Informal science education (ISE) experiences can provide powerful opportunities for people with disabilities to experience and learn about science. When designed to be inclusive, such experiences can lead people with disabilities to feel competent and empowered as science learners, generate excitement and enthusiasm for science, and be equitable…

This article reports on the experiences and perceptions of K-12 teachers as they engaged in a participatory action research (PAR) project, "Science Across the Curriculum." Although the experiences and professional learning of two of the project participants are highlighted, the challenges that all participants experienced as they conceptualized…

Teaching students how to conduct authentic scientific inquiry is an essential aspect of recent science education reform efforts. Our National Science Foundation-funded GK-12 program paired science graduate students--fellows--with secondary science teachers in order to enhance inquiry-based instruction. This research examined the roles of the…

"Approaches and Strategies in Next Generation Science Learning" examines the challenges involved in the development of modern curriculum models, teaching strategies, and assessments in science education in order to prepare future students in the 21st century economies. This comprehensive collection of research brings together science educators,…

This paper reviews the conceptual confusion surrounding the concept "scientific thinking" (also known as "the proceses of science,""scientific processes,""inquiry skills," and sometimes, "the scientific method"). It begins with three separate arguments, each supporting a particular claim: (1)…

Teachers (N=146) using Science Curriculum Improvement Study were surveyed for their views on teaching disabled students in regular science programs. Results show that teachers feel positively about teaching disabled students (but also feel inadequate with this responsibility). Advantages and disadvantages of mainstreaming in elementary science are…

Describes a heuristic inquiry process attempting to better understand and appreciate a major aspect of religion influenced culture in the southern United States which has an impact on science education. Examines the intellectual and emotional viewpoints of scientists, science educators, and science teachers regarding the relationship between their…

Explored Morine and Morine's ("Discovery: A Challenge to Teachers") assumptions regarding age and cognitive development of students (N=174) successfully utilizing structured inductive and semi-deductive inquiry strategies. One finding noted is that age has made a significant difference on achievement for both strategies. Implications for…

The purpose of this article is to suggest a research-based systemic plan for educational researchers, practitioners, and policymakers involved in the change process to implement successful technology integration in the context of teacher education. This article provides a background about reform efforts in science education in the United States in…

This paper is concerned with the kind of messages about science conveyed to 23 young gifted children enrolled at the McGill Summer School for Gifted and Talented Children in Montreal while utilizing a particular teaching model. Five science lessons were analyzed by applying a newly developed scheme to classroom interactions. The scheme helps to…

Describes a theory of metaphor and analogy and discusses its implications for enhancing teacher understanding of scientific inquiry and inquiry teaching at the elementary level. Discusses uses of analogy in classrooms: Scientific Theory, Learning Styles and Modes, Children's Ideas, Generative Teaching Strategies, Graphic Organizers, and…

It is argued that science's reputation as a "hard" subject can be attributed to four intrinsic features of science and/or learners. The reasons for a link between abstraction and difficulty are briefly explored. It is suggested that certain extrinsic features of science education, resulting from choices by science educators, exacerbate these…

This study explored the understandings of data and measurement that school students draw upon, and the ways that they reason from data, when carrying out a practical science inquiry task. The two practical tasks used in the study each involved investigations of the relationships between two independent variables (IVs) and a dependent variable…

The purpose of this study is to examine patterns of implementation of an inquiry-oriented science program for elementary school students. Project SEED (Science for Early Education Development) is a hands-on science education program for elementary school students in grades kindergarten through 5th. Teachers in 20 elementary schools in Pasadena…

Reports findings on variable-handling aspects of pupil performance in investigatory tasks, using data from the British Assessment of Performance Unit (APU) national survey program. Discusses the significance of these findings for assessment methodology and for understanding of 15-year-olds' approaches to the variable-based logic of investigation.…