The Thomas B. Fordham Institute monitored the evolution of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) through two public drafts, on both of which reviewers provided extensive feedback and recommendations for improvement. This third Fordham Review of the (NGSS) is the product of a nine member team that includes practicing scientists and…

Improving youth science comprehension in the United States is imperative to reverse current trends in student achievement and to meet an expected shortage of scientists in the future. This lag in achievement scores and need for future scientists is a problem. One challenge is to link inquiry-based learning and experiential education with…

This paper is aimed at elucidating the current state of inquiry-based science education (IBSE) in Zambia's high school science curriculum. Therefore, we investigated Zambian teachers' conceptions of inquiry; determined inquiry levels in the national high school science curriculum materials, which include syllabi, textbooks and practical exams; and…

The purpose of this study is to analyze 9th grade physics, chemistry and biology curriculums, which were implemented by the Ministry of Education since the academic year 2008-2009, in terms of scientific literacy themes and the balance of these themes and also to examine the quality of statements about objectives. Physics, chemistry, and biology…

This paper reports on the way three Bangladeshi science teachers perceive scientific literacy, translate their perspectives into classroom teaching, the values they consider pertaining scientific literacy and the issues they perceive as challenging in their teaching. Employing a case study approach, data in this research were gathered through…

As indicated in a previous Teaching Science article, effective planning for curricula integration requires using standards from two (or more) subject areas (e.g., Science and English, Science and Art or Science and Mathematics), which also becomes the assessment foci for teaching and learning. Curricula integration of standards into an activity…

The evolution in undergraduate medical school curricula has significantly impacted anatomy education. This study investigated the perceived role of clinical anatomy and evaluated perceptions of medical students' ability to apply anatomical knowledge in the clinic. The aim of this study was to develop a framework to enhance anatomical educational…

Student attitudes about learning science and student ideas about the nature of science were compared at the end of two astronomy courses taught in Fall 2007, a course with a traditional astronomy curriculum and a transformed course, whose traditional astronomy curriculum was supplemented by an embedded curriculum that explicitly addressed the…

In her article, "The Scientification of Skin Whitening and the Entrepreneurial University- Linked Corporate Scientific Officer," published in this issue, Amina Mire (2012) deconstructs the tacit investments implicit in such discourses of beauty, in particular those linked to cosmetic products that purport to fight the "war on aging" through the…

Perspectives on Science (POS) is a unique research-based post-16 course that addresses the history, philosophy and ethical aspects of science. Our central research question was to what extent is POS successful in promoting high-quality discussion in class and what factors influence this. Through questionnaires, interviews and observations of…

A disconnect exists between students and biology that is often propagated by information-dense lectures that provide little opportunity for integrative learning and reflection. The author's professional development activities have allowed him to build upon his pedagogical creativity and develop a structured reflective ePortfolio-based microbiology…

The Center for Mathematics and Science Education at Texas A&M University contracted with Region 4 Education Service Center (ESC) and a large, diverse school district to conduct a longitudinal study from 2005-2009. The state achievement test scores of 5th graders who were taught using a Grade 5 science textbook designed by Region 4 ESC were…

Today's high school science teachers find themselves in a period of transition. For the past decade there have been calls for replacing a narrow focus on science education--the traditional courses in physics, chemistry, biology, and Earth and space science--with a broader curriculum on STEM (that is, the four allied fields of science, technology,…

The Malaysian Ministry of Education strongly emphasises the development of science process skills, as evidenced by the stipulation of seven basic and five integrated science process skills into the science curriculum across grade levels and scientific disciplines. As such, there is a pressing need to assess the acquisition of these science process…

This six-year study involved an evaluation of whether student-learning gains for an online homework system that emphasized areas in which students are known to have difficulties--molecular-level conceptualization and visualization, and being able to recognize and relate a concept when it is represented symbolically, numerically, or visually--could…