Our short-term longitudinal study explored undergraduate students' experiences with performing authentic science practices in the classroom in relation to their science achievement and course grades. In addition, classroom experiences (felt recognition as a scientist and perceived classroom climate) and changes over a 10-week academic term in STEM…

A genuine interest in science is an important part of scientific literacy, and thus a critical goal for science education. Recent studies, however, have found that school science has not been effective in meeting this goal, an important reason for which is the lack of knowledge about what makes science interesting (or not) to the students. Using…

We set out to understand how different instantiations of inquiry emerged in two different years of one elementary teacher's classroom. Longitudinal observations from Mrs. Charles' 5th grade science classroom forced us to carefully and deliberately consider who exactly was responsible for the change in the class activities and norms. We provide…

This study explores the relationship between interaction rituals, student engagement with science, and learning environments modeled on communities of practice based on an ethnographic study of an eighth grade urban magnet school classroom. It compares three interactional events in order to examine the classroom conditions and teacher practices…

Much research has focused on student views about physics concepts, with an emphasis on the identification of alternative conceptions, and how curricula and professional development may ameliorate the situation. However, there has been little work on determining the extent of, and in separating, the student and teacher/classroom level variables…

The actual and preferred students' perception of classroom learning environment was measured using a modified Hebrew version of the Learning Environment Inventory (LEI). This (validated and analyzed for reliability) was given to chemistry (N=1080) and biology (N=400) students. Results and implications are discussed. (Author/JN)

A study involving 42 students enrolled in a physics course was conducted to document students' epistemologies and their concurrent views about knowing and learning. Analyses revealed a spectrum of epistemological commitments commensurable with positions from objectivism to relativism. Implications to classroom environment are discussed. (ZWH)

Concluded that sixth-graders in inquiry-oriented science classes perceived cooperation between students; those in textbook-oriented classes perceived competition between students. (MLH)

Students from 84 biology, 113 chemistry, and 41 physics classes drawn from midwestern states completed the Learning Environment Inventory and the Science Attitude Inventory. One out of ten LEI scales predicted attitude scores of biology and chemistry students, and none was found for physics students. (MLH)

Administration of a modified Learning Environment Inventory (LEI) to 27 high school classes (science and nonscience) on three separate occasions indicated that student perception of classroom environment as measured by the LEI is consistent over time. (MLH)

Examines the perception of the learning environment among different subgroups of students within science classes. Identifies variables that can promote effective science-learning environments for all students. Compares the perceptions of male and female students and of black and white students in the same class. Contains 41 references. (DDR)

Identified 25 variables (12 of which were scale-specific) related to changes in students' conceptions of science. In addition, a comparison between teacher and student conceptions of science did not support the prevalent assumption that a teacher's conception of science is significantly related to changes in students' conception of science.…

Examined junior high school students' (N=2175) perceptions of actual and preferred classroom environment and teachers' (N=56) perceptions of the actual environment. Results indicated that students preferred a more favorable environment that was perceived as being actually present, and that teachers perceived their classroom environment more…

Examines the question of the role of laboratory work in influencing Israeli students' perceptions of their chemistry laboratory learning environment. Compares responses on a learning environment inventory of two groups of students, high school students and students enrolled in vocational schools to become future laboratory technicians. (CS)

Investigated whether students perceive science classroom environment in significantly different ways depending on their science teacher's sex. Reported differences (such as perceiving classes taught by males as more difficult), and possible relationships between these differences and changes in girl's preference for science are discussed.…