Search results for: Science inquiry

This research examined the connections elementary preservice science teachers made among various aspects of nature of science (NOS). Data analysis focused on preservice teachers’ ability to connect their understandings of the various aspects of NOS to one another. 43 of preservice teachers made connections among NOS aspects and generally, these connections were emphasized at the end of the semester following the intervention.

This paper documents and describes three case studies of science teachers who discovered ways to engage their students in scientific inquiry and transform their teaching practices through engaging in an expanded model of the action research process. The authors found that collaboration with peers and students was crucial at each stage of the action research process for these science teachers. The authors also identified how collaborative reflection plays an instrumental role in transforming practice through their action research model.

The current study investigates how elementary teachers perceive and use engaging oral strategies. The findings reveal that a kindergarten teacher viewed such strategies negatively and employed only a few figurative directives. However, fourth-grade teachers viewed them positively, frequently resorting to a variety of speech figures, parallel repetition and engaging questions. It is argued that teachers’ engaging oral strategies are multifunctional, serving important social and cognitive functions.

The authors investigated the impact of an open inquiry experience on elementary science methods students‘ understanding of celestial motion. The authors have also examined the tools, resources, and ideas that preservice teachers used to develop their own inquiry investigations to understand their resourcefulness in pursuit of a scientific question. A comparison of participants‘ inquiry projects with the change in their understanding revealed that while most participants improved in both their area of inquiry and beyond, elementary science methods students may need more guidance to reach a full scientific understanding across all aspects of celestial motion.