The increased emphasis on STEM related careers and the use of science in everyday life makes learning science content and concepts critical for all students especially for those with disabilities. As suggested by the National Resource Council (2012), more emphasis is being placed on being able to critically think about science concepts in and…

In a cluster-randomized study, we investigate the impact of an argument-based approach to teaching science in elementary school on science learning and critical thinking skills. Forty-eight schools participated in the study, with data on 9,963 students across the 2 years of the intervention. Annual standardized tests assessing science content…

This study focuses on the implementation of the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) curriculum (Hand, 2007), which combines current understandings of learning as a cognitive and negotiated process with the techniques of argument-based inquiry, critical thinking skills, and writing to strengthen student outcomes. Success of SWH is dependent on the…

A key element in science education is establishing and maintaining linkages between teachers and researchers that can eventuate in enhanced student outcomes. Determining when and where a new educational program or intervention results in an enhanced outcome can be sensitive to many different forces that the researcher must carefully manage. The…

The U.S. began a new national standards movement in the area of K-12 science education curriculum reform in the 1980s known as "Science for All" to develop a population that is literate in economic and democratic agendas for a global market focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) (Duschl, 2008). The National…