This study investigates the use of specific educative features for supporting the teaching of nature of science (NOS) during read-alouds of elementary science trade books. Educative features are components of educative curriculum materials that aim to increase teachers' content knowledge and support effective instructional practices. Understanding…

This study aims to report the development an instrument that is standardized (reviewed by validity, reliability, and difficulty index) to detect science misconception in an elementary school teacher. This study used a 4-D model; defining, designing, developing, and disseminating. First, it was prepared with 47 opened-ended questions, and then it…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the features of modeling-based abductive reasoning as a disciplinary practice of inquiry in the domain of earth science. The study was based on an undergraduate course of a university of education, Korea, offered for preservice elementary teachers majoring in science as their specialty. The course…

This study aims to understand interactions in Korean elementary science classrooms, which are heavily influenced by Confucianism. Ethnographic observations of two elementary science teachers' classrooms in Korea are provided. Their classes are fairly traditional teaching, which mean teacher-centered interactions are dominant. To understand the…

The current research is based on the phenomenological-qualitative paradigm. The goal was to examine the significant experiences, attitudes, and pedagogical practices of 17 Israeli student teachers in the science-teaching track regarding the use of project-based learning (PBL) as a pedagogical method, which they implemented in elementary schools…

For some elementary science teachers, a unit on land and water brings nightmares of dirt and water all over the room. Several Earth science "kits" contain hands-on exercises that allow the students to "get messy" as they manipulate materials; however, these lessons may lack the necessary opportunities for students to ask unique…

Building on a project that began in 2016, Leeds Beckett University students have continued to work with a local Community Investment Company (CIC) that uses surplus food to facilitate learning around wellbeing and sustainable development. This year students focused on designing a science education pack that would enhance learning and facilitate…

This column provides background science information for elementary teachers. Many innovations with computer software begin with analysis of how humans do a task. This article takes a look at how humans recognize spoken words and explains the origins of speech-recognition software.

Terry Russell and Linda McGuigan of the University of Liverpool draw on their classroom research to offer their thoughts on argumentation, an aspect of "working scientifically," with contributions from two recent research collaborators: Janet Hamilton teaching 4-6 year-olds and Joanne Geldard teaching science to 10-11 year-olds. Between…

In spring 2020, COVID-19 seismically shifted the education landscape as schooling moved online. We report a small-scale mixed-methods study of how that upheaval affected three-dimensional science learning in elementary school classrooms, and how the situation changed when school resumed, in modified form, in fall 2020. Teachers with experience in…

Adding pictures to a text is very common in today's education and might be especially beneficial for elementary school children, whose abilities to read and understand pure text have not yet been fully developed. Our study examined whether adding pictures supports learning of a biology text in fourth grade and whether the text modality (spoken or…

When carbonated beverages (which are supersaturated solutions of aqueous carbon dioxide) are confined within a narrow-necked container, events which rapidly release the gas from solution produce a fountain out of the beverage. One well-known variant of this experiment is the addition of Mentos candies to a bottle of Diet Coke. Previous reports…

The article is a reflection on the use of an oral diary as a qualitative research tool, the role that it played during fieldwork and the methodological issues that emerged. It draws on a small-scale empirical study into primary school teachers' use of group discussion, during which oral diaries were used to explore and document teacher reflective…

This math activity focuses on experimental design while connecting math with life science. It is important that the science and engineering practices (SEPs) are not taught as a separate "unit" but integrated within the curriculum wherever possible. The focus is on experimental design to teach animal behavior. Students predict and test…

In this article, Sheetal Kowalczyk, a science coordinator and specialist science teacher at Bromley High Junior School in Bromley, Kent, reflects upon her teaching experiences and the importance of research in supporting and developing her practice. Kowalczyk works for the Girl's Day School Trust (GDST), which embarked on a project in…