Date of Award

2015

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

School of Education

Abstract

As a classroom science teacher, I have experienced firsthand the disengagement and disinterest students have with science. Students often struggle to retain information from year to year, feel comfortable in the science classroom, and see the connections between the science taught in the classroom and their lived experiences. It is obvious to me that we could do more for our students. One way in which to assist students with science learning is through the incorporation of Sci-YAR (Science Youth Action Research). Sci-YAR is a curricular framework and instructional strategy that places the student at the center of their learning. It requires students to engage in collaborative action-based scientific inquires rooted in issues that are of great importance to the students. Sci-YAR challenges the traditional role of student and teacher and has the capacity to transform both the students and the teachers. The purpose of this study is to investigate how students and their teacher make meaning of their experiences while engaging in Sci-YAR. This study was conducted in my classroom with myself and several of my students as participants and offers an emic perspective of science teaching and learning. I hope to contribute to the literature on practitioner inquiry, the power of student voice and rethinking science teaching and learning.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

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