New Perspectives in Science Education

Understanding scientific inquiry, a critical component of K-12 science teaching, is complicated by nature. There is ample literature on K-12 students’ understanding of scientific inquiry, but very few research to date has been done on preservice elementary teachers’ understanding of how scientific knowledge is constructed specifically about water chemistry. The purpose of this project is to investigate preservice elementary teachers’ understanding of how scientific knowledge is constructed by using a water chemistry project. To simplify the complexity of scientific inquiry, this study focuses on three components that cover its core idea – practice, argument, and communication. Ten preservice teachers will work on the project for eight weeks. Data will include (a) water chemistry data collected from a designated local creek and (b) surveys, interview and observations. Data analysis, helped by the ISU hydrogeology lab for water chemistry, will include the content analysis and constant comparison to identify themes and patterns of participants’ understanding.   

Keywords: scientific inquiry, scientific knowledge, preservice teachers, water chemistry.

References:

• Achieve, Inc. (2013). Next Generation Science Standards. Washington, D.C
• Creswell, J. W. (2007). Educational research (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Herron. M. D. (1971). The nature of scientific inquiry. School Review, 79, 171-212.
• Minner, D.D., Levy, A.J., & Century, J. (2010). Inquiry-Based Science Instruction—What Is It and Does It Matter? Results from a Research Synthesis Years 1984 to 2002. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 47(4), 474-496.
• National Academy Press. (1997). Science For All Children: A guide to improving elementary science education in your school district. Washington D.C.
• Sandoval, W.A. (2005). Understanding students’ practical epistemologies and their influence on learning through inquiry. Science Education, 89, 634-656.