The goal of the study was to compare how visual representations were integrated into the contents of the U.S. and Turkish textbooks used in life science. Data was collected from 6th, 7th, and 8th grade middle school topics common to both countries. Content analysis was used to analyse visual representations in textbooks. The visual representations…

This qualitative study examined the building of a beloved community in a seventh grade life science classroom while teaching and learning in a constricting institutional context (U.S. public school). Guided by a Critical Race Praxis for Educational Research lens (CRP-Ed), the findings demonstrated how building a beloved community while situated…

A student's middle school science experience strongly impacts their future science, technology, engineering, and mathematics interest. The Japanese lesson study (JLS) model strengthens the student's experience through a research-based, collaborative, multistep, teaching-centered process focused on transforming local instructional practices. The…

Teachers are highly reliant on textbooks for teaching. In the Republic of Korea, science textbooks help students to understand scientific terms through inquiry activities. However, there is a lack of analysis on whether the inquiry activities suggested in these textbooks appropriately cover the terms included in the main text. Therefore, this…

The choice of which language strategies to use in schools in Africa is the subject of much debate. In the Life Sciences, cultural issues associated with the use of biological terminology add to this debate. In our study, we examined the language choices made by Grade 7 Natural Sciences teachers in South Africa during their teaching of human…

In many countries around the world, there has been an increasing emphasis on improving science education. Recent reform efforts in the USA call for teachers to integrate scientific and engineering practices into science teaching; for example, science teachers are asked to provide learning experiences for students that apply crosscutting concepts…

This study examined the mental models of the desert environment held by fourth- and seventh-grade students in the USA and whether those mental models could be affected by: (1) classroom field trips to a desert riparian preserve, and (2) interaction with family members at the same preserve. Results generally indicated that students in this study…

Students in life science classes need an introduction to biomes, including an introduction to the concept, key biotic and abiotic features of biomes, and geographic locations of biomes. In this activity, students in seventh- and eighth-grade science classes used a directed exploratory Internet activity to learn about biomes. The author tested…

Describes the use of constructivism in teaching human anatomy. Provides directions for constructing arm-hand and leg-foot models that include extensor and flexor muscles and that are easily and cheaply constructed. Lists resources that provide ideas for using such models depending upon the curriculum implemented in a school or the course that is…

Reports on a year-long study implemented in grade seven life-science classes with the students' regular teacher serving as a teacher researcher. Results suggest that concept mapping may be useful in assessing declarative and procedural knowledge. Contains 43 references. (DDR)

A previous study (Wallace, Yang, Hand, & Hohenshell, 2001) indicated that seventh-grade life science students using a learning tool known as the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) performed significantly better on conceptual test questions than did a control group. In the present study, the researcher studied more deeply how students utilized a…

Describes an information technology assignment given to grade 7-8 students that provides students with the focused topic of food biotechnology to encourage critical thinking. (KHR)

Eleven teachers of inclusive seventh-grade life science classes were trained to use a teaching routine that stressed finding and using mnemonic devices to enhance students' recall of information. Evaluation indicated that trained teachers who used the method and their students, especially students with learning disabilities, were better than…

Reports on a study of seventh-grade life science students who received Science-Technology-Society (STS) instruction in their life science classes (n=264) versus students who received only instruction in life science content (n=136). Finds that the model of STS instruction employed significantly increased students' participation in citizenship…

The lessons of 11 seventh-grade life science teachers were observed to determine the extent to which they made linkages between science content and its societal, reasoning, historical, or attitudinal implications. Results indicate a gap between scientific literacy as a normative goal of science instruction and current teaching practice. (TJH)