Over the past several decades, many K-12 classes have moved to use open, inquiry-based approaches to science instruction; research has shown some benefits from these approaches. However, there also exist significant challenges in teaching scientific modeling and inquiry, some based on their nature as metacognitive skills and others based on the general difficulty in providing guided instruction in open-ended exploratory learning contexts. To address these challenges, this dissertation presents a metacognitive tutoring system that teaches students an authentic process of inquiry-driven scientific modeling within an exploratory science learning environment. The design of the metacognitive tutoring system is informed by the literature on the process of scientific modeling and inquiry in both education and science, and it draws from AI theories of metacognition and intelligent tutoring. The tutoring system monitors the performance of teams of students in an open inquiry task in ecology. The system provides feedback on demand about how well the team is doing in investigating and explaining the system, and it also intervenes when errors in the process are observed or when new abilities are demonstrated. To evaluate this system, a controlled experiment was conducted with 237 students in a middle school life science classroom. In one condition, teams of students completed the activity without the tutoring system enabled, while in the other condition teams interacted with the tutoring system during part of their inquiry and modeling process. Evaluations of this experiment have shown that students who interact with the tutoring system improved in their attitudes toward scientific inquiry and careers in science, and that teams that interact with the tutoring system generate better explanations of ecological phenomena.

This study explores the development of early algebraic reasoning in mathematical communities of inquiry. Under consideration is the different pathways teachers take as they develop their own understanding of early algebra and then enact changes in their classroom to facilitate algebraic reasoning opportunities. Teachers participated in a professional development intervention which focused on understanding of early algebraic concepts, task development, modification, and enactment, and classroom and mathematical practices. Design research was employed to investigate both teaching and learning in the naturalistic setting of the schools and classrooms. The design approach supported the development of a model of professional development and the framework of teacher actions to facilitate algebraic reasoning. Data collection over the school year included participant observations, video recorded observations, documents, teacher interviews, and photo elicitation interviews with students. Retrospective data analysis drew the results together to be presented as cases of two teachers, their classrooms, and students. The findings show that the integration of algebraic reasoning into classroom mathematical activity is a gradual process. It requires teachers to develop their own understanding of algebraic concepts which includes understanding of student reasoning, progression, and potential misconceptions. Task implementation and design, shifts in pedagogical actions, and the facilitation of new classroom and mathematical practices were also key elements of change. The important role which students have in the development of classrooms where algebraic reasoning is a focus was also highlighted. These findings have significant implications for how teachers can be supported to develop their understanding of early algebra and use this understanding in their own classrooms to facilitate early algebraic reasoning.

<p>This thesis introduces the idea of an interactive web-based visualization tool to support inquiry-based science learning. The problem that occurs when the teachers and students are discussing the collected data is that they are lacking a tool to display such large quantities of data. It is often hard to fully understand such data. This education tool makes use of different visualization approaches in order to support students while getting insights from their collected data. In this thesis I proposed and implemented an interactive web-based visualization tool that was used at a prototype level during the educational activities. The requirements and user needs led the development of this prototype. Requirement elicitations have been done as a part of the research project conducted by CeLeKT.</p><p> </p><p>For the development of this tool, it was necessary for the input of the teachers and students in order to get an understanding of the requirements. The initial inquiry of the teachers and students show the necessity and usefulness of an interactive web-based visualization tool to support learning practices.</p>

This study investigated whether participation in the Partnership for Research and Education in Plants (PREP), a long-term authentic plant research project, in conjunction with explicit verses implicit instruction can change high school students' conceptions of the nature of science (NOS). The participants included a total of 134 students comprised of three groups from 10 total classes over the course of two academic years. Participants in four classes (two each year) participated in PREP and received explicit instruction on NOS. Participants in four other classes (two each year) participated in PREP and received implicit only instruction on NOS. Additionally, two classes (one each year) of high-achieving freshmen participated in PREP and received explicit instruction on NOS. This third group was used as a comparative group to the other two groups, due to their high achievement in middle school math and science. The treatment for all three groups spanned 8 weeks and included participation in an authentic plant research project. An open-ended questionnaire (modified Views of Nature of Science - VNOS), in conjunction with semi-structured interviews, was used to assess students' conceptions before and after the intervention. Results showed that all three groups improved their conceptions of NOS equally. The high-achieving group began with significantly higher-scoring views prior to the completion of the intervention, and improved to the same degree as the other two groups. A comparison of the explicit group to the implicit only group showed that there was no significant difference in their improvement, as both groups improved equally. Implications for the teaching and learning of NOS are discussed.

