Middle School Science Research Articles

Game-Based Science Learning: What are the Problems with Teachers Practicing It in Class?

Middle school science learning prioritizes class literacy through independent, integrated learning, only text, without any activity in the learning process. Contemporary literary studies show constant changes in the world of learning and teaching, and for many years, learning through play has been considered one of the most effective ways to learn something. This research aims to understand the pedagogical methods used in learning through play and the importance of these methods in the teaching process in elementary schools. This research involved five teachers from several secondary schools in Serbia: semi-structured interviews, researcher observation and class participation. The results of this research are based on descriptive analysis from the teacher's perspective. Based on the research results and researchers' comments, it can be understood that game-based learning in secondary schools in Austria is a popular pedagogy, creating a fun and adequate game-based learning context for children. In addition, the results of this study describe the activities carried out by the teacher, how the mechanism works, what the obstacles are, the solutions used in different subjects and the differences in the abilities and skills children develop through play. According to teachers, learning through play always poses challenges related to research, designing various play activities, and adapting learning to students' needs and interests

Investigating the predictive relations between self-efficacy and achievement goals on procedural and conceptual science learning

Self-efficacy and achievement goals represent two extensively researched motivational factors in education and have been related to numerous academic outcomes. However, little is known about how they relate to different types of problem-solving. Furthermore, while prior work has found these motivational factors are related, less work has examined them over time, during learning, and controlling for prior knowledge. The current study investigated the relations between these motivational constructs and procedural and conceptual problem-solving in middle school science. Sixth-grade science students’ self-efficacy and achievement goals were surveyed along with procedural and conceptual problem-solving before and after instruction. Results revealed students’ self-efficacy was positively correlated with both procedural and conceptual posttest performance. However, controlling for prior knowledge, self-efficacy only predicted conceptual performance. No relations were found between achievement goals and procedural or conceptual problem-solving. Additionally, results found that changes in mastery-approach goals were positively related to changes in self-efficacy beliefs.

How African Pasts Can Inspire Alternative Responses to Climate Change: a Creative Writing Experiment

AbstractHow can we use the past to help us solve today’s urgent climate change concerns? Archaeology provides one way forward by providing a long-term view of what worked and what did not work in the past. Indigenous knowledge systems have long curated a range of survival strategies that provide powerful inspiration for thinking differently about sustainability. Inspired by Africanfuturism—or how writers of African descent have creatively reimagined Black futures—we explore how creative writing can mobilize the past to rethink climate change responses. We have designed this piece for use in middle and secondary school science, history, or literature classes. An introductory explanation and “what we know” sections provide teachers with the necessary framing and background knowledge. The two short stories could be assigned to 13–18-year-old students to illustrate the kind of reimagining they might pursue based on archaeological and oral historical information.

Purdue Northwest hosts the 2023 regional and Indiana state Science Olympiad competitions

Purdue University Northwest (PNW) welcomed 37 middle and high school Science Olympiad teams to its Hammond campus during the spring semester for STEM academic competitions on Feb. 11. The top six middle school and top seven high school teams at PNW’s regional qualified for the State Science Olympiad.

Incorporating investigations of environmental racism into middle school science

AbstractTo promote a justice‐oriented approach to science education, we formed a research‐practice partnership between middle school science teachers, their students, curriculum designers, learning scientists, and experts in social justice to co‐design and test an environmental justice unit for middle school instruction. We examine teacher perspectives on the challenges and possibilities of integrating social justice into their standards‐aligned science teaching as they participate in co‐design and teach the unit. The unit supports students to investigate racially disparate rates of asthma in their community by examining pollution maps and historical redlining maps. We analyze interviews and co‐design artifacts from two teachers who participated in the co‐design and taught the unit in their classrooms. Our findings point to the benefits of a shared pedagogical framework and an initial unit featuring local historical content to structure co‐design. Findings also reveal that teachers can share similar goals for empowering students to use science knowledge for civic action while framing the local socio‐political factors contributing to the injustice differently, due in part to different institutional supports and constraints. Student interviews and a pre/postassessment illustrate how the unit facilitated students' progress in connecting socio‐political and science ideas to explain the impacts of particulate matter pollution and who is impacted most. Analyses illuminate how teachers' pedagogical choices may influence whether and how students discuss the impact of systemic racism in their explanations. The findings inform refinement of the unit and suggest supports needed for co‐design partnerships focused on integrating social justice and science.

