Exploring relationships between playspaces, pedagogy, and preschoolers’ play-based science and engineering practices

This manuscript reports the results of a research study exploring the ways in which physical space and teacher pedagogy are related to preschoolers’ engagement with science and engineering practices while at play. Using the Science and Engineering Practices Observation Protocol (SciEPOP), researchers captured children’s engagement with the eight science and engineering practices identified in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This study explores relationships between specific playspaces, materials, and pedagogical strategies, and children’s patterns of engagement with particular science and engineering practices during free play. There are notable differences in the spaces, materials, and pedagogies children encounter across the four participating preschools, and these differences suggest significant gaps in children’s opportunities to engage in and deepen their enactment of science and engineering practices. The authors present evidence in support of adaptive, personalized strategies for deepening children’s engagement with science through play, and raise questions about equity in early science learning environments that have implications both nationally and internationally for science education research, practice, and policy.

Building Competence in Science and Engineering

Next Generation Science Standards science and engineering practices (NGSS S&E) are ways of eliciting reasoning and applying foundational ideas in science. Studies have revealed one major impediment to implementing the NGSS, namely, insufficient teacher preparation, which is a concern at all teaching levels. The present study examined a program grounded in research on how students learn science and engineering pedagogical content knowledge and strategies for incorporating NGSS S&E practices into instruction. The program provided guided teaching practice, content learning experiences in the physical sciences, engineering design tasks, and extended projects. Research questions included: To what extent did the Program increase teachers’ competence and confidence in science content, with emphasis on science and engineering practices? To what extent did the program increase teachers’ use of reformed teaching practices? This mixed-methods, quasi-experimental design examined teacher outcomes in the program for 24 months. The professional development (PD) findings revealed significant increases in teachers’ competence and confidence in integrating science and engineering practices in the classroom. These findings and their specificity contribute to current knowledge and can be utilized by districts in selecting PD to support teachers in preparing to implement the NGSS successfully.

Science and engineering practices in the content of Greek middle school physics textbooks about forces and motion

It has been argued that students’ understanding of science ideas and concepts is based on their engagement in science and engineering practices. However, research studying science and engineering practices engaging in the content of school science textbooks is particularly limited. The aim of the present study is to develop a framework and investigate (through it) the level at which science and engineering practices engage in the content of Greek middle school Physics textbooks about forces and motion. The analysis was carried out on a total of 61 reports and activities on forces and motion that are included in school textbooks (student’s book and lab workbook) used for teaching Physics to 13-year-old middle school students in Greece. Reports and activities were analyzed using content analysis. An assessment rubric called “Science and Engineering Practices Analytic Rubric” (SEPAR), which evaluates the level at which science and engineering practices engage in the above reports and activities, was used throughout the analysis. The analysis demonstrated the low level at which science and engineering practices engage in the analyzed content of these school textbooks. The SEPAR can be used for analyzing science instructional material. The results mean that no opportunities are provided to the students through the content of these school textbooks so that the students could use science and engineering practices and become familiar with them in order to better understand ideas and concepts about forces and motion.

Perception of the NGSS science instructional practices among Vietnamese pre-service and in-service teachers

STEM education has been emphasized in many countries around the world because of its benefits for students in the new century. In response to STEM education, Next Generation Science Standard (NGSS) has released for a new vision of science education in which learning disciplinary content and crosscutting concepts is through engaging science and engineering practices. Educational reforms lead to a need for science teacher education programs and professional development. To prepare better for pre-service teachers, it is necessary to know their perception about these science and engineering practices. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the perception of pre-service teachers and in-service teachers’ implementation of instructional practices that align with NGSS as well as school principals’ views of science teaching. To get the goal, a convergent parallel mixed-method research design was employed in which quantitative data is a survey of science instructional practices from 187 pre-service teachers and 100 in-service teachers and qualitative data is interviews of 10 school principals in Can Tho city, Vietnam. The finding indicated that pre-service teachers highly evaluated science and engineering practices in teaching science while in-service teachers’ implementation of these practices was lower. In-service teachers tend to use more traditional instruction and incorporate students’ prior knowledge in their teaching. Although school principals revealed their appreciation toward teaching science through practices, they admitted that currently, implementation of these practices has been still limited.

The Impact of Teaching Interventions for Electrical Circuits on the Structure of Primary School Students’ Written Arguments

The present paper aims at investigating the impact of a teaching intervention for electrical circuits, based on the constructivist approach to learning, with the engagement of students in science and engineering practices, on the structure of primary school students’ written arguments. Furthermore, the comparison between the learning outcomes (regarding the structure of students’ arguments) of this teaching intervention and the respective learning outcomes of another teaching intervention for electrical circuits, which is based on the school textbook primary school students in Greece are taught, is pursued. Instructional material on electrical circuits was developed based on the constructivist approach to learning, with the engagement of students in science and engineering practices, and was implemented with 34 students aged 11 years (experimental group). In addition, according to the school science textbook, which is based on the Guided Research Teaching Model, electrical circuits were taught to 38 students aged 11 years (control group). Data collection was carried out through a questionnaire completed by the students before and after the two teaching interventions. Data analysis used a scale of two-level classified criteria. It emerged that the teaching intervention implemented in the experimental group significantly contributed to improving the structure of students’ written arguments. By contrast, the structure of written arguments developed by students belonging to the control group was not significantly improved.

SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PRACTICES (SEPs): STUDENT'S PROFILE OF PLANNING AND CARRYING OUT INVESTIGATIONS (PCOI)

Purpose of the study: The purpose of this study is to analyze the students' profiles of planning and carrying out investigations (PCOI). Methodology: This research is used as a descriptive method involving 40 students of 10th grade from two senior high schools in Boyolali regency, Central Java, Indonesia. The instrument is five questions based on the indicators of science and engineering practices by California Science Test Practices. Main Findings: The average student's correct answer is 42%. The result of the study represented that planning and carrying out investigations ability students categorized into a low level. Applications of this study: The involvement of this research is to improve students' science and engineering practices, especially in the aspects of planning and carrying out investigations, that can facilitate students in learning physics. The Originality of this study: This research has an innovation that aims to determine student's profiles of planning and carrying out investigations in work and energy materials using a two-level test adapted from the California science test practice.