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Abstract: Students with the most significant cognitive disabilities (SCD) are the 1% of the total student population who have a disability or multiple disabilities that significantly impact intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviors and who require individualized instruction and substantial supports. Historically, these students have received little instruction in science and the science assessments they have participated in have not included age‐appropriate science content. Guided by a theory of action for a new assessment system, an eight‐state consortium developed multidimensional alternate content standards and alternate assessments in science for students in three grade bands (3–5, 6–8, 9–12) that are linked to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, ) and A Framework for K‐12 Science Education (Framework; National Research Council, ). The great variability within the population of students with SCD necessitates variability in the assessment content, which creates inherent challenges in establishing technical quality. To address this issue, a primary feature of this assessment system is the use of hypothetical cognitive models to provide a structure for variability in assessed content. System features and subsequent validity studies were guided by a theory of action that explains how the proposed claims about score interpretation and use depend on specific assumptions about the assessment, as well as precursors to the assessment. This paper describes evidence for the main claim that test scores represent what students know and can do. We present validity evidence for the assumptions about the assessment and its precursors, related to this main claim. The assessment was administered to over 21,000 students in eight states in 2015–2016. We present selected evidence from system components, procedural evidence, and validity studies. We evaluate the validity argument and demonstrate how it supports the claim about score interpretation and use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: In this paper, we propose Interactive Tutor Robot (ITR) to enhance collaborative e‐Learning system for Science and Technology education field. We implemented the robot with powerful communication specification to e‐Learning contents. It makes learner to get more efficient environment and education contents by a communication with tutor robot interactively. Based on this idea, we defined a simple prototype system to realize an experimental emotion on the target education contents, and tried to confirm a possibility to extend the function for collaborative e‐Learning system according to noble “Qualia” and “Awareness”. We propose one of methods to realize the two above concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory project considers the use of wonder as a pedagogical tool with preservice elementary teachers (PSETs). An ongoing vexation facing science teacher educators is helping future elementary teachers overcome anxiety and negative associations with science due to their own school science experiences, while simultaneously encouraging innovative and ambitious teaching practice. Utilizing wonder as a pedagogical tool for emotional and aesthetic engagement with science holds promise as an entry point to connect future teachers with meaningful science content and practice. The link between wonder and science is well-articulated by successful scientists throughout history, and yet is rarely employed explicitly within elementary or teacher education science learning contexts. Forging a pedagogy of wonder demands connection to the emotive embodiment of science as a uniquely human process that nurtures our intense need to know. This qualitative case study is an effort to better understand if utilizing pedagogy intentionally focused on wonder could impact PSETs' perceptions of science and scientific thinking. This paper describes the key findings that emerged while utilizing pedagogy steeped in wonder with PSETs, and the degree to which engaging with wonder impacted their perceptions of science and their future science teaching. This research supports the critical role that wonder could play in changing PSETs' relationship with science and assisting them in the development of the pedagogical courage necessary to envision possibilities beyond their past experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent calls for reform in education recommend science curricula to be based on central ideas instead of a larger number of topics and for alignment between current scientific research and curricula. Because alignment is rarely studied, especially for central ideas, we developed a methodology to discover the extent of alignment between primary literature (a proxy for current research) and textbooks (a common curricular resource that often drives curriculum). We illustrated the use of this methodology by applying it to the discipline of animal behavior based on the central ideas identified by Tinbergen (1963, Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie 20:410-433): causation, ontogeny, survival value, and evolution. We utilized deductive content analysis (both manual and automated) to collect data on how often these four ideas are addressed in animal behavior journal articles and the four most commonly used textbooks in the United States, identified by syllabi collected via a stratified random sample of U.S. post-secondary institutions ( n = 99). We observed an overall alignment between primary literature and textbooks in the use of the four central ideas-which suggests that the authors of animal behavior textbooks are meeting the suggestions provided by recent calls for reform that curriculum portrays current research. This paper illustrates the use of a methodology for evaluating the extent to which central ideas employed in primary research within a discipline are reflected within curricular resources. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 9999:1097-1118, 2017 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a study of second graders' learning about the nature of matter in the context of content-rich, model-based inquiry instruction. The goal of instruction was to help students learn to use simple particle models to explain states of matter and phase changes. We examined changes in students' ideas about matter, the coherence of their emerging particle models, and how classroom science discourse influenced students' learning. The study was conducted in two second grade classrooms in a rural Midwestern public school. We worked with the two teachers to help them design modeling activities for students to complement lessons from the Full Option Science System (FOSS™) science curriculum the teachers had previously used. Our data sources for student learning included individual interviews with students before and after they completed the set of Modeling in the Primary Grades (MPG) lessons, artifacts created by students during learning such as posters and science notebook entries, and videotapes of MPG lessons. Our findings suggest that second grade students who engaged in MPG model-based inquiry lessons learned to use simple particle models to describe and explain a variety of material phenomena. For example, they could use particle models to account for differences in the appearance and behavior of solids, liquids, and gases and to explain what happens to matter during phase transitions. We also found variations in how MPG teachers structured classroom discourse, and our results suggest that such variations are associated with differences in the coherence of student models. