Background/purpose: Scientific literacy plays a crucial role in fostering inquiry and scientific understanding. This article examines the integration of scientific literacy in elementary school science textbooks through an inquiry-based pedagogical approach, employing a semiotic perspective. This study aims to assess the implementation of science…

For the advancement of humanity, scientific creativity is a crucial skill for coming up with innovations, addressing existing issues and interpreting particular scientific phenomena. The present study aimed to determine the scientific creativity level of 23 primary school students. In a single cross-sectional study, a descriptive survey…

Although previous research provides insights into how gestures function as a pedagogical tool, relatively little is known about how gesture is related to language, together creating a key meaning-making teaching resource. Drawing on the system of logico-semantic relations in Systemic Functional Linguistic theory and McNeill's description of…

This study aims to map the purposes, content and teaching approaches of science teaching aimed at schoolchildren aged 6-12 years outside the regular school setting, as described in previous research. The findings are based on a systematic search in four databases and three journals, resulting in the selection of 51 articles based on specific…

Science knowledge is deeply intertwined with human values, ethics and societal needs. While science is often perceived as value-neutral, the authors argue that the intertwined nature of science and values can be modelled from the early stages of education. This article shares examples of how individual, collective, and planetary values can shape…

To cultivate the capability of making informed decisions on socioscientific issues, ideally, we hope students would engage in discerning and evaluating justifications for and against different positions while constructing well-structured, persuasive arguments. When argumentations do not develop ideally, it is important to understand the…

Purpose: Historically, graduate education's goal was to prepare academics; now most science, technology, engineering and/or mathematics (STEM) graduate students (GSs) go on to nonacademic careers. STEM GSs must be equipped for success regardless of career aspirations, which can be done by strengthening GSs' professional identities. This study aims…

Introduction: The research analyses four science primary school textbooks designed for the 3rd grade. Methods: The textbooks were analysed using various methods and procedures. It was determined which of the examined textbooks is the most educationally effective, meaning it not only provides information from the respective field and focuses on…

Within elementary science reform, time is a crucial consideration, yet conceptions of time in education research are undertheorized. To address this gap, we use sociological literature to identify three conceptions of time that help us understand and interpret leaders' and teachers' sensemaking and decision making about time in their efforts to…

School principals play a pivotal role in directing students' classroom educational experiences. However, in the USA, many elementary principals (serving youth 5-12 years old) have had few formal experiences with professional development or coursework that centers on current standards for quality science instruction as guided by the "Framework…

Forces and motion are at the heart of physics and children start learning from the moment they are able to interact with the world. Children as young as one year show surprise when a ball does not behave as expected. This is a tremendous bonus to learning physics, but it has hidden dangers: they only learn how things move on the Earth, where we…

An important goal in early childhood science education is students' development of academic language. However, scholars disagree on whether academic language must be explicitly taught or whether it can be learned through immersive science experiences. In this case study of a co-taught second grade classroom, we use positioning theory and framings…

This study aims to reveal the applicability of the theory of multiple intelligences, based on daily life problem-solving skills, in primary school fourth-grade science courses. The study was conducted using an action research design. The participant group of the research consisted of 23 students, their parents, and the classroom teacher. The data…

Thermal cameras have shown to have utility in secondary school classrooms and undergraduate courses. In this paper, the author argues for their potential in the primary school classroom and presents a range of activities that can be undertaken with thermal cameras (or supplied images). With limited access in mind, the activities in this paper have…

Science educators now broadly recognize the multimodal nature of learning in science, where learners make meanings within modes (linguistic, mathematical, visual, and actional) by using the conventions of different sign systems or grammars in these modes. However, how teachers guide students to link and infer new meanings across modes, called…