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The purpose of this study was to develop a computer-based measure of elementary students’ science talk and to report students’ benchmarks. The development procedure had three steps: defining the framework of the test, collecting and identifying key reference sets of science talk, and developing and verifying the science talk instrument. The Science Talk Test (STT), consisting of semi-structured items, was developed for a framework of exemplars from inquiry classrooms representing three inquiry components (i.e. identifying questions, designing methods and presenting evidence, and drawing evidence-based conclusions) for two types of science talk (i.e. factually oriented and evaluative discourses). Grades 4 and 6 students (N = 281) were selected from three levels of urbanization representative of Taiwan to verify the STT and to establish performance benchmarks. The STT’s reliability, validity, and item parameters were found to be reasonable. Students performed better in the factually oriented talk than in the evaluative talk. Designing methods and presenting evidence was more difficult than the other two types of inquiry talk. Students’ science talk ability was predictable with prior scientific knowledge and language ability measures. Practical use of the STT, explicit instruction, and future research are recommended.

This article reports on the development of an online dynamic approach for assessing and improving students’ reading comprehension of science texts—the dynamic assessment for reading comprehension of science text (DARCST). The DARCST blended assessment and response-specific instruction into a holistic learning task for grades 5 and 6 students. The DARCST, a layer-cake approach (interspersed responses and feedback) to assessment as learning, takes a graduated-prompts perspective on the criteria for reading comprehension of science text. The item response theory (IRT) analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA) over an instructional period indicated that the DARCST was applicable for most students with a wide range of reading abilities. Based on the acceptable psychometrics, the DARCST appears to be appropriate for use in middle-years science programs where enhanced science reading is a goal.

The purpose of this study was to develop a computer-based assessment for elementary school students’ listening comprehension of science talk within an inquiry-oriented environment. The development procedure had 3 steps: a literature review to define the framework of the test, collecting and identifying key constructs of science talk, and developing and verifying an instrument that measured listening comprehension of science talk. The Science Listening Comprehension Test (SLCT), consisting of 35 multiple-choice items, was developed for 3 science inquiry components: identifying questions, designing methods and presenting evidence, and drawing evidence-based conclusions. Students from grades 4 and 6 (N = 1,080) were recruited and selected through cluster sampling. The SLCT’s validity, reliability, and item parameters were found to be reasonable. Grade-related improvement in listening comprehension of science talk was observed, no significant gender difference was observed, and students’ listening comprehension of science talk was predictable with prior scientific knowledge and language ability measures. Instructional implications were discussed, and future research was outlined.

This study reports on the process of developing a test to assess students’ reading comprehension of scientific materials and on the statistical results of the verification study. A combination of classic test theory and item response theory approaches was used to analyze the assessment data from a verification study. Data analysis indicates the test has satisfactory validity and reliability. The Reading Comprehension of Science Test (RCST) components have a wide range of difficulty, which suggests that the RCST is appropriate for a relatively large percentage of students. Based on the accepted relationships among science, language, and literacy, integrated literacy–science instructions are highly recommended.

This study examined the differential impacts of an inquiry-based instruction on conceptual changes across levels of prior knowledge and reading ability. The instrument emphasized four simultaneously important components: conceptual knowledge, reading ability, attitude toward science, and learning environment. Although the learning patterns and effect size analyses indicated that students from all subgroups demonstrated substantial gains on weather concepts, students from the low prior conceptual knowledge group demonstrated greater gains in conceptual knowledge than subgroups with more prior knowledge; and these gains remained stable 3 weeks after the instruction ceased. However, students from the low language proficiency group showed the least gains in conceptual knowledge. Students’ prior knowledge and reading ability were found to be positively and significantly associated to conceptual development. Recent perspectives on the role of language in science education and suggestions that support learning during instruction are briefly described.

This study has resulted in an elementary science methods course that facilitates the identification and description of the changes in students’ conceptions and understanding of inquiry teaching, and the cultural influences, reflections, and situational factors influencing these changes. Written responses to open-ended questions, reflective journals, teaching plans, and videotapes of lessons were used as data sources. Results of the written responses and the lesson plans indicated that an elementary science methods course with social-constructivist and reflective assessment strategies appears to enhance methods students’ conceptual changes regarding inquiry teaching. The significance of this study lies in the provision of insights into three apparent explanations: impacts of cultural myths, conditions for critical reflection, and unit design as performance of understanding. By identifying the elementary methods students’ reflections and situations, the elementary science methods course provides knowledge for teacher educators about how such students expressed their conceptions and understanding of inquiry teaching and, therefore, potentially provides indications about appropriate teaching strategies for science methods courses.

The purpose of the study was to explore students’ alternative conceptions and their associative thinking regarding internal transport in plants through administration of a refined diagnostic test. Questions of associative thinking and explanation were added to form a third tier of the previous two-tier test. The study found three terms related to alternative conceptions: capillary action, minerals, and nutrients produced by photosynthesis. The students’ associative thinking related to these three terms suggested that: (1) capillary action is linked to a hair-water relation, (2) minerals are in the nutrients group, and (3) oxygen is linked to nutrients. Finally, issues regarding the impacts of language on conceptual learning are discussed under three strands: effects of language, Chinese language, and textbook language.

This article provides a model for the professional development of elementary science teachers. The model focused on integrating different domains of knowledge into science teaching, including the knowledge of the science curriculum, especially scientific inquiry, teacher’s knowledge, and students’ knowledge. The two case studies in this article revealed that the teachers construct their knowledge in a social context. The constant reflections on the experiences helped them to generate alternative teaching approaches. The findings suggest that the model of the project had two functions. First, it provides a useful strategy to help science teachers to bridge the gap between theories of teaching and their own teaching practices. Second, it provides a social learning environment for learning how to teach science.

This study is intended to develop an assessment instrument to investigate students’ understandings about internal transport in plants and human circulatory system. A refined process of a two-tier diagnostic test was used to develop the instrument. Finally, three versions of the Internal Transport in Plants and the Human Circulatory System test were developed for different educational levels: elementary, secondary and high school level. The test–retest reliability, the degree of difficulty, and the range of discrimination were found to be reasonable for all three versions. The statistical variances across educational levels of the verification samples and the test applications are discussed. The students’ major alternative conceptions on internal transport of plants and human were classified into three attributes of explanations: interconnectedness, language and anthropomorphism. Based on the nature of students’ explanations, card-sorting with justification, learning cycle and concept mapping were recommended for in-depth learning of the concept.