The call for evidence-based research in education has accelerated in recent years, accompanied by the need to examine the nature of inquiry into student learning. Donovan and Pellegrino (2003) make a strong appeal to improve the quality of classroom research, stating that “education needs high-quality research if the results are to be reliable for the purposes of improving practice”. The challen...
Reading and discussing primary literature is central to communicating science. Students need practice in reading the literature for purposes beyond gaining information. Literature can be used to both increase knowledge and comprehension and to engage students in higher-level thinking (Bloom 1956; Levine 2001; Gillen et al. 2004; Finelli et al. 2005). Because science is also about making...
Reading and understanding primary research literature is a challenge for students as they can be intimidated by scientific jargon and the unfamiliar style of scientific prose (Epstein 1972; White 2001). It is, however, an important skill that should be developed well before they graduate. Students’ abilities to accomplish this are often underestimated, especially in the case of nonscience major...
Using a problem developed from Guinotte et al. [attached], we illustrate a research approach to determine the effectiveness of inquiry-based instruction on students’ understanding. Two research studies, one in biology (Udovic et al. 2002) and one in chemistry (Wright et al.1998), influenced our thinking about how to proceed. Both are exemplary studies that examined the impact of active learnin...
An aerial view of Lake Christina, MN, during turbid-state (ca. early 1980s). Pelican Lake (immediately downstream) is visible on lower right. The effects of turbid water discharging from Lake Christina into Pelican are visible.
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