Meta Principle: Make Science Accessible

Many students perceive science, scientific practice, and ideas related to the nature of science as disconnected from their own worlds. This meta-principle is grounded in theoretical frameworks that seek to bridge this disconnection. The concepts of “inquiry learning” and “inquiry-based teaching” have become somewhat overused; however, when inquiry learning is implemented effectively, students can develop scientific thinking and an understanding of the basis for relying on information derived from scientific processes. When science is made accessible to learners, they may be encouraged to apply these ways of thinking in their everyday lives, to perceive science as part of their personal identity, and perhaps even as a possible future occupation.

This meta-principle brings together several pedagogical principles that propose ways of designing activities and curricula that make science accessible to learners. For example, by encouraging students to develop and examine their own ideas systematically, or by supporting students in creating connections between scientific ideas and their everyday lives.