With this case study, we explored efforts to connect pre-service elementary teachers (PSTs) and campus scientists through place-based inquiry instruction. Using the framework of Community of Practice (CoP), the research question guiding this study was: what features of our place-based inquiry course intervention (involving PSTs and scientists) afforded or constrained the extent to which our students moved toward a fuller involvement in the CoP? The results indicated the PSTs were able to participate in a CoP engaged in authentic scientific inquiry and were able to move through levels of legitimate peripheral participation in varying degrees while maintaining their identities as future elementary teachers. Additionally, place-based inquiry was an effective means of including PSTs in the CoP by enabling them to provide a unique knowledge set to partnering scientists and to build arguments based on authentic local inquiry.

In Turkey, a new Turkish High School Physics Curriculum (THSPC) was put into practice, starting initially with the Grade 9 in the 2008-2009 education-year. When compared with the previous ones, this curriculum emphasized the importance of students’ active involvement in learning, use of real-life contexts and development of new skills. Even though what is intended with the new curriculum reflects the global trends in science/physics education, its success (or failure thereof) depends a great deal on teachers since they are the main actors to put the curriculum into practice. Whether teachers can implement the curriculum as intended by the curriculum developers remains an important question. A teacher’s belief is an important factor, among others, that affects his/her implementation of the THSPC. In this regard, the aim of this study was to investigate physics teachers’ beliefs related to the teaching of physics according to the THSPC. Four physics teachers from different schools participated in this study. Data were collected through interviews, classroom observations and an open-ended questionnaire. According to our findings, physics teachers believed that teaching physics based on the THSPC helped students use their skills, become more interested in physics lessons, relate physics to their daily life and understand physics better. However, teachers believed that factors such as students’ interest in physics, the university entrance exam, inadequate laboratory facilities, limited lesson hours per week, and lack of information and communication technologies affected the implementation of the THSPC. For more effective implementation of the THSPC, making some changes in the curriculum should be necessary.  

This study examined preservice science teachers’ understandings of the structure and function of the human gastrointestinal and endocrine systems through drawings and interviews. Moreover, the preservice science teachers described where they thought they learned about the systems. The 142 preservice teachers were asked to draw the human gastrointestinal and endocrine systems and label the organs. Following the in class drawings, the preservice science teachers were interviewed by a classmate about the drawing, the function of the system, and where they believed they learned about the system. The study provided evidence that (1) preservice science teachers had more knowledge of the gastrointestinal system than the endocrine system; (2) the interviews yielded more information about the systems than did the drawings; (3) food was described as moving from the mouth to the anus, but absorption was not often mentioned; and (4) the prior social interactions that influenced the knowledge of the preservice science teachers were different for the gastrointestinal and endocrine systems.

In this study, the relationship between students’ chemistry self-efficacy beliefs and metacognitive awareness was investigated utilizing a path model. There were 268 chemistry high school students (59% 10th grade and 41% 11th grade) participated in the study. The students took two-hour chemistry course in the 9th and 10th grade and three-hour chemistry course in the 11th grade. To measure students’ self-efficacy toward chemistry, the High School Chemistry Self-efficacy Scale was used. Students’ metacognition was assessed via Junior Metacognitive Awareness Inventory. The hypothesized model for the relationship between high school students’ chemistry selfefficacy and metacognitive awareness was tested by conducting confirmatory factor analysis by using LISREL 9.1 for Windows with SIMPLIS command language. The results of this study showed that high efficacious students were more aware of knowledge about their cognitive abilities and their regulation of cognitive processes.

Earth is experiencing a great mass extinction (GME) that has been caused by the environmentally destructive activities of humans. This GME is having and will have profound effects on Earth’s biodiversity if environmental sustainability is not reached. Activities and curriculum tools have been developed to assist teachers in integrating the current GME theme into their existing curriculum. There has also been a recent appeal to incorporate the current GME theme into science and environmental education research but this research has yet to be conducted. This study presents the first time the current GME theme has been assessed in a research setting. This study analyzed the effect living Poecilotheria spider activities had on United States children. The variables measured included 1) human fear toward the Poecilotheria spiders; 2) human disgust toward the Poecilotheria spiders; and 3) human environmental beliefs associated with the current GMEs impact on the Poecilotheria spiders. New to this study is the finding that the use of living spiders in a positive educational setting that addresses the current GME are effective tools in decreasing fear and disgust and increasing positive environmental beliefs toward Poecilotheria spiders in children. Teachers of elementary children should consider arthropods, arthropod information and the current GME as effective themes to decrease arthropod fear and disgust and increase positive environmental beliefs in children. Lastly, this study presents a structural equation model showing that the reduction of fear and disgust towards specific animals can increase positive environmental beliefs in children when focused on the current GME.

This study investigates noise pollution levels in two elementary schools. Also, “noise level awareness and sensitivity training” was given for reducing noise pollution, and the effects and results of this training were evaluated. ‘Sensitivity’ training was given to 611 students and 48 teachers in a private and a public school. Questionnaires, sound meter observations, and the reflections of the student teachers participating in the study were used for collecting data. The findings showed that noise levels measured in both schools were much higher than national and international upper limits. The data obtained through the first questionnaire indicated that students and teachers had little knowledge, understanding, sensitivity, and awareness of noise pollution. Sound meter measurements recorded after training showed no decrease in the noise levels of the schools. However, post-training observations, questionnaires, and reflections of the pre-service teachers demonstrated that the awareness and sensitivity of students and teachers about noise pollution in schools increased. A decrease occurred in their following perception: “that noise pollution in schools cannot be prevented”. Teacher reflections showed that positive change in the awareness and sensitivity about noise pollution manifested itself in the behaviors of the students and the teachers considerably. It was concluded that teachers and administrators must display sensitive behaviors in regard to the noise in particular, this issue should be emphasized during lessons and the training in schools should be given to students as of early ages.