Science Trade Research Articles

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12: 2020

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12: 2020

Enhancing Science Learning through Science Trade Book Reading for 5th Graders

This study explores the learning outcome of science learning with integrating science trade book reading of 5th graders. A quasi-experimental design was used in this study at an elementary school in New Taipei City. Students in the experimental group (N=59) were given instructional strategies on integrating science trade book reading into science learning, while the control group (N=59) received traditional instruction. Three science trade books were used in science reading strategies for the experimental group. Two research instruments were used in this study were a science achievement test (30 items, KR21=.80), and an attitudes toward science scale (31 items, Cronbach α=.94). The results were processed by ANCOVA analysis, finding that students in the experimental group got higher scores than students in the control group (F= 4.921, p < .05). Although there was no significant difference between the two groups in the outcome of the attitudes toward science scale, feedback from students in the experimental group showed that they enjoyed and benefited from integrating science trade book reading into science learning and hoped can they could continue to learn more science by integrating science trade book reading. Thus integrating science trade book reading into science learning was beneficial for the 5th graders in this study.

The Durable, Dynamic Nature of Genre and Science: A Purpose‐Driven Typology of Science Trade Books

AbstractThe authors conducted a qualitative content analysis of the 400 National Science Teachers Association Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12 from 2010–2017 selected for their instructional usefulness in science classrooms. The authors examined these expert‐recommended science trade books to better understand their design and to identify the various aspects of science education to which various genres may contribute. In light of previous research demonstrating the importance of texts used in science classrooms, the authors attended to the books’ scientific discourses and features. The authors present a typology helpful for understanding the books as related to science education broadly. The authors found general alignment between books that use expository language and those genres most likely to present knowledge accepted as reliable by the relevant scientific community. Genres apt to support the development of understandings about the nature of science and scientific inquiry, however, were more often composed of narrative. Given the richness of the text set and the multiple discourses therein, the authors were unable to bring their typology into alignment with arguments that certain kinds of trade books are unsuitable for science classrooms (e.g., biography, realistic fiction). A challenge with much of the existing research on science trade books and their use is that it has used oversimplified binary categories of narrative/expository to encourage limiting exposure to a single discourse or genre. Ultimately, through the typology presented, the authors seek to support the ability of science educators and researchers in identifying how different types of science trade books align with comprehensive science education.

Improving nature of science instruction in elementary classes with modified science trade books and educative curriculum materials

AbstractThis study investigated the effect of including explicit nature of science (NOS) content in read‐alouds of elementary science trade books on the teaching and learning of NOS. We focused on three aspects of NOS: the creative, the empirical, and the inferential NOS. The trade books were read aloud by teachers in three hierarchical levels: Level I served as a control and consisted of a trade book that remained unmodified, Level II consisted of a trade book that had been modified to include explicit references to NOS, and Level III consisted of a modified trade book accompanied by educative curriculum materials that were aimed at improving the teachers' views of NOS as well as supporting teaching about NOS. We used the Views of Nature of Science Questionnaire‐form CE (VNOS‐CE) preintervention and postintervention to determine changes in teachers' views of NOS and interviews preintervention and postintervention to determine changes in students' views. Audio recordings of read‐alouds were used to determine changes in teaching practice, including the frequency and the quality (i.e., naïve or informed) of the NOS references in the discussions. Interviews were used to determine teachers' perceptions of the modified trade books and educative curriculum materials. We found that both teachers and students developed more informed views of the targeted NOS aspects after the intervention and that teachers addressed NOS more often, and in a more informed manner, when they had trade books that explicitly supported NOS instruction and educative curriculum materials that supported their learning about NOS. Furthermore, they perceived the intervention materials favorably. Teachers' views and practices were able to change in tandem because of the intervention materials that supported explicit NOS instruction. We highlight the need for more widespread development of similar educative curriculum materials.

Teachers’ Use of Educative Features in Guides for Nature of Science Read-Alouds

This study investigates the use of specific educative features for supporting the teaching of nature of science (NOS) during read-alouds of elementary science trade books. Educative features are components of educative curriculum materials that aim to increase teachers’ content knowledge and support effective instructional practices. Understanding how teachers use specific educative features is important for the future design of curriculum materials that can be used to improve teachers’ views of NOS in tandem with changing their teaching practices. Qualitative data from teacher interviews and observations of read-alouds were used to determine which educative features teachers used and how effective they were perceived as being. Results indicate that teachers varied in their use of educative features and tended to focus on the ones that addressed specific teaching moves as opposed to those that supported understanding why the curriculum was developed as it was. Based on these findings, recommendations for future research that highlights the importance of all educative features are provided.