Comparison of Visual Representations used in the Biology Units of 7th and 8th Grade Middle School Science Textbooks

Purpose: This study was carried out to examine and compare the visual representations used in the biology units in 7th and 8th-grade middle school science textbooks with various criteria.
 Design/Methodology/Approach: A document review model from qualitative data analysis was used for this research. The content and descriptive analysis techniques were used in the analysis of the textbooks. The code list used in this study consisted of five main categories, which were type of visual representation, surface feature of visual representations, captions of visual representation, the relation of visual representation with text, and function of visual representation.
 Findings: As a result, visuals were used in different varieties and proportions according to the examined categories in both textbooks. The most common type of use was picture, followed by diagram. The examined rates of other subcategories of the categories were displayed in separate tables, as they showed differences at each grade level of the biology units. Highlights: When the findings were examined, it was found that the designs of the visuals in both textbooks and their relationships with the text were not sufficient to comprehend the biology subjects. For this reason, the biology content in these textbooks should be designed by taking into account the students' cognitive learning system, readability, and meaningful learning.

How Immersion and Self-Avatars in VR Affect Learning Programming and Computational Thinking in Middle School Education.

We present an empirical evaluation of immersion and self-avatars as compared to desktop viewing in Virtual Reality (VR) for learning computer programming and computational thinking in middle school education using an educational VR simulation. Students were asked to programmatically choreograph dance performances for virtual characters within an educational desktop application we built earlier called Virtual Environment Interactions (VEnvI). As part of a middle school science class, 90 students from the 6th and 7th grades participated in our study. All students first visually programmed dance choreography for a virtual character they created in VEnvI on a laptop. Then, they viewed and interacted with the resulting dance performance in a between-subjects design in one of the three conditions. We compared and contrasted the benefits of embodied immersive virtual reality (EVR) viewing utilizing a head-mounted display with a body-scaled and gender-matched self-avatar, immersive virtual reality only (IVR) viewing, and desktop VR (NVR) viewing with VEnvI on pedagogical outcomes, programming performance, presence, and attitudes towards STEM and computational thinking. Results from a cognition questionnaire showed that, in the learning dimensions of Knowledge and Understanding (Bloom's taxonomy) as well as Multistructural (SOLO taxonomy), participants in EVR and IVR scored significantly higher than NVR. Also, participants in EVR scored significantly higher than IVR. We also discovered similar results in objective programming performance and presence scores in VEnvI. Furthermore, students' attitudes towards computer science, programming confidence, and impressions significantly improved to be the highest in EVR and then IVR as compared to NVR condition.

중학교 ‘기체의 성질’ 단원의 원격 과학 탐구 수업 개발 및 적용

The purpose of this study is to develop and apply remote inquiry-based science instructions of middle school science subjects that emphasize teacher-student, student-student interactions, and can be experimented at home. and then find out the effectiveness of the classes and students’ perceptions. To this end, seven remote inquiry-based classes were conducted for 18 first graders of middle school. Classes were conducted in real time using the ‘Online Class Video Class’ platform, and interaction tools such as Tinkerbell Board and Google Survey were used. In order to analyze the effectiveness of remote inquiry classes, science core competency tests, and science process skill tests were conducted, and students’ perceptions of remote inquiry classes were investigated. As a result of the survey analysis, the application of remote inquiry classes significantly improved students’ science core competencies, and science process skills. The biggest advantage was that individuals could perform all experiments directly through the use of individual experimental kits. In addition, it was found that communication between teacher-student and student-student was actively conducted during class, and they thought it was helpful in class. Based on the results, effective inquiry-based classes in non-face-to-face remote class situations were discussed.

