Browse > Article

Curriculum Reform Movement of Science Education in the US: A Case of Earth Science Curriculum  

Park, Do-Yong (Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Illinois State University)
Publication Information
Journal of the Korean earth science society / v.27, no.7, 2006 , pp. 730-744 More about this Journal
Abstract
The United States curriculum reform movement has recently started in each area of science education. The initiatives on curriculum reform stem from a notion that the low rate of science curricula offered in schools has been a serious problem. The schools in the United States are not only facing a lack of offerings within science curricula but also low enrollment in science courses, especially in physics, chemistry, and earth science. This trend resulted in low performances on international achievement tests including TIMSS and PISA. This paper introduces the efforts to solve existing problems through curriculum reform; including ChemCom, BioCom, EarthComm, and Active Physics. In this paper, a discussion is presented to show how the curricula can help address the status quo in science education. More specifically, this paper focuses on curriculum reform in high school earth science (EarthComm), providing a closer look at the scope and sequence of the reform movement. EarthComm was chosen because it was released based on the development of the National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996). Consequently, EarthComm became a curriculum that espoused the visions of the Standards, which has been guiding the reform of the US curriculum. At the end of this paper, two research outcomes of the EarthComm curriculum implementation in schools are discussed in terms of student learning and differences from conventional curricula.
Keywords
national science education standards; earth systems education; EarthComm; curriculum reform;
Citations & Related Records
연도 인용수 순위
  • Reference
1 American Geological Institute, 2000b, Teacher manual for earth system science in the community, American Geological Institute, Washington D.C., p. 10
2 Clough, M.P., 1994, A formative evaluation of biology in the community (BioCom). Unpublished doctoral dissertation, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, p. 20
3 Greenwald, R., Hedges, L., and Laine, R., 1996, The effect of school resources on student achievement. Review of Educational Research, 66 (3), 361-396   DOI   ScienceOn
4 Harms, N.C. and Yager, R.E., 1981, What research says to the science teacher, vol.3, National Science Teachers Association, Washington, D.C., p. 10
5 Hurd, P.D., 1990, Change and challenge in science education. Journal of Research of Science Teaching, 27 (5), 13-14
6 Hurd, P.D., 1994, New minds for a new age: Prologue to modernizing the science curriculum. Science Education, 78 (1), 103-116   DOI   ScienceOn
7 It's About Time., 2002, Active Chemistry, Armonk, New York, p.1
8 Leonard, W.H. and Penick, J.E., 1991, Biology in the Community: An appropriate high school biology curriculum for all students. Proposal to the National Science Foundation, November, p. 4
9 McCormick, A.J. and Yager, R.E., 1989, A new taxonomy of science education. The Science Teacher, 56 (2), 47- 48
10 National Research Council., 1996, National Science Education Standards. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., p. 11
11 National Research Council. 1988. Improving indicators of the quality of science and mathematics education in grades K-12, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., p. 5
12 Park, D., 2001, A study of earth system science in the community (EarthComm) in terms of its congruency with the visions in the national science education standards and its effectiveness in improving student learning. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, p. 5
13 Park, D., 2003, A review of EarthComm curriculum, Accompanying Earth Science, 2 (2), 59-69
14 Sutman, F.X. and Bruce, M.N., 1992, Chemistry in the Community-ChemCom: A five year evaluation. Journal of Chemical Education, 69 (7), 564-567   DOI
15 Trowbridge, L.W., Bybee, R.W., and Powell, C.J., 1999, Teaching secondary school science-strategies for developing scientific literacy. Prentice Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliff, NJ, p. 25
16 Welch, W.W., 1968, The impact of national curriculum projects: The need for accurate assessment. School Science and Mathematics, 68 (3), 225-234   DOI
