Inquiry-based learning has been widely applied in the classroom. Different inquiry learning models may have different orders of performing tasks and discussing. In this study, the Discuss-Do (D-DO) inquiry model and the Do-Discuss (DO-D) inquiry model were applied in the science learning of two groups of fifth-grade students. Group 1 (n = 41) used…

Elementary science education calls on teachers to facilitate student learning of the content of science while they engage in the work of scientists. Additionally, recent national and state standards incorporate the practices of engineering into science education throughout grades K-12. However, many practicing teachers receive little to no…

The Fowler Diet Cola Test (DCT) was originally developed to assess the scientific process skills of students in science classrooms. The use of the test is generally suggested for gifted students in science. There are considerable number of Scientific Process Skills (SPS) tests that the researchers developed for different student population. The…

The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge of fifth-grade students about the sun, earth, and moon and to examine the fact that this information can be reflected with different measurement tools. A mixed method was used in the research. Quantitative data were collected using a 3-point Likert-type questionnaire and a true-false test; and…

In this study, a new model termed as "Flexible Inquiry Based Science Teaching", which is developed using the framework of the inquiry approach is proposed. Science teachers (n=2) who participated in the study were instructed on the inquiry approach and their in-class activity applications were examined. The "electricity module"…

This study is based on the Reconceptualised Family Resemblance Approach to Nature of Science (Kaya & Erduran, 2016), which explains science as a cognitive, epistemic, and social-institutional system. A content analysis of Turkish science curricula shows that the social context of science is underemphasised (Kaya & Erduran, 2016).…

Young learners benefit from learning and engaging in nature, but nature-based outdoor learning impacts on teachers are less understood. The present study examined elementary school teachers' learning experiences with science instruction in outdoor natural settings. An Outdoor Science Education (OSE) program partnered with schools in the…

Most primary school students, although they grasp the scientific concepts of heat convection at the macroscopic level, commonly fail to visualize those concepts. Therefore, our research aims to enact a constructivist teaching sequence (CTS) to restructure students' visualization changes, ultimately enabling them to synergize macroscopic and…

Erduran and Dagher's (2014) account of the Family Resemblance Approach (FRA) to Nature of Science (NOS) is a relatively new framework that frames NOS in a holistic fashion, inclusive of cognitive-epistemic and social-institutional aspects. This approach has also been referred to as the "Reconceptualized Family Resemblance Approach to Nature…

Information on students' development of science skills is essential for teachers to evaluate and improve their own education, as well as to provide adequate support and feedback to the learning process of individual students. The present study explores and discusses the use of performance assessments as a diagnostic tool for formative assessment…

Traditionally, content assessments have been carried out through written language. However, the latest standards in U.S. K-12 education expect all students, including English learners (ELs), to demonstrate their content learning using multiple modalities. This study examined the performance of fifth-grade students at varying levels of English…

Facilitating Computer Science Unplugged (CS-unplugged) activities with reflective thinking activities lead students to in-depth reviews of their decisions and think of ways to solve the CS-unplugged problems. This study aims to evaluate the instruction enriched with reflective thinking activities to develop computational thinking skills. The study…

Background: Being able to think independently is a must for students to construct new knowledge in their minds. Self-explaining is a constructive learning strategy that encourages students to think for themselves and to make inferences that go beyond the given information. The Self-explain--Discuss--Re-explain (SDR) strategy adapted from…

The present study explored the impacts of a contextualised outdoor science curriculum on "what" and "how" elementary students learn when immersed in the local contexts in which natural phenomena occur. We conducted 63 individual interviews with fifth- and sixth-graders (between 10 and 12 years old) living in the inner city of…

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of formative assessment based learning on students' conceptual understanding levels regarding basic astronomical concepts. The study was conducted in a public primary school with 24 5th graders. The study group was applied a 3 phased teaching process based on formative assessment for the duration of…