Journal of Research in Science Teaching最新文献

Research on translanguaging in science and engineering education has grown rapidly. Studies carried out across diverse contexts converge in their commitment to fostering equity in science and engineering learning for linguistically marginalized learners. However, the rapid growth of this research area has exposed different approaches to conceptualizing “equity” itself. The purpose of this review of literature was to examine what equity approaches have undergirded research on translanguaging in US K–12 science and engineering education and whether these approaches vary over time and across contexts. We systematically analyzed studies (N = 15) using the four equity approaches articulated in a recent report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2022). Findings of our review indicate that, while studies aimed at increasing opportunity and access to high-quality science and engineering learning (Approach 1) and, to a lesser extent, identification and representation with science and engineering (Approach 2) were the two most prevalent equity approaches, studies focused on expanding what constitutes science and engineering (Approach 3) and seeing science and engineering as part of justice movements (Approach 4) were somewhat less common. Furthermore, justice-oriented approaches to equity (Approaches 3 and 4) were increasingly visible in the literature since 2020 as well as in research carried out in nontraditional educational contexts (e.g., out-of-school programs, classes outside of the core school subjects). Based on these findings, we propose the need for future research that (a) explicitly conceptualizes and operationalizes constructs related to equity (e.g., what is meant by “achievement” and how it is measured), (b) examines the possibilities and tensions associated with expanding what constitutes science and engineering in traditional educational contexts, (c) leverages the affordances of multiple STEM subjects for addressing justice issues impacting linguistically marginalized communities, and (d) iterates on the equity approaches themselves.

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies generate increasingly sophisticated non-human cognition; however, foundational learning theories only contemplate human cognition, and current research conceptualizes AI as a pedagogical tool. We argue that the incipient abilities of AI for mutual engagement with people could allow AI to participate as a legitimate member in social constructivist learning environments and suggest some potential structures and activities to explore AI's capabilities for full participation.

Donovan, BM, Weindling, M, Salazar, B, Duncan, A, Stuhlsatz, M, Keck, P. Genomics literacy matters: Supporting the development of genomics literacy through genetics education could reduce the prevalence of genetic essentialism. J Res Sci Teach. 2021; 58: 520–550. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21670

Science education policies and standards have called for educators to teach students about the Nature of Science (NOS) and engage them in Culturally Relevant Science Teaching (CRST), which requires critical shifts away from traditional science teaching. As such, teachers are being asked to possess or take up conceptions of science that challenge the status quo. Are teachers making these shifts? Do they conceive of science in these anti-traditional ways? To explore this matter, I developed a conceptual framework around five key science topics: (1) Revision/Static; (2) Scientific Method; (3) Objective/Subjective; (4) Society and Culture; and (5) Critical Space, then surfaced traditional and anti-traditional conceptions regarding each topic drawn from science standards and prior literature. I operationalized this framework to critically analyze 20 secondary science teachers' discourse to determine whether they aligned with a traditional science ideology, an anti-traditional ideology, or somewhere in the middle (conflicting ideology). I found that for the most part participants demonstrated alignment with the anti-traditional conception when it came to the first two topics, however, when it came to the latter three topics, tensions arose and there was noticeably less consensus. As participants discussed concepts related to the latter topics, which I argue are more closely related to society, culture, and humanness, they demonstrated strikingly greater alignment with the traditional conceptions. These findings have implications for science teachers' capacity to teach science with NOS and CRST in mind. Findings also highlight key areas of consideration for teacher educators, curriculum developers, and policymakers when guiding teachers on the journey to attend to NOS and CRST.

Even though marginalized women are earning more doctoral degrees in chemistry than ever before, the proportion of women who complete chemistry doctorates does not reflect national population trends. Previous research has explored the experiences of marginalized women seeking chemistry doctorate degrees. These studies highlight the issues that marginalized women face but do not explain why they face them or the systemic issues that underpin these experiences. This study captures the firsthand experiences of marginalized domestic and international women (Black, Hispanic/Latina, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Indigenous) pursuing graduate degrees in chemistry. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 29 participants to understand how their social identities might impact the development of their science identities. Intersectionality and the Science Identity Model informed both the interview guide and the interpretation of our data. Deductive and inductive coding, constant comparative analysis, and thematic analysis were used to examine the interplay between participants' identities and experiences. We found that recognition had a critical impact on women's science identities. Results show that participants received more positive recognition than negative from their academic community. The participants who received mostly positive recognition developed research, teaching, and altruistic science identities. Most of the positive recognition was associated with research accomplishments, which is not surprising since doctoral programs in chemistry focus primarily on research training. Conversely, the participants who received mostly negative forms of recognition developed disrupted science identities. These women described being tokenized, taken advantage of, and having their accomplishments dismissed because of their gender, race, and ethnicity. Additionally, sexist and racist comments surrounding appearance, speech, and demeanor contributed to a diminished sense of being taken seriously and, consequently, feeling less like a scientist.

