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…

This qualitative case study explores teachers' epistemic agency during the implementation of interdisciplinary pedagogy in an Israeli high school. We examined science teachers collaborating on curriculum design through observations of weekly meetings. Micro-analysis of a pivotal meeting uncovered conditions shaping teachers' epistemic agency. Our…

Incorporating literacy instruction in science is a beneficial practice that uses interdisciplinary strategies to address connections between language arts and science. Interdisciplinary curricular approaches in education are common expectations for science teachers and there are increasingly more mandates for embedding literacy into science…

Background: Teachers' beliefs play an important role in how teachers think about how students learn, and how content should be organized and taught. Integrated STEM is pushing the boundaries of some of the traditional assumptions in education--disciplined-based courses, courses taught independently by teachers, standards and content-driven, and no…

This research is a needs analysis study aimed at developing a curriculum based on an interdisciplinary context-based learning approach within the 10th-grade physics course, focusing on the electricity and magnetism unit. The research was designed according to the case study model and data were collected from expert, teacher, and student sample…

The global carbon cycle (CC) is a key environmental literacy issue related to climate change, ocean acidification, and energy sustainability. Understanding the CC requires interdisciplinary knowledge informed by multiple science disciplines such as biology, chemistry, earth science, and physics. To examine the core principles and interdisciplinary…

The current trend in science learning leans more towards interdisciplinary (integrated) learning. Before 1989, several studies reviewed articles related to integrated science. However, research discussing articles on integrated science from 1996 until the present day is not yet available. The purpose of this study was to review 36 empirical…

The curriculum module described in this article addresses the global issue of ocean acidification (OA) (Feely 2009; Figure 1). OA is a harmful consequence of excess carbon dioxide (CO[subscript 2]) in the atmosphere and poses a threat to marine life, both algae and animal. This module seeks to teach and help students master the cross-disciplinary…

The integration of science and agriculture has been discussed since the inception of agricultural education. However, the standards-based focus in public secondary education and changing climate of agriculture has brought science integration back to the forefront. Though research has indicated that the integration of science into agricultural…

The primary objective of this study was to determine how experience in learning to teach scientific inquiry using a practical approach affected teacher's attitudes, evaluations of use of inquiry and their actual design of inquiry based instruction. The methodology included the use an approach incorporating inquiry methodology combined with a…

In the United States after World War II, science had come to occupy a central place in the minds of policy makers, scientists, and the public. Negotiating different views between these groups proved a difficult task and spilled into debates over the role and scope of science education. To examine this process, this dissertation traces the history…

Ecological ideas have been manifested in diverse ways in American high schools since the early twentieth century. Core scientific concepts in ecology--the study of the relationship between organisms and their environment--include adaptations, plant succession, ecosystem ecology, and population ecology. This dissertation argues, however, that there…

The lack of student achievement in science is often cited in U.S. educational reports. At the study site, low student achievement in science has been an ongoing concern for administrators. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate the impact of agricultural science education on student performance in a Biology course. Vygotsky's…

The case study presented in this paper examines the work of one high school chemistry teacher who has integrated guided inquiry into a yearlong, traditional curricular framework in ways that take into account the constraints and realities of her classroom. The study's findings suggest (1) the extent and frequency to which teachers can…

Articles from the National Science Teacher Association (NSTA) publications were analyzed to investigate resources available for teachers who want to implement interdisciplinary approaches into the science classroom. All articles in each journal from 2004 through 2008 were read an analyzed; approximately 13% of Science & Children (elementary), 21%…