Instruction that integrates engagement in authentic scientific research practices enables deep understanding of scientific ideas and various aspects of the nature of science. Such engagement also supports the development of higher-order thinking and fosters creativity and intellectual openness that characterize scientific thinking. The goal is for learners to reach a level of understanding that enables them to apply scientific ideas in everyday life.
Scientific practices include, for example, asking questions and defining problems, planning and conducting scientific investigations, engaging in problem solving, and presenting claims through evidence-based arguments. Active engagement in these practices can be encouraged through participation in inquiry activities in laboratory and field settings. For instance, a common experience for engaging in scientific practices in the lower grades of elementary school involves tracking the growth of two plants of the same type, one placed in light and the other in darkness.
Citizen science projects inherently provide opportunities for engagement in scientific practices. For example, in the “Great Bird Count” project, students learn to identify a variety of wild birds, engage in data collection through field observations and quantitative counting, and ultimately investigate data that contribute to the conservation of wild bird biodiversity near human settlements.
Deepening and Expansion ▼
A new framework for science education
Under the guidance of the National Research Council (2012), representatives from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened to establish a new framework for science education (NGSS, 2013). This initiative emerged from the recognition that there was significant room for improvement in science curricula for grades K–12. The committee proposed that science education be structured around three equally important components: (a) scientific and engineering practices, (b) disciplinary core ideas, and (c) crosscutting concepts. The integration of these components supports the development of scientific thinking and understanding of the nature of science over time.
- Scientific and engineering practices: This component emphasizes the use of the term “practices” rather than “skills” to underscore that scientific inquiry requires both knowledge and skills simultaneously (Berland et al., 2015; Crawford, 2014). The committee identified eight scientific and engineering practices that all students should develop throughout their schooling: asking questions and defining problems; developing and using models; planning and carrying out investigations; analyzing and interpreting data; using mathematical and computational thinking; constructing explanations and designing solutions; engaging in argument from evidence; and obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information. Engagement in these practices helps students understand the development of scientific knowledge, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary ideas in science and engineering, and renders scientific knowledge more meaningful and relevant to learners.
- Scientific ideas: This component refers to active engagement that involves scientific practices. Osborne (2014) emphasizes that the primary goal of science education is learners’ active and participatory engagement in science. According to his argument, such engagement achieves its goals only when the following conditions are met: (a) the experience supports learners in developing a deeper and broader understanding of what we know, how we know it, and the ideas guiding scientific work; (b) the experience constitutes a more effective means for developing knowledge than frontal instruction; and (c) the experience presents an authentic portrayal of the effort involved in doing science.
- Crosscutting concepts: This component highlights the importance of learners understanding both the connections and distinctions among similar concepts encountered across different disciplines. For example, the concept of energy in biology, chemistry, and physics refers to a shared idea that is measured and operationalized differently across these disciplines.
References ▼
Ministry of Education. (2021). The Graduate Profile.
Berland, L. K., Schwarz, C. V., Krist, C., Kenyon, L., Lo, A. S., & Reiser, B. J. (2016). Epistemologies in practice: Making scientific practices meaningful for students. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 53(7), 1082-1112.
Crawford, B. A. (2014). From inquiry to scientific practices in the science classroom. In Handbook of research on science education, volume II (pp. 529-556). Routledge.
Kali, Y., (2006). Collaborative knowledge-building using the Design Principles Database. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 1(2), 187-201.
National Research Council (NRC). (2012). A framework for k-12 science education: Practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas. The National Academy Press.
NGSS Lead States. (2013). Next generation science standards: for states, by states. The National Academies Press.
NGSS Lead States. (2013). Appendix F: Science and Engineering Practices Describes the progression of the practices across K-12, detailing the specific elements of each practice that are targets for students at each grade band. In Next generation science standards: For states, by states. The National Academy Press. https://www.nextgenscience.org/sites/default/files/Appendix F Science and Engineering Practices in the NGSS - FINAL 060513.pdf
Osborne, J. (2014). Teaching scientific practices: Meeting the challenge of change. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 25(2), 177–196.
