal venues for data science education. It unpacks two case studies: the LIS Education and Data Science for the National Digital Platform (LEADS‐4‐NDP) project (2017–2019), and the LIS Education and Data Science‐Integrated Network Group (LEADING) project (2020–2023). These IMLS‐funded initiatives respond to four national digital platform challenges: LIS faculty prepared to teach data science and mentor the next generation of educators and practitioners, an underdeveloped pedagogical infrastructure, scattered and inconsistent data science education opportunities for students and current information professionals, and an immature data science network. LEADS and LEADING have made appreciable collaborative, interdisciplinary contributions to the data science education community; these projects comprise an essential part of the long‐awaited and much‐needed national digital platform.

Transference of Citizen Science Program Impacts: A Theory Grounded in Public Participation in Scientific Research

Citizen science is known for increasing the geographic, spatial, and temporal scale from which scientists can gather data. It is championed for its potential to provide experiential learning opportunities to the public. Documentation of educational outcomes and benefits for citizen scientists continues to grow. This study proposes an added benefit of these collaborations: the transference of program impacts to individuals outside of the program. The experiences of fifteen citizen scientists in entomology citizen science programs were analyzed using a constructivist grounded theory methodology. We propose the substantive-level theory of transference to describe the social process by which the educational and attitudinal impacts intended by program leaders for the program participants are filtered by citizen scientists and transferred to others. This process involves individual and external phases, each with associated actions. Transference occurred in participants who had maintained a long-term interest in nature, joined a citizen science program, shared science knowledge and experiences, acquired an expert role to others, and influenced change in others. Transference has implications for how citizen scientists are perceived by professional communities, understanding of the broader impacts and contributions of citizen science to wicked problems, program evaluation, and the design of these programs as informal science education opportunities.

Opportunities for inclusive science education

Opportunities for inclusive science education

Opportunities for inclusive science education

This past March, educators and students were thrust into a world of remote teaching and learning. Meanwhile, people across the US began having deeper conversations about racism, equity, and belongi...

Data wrangling practices and collaborative interactions with aggregated data

Data visualization technologies are powerful tools for telling evidence-based narratives about oneself and the world. This paper contributes to the literature on data science education by examining the sociotechnical practices of data wrangling—strategies for selecting and managing large, aggregated datasets to produce a model and story. We examined the learning opportunities related to data wrangling practices by investigating youth’s talk-in-interaction while assembling models and stories about family migration using interactive data visualization tools and large socioeconomic datasets. We first identified ten sociotechnical practices that characterize youth’s interaction with tools and collaboration in data wrangling. We then suggest four categories of activities to describe patterns of learning related to the practices, including addressing missing data, understanding data aggregation, exploring social or historical events that constitute the formation of data patterns, and varying data visual encoding for storytelling. These practices and activities are important to understand for supporting future data science education opportunities that facilitate learning and discussion about scientific and socioeconomic issues. This study also sheds light on how the family migration modeling context positions the youth as having agency and authority over the data and contributes to the design of CSCL environments that tackle the challenges of data wrangling.

The Unethical Practice of Omitting Language in State Science Standards: Denying Students True Democratic Freedom

Climate change due to global warming is impacting the natural environment and humanity. Yet, legislators in states whose economies are in oil production, a major contributor of carbon dioxide emissions through the combustion of fossil fuels, continue to reject the evidence. Legislators go as far to say these findings are “hyperbole” and teaching such ideas would influence young students to a one sided argument. Legislators, through bills and resolutions rejecting such language in state science academic standards, deny students access to equitable science education opportunities. I submit this denial is unethical. It denies students opportunities to analyze and develop solutions to a problem that jeopardizes their future and generations to come. I use the frameworks of Karl Marx and Antonio Gramsci to identify the underlying causes of this problem. Understanding the underlying causes of the problem provides educators with a clearer vision of our responsibilities to act in providing equitable science education for our students.

Building human capacity, capability and future leaders for Australia’s rangelands

Maintaining a skilled, knowledgeable and adaptable workforce in Australian rangeland enterprises and research, development and extension/adoption (RD&E/A) organisations is a varied and challenging task, compounded by trends of sustained losses of human capacity through senior retirements and short-term appointments over the last decade. Concerns for how to fill these gaps while gaining the skills and knowledge needed for a successful career and leadership roles were raised by students and young professionals in the World Cafe session and throughout Early Career workshops and activities at the 2019 Biennial Conference of the Australian Rangeland Society (ARS). This paper responds to these expressed information needs through drawing on literature, experiences shared by session participants, and existing ARS members currently working in the rangelands in diverse roles to provide insights into two main areas: (i) skills and knowledge for personal development and future success in the rangelands across three broad classes of occupation/careers (i.e. advisors, researchers, and producers), and (ii) skills and knowledge that will be expected of future leaders in the rangelands. We outline a variety of options for professional development in the early stage(s) of a career working on aspects of sustainable production systems and pathways to leadership throughout a career in the rangelands. We note the apparent lack of formal rangeland-specific education in Australia, and suggest that this is a major impediment to efforts to build skills and knowledge to ensure the viability of the livelihoods and the integrity of our rangelands. Finally, we believe that the ARS has the potential to play a more central role in inspiring interest and passion for the rangelands, in providing current information on (i) range science and management-relevant education and training opportunities in Australia and internationally, and (ii) leadership development and training opportunities; and in facilitating and supporting mentoring to develop and retain human capacity for a resilient future.

