Science Trade Research Articles

Language Development Opportunities in Curricular and Trade Books: A Content Analysis

ABSTRACTThis content analysis explored children's fictional storybooks and informational science books to determine their differences in high‐quality text features that support oral language (OL) development. We also explored the opportunities for OL development in curricular books compared to trade books. Using systematic coding procedures, we evaluated the genre, vocabulary, syntactic variety, supportive visuals and cultural sensitivity in books from three kindergarten and Grade 1 reading curricula (n = 521) as well as a sample of commercially‐available trade books (n = 48). Descriptive information was averaged to determine the percentage of high‐quality text features included in each book type and genre. Results indicated that informational science trade books offered more opportunities for rich language experiences than their curricular counterparts or any of the fictional books. Thus, there is reason to believe that informational science trade books with high‐quality text features may promote OL development and enhance the learning of young students.

Trade Books to the Rescue!: Combating Misinformation with Science and Literacy

AbstractOne strategy for developing science literacy and scientific literacy in young children is through published trade books. To better understand how science literacy and scientific literacy may be represented in elementary classrooms, we investigated children's books that explore science concepts. Specifically, we examined high‐quality science trade books that children are likely to encounter in school to see if they could be used to support science literacy and scientific literacy; skills inherent in these types of literacies can arm our students to combat misinformation. Our findings demonstrate that books are not uniform in quality. Consistent with existing research, and in light of our findings, we make the recommendations to support teachers in elevating science trade books from simply serving as opportunities for reading in science to supporting science literacy and scientific literacy.

Early Childhood Resources Review: Finding Outstanding Science Trade Books

Early Childhood Resources Review: Finding Outstanding Science Trade Books

Outstanding Science Trade Books

Outstanding Science Trade Books

Outstanding Science Trade Books

Outstanding Science Trade Books

Outstanding Science Trade Books 2023

Outstanding Science Trade Books 2023

Presentation of Scientific Practices in Elementary Level Science Trade Books: An Examination of Trends Across Grade Level Bands

Presentation of Scientific Practices in Elementary Level Science Trade Books: An Examination of Trends Across Grade Level Bands

Characteristics of book talks aboutNature of Science

AbstractThis study explores book talks as an approach to teaching Nature of Science (NOS) to young children (4–6 years old). To teach about NOS means to, in one way or another, focus on the processes, humans that build science knowledge, as well as the characteristics and limits of scientific knowledge. Previous research in this area has studied the representation of NOS in science trade books and suggested ways for teachers to highlight this content, specifically in relation to books that have been rendered “exemplary” for teaching NOS. This study focuses on the actual conversations (i.e., book talks) between teachers and children related to science trade books that are available in bookstores. The aim of the study was to contribute further knowledge about the characteristics of book talks related to such books when they are used as an approach to teaching NOS. Book talks (N = 58) between two teachers and their respective groups of children were audiorecorded and transcribed. The results contribute by shedding light on how teachers use the book as a resource in combination with other resources to highlight various aspects of NOS during book talks. This is important since it shows how book talks as an approach to NOS teaching can be staged even if exemplary books are not available. A tentative model that can scaffold teachers' didactic analysis is presented.

Revival of Russian Language in Central Asian Republics in the Twenty First (21st) Century

Russian language went into a decline during the 1990s when Central Asian Republics (CARs) simultaneously embarked on the process of nation and state building along with economic transition. The CARs desired to diversify their political and economic relations and to lessen their dependence on Russian Federation during their early transition period. Due to its own economic and political problems associated with its transition, Russia could not pay full attention to its former Soviet states during the immediate post-Soviet period. However, due to the Tsarist and particularly Soviet legacies, the economic connectivity and interdependence of former Soviet states on Russian Federation proved long lasting. The revival of Russian language in former Soviet Central Asian Republics is mainly due to the theory of Economics of Language which explores mutual effects of language and economic variables. It says that fluency and command over a dominant language i.e., a language of science and technology and trade provides more dividends. The CARs are still heavily dependent on trade and remittances of their nationals working in Russia. A large number of workers from the countries of Central Asia work in the Russian Federation. Their remittances contribute immensely to the Gross Domestic Product (GDPs) of these countries. The CARs re-started promoting Russian language in their countries due to a significant role of this language in their economies and economic relations with Russia. Since 2000, the Russian economic revival has naturally strengthened its political and economic role in the former Soviet space which also includes Central Asia. Consequently, the Russian language also received fresh emphasis.

Outstanding Science Trade Books

Outstanding Science Trade Books

Outstanding Science Trade Books 2021

Outstanding Science Trade Books 2021

Outstanding Science Trade Books

Outstanding Science Trade Books

Assessment of Innovation Cooperation of Ukraine and Scandinavian Countries in Terms of the New Industrial Revolution