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 9999:988-1023, 2017 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific writing is integral to any scientific enterprise and constitutes an essential part of the toolkit of scientists to lead a successful career. But it remains a neglected area in science education, adversely impacting scientists' career advancement and institutional productivity. When English is the de facto language of science, inabilities to express clearly in English can have serious implications for (non‐native English speaking) scientists. Further, scientists in a multilingual society like India may face more such lingual complexities barring clear and precise writing. Keeping in view the risks and uncertainty associated with weather and climate, different stakeholders are increasingly demanding clear communication from the scientific community. However, we have little understanding about what scientists think about their writing skills and capabilities. This article presents results of a survey examining the perceptions and attitudes of Indian weather and climate scientists about their skills, experiences and training needs in scientific writing. Results suggest that the majority of scientists have difficulties in preparing quality manuscripts suitable for publication, and that they are willing to undergo skill enhancement training to overcome their shortcomings. Some interesting insights emerge from the analysis that would be useful in helping scientists improve their scientific writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecology lags among STEM disciplines in terms of recruiting and retaining undergraduate students from marginalized groups. A keystone element of many ecologists' training is an emphasis on field experiences at the undergraduate level, such as field research courses (FRCs), which involve undergraduates in research. FRCs and similar field experiences common in ecology (e.g., field technician position, thesis research) have been shown to increase feelings of self‐efficacy and belonging in students who engage with them, including students in marginalized groups. However, the design and implementation of many FRCs and other field experiences create barriers that prevent or limit successful engagement with marginalized students. Here, we present an established FRC model designed to decrease barriers to participation and propose strategies for assessing the success of such FRCs. We decreased many of these barriers by developing a sophomore‐level, one‐weekend, required FRC held at an ADA‐compliant research learning center in a national park at little‐to‐no cost to students. We review instruments useful for assessing the diverse positive outcomes of field experiences and present preliminary analysis for our course model, showing this course increases students' research self‐efficacy and sense of belonging. We believe that this course is a positive example of how intentionality in course design can generate a more equitable experience for students of ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document provides concise summaries of various scientific studies on a wide range of topics, including genetic diseases, biosensor systems, drug development, therapeutic targets, defense responses in plants, and more. The studies offer valuable insights into their respective fields and were conducted in different countries. For example, one study explores the potential use of microRNAs as a treatment for intracellular infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus, while another study analyzes pathogenic transthyretin variants associated with genetic amyloidosis. Additionally, the document highlights innovative educational approaches, such as an undergraduate course that integrates UN Sustainable Development Goals and critical thinking, as well as an online biochemistry course for medical students using case studies. [Extracted from the article]

This document provides a schedule of plenary lectures covering a range of topics in biology and biochemistry, offering valuable insights for researchers in these fields. It also discusses various topics related to biochemistry and genetics, providing insights into potential applications in medicine and biotechnology. The text explores research on cellular organelles, the role of RNA molecules in the brain, and the development of biosensors for environmental monitoring. The study on the effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on obesity and neurodegeneration using zebrafish as a model found that BPA induced obesity in the zebrafish and affected their brain function, suggesting a possible link between BPA exposure, obesity, and neurodegenerative diseases. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction: This paper examined individual, family, and peer roles in promoting Latinx youths' math and science performance. The role of maternal/paternal modeling in education was examined as shaping academic self-efficacy and, in turn, math/science grades among a population considered at risk of low academic achievement. Moreover, the study tested the moderating roles of class ethnic fit (i.e., feelings of fit based on having same-ethnic peers in class) and gender.Method: Cross-sectional data came from a southwestern U.S. sample of Latinx adolescents (N = 329; 54% female, Mage = 13.69 years, SD = 0.56) who reported on maternal/paternal educational modeling, academic self-efficacy, math/science grades, class ethnic fit, and gender.Results: Adolescents' perceptions of maternal modeling, but not paternal, related to higher levels of academic self-efficacy which, in turn, related to higher math/science performance. Moderation results revealed: (a) for adolescents who perceived low science class ethnic fit, high levels of parental modeling related to higher levels of academic self-efficacy which, in turn, were related to higher science grades, and (b) maternal modeling positively related to girls', but not boys', academic self-efficacy and paternal modeling positively related to girls', but not boys', math/science performance.Conclusions: These results suggest maternal modeling is a promotive factor, supporting Latinx youths' academic self-efficacy which, in turn, related to math/science grades. Additionally, a negative direct relation between maternal modeling and science grades suggests maternal modeling generally support academic self-efficacy, but not necessarily science attainment. These associations are nuanced as they are informed by context and parent-child gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been well documented that for many students science is difficult to learn. Thus, as a food chemistry teacher, it has been my mission to continually search for and implement better ways to help my students learn chemistry. One strategy for improved learning, based on Johnstone's Triangle, that has been shown to be exceedingly effective, is to intentionally and explicitly provide students with opportunities to see and experience chemistry at the macroscopic level (things they can observe), so that they can make a more meaningful and lasting connection to the molecular level (things they cannot directly observe). Thus, the focus of this article is to share with you six demonstrations and one assignment that help make chemistry