This research studied a group of three preservice elementary teachers creating a narrated stop-motion animation (Slowmation) from start to finish in 3?hours to explain the challenging concept of "phases of the moon" to elementary school children. The research questions investigated the preservice teachers' learning before and after the…

Focusing on a group of African American third graders who attend a high-poverty urban school, I explore the structure-agency dialectic within contested spaces situated in a dialogically oriented science classroom. Contested spaces entail the moments in which the students challenge each other's and their teacher's science ideas and, in the process,…

In this study, we examined opportunities for reasoning and meaning making that read-alouds of children's literature science information books and related hands-on explorations offered to young Latina/o students in an urban public school. Using a qualitative, interpretative framework, we analyzed classroom discourse and children's writing…

While research has shown that elementary (K-5) students are capable of engaging in the scientific practice of explanation construction, commonly-used elementary science curriculum materials may not always afford them opportunities to do so. As a result, elementary teachers must often adapt their science curriculum materials to better support…

This study aims to add to the growing research related to the implementation of non-traditional writing tasks in classrooms to encourage science literacy. A secondary reanalysis methodology was employed to review student interviews collected as a part of several individual studies during a ten year research program. This method established an…

This article is situated within a theoretical framework, "instructional congruence," articulating issues of student diversity with the demands of academic disciplines. In the context of a large-scale study targeting elementary school science, the article describes a research instrument that aims to combine the strengths of both quantitative and…

Contains a debate on research design and methodology considerations of the study. (CP)

Recent research has challenged traditional assumptions that scientific practice and knowledge are essentially individual accomplishments, highlighting instead the social nature of scientific practices, and the co-construction of scientific knowledge. Similarly, new research paradigms for studying learning go beyond focusing on what is "in the…

A multi-institutional project was initiated to integrate findings of research studies directed toward major science education research questions. Overall operation of the project, research questions identified, and some rudiments of meta-analysis are described. (Author/JN)

Presents some considerations about the variable of "wait time," a pause after a teacher question so that students can think or a pause after a student statement. (PEB)

Studied the similarity of the astronomy portion in five science textbooks at the fourth through sixth grade levels by comparing students' responses to text authors' requirements. Concluded that the texts had more in common across grade levels than within grade levels. (CC)

Investigated was growth in creativity under two different teacher behavioral strategies (student-structured and teacher-structured learning). Results indicated that students in a nondirective, student-structured science class made significant gains in figural creativity with no loss or gain in student verbal creativity. (BT)

Argues that secondary analysis of existing data sets provides an important opportunity for science education researchers. Reviews basic arguments for secondary analysis (quality, cost, scientific merit of multiple analyses of a common data set), discusses new forces fostering these analyses, and provides three examples of secondary analysis…

Investigates the effects of teaching 120 first grade children specific strategies for nonvisual seriation on their performance on post-tests and retention tests. Results show that simple seriation can be learned and retained. (HM)

Argues that research for teacher use would be more effective if it were: (1) of the form referred to as naturalistic case studies and (2) oriented toward discovering cognitive and social interaction mechanisms underlying the learning processes in classrooms. (Author/SK)