Future of the Lebanese Middle School Science Teaching Methods: The Importance of Teacher’s Shifting from Passive Learning to More Active Learning in Science Classes

This study evaluated the importance of integrating active learning techniques in to Lebanese middle school science classes. It examined the effect of this modification on students' academic performance and social development .The researcher collected data by using mixed method approach referred to as sequential explanatory design where the research collected both quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative data was collected by distributing questionnaire developed based on 5 point Likert- scale to a non-probability convenience sample (N=50) of science teachers and the qualitative data was collected by performing an online interview with four middle school science teachers. The researcher used Statistical Package for the social sciences program (SPSS) to analyze quantitative data and to answer the studied hypothesis and problematic by using three tests (a) one sample T-test, (b) one way Manova test, and (c) correlation test. The interview data was analyzed qualitatively .The findings of this study showed that (a) there is a significant importance for teachers’ shifting from passive learning to more active learning in Lebanese middle school science classes, (b) Lebanese middle school science teachers are modifying their teaching methods in their classes to improve students' academic performance and social development, and (c) there is a significant effect of the teaching methods modification on students' academic performance and social development based on the Lebanese middle school teachers' perspective.

Co‐designing teacher support technology for problem‐based learning in middle school science

AbstractThis paper provides an experience report on a co‐design approach with teachers to co‐create learning analytics‐based technology to support problem‐based learning in middle school science classrooms. We have mapped out a workflow for such applications and developed design narratives to investigate the implementation, modifications and temporal roles of the participants in the design process. Our results provide precedent knowledge on co‐designing with experienced and novice teachers and co‐constructing actionable insight that can help teachers engage more effectively with their students' learning and problem‐solving processes during classroom PBL implementations. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Success of educational technology depends in large part on the technology's alignment with teachers' goals for their students, teaching strategies and classroom context. Teacher and researcher co‐design of educational technology and supporting curricula has proven to be an effective way for integrating teacher insight and supporting their implementation needs. Co‐designing learning analytics and support technologies with teachers is difficult due to differences in design and development goals, workplace norms, and AI‐literacy and learning analytics background of teachers. What this paper adds We provide a co‐design workflow for middle school teachers that centres on co‐designing and developing actionable insights to support problem‐based learning (PBL) by systematic development of responsive teaching practices using AI‐generated learning analytics. We adapt established human‐computer interaction (HCI) methods to tackle the complex task of classroom PBL implementation, working with experienced and novice teachers to create a learning analytics dashboard for a PBL curriculum. We demonstrate researcher and teacher roles and needs in ensuring co‐design collaboration and the co‐construction of actionable insight to support middle school PBL. Implications for practice and/or policy Learning analytics researchers will be able to use the workflow as a tool to support their PBL co‐design processes. Learning analytics researchers will be able to apply adapted HCI methods for effective co‐design processes. Co‐design teams will be able to pre‐emptively prepare for the difficulties and needs of teachers when integrating middle school teacher feedback during the co‐design process in support of PBL technologies.

Scaffolding Learning Via Multimodal STEM Text Sets for Students With Learning Disabilities

The importance of text complexity has gained recognition since the Common Core State Standards (CCSS-ELA) were developed. The Linking Science and Literacy for All Learners (LS&L4AL) program uses multimodal STEM text sets to link reading grade-band complex texts with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) sense-making. We define a multimodal STEM text set as a coherent collection of resources pertaining to an anchor phenomenon and line of inquiry that support learners’ acquiring the disciplinary literacy skills and sense-making called for by the NGSS and CCSS-ELA shared practices. The anchor phenomenon and line of inquiry are determined by the anchor text—a rich, complex grade-band level text about natural phenomena with research-generated data from recent STEM primary literature. In this study, we report on a qualitative analysis of how English language arts, special education, and science middle school teachers ( N=11) scaffolded instruction to support students, including students with learning disabilities, in reading complex STEM texts to develop sense-making of scientific phenomena.

The Extent of Incorporating Health Education Requirements in Middle School Science Textbooks

To ensure health sustainability for the next generation, an emphasis should be placed on health prevention and health education. Therefore, it is crucial to educate kids on how to keep themselves healthy in order to promote long-term progress. This study aimed to identify the extent of the inclusion of health education requirements in the content of science textbooks for the intermediate stage of schooling. To fulfill the goal of this study, a validated content-analysis card consisting of twenty-seven indicators categorized into seven requirement themes was used in the analysis of middle-school-level science textbook editions that were taught in the academic year 2022. The results revealed that all health education requirements were inadequately included in the science textbooks, in which the inclusion rate ranged between 5.0% and 1.3%, and the percentage of included health-related themes in the middle school science textbooks, in general, was 2.8%. These findings indicate the necessity for reforming science textbooks for middle school levels so that they include sufficient basic health education requirements to enable students to protect themselves from prevailing diseases across the globe.