There is a need to change the teaching methods of the science subjects. International surveys, e.g. TIMMS and PISA, have been showing relatively declining skills for the Swedish students in the science subjects. International science education research has found good examples of teaching and learning, but the research stays within the research communities and does not reach the teachers and their teaching. The gap between research results and teachers’ practices in the classroom is the basis of this investigation. Research shows that the teacher is one of the most important factors for student learning, therefore, this study has put great emphasis on the teachers’ competencies. The focus of this investigation is the relations between teachers’ knowledge of the Nature of Science (NOS), the Nature of Science Inquiry (NOSI) and inquiry-based teaching of Science. The project follows longitudinally two teachers as they take part in a researchbased implementation process of predesigned inquiry-teaching sequences in Physics. The context is a secondary school in Sweden (grades 8–9, age 14–16 years). The project is set around group discussions between the involved teachers and the researcher on planning, implementing and analysing actual inquiry teaching. The results describe possibilities and obstacles concerning the implementation of inquiry teaching as perceived by the teachers. Having navigated obstacles the teachers saw great potential in the inquiry model based on students’ motivation and learning. The results of the project provide indications on how future in-service teacher courses in Science could be designed. / <p>The series name <em>Linköping Studies in Science and Technology Education</em> is incorrect. The correct namen is <em>Studies in Science and Technology Education</em>.</p><p>Bilaga 1-7 ej inräknade i antalet sidor.</p>

This design-based study was the first empirical investigation of a new model of learning and instruction called Knowledge Community and Inquiry (KCI). In KCI, students are engaged as a learning community as they work on scaffolded inquiry activities that target specific science learning objectives. Although community-oriented approaches have been successful at the elementary level, there has been relatively little uptake of such methods at the secondary school level – particularly in science. The pedagogical framework of KCI addresses the challenges of community models by blending established inquiry based approaches with community-oriented pedagogy. This dissertation tested the validity of KCI by designing, implementing, and empirically evaluating a curriculum based on the KCI model. This was achieved through curriculum trials involving two separate cohorts of grade-ten biology students (n = 102; n = 112). The first implementation consisted of a two-week physiology lesson that engaged students in co-authoring wiki artifacts about human system diseases, which students then used as a resource for solving medical case studies. The second implementation, an eight-week lesson on Canada's biodiversity, was a deeper application of the model, and focused on students' collaborative processes during the construction of their wiki-based knowledge repository. In both cases, the curriculum was evaluated according to its design, enactment, and learning outputs, as evidenced by students' knowledge artifacts and performance on the final exam. Technology scaffolds ensured that students focused on the physiology and biodiversity science curriculum expectations. Analyses of the data revealed that KCI engaged students in collaborative learning processes that were characteristic of a knowledge community. Additionally, final exam scores demonstrated increased learning performance when compared to those from previous years where students did not participate in KCI. The findings from this research provide the first empirical support for KCI, and demonstrate its potential for engaging secondary science students in the kinds of collaborative inquiry processes of authentic knowledge communities. This dissertation provides insight into the conditions necessary for such engagement, and contributes design recommendations for blending knowledge community and inquiry in secondary school science curriculum.

