This study examines shifts in science teachers' (N = 15) beliefs and practices within the context of a research-practice partnership (RPP) that developed and implemented curriculum modules in middle school science classrooms. Interview, document, and observation data gathered over the course of the project indicate that the vast majority of…

Integrated STEM education within North America has become a popular pedagogy; however, teachers identify challenges that arise when planning for and implementing integrated STEM education. These challenges may threaten STEM teachers' capacity to balance disciplinary and integrated learning, a core feature of effective STEM education. The purpose…

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) science and engineering practices are ways of eliciting the reasoning and applying foundational ideas in science. As research has revealed barriers to states and schools adopting the NGSS, this mixed-methods study attempts to identify characteristics of professional development (PD) that will support NGSS…

This study describes how student unit assessment data helped support ongoing curriculum revisions in the Baltimore City School District. This project is situated in the STEM Achievement in Baltimore Elementary Schools (SABES) project, which is a National Science Foundation funded multi-year Math Science Partnership between the Johns Hopkins…

Policymakers and industry leaders are calling for a 21st century education that is more interdisciplinary in nature, including the ability to solve problems and think creatively. Traditional teaching practices that present subjects as separate and distinct disciplines do not encourage students to make connections between subjects in school and in…

This article presents a study exploring the beliefs, knowledge, and practices of four middle and secondary science teachers participating in a collaborative curriculum action research project. Using a case study methodology, the views and practices of these teachers were described and analyzed as they investigated novel ideas about scientific…

In the transition from the traditional science teaching approach to an activity centered curriculum, useful pieces of scientific equipment are often no longer needed and stored. Suggests ways in which the resourceful teacher can use this equipment to supplement the new curriculum with additional student activities. (JR)

The need for a philosophic base to provide direction for science curriculum development and instruction is discussed. The history of philosophies of science is traced, followed by an extended discussion of a "new" philosophy and its implications for the curriculum. (MNS)

Describes a study to evaluate the effect of the Energy Education Curriculum Program as perceived by elementary and secondary classroom teachers. Results indicate that energy education is taught in schools when materials and information are made available to the classroom teacher. (RT)

Provided is a unit which relates the fulcrum of a lever system and the mean of a distribution of scores. The objective, rationale, two student laboratories, and an evaluation system are outlined. Content background on statistics is offered. (MVL)

Analyzes efforts by school districts reorganizing science curricula in Illinois. Describes state goals for Illinois: Knowledge and Vocabulary; Science-Technology-Society; Scientific Enterprise; and Science Process. Discusses how school districts emphasize the 4 state goals for grades 3, 6, 8, and 11. (YP)

An integrated physical science course of approximately 40 instructional hours for eighth graders is described. The materials and text were prepared in accordance with the overall program for secondary school science drawn up by the Israeli Ministry of Education. (Author/MK)

Examined are objectives written by elementary, junior high, and high school teacher committees while developing and revising science curricula for their schools. The objectives were examined for classification into the six levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. Research methods, data, results, and implications of the research are discussed. (CW)

Results of six original studies are extracted for comparison in three ways. These are summaries of: (1) reported problems of various groups of science educators; (2) solutions proposed by these same groups to the problems facing science education; and (3) recommendations for future directions. A synthesis of the recommendations focuses on four…

Discusses the need to determine the extent to which NSF-supported curriculum materials have been implemented. Reviews the Concerns Based Adoption Model and describes how science educators might use this model to understand and manage curriculum implementation processes. (DS)