Browsing by Subject "Scientific inquiry"

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    Connecting Scientists and Adult Leaders through Technology to Further Authentic Science Inquiry by Youth
    (2012) Shimek, Sarah H
    This paper shares the results of a recent study exploring the preferences of potential adult leaders towards the use of internet technologies to support connections with professional scientists and facilitate authentic scientific inquiry among middle-school aged youth engaged in citizen science research. Using the University of Minnesota Extension‘s project, Driven to Discover: Authentic Inquiry through Citizen Science, as context for the study, the researcher interviewed licensed teachers and informal science educators to answer the research questions: 1. How do adult leaders describe the potential for using web-based technology as a means to achieve the scientist contribution to youth-based authentic science inquiry? 2. How do adult leaders perceive plans to develop a website to facilitate the ongoing relationship of scientists, adult leaders, and youth? What do they perceive as needs and barriers for using this planned website? What website characteristics would encourage them to use this planned website? Results suggest that participants see the potential for web resources to support inquiry work with youth and facilitate connections to scientists.
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    A descriptive study of pre-service science teachers' conceptual understanding of scientific inquiry using concept maps
    (2013-05) Zak, Kevin M.
    Future science teachers serve a critical role in creating a scientifically literate citizenry. Their knowledge and understanding of the process by which science works, scientific inquiry, is fundamental to this goal of science education. This descriptive research study investigated pre-service secondary science teachers' conceptual understanding of scientific inquiry using concept maps. Thirty participants constructed concept maps describing the interrelationships among twelve scientific inquiry concepts. The concept maps were analyzed to determine how participants structured, organized, associated, and described the relationships between these concepts. The majority of participants did organize and associate a chain of inquiry concepts with one another into a scientific method series. Participants displayed an overall low number of associations between the twelve inquiry concepts. Of the concept pairs that were associated with one another, there was a lack of consistency in the linking words used to describe the relationship between them. Implications for science educators in the development and design of teaching about inquiry in pre-service teacher education programs and professional development opportunities are examined. Recommendations for further study into the conceptual understanding of beginning science teachers are also discussed.