This study explored the impact of authentic out-of-school learning on students' beliefs about their science learning efficacy and career aspirations. The learning activity, designed following an authentic learning framework, was led by research scientists. We examined how students' emotions, induced in an authentic scientific activity, mediated the connection between the perceived authenticity and the self-efficacy/aspiration beliefs. Data were gathered from 177 secondary science students participating in an out-of-school activity using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Three questionnaires were applied: (1) Perceived authenticity (Post, 7 items, Likert scale); (2) Semantic differential emotion questionnaire (SDEQ) (Pre-Post, 5 items); and (3) Beliefs questionnaire in two parts: Self-efficacy and science aspirations (pre-post, 7 + 5 items, Likert scale). The collected data were integrated into quantitative models of affect with authenticity as an independent variable, the differences in the pre-post belief structures as the dependent variable, and the emotions as mediators. Multiple regression analyses were performed to develop the models by evaluating the size and significance of the relationships between the variables. The results indicated the perceived authenticity significantly predicted both self-efficacy and the career aspiration pre-post differences. However, emotions behaved as a mediating variable only for self-efficacy growth. An additional model evaluated the connection between students' emotions learning science in school and their experience of authenticity and emotions in the out-of-school activity. The study contributes to the literature by revealing underlying affective mechanisms related to out-of-school authentic science activities and suggesting theoretical and empirical justifications.

In science education, epistemic vigilance plays a key role in the development of students' critical thinking by supporting students' abilities to evaluate the expertise level of the source and to evaluate the claim itself, using rigorous scientific standards and appropriate argumentation heuristics. Based on previous studies, which suggested two aspects of epistemic vigilance—reflecting the source of information and the claim that is made—we developed the Extended Epistemic Vigilance Framework (EEVF) that includes an additional aspect of evaluating the receiver. In an empirical exploratory pilot study, we evaluated the reliability and validity of an EEVF-based category system and investigated to what extent the EEVF can be used to characterize changes in biology graduate students' epistemic vigilance after participating in a critical thinking course. Results show that the EEVF-based category system includes reliable and valid categories for identifying students' epistemic vigilance. A statistically significant increase with a small effect size was found in students' epistemic vigilance regarding the reliability of the source and the references used to support the claim following their participation in the critical thinking course. However, a statistically significant decrease with a small effect size was found regarding the awareness of the aspects of the one-sidedness of the claim, the context of the claim, and cognitive biases and socioemotional influences on the receiver. In general, these findings indicate that the EEVF offers an improved framework to analyze students' epistemic vigilance more comprehensively.

The importance of models and modeling in science education is well-recognized, yet there exists significant polysemy among these terms within the literature. This ambiguity often leads to confusion, particularly regarding whether modeling represents an expected student performance, an instructional strategy to promote such performance, or both. Moreover, the construction of models has been depicted as both the objective of modeling and a distinct phase within modeling-based instruction. Additionally, the expression of models has often been overlooked despite its significance as a crucial modeling practice. In an endeavor to shed light into these complexities associated with modeling in science education, this paper pursues a twofold aim. First, it theoretically presents and justifies the Instruction Performance Modeling (IPM) cycle, drawing on numerous previous contributions to the field, as a practical and specific instructional tool designed to clarify some problematic concepts both regarding modeling instruction and modeling practice. Second, it provides empirical evidence regarding the type of modeling performance exhibited by students involved in instruction guided by the IPM. This study applies discourse analysis to the multimodal productions of preservice teachers attending a lab-based workshop on the topic of flotation. The main findings reveal that students' modeling performance, while exhibiting certain patterns such as the Introductory pattern or the Evaluation-Revision one, predominantly manifests as a disorganized sequence of modeling practices. This result is consistent with certain precedents in the modeling literature but contrasts with the expected outcomes of well-established approaches like Generation-Evaluation-Modification. Furthermore, the study aims to highlight the rich, meaningful, and productive modeling practices occurring in instructional scenarios guided by the IPM cycle.

Recent research has highlighted the role of science education in reducing beliefs in science-related misinformation and stressed its potential positive impact on decision-making and behavior. This study implemented the Elaboration Likelihood Model to explore how individuals' abilities and motivation interact with the type of processing of scientific information in the peripheral vs. central persuasion routes. A representative sample of adults (N = 500) completed an online questionnaire during the second wave of COVID-19 (November 2020) focused on two COVID-19-related dilemmas involving social distancing recommendations. First, we examined whether relying on misinformation was associated with participants' stances and the complexity of their arguments and found that relying on misinformation was associated with the intention to reject social distancing recommendations and with the use of simple arguments. Second, we explored how motivation, operationalized as personal relevance, and abilities, operationalized as the highest level of science education, science knowledge, and strategies to identify misinformation, were associated with viewpoints and justifications. We found that personal relevance was associated with the intention to reject the recommendations but also with more complex arguments, suggesting that people did not intend to reject scientific knowledge but rather tended to contextualize it. Abilities were not associated with stance but were positively correlated with argument complexity. Finally, we examined whether motivation and abilities are associated with relying on scientific misinformation when making science-related decisions. Respondents with higher levels of science education and motivation relied less on misinformation, even if they did not necessarily intend to follow the health recommendations. This implies that motivation directs people to greater usage of the central processing route, resulting in more deliberative use of information. Science education, it appears, impacts the information evaluation decision-making process more than its outcome.