Research background: The article explicates the approach of assessing the factors of innovation cooperation of Ukraine and Scandinavian countries in the face of the new industrial revolution.Purpose of the article: The paper aims to assess the current state of cooperation between Ukraine and Scandinavian countries and define the most critical factors for its further development in the new industrial revolution.Methods: The article presents the research scheme of cooperation between Ukraine and Scandinavian countries based on qualitative and economic-statistical analysis, comparative advantages analysis, correlation-regression analysis.Findings & value added: As a result of the research, it was revealed that the main directions of innovation cooperation between Ukraine and Scandinavian countries are investment projects, technical assistance initiatives, experience and technologies transfer. The cooperation is mainly implemented in energy, information technologies, education, science and high-tech trade. Based on the eco-nomic-diplomatic component analysis, a forecast and the dynamics of trade turnover of Ukraine and Scandinavian countries are presented, including the critical for Ukrainian economy time-frame of 2013-2014. It has been revealed that economic diplomacy plays a vital role in establishing and expanding trade relations. To deepen the innovation cooperation between Ukraine and Scandinavian countries, the authors see the need for: (1) expanding spheres of cooperation through joint projects in infrastructure, energy, aerospace and pharmaceutical industries, and the production of components for automobiles; (2) conducting joint research on biotechnology and nanotechnology; (3) signing of agreements in order to establish partnerships between the universities of Scandinavian countries and Ukraine; (4) the introduction of state support for the aerospace industry, the creation of scientific and production clusters in this field; (5) further development and diversification of the Ukrainian IT services market and interaction with Scandinavian countries in this field.

Are Ada, Katherine, Sally, and Sophie on-Shelf?: Holdings of Award-Winning Juvenile STEM Works in ARL Libraries with a Special Focus on Female-Themed Titles

PreK-12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) books are vital resources for student teachers in college-level Education programs. This study takes a best-case scenario approach by exploring the holdings of recent Outstanding Science Trade Books (Books identified by the National Science Teaching Association annually for K-12 students.) at twenty academic libraries. Even among large-budget, research-oriented university libraries chosen for our study, there is considerable variability in the number and types of titles owned. The works most likely to be present in Association of Research Libraries (ARL) libraries include those that have won multiple awards. Titles about female scientists were among the most frequently held and were just as popular as works about males in STEM.

“Why would Benjamin Franklin want to know if lightning was electricity?” elementary teachers and students making sense of the nature of science during interactive read-alouds

The present study examines the pedagogical use of reading aloud of science trade books as an effective tool for teaching nature of science (NOS) to elementary students. To this end, we explore elementary teachers’ and students’ dialogic negotiation of NOS during interactive science read-alouds, as well as potential interactions between their sense-making patterns, NOS views, and trade-book representations of NOS. It was found that, when a book had explicit NOS aspects in it, a teacher with more informed NOS views was able to facilitate a more extended, open-ended, and inclusive discussion about NOS. Conversely, when the trade book had very explicit connections, a teacher with naive NOS views was able to only superficially address these NOS aspects without going beyond or elaborating on the information available in the book. Furthermore, the latter discussion was characteristically close-ended, exclusive of students, and limited in sense-making. These findings underscore the need for further investigation of how particular NOS aspects are narrativized in science trade-books, and how elementary teachers can effectively guide students while facilitating explicit negotiation of particular types of trade book representations of NOS during interactive science read-alouds. It is argued that improving elementary science instruction requires a more sophisticated, theory-based understanding of how NOS instruction is mediated by stories and storytelling.

Alexa, Are You Listening?

Smart voice assistants have expanded from personal use in the home to applications in public services and educational spaces. The library and information science (LIS) trade literature suggests that libraries are part of this trend, however there are few empirical studies that explore how libraries are implementing smart voice assistants in their services, and how these libraries are mitigating the potential patron data privacy issues posed by these technologies. This study fills this gap by reporting on the results of a national survey that documents how libraries are integrating voice assistant technologies (e.g., Amazon Echo, Google Home) into their services, programming, and checkout programs. The survey also surfaces some of the key privacy concerns of library workers in regard to implementing voice assistants in library services. We find that although voice assistant use might not be mainstreamed in library services in high numbers (yet), libraries are clearly experimenting with (and having internal conversations with their staff about) using these technologies. The responses to our survey indicate that library workers have many savvy privacy concerns about the use of voice assistants in library services that are critical to address in advance of library institutions riding the wave of emerging technology adoption. This research has important implications for developing library practices, policies, and education opportunities that place patron privacy as a central part of digital literacy in an information landscape characterized by ubiquitous smart surveillant technologies.

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12: 2021

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12: 2021

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students 2020

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students 2020

Student Meaning-Making of the Artwork in a Science Trade Book: An Interdisciplinary Opportunity for Developing Visual Literacy

ABSTRACT During a classroom-based study, Grade 4 students were provided with multiple opportunities to develop their visual meaning-making skills and competences, as well as their aesthetic understanding of and critical thinking about multimodal texts. Intentionally designed instruction during the research included a range of activities focused on specific elements of visual art and design. Student participants read and discussed, and wrote about selections of children’s literature during Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science. The Sea Book was one of the books featured during an interdisciplinary unit on Ocean Literacy, a component of the overall case study research. Content analysis of the students’ responses about the trade book revealed their capacity to engage in five synergistic visual reading skills. As well, data analysis revealed how the students perceived, described, and interpreted the use of color, visual point of view, typography, framing and line in Milner’s artwork as fulfilling multiple, and often concomitant, meaning-making purposes. The findings demonstrated that instruction about how to read and understand visual representations can enhance students’ knowledge and interpretation of content conveyed through multiple modes of representation, and develop students’ capacity and agency for critically reading visual and multimodal texts.

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students 2020

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students 2020