visible to students, providing them with a macromolecular manifestation of a molecular level property or event. Featured demonstrations are grouped into two categories: The Properties of Water Demonstrations (Water's #1 Superpower: Hydrogen Bonding) and The Phase Transitions of Water Demonstrations (Water's #2 Superpower: Shapeshifting). The assignment is modeled after the popular Unwrapped TV series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In this paper, we use the concept of consequential learning to frame our exploration of what makes learning and doing science matter for youth from nondominant communities, as well as the barriers these youth must confront in working toward consequential ends. Data are derived from multimodal cases authored by four females from nondominant communities that present an account of 'science that matters' from their work during their middle school years. We argue that consequential learning in science for these girls involves engaging science with a commitment to their community. This form of engagement required the girls to develop bridging practices that allowed them to transform existing relationships among science and community for themselves and others despite normative barriers experienced in science. Our study expands upon current understandings of consequential learning through highlighting the vital role of sociohistorically constructed understandings of community in determining when, how, and why science learning and doing matters for youth. This view opens up new ways to understand how youth can and do contribute to the changing contexts in which science takes place, and toward the ways in which youth contributions alter what gets counted as learning, as being expert, and as meaningful participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advancements in science have led to an increasingly sophisticated understanding of the many ways in which humans benefit from environmental systems. These benefits, termed Ecosystem Services, are sparsely characterized in education literature, but were included in the most recent iteration of US national science standards: the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). In this paper, we introduce the concept of Ecosystem Services and discuss why it is emerging as an important idea to teach. Specifically, we present a definition and set of big conceptual ideas about ecosystem services developed using a Delphi technique: a method that uses repeat survey of a panel of experts in a domain, to reach a consensus about important ideas. Using the central ideas that emerged during this study, we developed a refined model of coupled human-environment systems that articulates multiple human populations as embedded within ecosystems, connected to these ecosystems near and far, and benefiting from the resources and conditions provisioned by these ecosystems. We discuss the implications of this model to future education research, as well as to future revisions of Disciplinary Core Ideas in the National Research Council Framework for Science Education. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 54:737-763, 2017 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research and reform efforts frequently identify evidence as an essential component of science classroom instruction to actively engage students in science practices. Despite this agreement on the primacy of evidence, there is a lack of consensus around what counts as 'evidence' in k-12 classrooms (e.g., ages 5-18): scholarship and standards in science education define evidence in a variety of ways including empirical data, analogy, personal experience, and scientific theories. We argue that this disagreement results in a wide range of classroom activities around evidence, including ones that recapitulate traditional science instruction focused on final form science and teachers as disseminators of information. In this paper, we develop design heuristics to inform the design of classroom learning environments that productively use scientific evidence for student sensemaking about the natural world by (i) selecting from the range of information a subset to use as scientific evidence; and (ii) designing classroom activities that support students collaboratively making sense of the natural world. In particular, we argue for three design heuristics that could potentially shift science classroom activities away from traditional 'problems of practice' to align more closely with the vision of science as a set of practices including: phenomena-based, transformable, and used dialogically. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 54:672-689, 2017 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While opportunities for spontaneous, undesigned, serendipitous science engagement (SSE) are abundant and evidence regarding its affordances is accumulating, little is known about its nature. In this paper, I present a model defining and identifying SSE, which consists of a personal and a contextual continuum. To explore the nature of family SSE, I analyzed a 66-minute case, obtained through self-ethnography, of three children and a mother engaging with bugs they discovered in their backyard. Employing the 'language games' approach, the analysis elucidates how the absence of designated goals enabled legitimate multiple language-games over relatively long periods of time, with one game supporting the other. It also reveals delayed uptake, in which children appear to ignore scientific practice or content, while they are actually picking up ideas that they later use to engage with science. Examining processes of guided participation reveals that it entailed authentic modeling and gradual participation in the sense-making game, without abandoning other games. I discuss implications for science learning and for learning theory more broadly, including parents' role in SSE, issues of time for and in SSE, and guided participation in academic activities lacking designated goals. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 54: 350-378, 2017 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT In this paper, we investigate the potential and conditions for using curriculum adaptation to support reform of science teaching and learning. With each wave of reform in science education, curriculum has played a central role and the contemporary wave focused on implementation of the principles and vision of the Framework for K-12 Science Education (National Research Council, 2012) is no exception. Curriculum adaptation-whereby existing curriculum materials are purposefully modified-may provide an important strategy for teacher leaders in schools and districts to support changes to teacher practice aligned with the vision of the Framework. Our study provides empirical evidence that under supportive district conditions and within a research-practice partnership, purposefully adapted curriculum materials can improve student understanding of science and that these are linked to shifts teachers make in classroom culture facilitated by augmented curriculum materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Scholars argue that bridging students' backgrounds with canonical science is necessary for students of color by reducing incongruences between home and school and increasing the authenticity of science learning. However, science teachers often struggle with enacting culturally responsive pedagogies (CRP). This paper utilizes data from classroom observations, group interviews, and