Toward Understanding Upper Elementary Students’ NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)-Aligned Science Modeling Task Performance (Poster 16)

• In Event: Friday Poster Session 7:45 am
  In Poster Session: Considering Teachers, Students, and Contexts in Science Education

Abstract

A key component of NGSS is modeling, or representing students’ understanding of scientific phenomena in diagrams or drawings. In this exploratory study, we conducted cognitive interviews with 25 upper elementary students using three NGSS-aligned assessment tasks covering Grade 4 Performance Expectations (Sensing, Waves, Light). Results from qualitative analyses indicated that students have some sense of these scientific phenomena, though they lack full understanding of the concepts. Students struggled to accurately develop and use science models and they shared common misconceptions. These results speak to the need to develop more tools to support teachers’ teaching and students’ learning of science modeling in upper elementary classrooms.

Authors

• Natalie Brezack, WestEd

• Shuangting Yang, WestEd

• Mingyu Feng, WestEd

• Cathy Ringstaff, WestEd