Increasing access to computational ideas and practices is one important reason to integrate computational thinking (CT) in science classrooms. While integrating CT into science classrooms broadens exposure to computing, it may not be enough to ensure equitable participation in the science classroom. Equitable participation is crucial because…

This paper presents a methodological approach based on the use of complex networks to analyze the structure and content of curricula. We analyze the concept network built from the final year of a particular high school physics curriculum, as well as that of mathematics. We examine the most central nodes in each case, the community structures…

Quantum mechanics is an integral course for physics students. An understanding of quantum concepts is imperative for enrollment in physics graduate programs, participating in research within physics fields, and employment with companies developing quantum technologies. This study analyzes 188 U.S. research-intensive institutions' course catalogs…

This forum piece extends the conversation within Katie Milton Brkich, Alejandro J. Gallard Martínez, Wesley Pitts, and Silvia Lizette Ramos de Roble's article 'The Rejection of the NGSS in Georgia: Social Covenants as Contextually Mitigating Factors,' by looking at potential implications for diverse learners and novice teachers. I draw on the…

In the face of accelerating climate change, effective education is paramount to fostering informed citizens and enacting meaningful action. Effective climate instruction contextualizes content so that students are engaged emotionally (affect) and can translate science into action. This paper describes six courses that use integrated approaches to…

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection in Investigating and Improving Quantum Education through Research.] Instructors teaching upper-division quantum mechanics have had two primary options when it comes to textbook choice and thus curriculum sequence: starting with wave functions and the Schrödinger equation, referred to as "wave…

Integrated science-and-literacy programs have proven to positively affect both language proficiency and science knowledge. Because making connections is important in both text comprehension and understanding the disciplinary core ideas taught in science, it seems worthwhile to explore the potential of integrating text structure instruction in…

Explicitly attending to justice in science teaching and learning is long overdue. Here, we examined the professional teacher identity development of 13 science teachers as they collaborated in networked professional learning communities (PLCs) to implement and revise a culture-setting unit focused on the science of COVID and engaging in…

Science education policies and standards have called for educators to teach students about the Nature of Science (NOS) and engage them in Culturally Relevant Science Teaching (CRST), which requires critical shifts away from traditional science teaching. As such, teachers are being asked to possess or take up conceptions of science that challenge…

This action research case study explored the ability of three high school chemistry students to grow in their understanding of nature of science (NOS) during its explicit-reflective inclusion in two unit chapters on bonding (ionic compounds followed by covalent molecules). Students completed a pre, post and delayed Views of Nature of Science Form…

This paper is part of the special issue on Teacher Learning and Practice within Organizational Contexts. Shifting instructional practices in elementary schools to include more equitable, reform-based pedagogies is imperative for supporting students' development as science learners. Teachers need high quality professional development (PD) to learn…

This paper describes how plate tectonics and rock genesis, two topics that are typically addressed separately in secondary Earth science classes, can be taught together as an integrated system. We define the TecRocks Reasoning Framework, developed to support student reasoning about rock formation situated in the context of plate tectonics. We also…

School pedagogies that expand opportunities for learners to build and use knowledge for meaningful purposes are resources for hope. Internationally, standards-based reforms in science education position schooling as a context for building and using disciplinary knowledge to explain phenomena and solve problems. There is also growing research…

Teaching practices used by teachers influence students' achievement of learning outcomes. These practices may be explored from students' perspectives. Because gender may influence students' perceptions of learning environments, this study explored gender differences in students' perceptions of teaching practices employed in their biology…

This study analyzed Bahraini primary school science textbooks and workbooks from grades 1 to 6 in terms of their coverage of the five essential features of scientific inquiry. These features include the following: feature 1, engaging learners in scientifically oriented questions; feature 2, making learners give priority to evidence in responding…