numerous program artifacts to describe four themes associated with the knowledge and practices of six high school life science teachers as they learned about and attempted to enact CRP while participating in a professional development program. These themes include views of students that changed from a focus on indirect experiences and emphasizing what students lacked to direct experiences and discussions of resources that they brought to the classroom; repositioning of students and teachers that was originally undetectable but moved to situating students as leaders with authoritative knowledge that constructed products together; community building that was done to promote interaction, learning, and give voice to students; and utilizing a CRP toolbox of responsive strategies and relevant topics to create bridges between students' homes and school. At times, however, there was little connection to families' funds of knowledge and sporadic critical consciousness raising. Implications for equitable science teacher development are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT In this paper, we contend that what to teach about scientific reasoning has been bedeviled by a lack of clarity about the construct. Drawing on the insights emerging from a cognitive history of science, we argue for a conception of scientific reasoning based on six 'styles of scientific reasoning.' Each 'style' requires its own specific ontological and procedural entities, and invokes its own epistemic values and constructs. Consequently, learning science requires the development of not just content knowledge but, in addition, procedural knowledge, and epistemic knowledge. Previous attempts to develop a coherent account of scientific reasoning have neglected the significance of either procedural knowledge, epistemic knowledge, or both. In contrast, 'styles of reasoning' do recognize the need for all three elements of domain-specific knowledge, and the complexity and situated nature of scientific practice. Most importantly, 'styles of reasoning' offer science education a means of valorizing the intellectual and cultural contribution that the sciences have made to contemporary thought, an argument that is sorely missing from common rationales for science education. Second, the construct of 'styles of reasoning' offers a more coherent conceptual schema for the construct of scientific reasoning-one of the major goals of any education in the sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bringing multimodal and ethnographic approaches together, this paper seeks to identify key considerations, limitations, and implications of using photographs as primary data. We offer a concrete example of an approach that capitalizes on a systematic look at how different modes work together to foreground unique aspects of participation, while intentionally and explicitly maintaining ethnographic sensitivities. Key contributions include what it means to 'trust' photographs as data and use them for their strengths in evidence-careful ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early career teachers rarely receive sustained support for addressing issues of diversity and equity in their science teaching. This paper reports on design research to create a 30 hour professional development seminar focused on cultivating the interpretive power of early career teachers who teach science to students from historically non-dominant communities. Interpretive power refers to teachers' attunement to (a) students' diverse sense-making repertoires as intellectually generative in science and (b) expansive pedagogical practices that encourage, make visible, and intentionally build on students' ideas, experiences, and perspectives on scientific phenomena. The seminar sought to integrate student sense-making, scientific subject matter, teaching practice, and matters of equity and diversity on the same plane of professional inquiry by engaging participants in: (a) learning plant science; (b) analyzing classroom cases; (c) experimenting with expansive discourse practices in their classrooms; and (d) analyzing their classroom experiments in relation to student sense-making and expansive pedagogy. Twenty-eight teachers participated in two cycles of design research. An interview-based transcript analysis task captured shifts in teachers' interpretive power through their participation in the seminar. Findings showed that the teachers developed greater attunement to: complexity in students' scientific ideas; the intellectual generativity of students' sense-making; student talk as evidence of in-process, emergent thinking; and co-construction of meaning in classroom discussions. Findings also showed that participants developed deeper understanding of the functions of expansive teaching practices in fostering student sense-making in science and greater commitment to engaging in expansive practices in their classroom science discussions. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 53: 1571-1600, 2016 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research experience is increasingly considered an important component of science education at the secondary school and undergraduate levels. This paper presents a case study of students learning in a unique apprenticeship model in which students are engaged in long-term (18 month) open-ended research projects in physics that are done at the laboratory in school, and in which the project advisor is a physics teacher supported by a community of teacher-researchers. The goals of the study were to characterize what the students learned, how they perceived their inquiry and their role in it, the features of mentorship they received and the social-infrastructure in which they and their advisor functioned. Qualitative data were collected over a whole school year through interviews, weekly observations, and content analysis of the final research reports. Participants were the focus advisor, and some of his former and current project mentees. Data on the larger educational context were collected from other project advisors and their mentees. The study documented students' learning gains such as learning of scientific content and skills, internalization of scientific habits of thought as well as developing passion, interest, and agency with regard to science. It documented features of students' engagement that reflect deep involvement in the technical and epistemic aspects of the inquiry, and highlighted the specific features of mentorship, and the social infrastructure that fostered this learning and engagement. It concluded with a theoretical examination of the interaction between a cultural discipline (i.e., physics), the social infrastructure in which the advisor and the students function, the advisor's mentorship style, and the students' learning and engagement. