Search

Due to the substantial emphasis on engineering in K-12 science education efforts in the USA, it is important for teachers to develop a deeper understanding of the nature of engineering (NOE) and the relationship between engineering and science. A deep understanding is characterized not only by the presence or absence of ideas but also by the interconnections among the ideas. There are few ways to measure the interconnections among the ideas associated with a deep understanding of NOE. The present proof-of-concept study addresses this need by providing a preliminary testing of card sort epistemic network analysis (cENA) and network models' potential to extend what can be learned about how preservice teachers conceptualize NOE. To test the potential of cENA, we used cENA with 52 preservice elementary teachers enrolled in a course emphasizing science and engineering practices. Our findings indicated a shift within the participant community's epistemic frame for NOE toward more expert-like views of NOE, including some emphasis on the application of science in engineering. The findings from this study suggest cENA may be a productive and fruitful methodology for capturing changes in students' understandings of NOE. cENA has the potential to guide science teacher educators' approaches in designing evidence-based learning experiences and interventions to improve learners' depth of understanding about NOE. Rigorous validation of cENA is now warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is substantial research in science education about students', teachers', and scientists' views of nature of science (NOS). Many studies have used NOS frameworks that focus on particular ideas such as tentativeness of scientific knowledge and cultural embeddedness of science. In this paper, we investigate NOS from the perspective of the Family Resemblance Approach (FRA) which considers clusters of ideas about science in terms of categories that offer a comprehensive analytical lens to studying NOS views. The empirical study re-analyzes NOS views obtained from 7 and 8th grade students, science teachers, and scientists using the FRA lens. Statements from all three groups were obtained using a free-write questionnaire on nature of knowledge and nature of knowing. The statements were reclassified using the FRA framework. Epistemic network analysis (ENA) was applied to the statements produced by each group of participants, and the resulting network models were interpreted and compared. The results show that student and teacher network models possessed no central idea, and more tangible ideas about science were frequently connected. Scientist network models showed more connections across their statements which indicate a higher degree of agreement and coherence among a variety of ideas compared to student and teacher network models. The paper discusses the findings as well as the methodological contributions, and concludes with implications for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In-depth understanding of nature of science (NOS) moves beyond knowledge of discrete NOS aspects to consider connections among NOS aspects. This study presents three teacher cases pre to post a nature of science graduate course to explore the potential of an innovative analytic approach that focuses on the connections individual learners make among NOS aspects, using individual epistemic network analysis (iENA). Participants' pre- and post-course Views of Nature of Science (VNOS) responses were analyzed using both traditional ratings of individual aspects as naïve, transitional, or informed. Then, the responses were coded for NOS connections, which were then modeled using iENA. Compared to traditional VNOS ratings of separate NOS aspects, iENA-based network models added association levels and clustering of NOS aspects. This clarified differences among the participants. Participants' post-course models showed more and more highly associated NOS aspects and increased clustering of NOS aspects, indicating more in-depth and integrated understandings. Additional improvements were recognized beyond those identified through traditional VNOS analysis for one participant who began the course with mostly informed understandings. Consideration of connections may be crucial to guide more effective interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An understanding of how science is enacted and how scientific knowledge is generated, or the nature of science (NOS), is a major goal of science education. NOS views have almost exclusively been assessed using the Views of Nature of Science (VNOS) suite of instruments, which consists of open-ended questions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of performing an Epistemic Network Analysis (ENA) from VNOS-B responses, using the group as the unit of analysis. Traditional scoring of the VNOS responses demonstrated that overall, participants shifted from emerging to more sophisticated views across all elements. An ENA provided a quick visualization of how participants connected NOS ideas. With regard to accuracy of participants' NOS understandings as a group, findings from traditional VNOS analysis and ENA converged on two main points, improvement of overall quality of knowledge and the identification of missing elements of NOS from responses. Some changes in participants' NOS understanding were identifiable in results from only the ENA. For example, prior to instruction, ENA showed three naive ideas about empiricism. After instruction, no naive statements remained in the responses about the empirical nature of science. ENA extends the traditional VNOS analysis by enabling the pinpointing of particular ideas that are meaningful to the group, indicating clusters of ideas that are related, and illustrating the way informed, transitional and naïve ideas intermingle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Next-Generation Science Standards (NGSS) challenge primary teachers and students to work and think like scientists and engineers as they strive to understand complex concepts. Teachers and teacher educators can