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Urban 5th graders conceptions during a place‐based inquiry unit on watersheds
Author(s) -
Endreny Anna Henderson
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of research in science teaching
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.067
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1098-2736
pISSN - 0022-4308
DOI - 10.1002/tea.20348
Subject(s) - unit (ring theory) , curriculum , place based education , environmental education , watershed , qualitative research , outdoor education , mathematics education , pedagogy , sociology , science education , psychology , social science , computer science , machine learning
This study aimed to determine how 33 urban 5th grade students' science conceptions changed during a place‐based inquiry unit on watersheds. Research on watershed and place‐based education was used as a framework to guide the teaching of the unit as well as the research study. A teacher‐researcher designed the curriculum, taught the unit and conducted the research using qualitative data sources such as concept maps, science notebooks and interviews. Most students came to understand that their watershed was part of an urban environment where water drains from the surrounding land into a body of water. Thus, they began to understand how urban land use affects water quality. This study provides evidence for the use of place‐based learning in developing students' knowledge of the National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996) and watersheds. Implications of this study include the use of place‐based learning in urban settings and the experiences needed for students to conceptualize watersheds. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 47: 501–517, 2010