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 53: 1172-1197, 2016 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hierarchical linear models have become a familiar method for accounting for a hierarchical data structure in studies of science and mathematics achievement. This paper illustrates the use of cross-classified random effects models (CCREMs), which are likely less familiar. The defining characteristic of CCREMs is a hierarchical data structure defined by multiple random factors at higher levels. We illustrate CCREMs using data for approximately 10,000 students from more than 250 high schools who attended one of 27 four-year postsecondary institutions. The appropriate use of CCREMs helps to ensure unbiased estimates of effects and credible inferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of group drawing to promote student‐generated representation is a common instructional strategy as it combines the benefits of using visual representation and collaborative talk. Although the affordances of group drawing have increasingly been emphasized in science education, few studies have investigated how drawing as a visual mode interacts with group discourse as a verbal mode as well as how that interaction facilitates the development of students' collective ideas. Informed by theories in classroom discourse and multimodality, this paper examines the interaction process between a verbal and visual mode of representation as groups of students engaged in collaborative drawing during guided science inquiry lessons. On the basis of the analysis of data from a science class that adopted group drawing, we found and documented a recurring pattern, Plan‐Draw‐Evaluate or PDE pattern, in how the interaction between the verbal and visual modes occurred during collaborative drawing. This PDE pattern consisted of a triad of moves that alternate between the two modes and fulfilled various discursive purposes, such as suggesting, requesting, recording, visualizing, elaborating, agreeing, and rejecting. The PDE pattern provided a basic social structure that facilitated the collaboration and progression of students' ideas. With illustrations of PDE patterns and its variations, we argue that the PDE pattern provides an insight into the dynamic organization of interactions involved in group drawing that takes into consideration the multimodal affordances of verbal and visual modes of representation and the progression of ideas developed through collaborative discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on previous research that has described the underrepresentation of women of color in science fields, this paper presents case studies of Black middle school girls to examine how their science identities developed over space and time. Data were collected over the course of their seventh‐grade year in both in school (science classroom) and out‐of‐school (afterschool club) contexts. The Multidimensionality of Black Girls' STEM Learning framework was used to explore the role of the afterschool club as a counterspace and how students made sense of science, science people, and their current and future selves based on their experiences in school and after school science contexts. All three participants struggled to see their future selves as scientists and made distinctions amongst being a science person, a person who likes science, or a scientist. They also negotiated views of science as active and hands‐on in the afterschool setting while experiencing more passive and decontextualized forms of science in the formal school setting. Implications include a need to disrupt the culture of science and reimagine formal science education by learning from out‐of‐school time science programs that function as counterspaces to support Black girls' science identity. We conclude that there remains a need to draw attention to and understand the role of race and racism in science education so that Black girls' science identities are affirmed beyond counterspaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All the while, Dick calmly explained the improvements underway at the FDA in more than 50 congressional hearings, many of which were made difficult by harsh but often unfair public criticism of the FDA. Dick will long be remembered by the drug development and drug regulatory communities for his highly influential role as Director of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Bureau of Drugs from 1971-1982, a time during which much of what we now recognize as the essential features of a well-controlled study were identified and incorporated into drug development. Even these regulations had little impact on FDA review practices until the 1970s during Dick's tenure at the FDA. [Extracted from the article]

Recently, the use of machine‐learning (ML) models for pharmacokinetic (PK) modeling has grown significantly. Although most of the current approaches use ML techniques as black boxes, there are only a few that have proposed interpretable architectures which integrate mechanistic knowledge. In this work, we use as the test case a one‐compartment PK model using a scientific machine learning (SciML) framework and consider learning an unknown absorption using neural networks, while simultaneously estimating other parameters of drug distribution and elimination. We generate simulated data with different sampling strategies to show that our model can accurately predict concentrations in extrapolation tasks, including new dosing regimens with different sparsity levels, and produce reliable forecasts even for new patients. By using a scenario of fitting PK data with complex absorption, we demonstrate that including known physiological structure into an SciML model allows us to obtain highly accurate predictions while preserving the interpretability of classical compartmental models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Research has identified the core skills that predict success during primary school in reading and arithmetic, and this knowledge increasingly informs teaching. However, there has been no comparable work that pinpoints the core skills that underlie success in science. Aims and method The present paper attempts to redress this by examining candidate skills and considering what is known about the way in which they emerge, how they relate to each other and to other abilities, how they change with age, and how their growth may vary between topic areas. Results There is growing evidence that early-emerging tacit awareness of causal associations is initially separated from language-based causal knowledge, which is acquired in part from everyday conversation and shows inaccuracies not evident in tacit knowledge. Mapping of descriptive and explanatory language onto causal awareness appears therefore to be a key development, which promotes unified conceptual and procedural understanding. Conclusions This account suggests that the core components of initial science learning are (1) accurate observation, (2) the ability to extract and reason explicitly about causal connections, and (3) knowledge of mechanisms that explain these connections. Observational ability is educationally inaccessible until integrated with verbal description and explanation, for instance, via collaborative group work tasks that require explicit reasoning with respect to joint observations. Descriptive ability and explanatory ability are further promoted by managed exposure to scientific vocabulary and use of scientific language. Scientific reasoning and hypothesis testing are later acquisitions that depend on this integration of systems and improved executive control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most frequently cited goals for science education over the years has been to provide students with the understanding and skills necessary to engage in science-related civic issues. Despite the repeated insistence on the importance of this kind of democratic participation, there has been little effort in the research community either to define just what science-related civic engagement entails or to ask whether the research or practices in the field are suited to accomplishing this goal. In this paper we take a step toward this end by offering a precise definition of science-related civic engagement drawing on work from the fields of philosophy and political theory. We argue that such engagement can be found in instances requiring both the use and production of scientific knowledge and examine the various avenues of that engagement. We then explore some implications such a definition might have for thinking about science education research and practice. