The need for science communication programs is matched with the need for program evaluation. This case study is an evaluation of the "Decoding Science" program (DSP) [Rodgers et al. (2018). "Science Communication," 40(1), 3-32], a science communication training program, and examines key experiential-learning themes [Kolb, D. A.…

In this paper, we explore the details of one youth's science-related learning in- and out-of-school at the time of her participation in an ethnography of youth science and technology learning across contexts and over time. We use the Cultural Learning Pathways Framework to analyze the youth's interests, and the related sociocultural,…

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…

This article is concerned with "commonsense science knowledge", the informally gained knowledge of the natural world that students possess prior to formal instruction in a scientific discipline. Although commonsense science has been the focus of substantial study for more than two decades, there are still profound disagreements about its nature…

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…

Although scale has been identified as one of four major interdisciplinary themes that cut across the science domains by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1989), we are only beginning to understand how students learn and apply scale concepts. Early research on learning scale tended to focus on perceptions of linear distances,…

Contends that science education researchers should devote more time to creating and studying models of intergenerational and community-based science education. Argues that such inquiries have the potential to provoke new thinking that could expand basic conceptions of what it means to learn and practice science. (WRM)

Describes a qualitative study that explores students' perceptions of their own learning. Document review, participant observation, and open-ended interviews were used to gather and triangulate data. Factors that were perceived as helpful were woven into a theoretical model. The uses of the model are discussed. (Author/KR)

Describes a study of an inner-city youth gardening program and the kinds of learning opportunities it supported that emerged from youth-initiated actions. Examines the ways in which the garden environment and the experiential nature of the program gave support to the emergence of learning opportunities while making connections between science,…

Determines that attitudes toward science teaching is related to both gender and previous exposure to science education as a discipline. Gender favoring males was found to be a variable associated with a higher degree of positiveness of attitudes of preservice Nigerian undergraduate science teachers (N=120). (CS)

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…

Compares the relative effects of hands-on and teacher demonstration laboratory methods on declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge achievement. Reports that students in the hands-on class were better on the procedural knowledge test than students in the demonstration class. (Author/YP)

To reduce curricular fragmentation in science education, reform recommendations include using common, unifying themes such as scaling to enhance curricular coherence. This study involved 215 participants from five groups (grades 5, 7, 9, and 12, and doctoral students), who completed written assessments and card sort tasks related to their…

Reports on the findings of a study designed to investigate factors that influence the educational effectiveness of field trips for students. Recommends that a field trip should occur early in the concrete part of the curriculum and should be preceded by a relatively short preparatory unit that focuses on increasing familiarity with the learning…

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)