“Girls Hold All the Power in the World”: Cultivating Sisterhood and a Counterspace to Support STEM Learning with Black Girls

For far too long, schools have been violent places where Black girls are often adultified, overdisciplined, and overlooked. In school science and mathematics specifically, Black girls have been isolated, tokenized, and made to feel invisible. This qualitative study leveraged the Multidimensionality of Black Girls’ STEM Learning conceptual framework to explore the roles of two Black women middle school science and mathematics teachers on the STEM learning experiences of 12 Black girls who live in the U.S. Midwest and how the girls engage with culturally relevant lessons in an afterschool program—SISTERHOOD I AM STEM. Data sources included a demographic questionnaire, program artifacts, and semi-structured transformative dialogic interviews with student and teacher participants. Findings revealed the significance and benefits of single-gender STEM learning environments for Black girls who struggle to connect with school and the role of Black women teachers in creating safe spaces for STEM engagement. In addition, the afterschool STEM program served as a mechanism to promote self-visualization and confidence for Black girls in science with the HyFlex model fostering a communal experience for the girls and their families. This STEM learning space organized and facilitated by Black women educators resisted Black girls’ pathologization and cultivated their sense of belonging. It holds promise for developing the social bonds that are critically important to their persistence in the field and a new narrative where “Girls hold all the power in the world”.

Scientific communities of practice: K–12 outreach model around organism responses to repeated hurricane disturbances

AbstractCollaboration between ecologists and learning scientists can give rise to powerful models for scientific outreach within ecology. This paper presents a process by which learning scientists and ecologists codesigned a science curriculum that invites students to join an ecological community of practice. In the Journey to El Yunque middle school science curriculum, students engage with simulation models generated from data gathered by Luquillo Long Term Ecological Research (LUQ LTER) scientists. Journey to El Yunque students can explore post‐hurricane population changes in yagrumo (Cecropia schreberiana), tabonuco (Dacryodes excelsa), coquís (Eleutherodactylus coquí), snails (Caracolus caracola), anoles (Anolis stratulus and A. gundlachi), veiled stinkhorn mushrooms (Dictyophora indusiata), and caterpillars (Historis odius). Ecology‐based revisions to Journey to El Yunque have included adding models of the effects of repeated hurricanes on limiting factors, based in part on findings from a canopy trimming experiment. Revisions based on classroom testing include simplifying student‐facing model controls to allow students to focus on the essential model components. The ongoing collaboration that keeps the Journey to El Yunque curriculum on the cutting edge of ecological and educational advances has been sustained for over two decades. We attribute the longevity of this work to (1) the long‐term nature of LUQ LTER, (2) a sustained interdisciplinary collaboration, and (3) our long‐term relationships with schools.

A Study on the Vertical Articulation of Physics in the 2015 Revised National Curriculum: Focused on the Middle School Science and the High School Integrated Science

A Study on the Vertical Articulation of Physics in the 2015 Revised National Curriculum: Focused on the Middle School Science and the High School Integrated Science

Analysis of Middle School Science Teachers' Process of Designing and Implementing Process-based Assessments

Analysis of Middle School Science Teachers' Process of Designing and Implementing Process-based Assessments

Student Learning Difficulties in Middle School Science Learning During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Case Study in the Teminabuan District, South Sorong Regency

The objective of this research is to investigate the challenges faced by junior high school students in comprehending Science educations (IPA) in Teminabuan District, South Sorong Regency amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. The present investigation employs a survey methodology utilizing a qualitative descriptive framework and case study analyses. The participants of this investigation were pupils enrolled in three junior high schools located in the Teminabuan District, specifically Teminabuan 1 Public Middle School, Teminabuan 2 Public Middle School, and Teminabuan Yapis Middle School. The methodology employed in this research involves the utilization of a questionnaire and documentation as the primary means of data collection. The process of data analysis involves the collection and examination of data obtained from questionnaires and documentation. The findings of the investigation into the proportion of participants' responses to a survey on the challenges encountered by students in comprehending science at the junior high school level, consisting of twenty queries responded to by ten student participants, indicated that the majority of the respondents experienced learning difficulties in the uppermost classification. This suggests that junior high school students encounter challenges in comprehending science subjects. The present study elucidates the challenges encountered by junior high school students in comprehending science education amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. The present study makes a valuable contribution to the advancement of pedagogical approaches that are better suited to addressing the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of science education.