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 53: 805-820, 2016 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This informal learning research project examined how guided participation processes support the use of cultural tools (such as scientific equipment) during a nature walk at one nature center. This paper analyzed family interactions outdoors using microethnographic methods. An informal learning framework based on guided participation and cultural tools allowed for an in-depth investigation of social facilitation used by a working class family: a grandmother, a mother, and two young sons. We identified three findings related to guided participation strategies that facilitated the use of cultural tools for this family, which are discussed in detail: (1) one guided participation process that emerged was the facilitating physical movements related to cultural tool use; (2) a second guided participation process that emerged was balancing the access to cultural tools to reflect family goals for both social harmony and supporting science interests; and (3) trail-based designed learning settings where outdoor explorations occur are important, but understudied, sites of learning for rural families. Implications of the study included the analytical importance of the constructs of cultural tools, guided participation, and embodied science knowledge for advancing research on family learning related to biology and environmental sciences. The research also suggested an expanded view of what counts as an informal science learning institution by including nature trails and related outdoor spaces alongside museums, science centers, and zoos in order to represent the everyday learning activities of rural families. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 53: 919-942, 2016 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT There is increased attention in the science education community on the importance of engaging students in the practices of science. However, there is much to be learned about how students enter into and sustain their engagement in these practices. In this paper, we argue that epistemic affect-feelings and emotions experienced within science, such as the excitement of having a new idea or irritation at an inconsistency-is part of what instigates and stabilizes disciplinary engagement. We first discuss affect as evident in accounts of professionals; we then show its emergence and role in 2 case studies of elementary school students. In the end, we argue that epistemic affect is part of the substance that students should learn in science, and we discuss implications for research and instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concept map activities often lack a subsequent revision step that facilitates knowledge integration. This study compares two collaborative critique activities using a Knowledge Integration Map (KIM), a form of concept map. Four classes of high school biology students (n=81) using an online inquirybased learning unit on evolution were assigned to one of two conditions. Student dyads in one condition compared their concept maps against an expert map while dyads in the other condition conducted a peerreview. Analysis of the concept maps suggests that students in both conditions improved their understanding of evolution from pretest to posttest. However, the two conditions lead to different criteria: Students in the expert-map condition focused mostly on concept-focused criteria like concept classification while students in the peer-review condition used more link-focused criteria like link labels and missing connections. This paper suggests that both forms of KIM critique activities can be beneficial for constructing more coherent connections across different topics in evolution education. These results support the value of collaborative KIM critique activities and help clarify the forms of collaborative activities that are most likely to be effective to facilitate knowledge integration processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Even though human racial difference has been a longstanding topic of the school biology curriculum, there is little evidence that contemporary biology textbooks challenge stereotypical racial beliefs that are based in biological thinking. Rather, the modern biology curriculum may be a place where such beliefs about race are perpetuated unwittingly. Drawing upon a theoretical framework of racial conceptualization based in psychological essentialism, this paper argues that biology textbook curricula ought to directly challenge problematic and unscientific racial beliefs to increase understanding of human genetic variation and decrease racial beliefs associated with prejudice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulatory science, a complex field which draws on science, law, and policy, is a growing discipline in medical-related applications. Competencies help define both a discipline and the criteria to measure high-quality learning experiences. This paper identifies competencies for regulatory science, how they were developed, and broader recommendations to enhance education and training in this burgeoning field, including a multifaceted training approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the accounts of science teachers working within the UK's only 'museum school' and what they perceive as the benefits and shortcomings of 'museum pedagogy' as a process of object-based teaching (and learning). Museum pedagogy is in this context considered for its potential in harmonising informal and formal approaches to science education. Discussion focuses on teachers' use of cultural artefacts as a pedagogical strategy intended both to ignite the imagination and enthusiasm of learners in science and harmonise their social and scientific worlds. Museum pedagogy is concurrently considered for the extent to which it ameliorates teachers' relational proximity and instructional fluency with their students and enhances their performance as role models and stewards in science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perhaps they will start you on a path to deliberately broaden your communications bandwidth. For a multitude of reasons, water-related problems are already core considerations of climate change. