Guided and open inquiry strategies are found to improve students' attitudes toward science. Yet, confirmation and structured inquiry are more often enacted by teachers. The effectiveness of these approaches involving high teacher guidance remains unexplored. Students in six classes (N = 119, M[subscript age] = 11.25 years) were assigned to control…

A Framework for K-12 Science Education indicates that introducing young children to scientific and engineering practices, core disciplinary ideas, and crosscutting concepts during the early years is essential for the development of conceptual understanding in science. Unfortunately, science is infrequently included in preschool and primary…

The purpose of this study was to examine the degree to which high school students improved their inquiry capabilities in relation to scientific literacy through their experience of a problem-based environmental health science curriculum. The two inquiry capabilities studied were scientific questioning and approaches to inquiry into their own…

The purpose of this study is to gain insight into the experiences that nationally award-winning, exemplary science teachers have had over their career and examine the alignment of their responses with calls for K-12 science education reform from a selection of prominent commissioned government reports since 1980. From an assessment of the…

Much has been made in recent years of inquiry approaches to science education and the promise of such instruction to alleviate some of the ills of science education, yet in some ways this construct is still unclear to many in the field. In this paper we explore one view of inquiry in science that is based on the development, use, assessment, and…

Science teaching in elementary schools, or the lack thereof, continues to be an area of concern and criticism. Preservice elementary teachers' lack of confidence in teaching science is a major part of this problem. In this mixed-methods study, we report the impacts of an inquiry-based science course on preservice elementary teachers' self-efficacy…

Science is a dynamic discipline, representative of the nature of science. Yet, young science students continue to think everything is already discovered. In this study, we examine why students are not actively doing science. From professional development to student engagement, how are classrooms and students changing as we increase teachers'…

The Information Technology in Science (ITS) Center for Teaching and Learning was a National Science Foundation funded program to provide high-quality professional development for 7-12th grade science teachers. The subgroup on which this paper focuses was immersed in an innovative approach to understanding chemistry of the environment. The group…

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…

Reports on a project designed to develop an inquiry-based approach to curriculum and instruction in a general chemistry course. Reports that a major objective, met in various ways, was to develop a laboratory curriculum that meshes intimately with lecture. (Author/MM)

Evaluates the effectiveness of teacher-scientist partnerships for increasing the use of inquiry in precollege classrooms. Indicates increased appreciation for inquiry, greater confidence in teaching using inquiry, and greater use of inquiry in the classroom. Suggests that collaborations between teachers and research scientists can positively…

Discusses: (1) inquiry science teaching; (2) characteristics of stable and fluid inquiry; and (3) using science textbooks to develop activities which reflect the fluid or tentative nature of scientific knowledge. (JN)

Focuses on the instructional development of a professor of environmental engineering in collaboration with science education and higher education faculty members. Discusses the results of professional development in the areas of questioning strategies, thinking time for students, facilitating students' participation, and implementing…

Reports on the attempt of a project called "Science: Parents, Activities, and Literature" to get parents productively involved in their children's hands-on science program. Illustrates that (a) parents will become involved and they find their involvement a positive experience; (b) teachers appreciate parents' contributions as an instructional…

Discusses current reforms and reform documents in science and mathematics education with regard to problem solving and inquiry. Considers assessment methods of inquiry to measure students' performance relative to current reforms. (Author/ASK)