Inquiry-based instructional approaches are an effective means to actively engage students with science content and skills. This article examines the effects of an ongoing professional development program on middle and high school teachers' efficacy beliefs, confidence to teach research concepts and skills, and science content knowledge.…

With advancements made in mobile technology, increasing emphasis has been paid to how to leverage the affordances of mobile technology to improve science learning and instruction. This paper reports on a science curriculum supported by an inquiry-based framework and mobile technologies. It was developed by teachers and researchers in a multiyear…

In this dissertation, the researcher describes authentic scientific inquiry (ASI) within three stages of teacher preparation and development: a1) undergraduate STEM courses, b2) preservice secondary science education methods courses, and c3) inservice teacher professional development (PD). Incorporating (ASI)--pedagogy closely modeling the…

Instructors from two different disciplines collaborated to teach a preservice teacher education course examining the concepts of language and culture with the expectation that mindfulness-based reflective practice could enhance comprehension of course content and provide introspection for transformation. Two questions were studied: how to promote…

This research explored online graduate students' preferences using the Constructivist Internet-Based Learning Environment Survey (CILES) and how everyday learner attributes affected their preferences. The purpose of this study was to identify graduate students' preferences for various types of learning in order to aid designers with aligning…

As a part of the teacher licensure program at the graduate level at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), the M.Ed. licensure candidate is required to complete an action research project during a 3-semester-hour course that coincides with the 9-semester-hour student teaching experience or with school employment. This course, Education…

At a time when serious pronouncements and decisions about education are made by noneducators, it is important to take note of the practice and impact of teachers' collective reflective resistance. This means foregrounding learning that is organic, artful, and contemplative--that puts first the humanity of students and teachers. This is a story of…

This mixed-methods case study examined the notebook entries of one class of 22 second graders as a way of examining how teacher identity shaped the way students experienced their science curriculum. These notebook entries were created during lessons with three different teachers over the course of one school year, using similar kit-based materials…

Practical work is often noted as a core reason many students take on science in secondary schools (high schools). However, there are inherent difficulties associated with classroom practical work that militate against scientific inquiry, an approach espoused by many science educators. The use of interactive simulations to facilitate student…

While the purposes of design and science are often different, they share some key practices and processes. Design-based science learning, which combines the processes of engineering design with scientific inquiry, is one attempt to engage students in scientific reasoning via solving practical problems. Although research suggests that engaging…

The new National Curriculum Programme of Study for primary science in England includes most of the topics with which primary teachers are familiar. However, when looking at the science enquiry section, the changes are much more far-reaching. Science enquiry has been renamed as "working scientifically" and is integrated with developing…

In this article, we highlighted the stories of university student mentors who are involved in the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME). The AIME program works with young Indigenous school students, at primary and secondary school levels, to encourage continued participation in education and to consider university as a viable life…

Writing is central to academic development, permeates content area coursework and serves as both a vehicle for and a display of learning. For English learners (ELs), writing poses challenges, and teachers need preparation in how to understand and respond to these. This study reports 5 teacher inquiry processes that preservice teachers in one…

Augmented reality (AR) is currently considered as having potential for pedagogical applications. However, in science education, research regarding AR-aided learning is in its infancy. To understand how AR could help science learning, this review paper firstly has identified two major approaches of utilizing AR technology in science education,…

The need to reform science teacher preparation programs has been pointed out in research (Bryan and Abell in "J Res Sci Teach" 36:121-140, 1999; Bryan and Atwater in "Sci Educ" 8(6):821-839, 2002; Harrington and Hathaway in "J Teach Educ" 46(4):275-284, 1995). Science teachers are charged with the responsibility of…