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction: Troilite (FeS) is the most common sulfide mineral which presented in meteorites of different types. Troilite is an important mineral for the investigation of shock metamorphism in meteorites. Its spectral properties are sensitive to the space weathering of planetary bodies, as well as to the shock or thermal history of the matter [1]. In the present work we discuss of a troilite macro- and microstructure characterization by the means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Х-ray spectroscopy. Materials and Methods: Small samples of ordinary chondrites Chelyabinsk (LL5, S4, W0), Northwest Africa 869 (L4-6, S3, W1), Tsarev (L5), Ravar (H4, S1, W3), Kharabali (H5, S2, W1) and Marsa Alam 009 (H6, S3, W3) were powdered at the agate mortar. Then troilite grains were isolated from the powders using a method of magnetic separation. Polished sections of meteorites were studied by scanning electron microscopy using ΣIGMA VP (Carl Zeiss) with EDS X-max 80 (Oxford Instruments). The phase composition of the meteorite samples and structural parameters of troilite were investigated using diffractometer Bruker D8 Advance (Bruker) with the monochromatic Сo Kα radiation. Their chemical composition was determined by the WDXRF spectrometer Supermini 200 (Rigaku). Results and discussion: From the data on the phase composition of the before mentioned ordinary chondrites, it was noted that troilite was presented in all the samples. The parameters of the unit cell for FeS phase were determined as following: Chelyabinsk - «a» = 5.954 (2) Å, «c» = 11.517 (1) Å, V = 353.638 (1) ų; NWA 869 - «a» = 5.995 (3) Å, «c» = 11.448 (1) Å, V = 356.382 (5) ų; Tsarev - «a» = 5.953 (2) Å, «c» = 11.500 (6) Å, V = 352.96 (3) ų; Ravar - «a» = 5.958 (3) Å, «c» = 11.515 (1) Å, V = 354.03 (4) ų; Kharabali - «a» = 5.964 (5) Å, «c» = 11.498 (1) Å, V = 354.24 (7) ų; Marsa Alam 009 - «a» = 5.960 (3) Å, «c» = 11.604 (2) Å, V = 357.06 (7) ų. The difference between cell parameters obtained and parameters of stoichiometric troilite FeS («a» = 5.961 (3) Å, «c» = 11.519 (2) Å, V = 354.47 ų (Powder Diffraction File ICDD)) is due to a deficiency of the iron cations in the troilite crystal lattice. Therefore, it confirms that the troilite of the ordinary chondrites has non-stoichiometric composition Fe1-xS. The paper [2] presented experimental data for the compound Fe1-xS in a range of degrees of non-stoichiometry 0.004≤x≤0.143. The functional dependence of the interplanar distance (d) of the main troilite peak (114) as a function of x turned out to be almost linear for small values of x. Using that dependence, we determined the degree of non-stoichiometry x for the troilite from samples: Chelyabinsk - x = 0.087; NWA 869 - x = 0.099; Tsarev - x = 0.086; Ravar - x = 0.084; Kharabali - x = 0.086; Marsa Alam 009 - x = 0.052. These results correlate well with the previously obtained data on the chemical composition of troilite. Parameters of the fine structure of troilite such as microstrains ε = Δd/d and coherent length (crystallites size) D were calculated from the X-Ray spectra using Williamson-Hall method. It was noted, that the values of microdeformations of troilite from chondrites correlate well with the degree of the impact load which meteorites experienced during their cosmic evolution. It was confirmed by the data for all the meteorites involved in the current study. Moreover, this tendency allows this method to be applied to the samples with an unknown degree of shock metamorphism. For example, as far as there are no data on the shock stage of Tsarev L5 at the Meteoritical Bulletin, it was noteworthy to estimate it. Furthermore, by this method we determined the degree of shock metamorphism for the troilite from Tsarev ordinary chondrite between S3 and S4. This estimation corresponds to the degree of metamorphism from [3], established previously by optical microscopy method. Acnowledgements: This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, project № FEUZ-2020-0059. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This paper reports on a case study of the teacher's role as facilitator in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) settings in science. In naturalistic classroom settings, the teacher most often acts as an important resource and provides various forms of guidance during students' learning activities. Few studies, however, have focused on the role of teacher intervention in CSCL settings. By analyzing the interactions between secondary school students and their teacher during a science project, the current study provides insight into the concerns that teachers might encounter when facilitating students' learning processes in these types of settings. The analyses show that one main concern was creating a balance between providing the requested information and supporting students in utilizing each other's knowledge and understanding. Another concern was balancing support on an individual versus group level, and a third concern was directing the students' attention to coexisting conceptual perspectives. Most importantly, however, the analyses show how teacher intervention constitutes the pivotal 'glue' that aids students in linking and using coexisting aspects of support such as peer collaboration, digital tools, and instructional design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I offer a critique of A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (NRC, 2012) and of the Next Generation Science Standards (Achieve, 2013). While the new version of the science education standards and the arguments put forward to support them are an improvement from the previous version of the NRC Science Education Standards, we must pause and reflect on the implications on jumping on another education reform, fast moving train. Using sociotransformative constructivism as a guiding theoretical lens, I argued that the Conceptual Framework and NGSS documents fall short due to the lack of retrospection, the on-going contradictory discourses, and the lack of voice and representation in the development of these important policy documents. Suggestions for improvement and discussion are offered in hope that we might prevent the NGSS from having as little impact on teachers' practice and on students' learning as the previous version of the national science education standards had. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 52: 1031-1051, 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent school science curriculum developments in many countries emphasise that scientists derive evidence for their claims through different approaches; that such practices are bound up with disciplinary knowledge; and that the quality of data should be appreciated. This position paper presents an understanding of the validity of data as a set of conceptual relationships, illustrating the application of the network of ideas and their inter-relationships necessary for the ‘thinking behind the doing’ with examples from practice. We explore ways in which this understanding of data is inherently related to underpinning disciplinary ideas. We suggest how the recognition of a conceptual basis for understanding the quality of data represents an ontological shift with respect to widespread characterisations of scientific practices which addresses some long-standing issues in science education research, policy, curricula and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY Evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) has undergone dramatic transformations since its emergence as a distinct discipline. This paper aims to highlight the scope, power, and future promise of evo-devo to transform and unify diverse aspects of biology. We articulate key questions at the core of eleven biological disciplines-from Evolution, Development, Paleontology, and Neurobiology to Cellular and Molecular Biology, Quantitative Genetics, Human Diseases, Ecology, Agriculture and Science Education, and lastly, Evolutionary Developmental Biology itself-and discuss why evo-devo is uniquely situated to substantially improve our ability to find meaningful answers to these fundamental questions. We posit that the tools, concepts, and