For years science curriculum reformers have bemoaned curricula that are "a mile wide and an inch deep." The tendency for high school science to be "[content]-dominate and textbook centered" leads to science courses bloated with facts and equations at the expense of a deep understanding of science as a process and way of knowing…

This study evaluates the effectiveness of a newly developed educational framework for enhancing scientific literacy in rural high school classrooms. The Confluence Approach (TCA) is a curriculum aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) that utilizes a combination of project-based learning (PrBL) and place-based education (PlBE). TCA…

The importance of culture and social interactions in disciplinary learning and language development within specific social practices and contexts is now an agreed-upon notion in the science education literature. In a pivotal article in 1990, Lemke introduced the idea of manual-technical operations as one of four modes making up the "hybrid…

The arrival of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) marks a new era in science education. However, like all education reform, the success of NGSS implementation lies with teachers. Effective and targeted professional development will play a key role in preparing teachers who work from the framework. This study sought to design and validate…

Expanding on recent advances in science education, cognitive and social psychology, and sociocultural studies, the paper explores a construct called "science learning activation" and a theoretical framework that describes the characteristics, function, and impact of this construct. Authors define "science learning activation"…

In this paper I underscore the notion of "languaging" as students' ways of functioning in and through language, particularly in interactions that involve spoken and written texts in the classroom. Thus, "to language" should be understood as active student participation - verbally, in particular - that can reveal how they deal…

In this paper, I argue that the practice of argumentation will have implications for students not only in science learning, but also, potential transfer in other disciplines. More importantly, the shift toward a shared discursive language practice of argumentation provides an opportunity for both content-area and language development teachers to…

This article explores Science-Technology-Society (STS), Science-Technology-Society-Environment (STSE) and Socio-Scientific-Issues (SSI) in science education, and critically examines their contributions to science education and science teaching, and how they are underpinning values and ethics in society. The article presents rationales for the…

This study evaluated the impact that trained and supported undergraduate teaching assistants (UTAs) may have had on the academic achievement of students in the first semester of an introductory chemistry course for science and engineering majors. Framed by the concepts of Lave and Wenger's Community of Practice and Wheeler, Martin and Suls' Proxy…

Scientifically literate citizens are able to evaluate news reports on everyday problems with a critical stance to information, which means using both value and norm-based as well as evidence and logic based thinking. Developing a critical stance towards information in the news media, requires familiarity with a complex set of interdisciplinary…

The "Framework for K-12 Science Education" (NRC, 2012) and "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States, 2013) stress that in addition to disciplinary core ideas (content), students need to engage in the practices of science and develop an understanding of the crosscutting concepts such as cause and effect, systems,…

Science teacher educators in the United States are currently preparing future science teachers to effectively implement the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS) and, in thirteen states, to successfully pass a content-specific high stakes teacher performance assessment, the edTPA. Science education and teacher performance assessment…

Science educators have noted the unique characteristics of science literacy in terms of text structure, vocabulary demands, and reliance on abstract concepts (Cervetti, Pearson, Bravo, & Barber, 2006; Fang & Schleppegrell, 2008; Pytash, 2013). Furthermore, other scholars have defined scientific thinking processes as inextricable from the…

This study argues for the need to clarify the attitude construct in science education. After positing a conceptual definition for attitudes derived from the social psychology and persuasion literature, this study makes a demarcation between science attitudes and attitudes towards science. Based on this conceptual clarity, the study offers a…

Several researches identified that many students find physics the most difficult science subject. The quest to find ways to make learning physics more meaningful and interesting has lasted for decades. Even with all the new strategies and pedagogies being used, many students still find the subject formidable. This study critically explored the…