Beyond the Deficit Model: The Ambassador Approach to Public Engagement

Abstract Scientists are increasingly motivated to engage the public, particularly those who do not or cannot access traditional science education opportunities. Communication researchers have identified shortcomings of the deficit model approach, which assumes that skepticism toward science is based on a lack of information or scientific literacy, and encourage scientists to facilitate open-minded exchange with the public. We describe an ambassador approach, to develop a scientist's impact identity, which integrates his or her research, personal interests and experiences to achieve societal impacts. The scientist identifies a community or focal group to engage, on the basis of his or her impact identity, learns about that group, and promotes inclusion of all group members by engaging in venues in which that group naturally gathers, rather than in traditional education settings. Focal group members stated that scientists communicated effectively and were responsive to participant questions and ideas. Scientists reported professional and personal benefits from this approach.

Engaging Rural Appalachian High School Girls in College Science Laboratories to Foster STEM-Related Career Interest.

Setting students on a path to success in careers in science is a challenge in poor rural Appalachian public schools. Students face many socioeconomic obstacles. Their teachers are also limited by many factors including inadequate facilities, under-funding, geographical isolation of the schools, and state-testing constraints. Additionally, students and teachers lack the availability of outside science educational opportunities. In an effort to address this situation, 24 academically strong high school junior girls and their teachers from the Carter County School System in rural east Tennessee were invited for a laboratory day at Milligan College, a small liberal arts college in the heart of the county. Science faculty, female science majors, and admissions staff volunteered in service to the project. The event included three laboratory sessions, lunch in the college cafeteria, and campus tours. This successful example, as evidenced by positive evaluations by the invited girls and their teachers, of educational outreach by a local, small liberal arts college to a rural county school system provides a model for establishing a relationship between higher education institutions and these underprivileged schools, with the intention of drawing more of these poor, rural Appalachian students, particularly girls, into a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career path. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education

Addressing Three Common Myths About the Next Generation Science Standards

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Although the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States 2013) were released over two years ago, misconceptions about what they are--and are not--persist. The NGSS provide for consistent science education opportunities for all students--regardless of demographics--with a level of rigor expected in every location and community. All students can study and achieve in science. The NGSS are based upon the National Research Council's consensus report A Framework for K-12 Science Education (NRC 2012). The NGSS passed a fidelity review by the NRC in which reviewers analyzed the congruency of the standards with the vision and content of the Framework. As a New York science teacher active in local, state, and national discussions about sciene standards, and a member of the NGSS writing team, I have encountered common misconceptions about the NGSS in these discussions with fellow teachers. In this article, I address the misconceptions most relevant in the science classroom. Myth 1: Science in elementary school is already contained in the Common Core State Standards, English Language Arts The Common Core State Standards, English Language Arts (CCSS, ELA) (NGAC and CCSSO 2010) being used in many states do not replace meaningful science instruction that integrates three-dimensional learning outlined in the Framework. The CCSS, ELA standards on technical literacy are not intended to supplant science learning as called for in the NGSS. And yet many teachers at the elementary level are being told by administrators that the science in the CCSS, ELA should be the extent of a student's science instruction. The major concern is that the explicit call to read about science in the CCSS, ELA may be implemented in a way that would limit the engagement of students with disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices (NRC 2014). Students being taught using only the CCSS, ELA approach miss the opportunity to develop and use models, plan and carry out investigations, and engage in argument from evidence. They cannot come close to experiencing the vision for science and engineering education articulated in the Framework and NGSS. The shift should be from teaching about science to engaging students in science and engineering practices. In this vision, core ideas are used as evidence in scientific arguments and to support explanations. The focus moves from the memorization of content to the understanding and application of ideas. Being literate in science and engineering requires one to possess skills in reading, understanding, obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information. But this is only one of the eight practices specified in the Framework and NGSS. The Framework points out that even if a student has developed grade-appropriate reading skills, just reading about science is often challenging to students. Three reasons are: * Science texts make extensive use of complex sentence structure and passive voice. They contain special words that are essentially unfamiliar. Often, these special words are ambiguous to students. * Reading a science text is quite different from reading a novel or newspaper. The precise meaning of each word or clause may be important. Therefore, science texts must be read to extract information accurately. * Science texts are multimodal, using a mix of words, graphs, diagrams, tables, and mathematics to communicate information. Understanding science requires more than simply knowing the meanings of technical terms (NRC 2012). Stage et al. (2013) assert that concurrent development in CCSS, ELA and CCSS, Mathematics has provided an opportunity to enhance literacy and math processes and proficiencies from a science education perspective. Goals for literacy, math, and science education may build students' capacity to engage in argument from evidence. The shift from doing more than just reading science texts should not be interpreted to mean that reading is not important in science. …