ways of thinking developed by evo-devo have profound potential to advance, integrate, and unify biological sciences as well as inform policy decisions and illuminate science education. We look to the next generation of evolutionary developmental biologists to help shape this process as we confront the scientific challenges of the 21st century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sociologists have increasingly come to recognize that the discipline has unduly privileged textual representations, but efforts to incorporate visual and other media are still only in their beginning. This paper develops an analysis of the ways objects of knowledge are translated into other media, in order to understand the visual practices of sociology and to point out unused possibilities. I argue that the discourse on visual sociology, by assuming that photographs are less objective than text, is based on an asymmetric media-determinism and on a misleading notion of objectivity. Instead, I suggest to analyse media with the concept of translations. I introduce several kinds of translations, most centrally the distinction between tight and loose ones. I show that many sciences, such as biology, focus on tight translations, using a variety of media and manipulating both research objects and representations. Sociology, in contrast, uses both tight and loose translations, but uses the latter only for texts. For visuals, sociology restricts itself to what I call 'the documentary': focusing on mechanical recording technologies without manipulating either the object of research or the representation. I conclude by discussing three rare examples of what is largely excluded in sociology: visual loose translations, visual tight translations based on non-mechanical recording technologies, and visual tight translations based on mechanical recording technologies that include the manipulation of both object and representation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a case study approach, this manuscript describes the professional transformation of Gary-an Anglo, male novice teacher-by focusing on his first two years of teaching in a culturally diverse and economically disadvantaged school. As a participant of a larger hybrid, intervention project with peers, Gary received multiple hands-on and minds-on experiences for implementing sociotransformative constructivism (sTc) during the science methods courses and two summer institutes. sTc integrates cross-cultural education with social constructivism to provide a framework for teaching and learning that is more critical, inclusive, relevant, and connected to students' everyday lives. Using the structure-agency dialectic as an analytic tool, Gary's emerging sense of agency is documented in terms of two major themes: institutional challenges and sociocultural challenges. Moving away from traditional narratives of despair, this paper offers instead a narrative of engagement-a frank account of the struggles beginning teachers are likely to encounter (especially in culturally diverse contexts), as well as the potential successes they could enact through their agency. Suggestions are provided for enhancing the professional preparation of science teachers and for teacher education programs and school districts to move beyond good intentions and mission statements toward more transformative action. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 52: 448-460, 2015 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data collected from two multiyear teacher professional development projects employing randomized control trials, this study describes the development and validation of a paper-based test of elementary teachers' science content knowledge (SCK). Evidence of construct validity is presented, including evidence on internal structural features using Rasch measurement models. Results from 183 treatment group and 176 control group teachers from Project 1 demonstrated that the SCK test had acceptable person reliability at baseline; at later time points the test was easy for the teachers and person reliability was below acceptable. Results from Project 1 informed changes made to the test for use in Project 2, including an increase in the difficulty level and the development of two equated forms. Results from the 148 treatment and 139 control teachers from Project 2 demonstrated that the test had acceptable reliability across two time points and was a better match to teachers' SCK. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 52: 371-396, 2015 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the authors discusses various reports within the issue on topics including science education, communication training, and scientific research.

ABSTRACT Increasing evidence suggests that individuals develop their understanding of science concepts in and out of school, using varied community resources and networks. Thus in contrast to historic research approaches that focus exclusively on single organizations and/or educational events, the current paper presents exploratory research in which we utilized specific community ecology analytical tools and approaches to describe and analyze the U.K. science education community as a whole. Data suggest that overall the U.K. science education community is highly interconnected, and collaborative within individual sectors and moderately interconnected and collaborative between sectors; schools and to a lesser degree universities were outliers to this pattern. An important conclusion was that management to maximize the effectiveness of science education the U.K. science education community would involve support for continued diversification of the number of science education entities in the system and encouragement of reciprocally collaborative, synergistic relationships. We posit that systemic research enables a broader, more comprehensive view of a system's strengths and weaknesses, offering useful insights into the structure and functioning of science education activities; insights that could help researchers, practitioners, and policy makers improve the overall quality of science education delivery for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the development and implementation of a professional development workshop series on integrating mobile phones into science teaching for a group of teachers in Sri Lanka. The series comprised a 3-day Planning Workshop followed by implementation of the planned lessons in real classrooms and a subsequent 1-day Reviewing Workshop. During the Planning Workshop, teachers were provided with a hands-on-session on the use of mobile phones in science teaching followed by collaborative lesson planning activities. The methodological approach taken to evaluating the initiative was qualitative, and data were collected using observations and fieldnotes. The data were analysed using thematic analysis techniques with the support of NVivo8 (QSR International Pty Ltd., Victoria, Australia) qualitative data analysis software. It was found that as professional development for teachers was provided separately as Planning and Reviewing Workshops, these workshops supported the teachers in recognising the educational potential of mobile phones, in learning how to use them in science teaching and learning, in changing their attitudes towards the use of mobile phones in teaching and in sharing knowledge and skills relating to mobile phone applications in science teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]