leverage what is already known about inquiry teaching as they plan instruction to help students meet the new standards. This cross-case analysis of a multiple case study examined teacher practices in the context of a semester-long professional development course for elementary teachers. We reviewed lessons and teacher reflections, examining how kindergarten and first grade teachers incorporated NGSS scientific and engineering practices during inquiry-based instruction. We found that most of the teachers worked with their students on asking questions; planning and carrying out investigations; analyzing and interpreting data, using mathematics and computational thinking; and obtaining, evaluating and communicating information. Teachers faced challenges in supporting students in developing their own questions that could be investigated and using data collection strategies that aligned with students' development of number sense concepts. Also, some teachers overemphasized the scientific method and lacked clarity in how they elicited and responded to student predictions. Discussion focuses on teacher supports that will be needed as states transition to NGSS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elementary teachers in the United States are tasked with teaching all core subject matter and have training that involves many topics, which may limit the depth of their subject matter knowledge. Since they have low content knowledge, they often feel less confident about teaching technical subject matter, such as science (Bleicher Journal of Science Teacher Education 17:165-187, 2006). The problem of low confidence of elementary teachers for science instruction is exacerbated when they are expected to teach science using inquiry (Hanuscin et al. Science Education 95:145-167, 2010). Self-regulated learning microanalysis, which supports both instruction and assessment, can help teachers reflect on their learning processes. This technique may provide clues for teachers to improve strategies for learning and give information to professional development instructors to inform teacher professional development experiences. The purpose of this study was to examine self-regulatory learning cycles that fourteen elementary teachers experienced while engaged in learning about inquiry during a professional development. Results of this study showed that before the professional development, teachers reported low self-efficacy but high task value and perceived instrumentality for learning about inquiry. As the professional development progressed, teachers improved their goal setting skills, self-monitoring performance, and learning tactics. The self-regulated learning microanalysis revealed information not communicated in the professional development experience, which led to adaptation of the activities in real-time to meet the needs indicated on the self-regulated learning microanalysis reports. Measuring teacher learning processes allowed the professional development instructors to pinpoint difficulties and successes during the learning tasks, which aided in precise adaptation of experiences for teacher needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to describe connections among students' views of nature of science in relation to the goals of a curriculum delivered in a unique setting, one where a researcher and two teachers collaborated to develop a course devoted to teaching students about how knowledge is built in science. Students proceeded through a cycle of self-regulated phases, forethought, performance, and self-reflection, during each segment of the curriculum: (a) independent research, (b) knowledge building in the discipline of science, and (c) a citizen science project. Student views were measured at the beginning and end of the course using epistemic network analysis. The pretest map reported student understanding of science as experimentation and indicated three clusters representing the durability of knowledge, empirical evidence, and habits of mind, which were loosely connected and represented knowledge generation as external to personal thinking. The posttest map displayed a broader understanding of scientific endeavors beyond experimentation, a shift toward personal knowledge generation, and indicated a larger number of connections among three more tightly oriented clusters: empirical evidence, habits of mind, and tentativeness. Implications include the potential to build curriculum that purposefully considers reinforcing cycles of learning of the nature of science in different contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a need to arm students with noncognitive, or 21st Century, skills to prepare them for a more STEM-based job market. As STEM schools are created in a response to this call to action, research is needed to better understand how exemplary STEM schools successfully accomplish this goal. This conversion mixed method study analyzed student work samples and teacher lesson plans from seven exemplary inclusive STEM high schools to better understand at what level teachers at these schools are engaging and developing student 21st Century skills. Results: We found of the 67 lesson plans collected at the inclusive STEM high schools, 50 included instruction on 21st Century skills. Most of these lesson plans designed instruction for 21st Century skills at an introductory level. Few lesson plans encouraged multiple 21st Century skills and addressed higher levels of those skills. Although there was not a significant difference between levels of 21st Century skills by grade level, there was an overall trend of higher levels of 21st Century skills demonstrated in lesson plans designed for grades 11 and 12. We also found that lesson plans that lasted three or more days had higher levels of 21st Century skills. Conclusions: These findings suggest that inclusive STEM high schools provide environments that support the development of 21st Century skills. Yet, more can be done in the area of teacher professional development to improve instruction of high levels of 21st Century skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]