Middle‐School Science Through Design‐Based Learning versus Scripted Inquiry: Better Overall Science Concept Learning and Equity Gap Reduction

Abstract

This paper contrasts performances overall and by gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES) for middle school students learning science through traditional scripted inquiry versus a design-based, systems approach. Students designed and built electrical alarm systems to learn electricity concepts over a fourweek period using authentic engineering design methods. The contrast study took place in the eighth grade of an urban, public school district, with the systems approach implemented in 26 science classes (10 teachers and 587 students) and the scripted inquiry approach implemented in inquiry groups of 20 science classes (five teachers and 466 students). The results suggest that a systems design approach for teaching science concepts has superior performance in terms of knowledge gain achievements in core science concepts, engagement, and retention when compared to a scripted inquiry approach. The systems design approach was most helpful to low-achieving African American students.

Strategies for success: uncovering what makes students successful in design and learning

“…In the past decade, there has been a growing interest in the use of design activities as a way to promote science learning (e.g., Fortus et al 2005;Kolodner et al 2003;Mehalik et al 2008;Puntambekar and Kolodner 2005;Silk et al 2009). In part, this growing interest in the use of design activities for science learning arose from concerns about the declining quality, quantity and diversity of future engineers in the U.S. (Brophy et al 2008).…”

“…Design-based science learning is an instructional approach that combines the processes of engineering design with scientific inquiry (Kolodner et al 2003;Mehalik et al 2008;Vattam and Kolodner 2008). In design-based science learning, the activity that is meant to promote learning is a design-project; students are required to use and extend their content knowledge (often of science or math) to develop a technological solution to a problem using available resources.…”

“…In design-based science learning, the activity that is meant to promote learning is a design-project; students are required to use and extend their content knowledge (often of science or math) to develop a technological solution to a problem using available resources. The current literature suggests that engaging students in design-based science learning activities can help students develop problem solving skills and science inquiry skills (Kolodner et al 2003;Silk et al 2009), as well as gain scientific content knowledge (Fortus et al 2004(Fortus et al , 2005Kolodner et al 2003;Mehalik et al 2008). However, one of the significant challenges to implementing design-based science learning is what Vattam and Kolodner (2008) called ''bridging the design-science gap.''…”

Design Practices of Preservice Elementary Teachers in an Integrated Engineering and Literature Experience

“…While some policymakers and curriculum developers, including this author, have focused on engineering design problems as vehicles or contexts for science learning (Cunningham, 2009;Kolodner, 2006;Mehalik, Doppelt, & Schunn, 2008;National Research Council [NRC], 2009;Wendell & Rogers, 2013), this might overlook the facts that much more time in the typical elementary school schedule is devoted to the English language arts than to science, and that as generalist educators, elementary teachers are asked to make explicit connections across all academic subjects (Knipper & Duggan, 2006). Without extra time in the school day set aside for engineering, new elementary teachers will look for engineering experiences that are well aligned with the rest of the curriculum and that can accomplish objectives in other content areas as well.…”

Fen Eğitiminde Mühendislik Uygulamalarının Kullanımı: Tasarım Temelli Fen Eğitiminin Öğrencilerin Akademik Başarıları Üzerine Etkisi

“…In this approach, instruction about science concepts and processes is given by means of the process of scientific research and engineering design in line with engineering problems (Kolodner, 2002;Mehalik, Doppelt and Schunn, 2008;Wendell, 2008).…”