Comparative Perspectives on Inquiry-Based Science Education

The National Science Education Standards as well as the 2061 project reaffirm the conviction that inquiry is central to the achievement of scientific literacy. The National Science Education Standards use the term inquiry in two ways: (1) inquiry as content understanding, in which students have opportunities to construct concepts, patterns, and to create meaning about an idea in order to explain what they experience and (2) inquiry in terms of skills and abilities. Under the category of abilities or skills, Bybee includes identifying and posing scientifically oriented questions, forming hypotheses, designing and conducting scientific investigations, formulating and revising scientific explanations, and communicating and defending scientific arguments. It is suggested that many of these abilities and skills are in alignment with those that characterize inquiry-type laboratory work, an activity that puts the student in the center of the learning process. Thus, the following chapter will mainly deal with the inquiry-based science education in the laboratory.

Floating Fishes: An Activity Investigating Overfishing, Buoyancy & Gas Compressibility

Fish species are an important food resource all over the world, but the fishing practices of human beings are slowly driving many fish species to extinction. However, little is being done to communicate the problem of overfishing to the general public. In this three-part activity, students are introduced to the concepts of buoyancy and overfishing in an effort to provide a glimpse of how interesting fish are, and to raise awareness of overfishing. The students investigate buoyancy and gas compressibility by recreating a mysterious boat-sinking in the classroom, and by manipulating the buoyancy of artificial fish. By engaging in “fishing expeditions” with diminishing returns, the students learn why fish populations decline when we take too many of them. Throughout the activity, students have the opportunity to learn science as inquiry and the nature of science as presented in the National Science Education Standards.

Analysis of Individual Test Of Astronomy STandards (TOAST) Item Responses

<p>The development of valid and reliable strategies to efficiently determine the knowledge landscape of introductory astronomy college students is an effort of great interest to the astronomy education community. This study examines individual item response rates from a widely used conceptual understanding survey, the Test Of Astronomy Standards (TOAST). The TOAST, a 27-item, multiple-choice format, criterion-referenced test, addresses both the full range of topics commonly taught in a one- or two-semester undergraduate introductory astronomy survey courses, and concepts described in various national science education standards, frameworks, and reform documents. The present study involves an examination of responses by 1104 participants, allowing for a rigorous item-by-item and distractor-by-distractor analysis of students’ responses. The results suggest that each individual TOAST item is functioning appropriately across a broad range of students, and has sufficient sensitivity to identify notable student misconceptions. These results also provide an opportunity to identify target areas of opportunity for astronomy education researchers that remain largely unstudied.</p>

An Analysis of Engineering Educational Standards and Outcomes Achieved by a Robotics Summer Camp Experience

Summer camps can be an effect method of encouraging children and teenagers to learn about career options and grow interest in careers for which there is a national shortage of young professionals, such as engineering. These camps can offer opportunities beyond what a normal school can offer, and achieve specific educational goals that would be difficult to realize in a traditional classroom setting. A robotics summer camp curriculum was developed in accordance with the age specific standards from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and the National Science Education Standards (NSES). To link this to the engineering skills that are developed in college, the resultant student experience was evaluated in the context of the engineering outcomes for a four year engineering degree defined by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET). The robotics summer camp was evaluated for its effectiveness building a foundation and supporting the skills that a student should develop in a college engineering program. Pre and post tests were given and scored with a standard rubric. The questions were mapped to the specific ABET outcomes which best align with the goals of the summer camp. The test scores will show the degree of improvement in various areas of engineering and problem solving. The resulting data shows the strengths of the summer camp and identify areas that can be targeted for improvement, to make a larger impact on the attendees.

Inquiry Practices in Malaysian Secondary Classroom and Model of Inquiry Teaching based on Verbal Interaction

Purpose – Inquiry teaching has been suggested as one of the important approaches in teaching chemistry. This study investigates the inquiry practices among chemistry teachers. Method – A combination of quantitative and qualitative study was applied in this study to provide detailed information about inquiry teaching practices. Questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and field notes were used. 23 chemistry teachers participated in this study. 92 chemistry lessons were audio and video recorded, which subsequently were transcribed in verbatim. By applying descriptive statistics, the frequencies and percentages of each category in the observation instrument were determined. Findings – Most of the questions made by the teachers and students were closed-ended questions. Teachers in this study practised wait-time after asking questions. Meanwhile, it was found that most of the students’ questions were followed by answer given by the teacher and the sequence after students’ answers was followed by explanation from the teacher. Students were merely following teacher’s explanation or procedures in text book before carrying out experiment. The mean of students’ ability to provide further explanation was very low. Significance – A model of inquiry teaching based on verbal interaction was proposed as a guide for chemistry teachers to implement inquiry teaching in order to be in line with the Malaysian National Science Education Standards.

Using a Combined Approach of Guided Inquiry & Direct Instruction to Explore How Physiology Affects Behavior

Hands-on activities with live organisms allow students to actively explore scientific investigation. Here, I present activities that combine guided inquiry with direct instruction and relate how nutrition affects the physiology and behavior of the common housefly. These experiments encourage student involvement in the formulation of experimental design, promoting engagement in the learning process. These activities are suitable for both postsecondary education and high school classroom settings and highlight National Science Education Standards, particularly by promoting inquiry-based learning and communicating science explanations.

Explicitly Linking Human Impact to Ecological Function in Secondary School Classrooms

Both the old National Science Education Standards (NSES) and the recent Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) devote significant resources to learning about human environmental impact. Whereas the NSES advocate learning about human environmental impact in a section apart from the science-content learning strands, the NGSS embed them in the core life-science and ecology learning strands. We describe a study that compared the effects of these different approaches on ninth-grade biology student learning. It found that students learned significantly more human-environmental-impact and ecological-function content when human-impact content was embedded in ecology content than when human impact was taught as a discrete unit from ecology.

STEM Academic Enrichment and Professional Development Programs for K-12 Urban Students and Teachers

This chapter highlights exemplary STEM programs in an urban school district that can be replicated in K-12 schools. The programs were developed from partnerships established between Urban Higher Education Institutions (UHEIs) and K-12 students and teachers in an urban school district. The key criteria for the assessment of these programs, both quantitative and qualitative, were based on guidelines cited from the Building Engineering and Science Talent (BEST) Commission, the National Science Education Standards, and the National Science Resources Center: (a) challenging content/curriculum; (b) inquiry-based learning; (c) clearly defined outcomes and assessments; and (d) sustained commitment and support. The development of “real-world applications” promoted critical thinking skills and were linked to STEM state and national standards. Teachers were offered STEM professional development that enhanced their content knowledge and pedagogy. Each program case was independent of each other; therefore, they were not compared or contrasted.