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12: Recently Published Books Selected by the CBC and NSTA

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12: Recently Published Books Selected by the CBC and NSTA

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12: 2019

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12: 2019

Innovation cooperation between Ukraine and Scandinavian Countries under conditions of a new industrial revolution

The current experience of building up a global economic system in the context of a new industrial revolution proves that economic growth and the competitiveness of the leaders of the state are mainly conditioned by the strengthening of the role of innovation. Therefore, the study of innovation cooperation between Scandinavian countries, both technological leaders and Ukraine is extremely relevant. The purpose of the article is to assess the current state of cooperation between Ukraine and the Scandinavian countries and provide recommendations for its development. The article set out and solved the following tasks: to characterize features of innovative development and prospects of cooperation in this area of the specified countries; to estimate comparative advantages in high-tech trade between them; identify prospects and develop recommendations for innovative cooperation between Ukraine and the Scandinavian countries. The materials and methods used to achieve the research goal were: statistical method, comparative analysis, comparison and extrapolation method. As a result of the study, it was discovered that the main directions of innovation cooperation of these countries are innovation-investment projects, technical assistance initiatives, experience transfer and technologies. Cooperation is mainly implemented in energy, information technology, education, science and high-tech trade. Ukraine has competitive advantages in the export of goods in the aerospace industry, information and communication services to the Scandinavian countries. Conclusions In order to deepen innovation cooperation between Ukraine and Scandinavian countries, it is expedient: (1) to expand the areas of cooperation in joint infrastructure projects, in the aerospace and pharmaceutical industries, and the production of components for automobiles; (2) joint research on biotechnology and nanotechnology; (3) concluding agreements in order to establish partnerships between the universities of the specified countries; (4) the introduction of state support to the aerospace industry and the creation of scientific and production clusters in this field; (5) further development and diversification of the Ukrainian IT market and interaction with Scandinavian countries in this area.

An analysis of award‐winning science trade books for children: Who are the scientists, and what is science?

AbstractThis manuscript presents a content analysis of 28 picture books from the Outstanding Science Trade Books recognized by the National Science Teachers Association in 2016. Drawing on the need for culturally relevant science instruction, the research investigated the portrayal of scientists in images (gender and racial background), the scientific disciplines, what aspects of the nature of science were represented in the books and where, and the language that described scientific work. Previous work suggested that science trade books do not often portray diverse scientists, the breadth of science, or the nature of science and scientific work. This study examined whether recently published and award‐winning books had these weaknesses. Findings showed that the sample did not show improvement in the diversity of scientific fields or scientists. Most scientists shown in images were white and male, and most books presented life science, often animals. However, the findings also showed that the extent to which books represented the nature of science varied widely. Some books contained no references, and others contained many references to different aspects of the nature of science. The study noted that biographies and books that described in detail the work of scientific teams provided the most nature of science content. Many books also had substantial nature of science content in peritextual material such as author's notes. The study collected and categorized all the verbs used to describe scientific activity and found that these descriptions of scientific activity have a wide scope and show scientists engaging in work ranging from data collection to activism. The article concludes with a recognition of the importance of broad scientific education programs about nature of science; the current children's book market, while offering valuable tools, does not adequately provide resources to teach the diversity of science and scientists.

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12: 2018

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12: 2018

Exploring the science trade space with the JPL Innovation Foundry A-Team

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory Innovation Foundry has established a new approach for exploring, developing, and evaluating early concepts with a group called the Architecture Team. The Architecture Team combines innovative collaborative methods and facilitated sessions with subject matter experts and analysis tools to help mature mission concepts. Science, implementation, and programmatic elements are all considered during an A-Team study. In these studies, Concept Maturity Levels are used to group methods. These levels include idea generation and capture (Concept Maturity Level 1), initial feasibility assessment (Concept Maturity Level 2), and trade space exploration (Concept Maturity Level 3). Methods used for exploring the science objectives, feasibility, and scope will be described including the use of a new technique for understanding the most compelling science, called a Science Return Diagram. In the process of developing the Science Return Diagram, gradients in the science trade space are uncovered along with their implications for implementation and mission architecture. Special attention is paid toward developing complete investigations, establishing a series of logical claims that lead to the natural selection of a measurement approach. Over 20 science-focused A-Team studies have used these techniques to help science teams refine their mission objectives, make implementation decisions, and reveal the mission concept’s most compelling science. This article will describe the A-Team process for exploring the mission concept’s science trade space and the Science Return Diagram technique.

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12

Content-Based Recreational Book Reading and Taiwanese Adolescents’ Academic Achievement

The linkage between reading for pleasure and language ability has been well established, but the relationship between content-based recreational reading and academic achievement in various subject areas has rarely been explored. To investigate whether reading literature, social studies, and science trade books for pleasure is related to students’ growth in achievement for the subjects of Chinese, social studies, and science, respectively, this study used data from 4,730 students at a Taiwanese girls’ high school. Based on students’ high school entrance exam test scores in three subject areas as control variables, and their college entrance exam scores as the outcomes, the findings indicated that pleasure reading in a specific content area might lead to growth in achievement for that particular content area, and in some cases, reading in other content areas might help as well. A reading program that invites students to engage in self-sponsored reading can promote disciplinary literacy and academic achievement.

The frequency and type of graphical representations in science trade books for children

This study sought to examine the frequency and type of graphical representations in science trade books for children from 1972 to 2007. Specifically questions addressed differences in graphical forms in science discipline and for intended audience age for books. The results revealed that there is an increase in the presence and variation of graphics over time. The physical science trade books had larger proportions of the range of graphics than life and earth science books. Most notably flow diagrams, cross sections, cutaways and tree diagrams were present in physical science books. Regarding intended audience age, there were more graphical representations of most types in books for intermediate age children. The results suggest that students will encounter a higher presence of trade books with graphics and graphical types in the coming years.

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12