Collaborating on global priorities: science education for everyone—any time and everywhere

Building on the key ideas from Dana Zeidler’s paper I expand the conversation from the standpoint that the challenges facing humanity and the capacity of Earth to support life suggest that changes in human lifestyles are a priority. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to educate all humans about some of the science-related grand challenges, such as global warming and wellness. The key is to enact programs that have relevance to all citizens, irrespective of: age, location, language proficiency, economic resources, religion, gender, sexual preference, and level of prior education. Since significant changes are needed in human lifestyles the current emphasis on preK-12 science education needs to be expanded to cover all humans and the places in which education occurs should be everywhere. I explore the use of a multilogical framework to conceptualize science and thereby transform science education in ways that better relate to priorities of wellness and harmony in the ecosystems that sustain life on Earth. I illustrate the potential of multilogicality in a context of complementary medicine, using three frameworks: Jin Shin Jyutsu, an ancient system of medicine; a diet to reduce inflammation; and iridology. Use of a multilogical framework to conceptualize science provides opportunities for science education to focus on education for literate citizenry (birth–death) and responsible action, connect to the massive challenges of the present, and select content that has high relevance to sustainability, wellness, and well-being at local, national, and global levels.

From the Editors: Communicating animal science to the public, policymakers, and students

This issue of Animal Frontiers, “Communicating the Animal Sciences Effectively,” focuses on the challenges associated with how best to communicate animal science information with policymakers, the public, and students. Communicating effectively with these stakeholder groups is critical to the future of the livestock and poultry industries. In addition, the general public gets most of its information related to food systems from the internet, family, or friends, and these sources often contain inaccurate information. It is not surprising, then, that communication about the production of meat, milk, and eggs has become increasingly difficult. The article by Johnson and Hamernik (2015) explores the reasons effective communication is important for how the public makes informed decisions. Scientists often try to educate the public with the hope that a better understanding of scientific and technical facts will enable the public to view controversial issues from the same perspective as a scientist. However, the public is also interested in the social, ethical, and economic aspects of issues. Effective communication on issues related to the management of livestock and poultry will require a commitment to building trust, shared values, ethics, and credible expertise. Glenn et al. (2015) describe the importance of sound agricultural and livestock policies in the United States to allow opportunities for animal science research, education, and extension activities that will be necessary to meet the growing demand for animal-sourced foods. Although most American politicians do not understand science, the unified voice of thousands of animal scientists as advocates for federal funding for animal science research or research friendly policies and regulations can have a tremendous, positive impact on elected officials. Federal policies and regulations in the United States are made based on emotions, trust, scientific facts, and clear and concise communication. Fraser (2015) provides a historical perspective of how science influenced Canadian policy for the welfare of farm animals. Development of national, science-based standards for farm animal welfare in Canada resulted from the timely actions of a number of stakeholder groups, including livestock producers, national producer organizations, retailers, and scientists. Each of these groups provided trusted individuals to participate in conversations and engage in debates on controversial issues associated with the welfare of farm animals. Social media, the internet, and conversations with the public and policymakers can be used to provide more information about the production of meat, milk, and eggs. This information can enhance a stakeholder’s ability to make informed decisions and to refute misinformed communications

Taking on the Heat—a Narrative Account of How Infrared Cameras Invite Instant Inquiry

Integration of technology, social learning and scientific models offers pedagogical opportunities for science education. A particularly interesting area is thermal science, where students often str ...

Developing scientific literacy skills through interdisciplinary, technology‐based global simulations: GlobalEd 2

GlobalEd 2 (GE2) is a set of technology‐mediated, problem‐based learning (PBL) simulations for middle‐grade students, that capitalises on the multidisciplinary nature of the social sciences as an expanded curricular space for students to learn and apply scientific literacies and concepts, while simultaneously also enriching their understanding of the social sciences. This paper reports the results of an implementation of the GE2 curriculum focused on water resources with 535 seventh and eighth grade students from both suburban and urban school systems. The results indicate positive changes in students’ writing self‐efficacy, interest in pursuing future science educational opportunities and the quality of their written scientific argumentation after participation in a GE2 simulation. Curricular implications and future research directions are discussed.