Performance of students in project‐based science classrooms on a national measure of science achievement

Abstract

Reform efforts in science education emphasize the importance of supporting students' construction of knowledge through inquiry. Project‐based science (PBS) is an ambitious approach to science instruction that addresses concerns of reformers. A sample of 142 10th‐ and 11th‐grade students enrolled in a PBS program completed the 12th‐grade 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science test. Compared with subgroups identified by NAEP that most closely matched our student sample, White and middle class, PBS students outscored the national sample on 44% of NAEP test items. This study shows that students participating in a PBS curriculum were prepared for this type of testing. Educators should be encouraged to use inquiry‐based approaches such as PBS to implement reform in their schools. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 39: 410–422, 2002

Assessing Conceptual Understanding via Literacy-Infused, Inquiry-Based Science among Middle School English Learners and Economically-Challenged Students

“…Therefore, to facilitate students' learning, researchers have advocated the integration of literacy and science and determined that this integration can promote improved English literacy skills and scientific thinking for EL and EC students (e.g., [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]). Engaging in inquiry-based instruction has resulted in or promoted improved student learning for the general student population and has been noted by several researchers and scholars for over 50 years (e.g., [20][21][22][23][24][25]). Despite this, the research is scant specifically regarding EL and EC students and the exploration of the relationship between academic language and overarching conceptual understanding in science.…”

Doing the project and learning the content: Designing project‐based science curricula for meaningful understanding

“…An investigation project might, for example, require answering a puzzling question about why some finches survived a crisis on a Galápagos island while many others died off or ask students to investigate different causes of disease and how their bodies fight disease (Hug, Krajcik, & Marx, 2005). Studies of investigation PBS curricula suggest that they improve students' meaningful understanding of science (Krajcik et al, 2008;Linn, Bell, & Davis, 2004;Linn & Clark, 1997;Marx et al, 2004;Rivet & Krajcik, 2004;Schneider, 2002). A performance project, on the other hand, might require designing paint, fins, and nose cones to make model rockets go as high as possible (Barron et al, 1998) or designing and building a miniature car and its propulsion system to go over several hills and beyond .…”

Causes and Consequences of Air Pollution and Environmental Injustice as Critical Issues for Science and Environmental Education

“…Besides, such an integration of scientific knowledge with the multiple components of environmental problems is expected to stimulate students' involvement in science, since these problems require an interdisciplinary connection of science teaching with education for the environment; on the one hand integrated scientific knowledge provides the means for understanding environmental issues by means of a holistic and systemic approach; on the other it provides insight to the human-environment interaction that enables environmental sustainability. From this perspective science teaching may become more meaningful for students, since it also incorporates a strong affective dimension and provides possibilities to develop evaluative judgments and take up environmentally appropriate actions in real life situations (AAAS, 1989;Brody, 1991;Bybee, 1993;Gough, 2002;Hodson, 2003;Iozzi, 1989;Schneider et al, 2002). In this context science teaching enhances students' critical thinking, essential for understanding the complexity of environmental problems.…”