This report describes and interprets findings from a 1981-82 national assessment in science conducted by the Minnesota Science Assessment and Research Project (SARP). SARP tested 18,000 students randomly selected from across the nation. The assessment instruments included items on science content, inquiry, role of science and technology in…

The unit box concept is an inquiry-oriented unit of instruction which helps preservice students develop teachable science units based on commercially available teaching guides. The unit box (which utilizes appropriate concrete materials to encourage hands-on learning for elementary students) contains everything needed to teach a specific unit,…

Relationships between an inquiry-oriented science inservice education program and teacher implementation of workshop-developed materials were investigated. Workshop topics included Piagetian learning theory, creating classrooms conducive to implementing inquiry-oriented science programs, use of the learning cycle, and matching learning activities…

A six-year project providing training for prospective elementary school science teachers is described. Phase one, a period of three years, involved a longitudinal study of a pilot group of students as they encountered science content and science teaching methodology, coupled with early and continued field teaching experiences. In the final three…

Preservice teachers' (N=22) knowledge level of pendulums was experimentally manipulated to examine effects the manipulation had on the extent of inquiry behaviors exhibited when teaching the topic to grade five children (N-54). Videotape recordings were used to examine how teachers used specific science knowledge to make decisions while teaching.…

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has produced a distance learning series of four 60-minute video programs with an accompanying Web site and companion teacher guide. This teacher guide accompanies the third video in the series. The story line of each program involves six ethnically diverse, inquisitive schoolchildren who…

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has produced a distance learning series of four 60-minute video programs with an accompanying Web site and companion teacher guides. This teacher guide accompanies the fourth video in the series. The story lines of each program involve six ethnically diverse, inquisitive schoolchildren who…

This paper discusses the Science and Curriculum Reform Project, a model fostering science learning through a systematic approach to language development in young children; the paper focuses on the process and outcome of Component 1 and discusses the development phase of Component 2 of the project. The science curriculum promotes the content and…

Discusses strategies to facilitate children's explorations that include supporting open-ended inquiry, supervising safely, seizing the moment, offering a place for discovery, providing access to information, sharing respect for life, seeking community involvement, and celebrating wonder. (JRH)

Examines the importance of learning environments as sites for change in science education, describing work with elementary teachers in which researchers are designing learning environments featuring guided inquiry. After explaining how to plan and enact guided inquiry instruction in science, the paper reflects on experiences implementing it in…

Good science education depends on solid content and active learning. Effective teaching in all the physical sciences should have a similar focus on important concepts and effective learning experiences. Students of all ages benefit from experiential learning. Inquiry, which combines hands-on and minds-on learning, engages students in a process…

A two-year study investigated the experiences and outcomes of four students with disabilities in guided inquiry science instruction in upper elementary grade classrooms. Patterns across the case studies informed the identification of advanced instructional strategies that, when implemented, resulted in all students demonstrating significant…

As part of the training of students aiming to be primary science education specialists, Goldsmiths College, London, devised a plan to involve nine schools in a special project: a science investigation challenge. A teacher from each school would be trained to lead their pupils through the steps in developing a complete investigation for a…

This article provides a model for the professional development of elementary science teachers. The model focused on integrating different domains of knowledge into science teaching, including the knowledge of the science curriculum, especially scientific inquiry, teacher's knowledge, and students' knowledge. The two case studies in this article…

The National Science Education Standards recognize that inquiry-based instruction holds significant promise for developing scientifically literate students. The Science Teacher Inquiry Rubric (STIR) was developed based upon the National Science Education Standards' essential features of inquiry instruction (NRC, 2000). A pilot study using a…