This design-based study was the first empirical investigation of a new model of learning and instruction called Knowledge Community and Inquiry (KCI). In KCI, students are engaged as a learning community as they work on scaffolded inquiry activities that target specific science learning objectives. Although community-oriented approaches have been successful at the elementary level, there has been relatively little uptake of such methods at the secondary school level – particularly in science. The pedagogical framework of KCI addresses the challenges of community models by blending established inquiry based approaches with community-oriented pedagogy. This dissertation tested the validity of KCI by designing, implementing, and empirically evaluating a curriculum based on the KCI model. This was achieved through curriculum trials involving two separate cohorts of grade-ten biology students (n = 102; n = 112). The first implementation consisted of a two-week physiology lesson that engaged students in co-authoring wiki artifacts about human system diseases, which students then used as a resource for solving medical case studies. The second implementation, an eight-week lesson on Canada's biodiversity, was a deeper application of the model, and focused on students' collaborative processes during the construction of their wiki-based knowledge repository. In both cases, the curriculum was evaluated according to its design, enactment, and learning outputs, as evidenced by students' knowledge artifacts and performance on the final exam. Technology scaffolds ensured that students focused on the physiology and biodiversity science curriculum expectations. Analyses of the data revealed that KCI engaged students in collaborative learning processes that were characteristic of a knowledge community. Additionally, final exam scores demonstrated increased learning performance when compared to those from previous years where students did not participate in KCI. The findings from this research provide the first empirical support for KCI, and demonstrate its potential for engaging secondary science students in the kinds of collaborative inquiry processes of authentic knowledge communities. This dissertation provides insight into the conditions necessary for such engagement, and contributes design recommendations for blending knowledge community and inquiry in secondary school science curriculum.

This thesis introduces the idea of an interactive web-based visualization tool to support inquiry-based science learning. The problem that occurs when the teachers and students are discussing the collected data is that they are lacking a tool to display such large quantities of data. It is often hard to fully understand such data. This education tool makes use of different visualization approaches in order to support students while getting insights from their collected data. In this thesis I proposed and implemented an interactive web-based visualization tool that was used at a prototype level during the educational activities. The requirements and user needs led the development of this prototype. Requirement elicitations have been done as a part of the research project conducted by CeLeKT.   For the development of this tool, it was necessary for the input of the teachers and students in order to get an understanding of the requirements. The initial inquiry of the teachers and students show the necessity and usefulness of an interactive web-based visualization tool to support learning practices.

“Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand.” - Chinese Proverb. Involvement in learning implies possessing skills and attitudes that permit students to seek resolutions to questions and issues while constructing new knowledge. Low enrollment in Plant Biology and Diversity and upper level plant science courses has been noticed at Western Kentucky University. In addition, graduating students performed below the national average on the senior assessment examination in the area of botany content knowledge offered by WKU’s Biology Department. This may be due to the fact that observation-based botany has been taught in a traditional way for biology majors at our university for many years. Traditional teaching methods include viewing prepared slides of plant sections, viewing live and herbarium specimens, and memorization of botanical terminology and illustrations. The goal of this study is to convert these existing traditional laboratories to investigative inquiry exercises without compromising the material covered by bringing observation-based labs into the twenty-first century. Various teaching strategies including inquiry, problem-based, case-based, and hands-on learning methods were implemented. Each exercise was reshaped around a central question or theme. These changes were expected to increase student learning and retention levels. Traditional teaching methods were used with the control group, while contemporary teaching strategies were used with the experimental set of students. Traditional assessments and anonymous surveys were statistically analyzed. The results of my analyses suggest that the experimental students were more challenged, interested, intellectually stimulated and less overwhelmed with contemporary teaching strategies and overall had higher learning retention demonstrated by their performance on assessments. Moreover, I predicted that an investigative approach will encourage larger numbers of students to take this restricted elective sophomore-level course for biology majors and further their study in plant biology.

Information and communication technology has for long been integrated into learning and teachers utilize all forms of digital technology for communication as well as to simplify learning. To adapt, teachers need to personally or through informal learning process, learn about new technologies and how to utilize them to improve learning. To personally educate themselves, the teachers need to dedicate time and resources to identify ICT competence areas where is needed and sort for resources to solve it. This thesis investigates the process of self-directed learning with a group of teachers in a planned competence development program within a local municipality’s educational department, on the use of digital technology to integrate into classrooms. With action research that integrates instructional learning from the organizations perspective and inquiry learning from teacher’s perspective, self-directed learning process was tested as a simple and structured process for self/collaborative learning, for participants. The result was a series of events that summarized why teachers could not follow the learning process, with a conclusion that in order for teachers to be self-directed in learning new ICT, the organizational need to allocate time not only for instructional learning, but also for inquiry learning.