Ace's+Science+Education+Articles

[|Creativity, inquiry, or accountability? Scientists' and teachers' perceptions of science education] Amy R. Taylor 1 *, M. Gail Jones 2, Bethany Broadwell 2, Tom Oppewal Although there have been numerous studies that indicate the benefits of teachers and students working with scientists, there is little research that documents scientists' views of science education, science teacher preparation, and the goals of science education. Furthermore, little is known about how scientists' views of science education may differ from those held by science teachers. Through the use of semistructured interviews, the perceptions of 37 scientists from diverse science domains and 21 middle and high school science teachers were explored. Participating scientists expressed concerns about the variability in quality of teaching, programs, and resources available for science instruction. Scientists expressed a desire for teachers to have more experience conducting science research and developing their own critical thinking skills. When asked what goals are most important for science education, 40% of the scientists emphasized that teachers should make science fun and exciting for their students. Science teachers' perceptions of science education were compared with the scientists' perceptions. Thirty percent of the teachers agreed with the scientists that too much variability in program or instructional quality exists in science education. Seventy-six percent of the science teachers also thought there is a need to teach critical thinking skills, but more importantly there is a need to inspire creativity and a desire to learn science in students. Both teachers and scientists expressed concerns about how high-stakes accountability inhibits efforts to improve science education.

[|Describing and analyzing learning in action: An empirical study of the importance of misconceptions in learning science] Karim M. Hamza *, Per-Olof Wickman Although misconceptions in science have been established in interview studies, their role during the learning process is poorly examined. In this paper, we use results from a classroom study to analyze to what extent nonscientific ideas in electrochemistry that students report in interviews enter into their learning in a more authentic setting. We audio-recorded talk between eight pairs of Swedish upper secondary students during a practical on electrochemical cells. Learning was operationalized on a discursive level as a description of what students do and say when taking part in an activity. This enabled an analysis of how encounters with misconceptions influenced the development of students' reasoning, compared to other encounters during the learning experience. Misconceptions did not constrain the development of students' reasoning. Rather, their reasoning developed in response to the contingencies of the specific situation. When misconceptions were encountered, they appeared as alternatives and questions not actively defended. Sometimes, encounters with these misconceptions were generative of the students' reasoning. The results indicate that demonstrating misconceptions in interviews is not enough to assume that they interfere with learning in other contexts. Educational implications and future lines of research based on these findings and on the methodology applied are discussed. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. //Sci Ed// **92**:141-164, 2008

[|Constructing cultural relevance in science: A case study of two elementary teachers] Terri Patchen *, Anne Cox-Petersen  Classrooms across the United States increasingly find White teachers paired with ethnic minority students, but few of these teachers are prepared for the disparities such cultural integration presents. This is particularly true vis-à-vis science education. While classrooms have diversified, science instruction has not necessarily followed suit. Two theories, constructivism and culturally relevant pedagogy, have been identified as mechanisms to diminish the disparities in science education. Yet culturally relevant pedagogy has not had the same impact as constructivism, even though it has been posited as a crucial means to better assure ethnic minority access to education. A case study of two classroom teachers investigates whether and how constructivism can be leveraged to develop culturally relevant pedagogy in science instruction. Identifying practical possibilities for culturally relevant pedagogy in science education is important for students, teachers, and the future of the U.S. workforce because it provides a means of increasing marginalized students' access to science and technological fields. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. //Sci Ed// **92:**994-1014, 2008