A Study of the Role of Research Scientists in K-12 Science Education

To what extent have positions for science education specialists as change agents within science departments persisted and evolved over the past decade? We addressed this question by studying a population of Science Faculty with Education Specialties (SFES) first described in 2008. SFES are university science faculty who engage in undergraduate science education, K-12 science education, and/or research in science education. Compared to a decade ago, SFES are now more prevalent and more likely to be formally trained in science education. Many identify as discipline-based education researchers (DBER) but assert that their SFES and DBER roles are nonequivalent. SFES have garnered university administrator support through varied science education activities, and these insights into the evolving role of scientists in science education have implications for many stakeholders.

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ROLE OF HARDWARE STARTUPS IN FACILITATING ELECTRONICS AND COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR KIDS: SURVEY OF HARDWARE PRODUCTS

10.21506/j.ponte.2018.8.6 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 74 (8) ◽

Author(s):

Slim Chtourou ◽

Mohamed Kharrat ◽

Nader Ben Amor ◽

Mohamed Jallouli ◽

Mohamed Abid

Keyword(s):

Science Education ◽

Computer Science ◽

Computer Science Education

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Desert island data

10.1093/oso/9780198796978.003.0002 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Laurie Cohen ◽

Joanne Duberley

Keyword(s):

Life Course ◽

Desert Island ◽

Data Source ◽

Research Scientists ◽

Radio Programme ◽

Work And Life

Laurie Cohen and Joanne Duberley describe their use of an unconventional data source—a radio programme—to study celebrity careers. This source also includes music, which evokes memories, and elicits emotions not readily captured in conventional interviews. They used the archives of the BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs to study the careers of well-known research scientists. The programme’s format has been consistent over its 70-year history; ‘castaways’ from all walks of life are interviewed about their careers and are asked to select eight pieces of music, which reveal many other aspects of their lives. This research focused on the relationships between work and life course, the notion of career as performance, and the role of emotion in the narration of career. Desert Island Discs is part of an extensive archive. As time and funding for research are tight, rapid no-cost access to such data is valuable.

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Integrating engineering in K-12 science education: spelling out the pedagogical, epistemological, and methodological arguments

Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research ◽

10.1186/s43031-019-0010-0 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Senay Purzer ◽

Jenny Patricia Quintana-Cifuentes

Keyword(s):

Science Education ◽

Scientific Literacy ◽

Student Learning Outcomes ◽

School Science ◽

School Resources ◽

Science And Engineering ◽

Teaching Models ◽

Engineering Design Process ◽

Stem Literacy ◽

K 12

AbstractThis position paper is motivated by recent educational reform efforts that urge the integration of engineering in science education. We argue that it is plausible and beneficial to integrate engineering into formal K-12 science education. We illustrate how current literature, though often implicitly, discusses this integration from a pedagogical, epistemological, or methodological argumentative stance. From a pedagogical perspective, a historically dominant argument emphasizes how engineering helps make abstract science concepts more concrete. The epistemological argument is centered on how engineering is inherently interdisciplinary and hence its integrative role in support of scientific literacy and more broadly STEM literacy is natural. From a methodological perspective, arguments focus on the engineering design process, which is compatible with scientific inquiry and adaptable to answering different types of engineering questions. We call for the necessity of spelling out these arguments and call for common language as science and engineering educators form a research-base on the integration of science and engineering. We specifically provide and discuss specific terminology associated with four different models, each effectively used to integrate engineering into school science. We caution educators against a possible direction towards a convergence approach for a specific type of integrating engineering and science. Diversity in teaching models, more accurately represents the nature of engineering but also allows adaptations based on available school resources. Future synthesis can then examine student learning outcomes associated with different teaching models.

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