Investigation of Environment Topics Activities in Middle School Science Textbooks in Terms of Inquiry-Based Learning

Ders kitaplarında yer alan etkinliklerin sorgulamaya dayalı öğretime uygun olmasının, öğrencileri daha etkin hale getirebileceği ve fen bilimleri dersinin amacına daha uygun olacağı düşünülmektedir. Bu araştırmanın amacı da ortaokul fen bilimleri ders kitabındaki çevre konularına ait etkinliklerin sorgulamaya dayalı öğrenme için uygunluğunu incelemektir. Araştırma modeli olarak nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden doküman incelemesi yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın verilerini 2019-2020 eğitim öğretim yılında MEB fen bilimleri 5, 6, 7 ve 8. sınıf ders kitaplarındaki çevre bilimi kazanımlarına göre belirlenen etkinlikler oluşturmaktadır. Veri toplama aracı olarak Araştırma Sorgulamaya Dayalı Etkinlik Ölçeği (ASDEÖ) kullanılmıştır. Analizler üç ana başlık olan “sorgulamayı başlatma”, “araştırmaya odaklanma” ve “anlamayı paylaşma” altında gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre etkinliklerin “sorgulamaya başlatma” bölümlerinin araştırma sorgulamaya dayalı öğrenme için yeterli olmadığı belirlenmiştir. Fen ve mühendislik uygulamaları etkinliklerinin ASDEÖ de yer alan bölümler açısından ortalamanın üzerinde puan aldıkları ve ideal etkinlik niteliği taşıdıkları gözlenmiştir.

STEAM Camp: Teaching Middle School Students Mathematics, Science and Coding through Digital Designs

In this study, we explore how to teach mathematics, science and coding through digital tools, design projects, and global competencies. We explore the question: How do upper elementary school children develop an understanding of mathematics and science coupled with coding through digital design? The theoretical framework adopted for this study is Kafai and Burke’s (2014) definition of Computational Participation: a shift from code to actual applications; a shift from tools to communities; a shift from starting from scratch to remixing; and a shift from screens to tangibles. We conducted a qualitative case study interlinked with Design-Based Research. Both STEAM camps were an outreach program for students in grades 4-8 in Ontario, Canada. The two camps were designed and facilitated by a research team from the Faculty of Education. The research team developed the curriculum through an iterative process (design-test-revise-repeat).  There were 43 students registered in the STEAM camps, and 34 of them participated in the study. We collected observation, interviews, audio/video recordings, and survey data as well as pictures of the students’ work. Our main findings were that students were provided with opportunities to: 1) develop a deeper understanding of curricular concepts; 2) engage more with the digital tools when they were remixing, improving, and reimaging the design; and 3) apply their knowledge to global competencies. The findings of this research have implications for improvements in researching, designing, and implementing design projects as part of a pedagogical approach to teaching mathematics and science, coupled with coding, in an interdisciplinary context.

The Level of Reading Comprehension Skills ‎Included in Readiness to Read Activities in ‎Science Textbooks of Middle Schools

The study aimed to investigate the level of reading ‎comprehension skills included in Readiness to Read activities in ‎science textbooks for middle school, 1442H edition, using a ‎descriptive approach based on content analysis design. An ‎assessment tool was prepared, including 14 skills distributed ‎among three levels of reading comprehension skills: direct, ‎inference, and critical comprehension. Validity and reliability ‎were established‏.‏‎ Results showed reading comprehension skills ‎were included in all 36 Readiness to Read activities (68.7%). ‎The direct level of reading comprehension skills has the highest ‎inclusion rate (83.9%), then the inference level (67.4%), and ‎finally the critical level (54.4%). Results indicated no statistical ‎difference in inclusion according to grade. Based on the results, ‎a recommendation was made to reconsider the mechanism of ‎including reading comprehension skills in Readiness to Read ‎activities through diversity in the design of activities. A ‎readability study of readiness-to-read activities in middle school ‎science textbooks was proposed.‎ ‎(Keywords: Reading Comprehension Skills, Direct ‎Comprehension Level, Inference Comprehension Level, Critical ‎Comprehension Level, Inclusion Level, Readiness to Read ‎Activities, Science Textbooks, Middle Schools)‎