Engaging K-12 students in science-based inquiry is at the center of current science education reform efforts. Inquiry can best be taught through experiential, authentic science experiences, such as those provided by Student-Teacher-Scientist Partnerships (STSPs). However, very little is known about the impact of STSPs on teachers' and…

Set in the context of today's globalized approaches to curriculum reform, the purpose of this study was to compare the teaching and learning of science in Chinese and Australian Grade 6 classrooms. A conceptual framework based on notions of culture and socioeconomic status informed the research design. Case study participants were three teachers…

Reports on a study intended to compare the effects of two methods of instruction designed to teach preservice elementary teachers to acquire and retain integrated science process skills. Results indicated that the self-instructional method was significantly more effective than the teacher-directed method. (TW)

Explores the discursive demands of project-based pedagogy for 7th grade students from non-mainstream backgrounds as they enact established project curricula. Documents competing discourses in one project-based classroom and illustrates how those discourses conflicted with one another through the various texts and forms of representation used in…

Sixth-grade students received both structured and unstructured instruction on a physical science activity. Using test results, an analysis by treatment alone indicated that subjects achieved higher scores when taught in the structured mode. However, significant interactions of variables (type of activity and teacher) were also found. (MLH)

No significant differences were found for grade level, sex, or instructional treatment (activity-based curriculum vs. textbook approach) for third and fourth grade science students as measured by Piagetian Classification Tasks, the Science Attitude Scale, and the Science Achievement Test. (MLH)

Compared are elementary teacher methods courses differing in the amount of field experience with specific teaching behaviors involving the ability to teach activity-oriented or experiential science. Results include the finding that field experience effects a major difference in the ability to model specific teaching behaviors. (CS)

Studies the effects of student-structured (SSLS) and teacher-structured (TSLS) teaching strategies. SSLS students consistently exhibited lower frequencies of teacher dependency behaviors than TSLS students. Need affiliation results varied with the grade level of students. (MA)

We make the case for an emergent notion of authenticity of science based on systems theory and neo-Piagetian thought. We propose that authentic science is an emergent property of a dynamic system of learning precipitated by the interactions among students, teachers, and scientists that occur within the contexts defined by the internal and external…

Reports on a study intended to determine the science education research interests of elementary teachers and to examine the data according to certain demographic variables. Results indicate that hands-on experience, science content, cognitive development and learning styles, problem solving, and teaching strategies were the top five research…