17 Stinner, A., 1995, Science textbooks: Their present role and future form. In Glynn, S.M. and Duit, R. (Eds.) Learning science in the schools: Research reforming practice. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Mahwah, NJ, p. 275
18 Welch, W.W., 1969, Curriculum evaluation. Review of Educational Research, 39 (4), 429-443
19 Yager, R.E. 1983, The importance of terminology in teaching K-12 science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 20 (6), 577-588   DOI
20 Yager, R.E., 1992, Viewpoint: What we did not learn from the 60's about science curriculum reform. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 29 (8), 905-910   DOI
21 Kyle, W.C. Jr., 1984, Curriculum development projects of the 1960s. In Holdzkom, D. and Lutz, P.B. (Eds.) Research within reach: Science education. National Science Teachers Association, Washington, D.C., p. 35
22 Ridgway, D.W. and Pimentel, G.C., 1970, CHEM Study- Its impact and influence. High School Journal, 53 (4), 216-225
23 DeBoer, G.E., 1991, A history of ideas in science education- implications for practice. Teachers College Press, New York and London, p. 147
24 Martin, M., Mullis, I., Gonzalez, E., Gregory, K., Smith, T., Chrostowski, S., Garden, R., and O'Connor, K., 2000, TIMSS 1999 International Report. International Study Center, Lynch School of Education, Boston College, p. 34
25 Myer, W.V., 1974, Adaptations of BSCS biology throughout the world. The American Biology Teacher, 36 (9), 543   DOI
26 Shymansky, J.A. and Kyle, W.C., Jr., 1992, Establishing a research agenda: Critical issues of science curriculum reform. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 29 (8), 749-778   DOI
27 Yager, R.E., 1984b, Toward new meaning for school science. Educational Leadership, 41 (4), 12-18
28 Chiappetta, E.L., Fillman, D.A., and Sethna, G.H., 1991, A method to quantify major themes of scientific literacy in science textbooks. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 28 (8), 713-725   DOI
29 Mayer, V.J., Armstrong, R.E., Barrow, L.H., Brown, S.M., Crowder, J.N., Fortner, R.W., Graham, M., Hoyt, W.H., Humphris, S.E., Jax, D.W., Shay, E.L., and Shropshire, K.L., 1992, The role of planet earth in the new science curriculum. Journal of Geological Education, 40 (1), 66-73   DOI
30 Park, D., Yager, R., and Smith, M., 2004, Implementing EarthComm: Teacher professional development and its impact on student achievement scores in a standardsbased earth science curriculum. Electronic Journal of Science Education, [Online]. Available: http://unr.edu/ homepage/jcannon/ejse/ejse.html [2004, September]
31 Wandersee, J., 1988, Ways students read texts. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 25 (1), 69-84   DOI
32 Mathews, W.H., 1968, Earth science in secondary schools. Geotimes, 13 (3), 14-16
33 Exline, J.D., 1989, Better textbook activities for better science education. Science Activities, 26 (2), 19-22
34 Renner, J. W., Abraham, M.R., Grybowski, E.B., and Marek, E.A., 1990, Understandings and misunderstandings of eighth graders of four physics found in textbooks. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 27, 35- 54   DOI
35 Schmidt, W., McKnight, C., and Raizen, S., 1996, A splitered vision: An investigation of U.S. science and mathematics, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston, MA., p.10
36 Yager, R.E. and Tweed, P., 1991, Planning more appropriate biology education for schools. The American Biology Teacher, 53 (8), 479-483   DOI
37 Albert, L.R. and Jones, D.L., 1997, Implementing the science teaching standards through complex instruction: A case study of two teacher-researchers. School Science and Mathematics, 97 (6), 283-291   DOI
38 Crawley, F.E. and Koballa, T.R., 1992, Attitudes/behavior change in science education: Part I-models and methods. Paper Presented at the Meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Boston, MA, p. 12
39 Doran, R.L. and Sheard, D.M., 1974, Analyzing science textbooks. School Science and Mathematics, 74 (1), 31- 39   DOI
40 Pajares, M.F., 1992, Teachers' Beliefs and Educational Research: Cleaning up a Messy Construct. Review of Educational Research, 62 (3), 307-322   DOI   ScienceOn
41 Hurd, P.D., 1991, Why we must transform science education. Educational Leadership, 49 (2), 33-35
42 Woerner, J.J., 1991, Current trends in pre-college earth science. Earth Scientist, 8 (Fall), 9-14
43 McGinnis, J.R., 1991, History of earth science education: Secondary earth science education 1900-1948. Earth Scientist, 8 (Fall), 6-9
44 Yager, R.E., 1980, Crisis in science education (Technical Report 21). Science Education Center, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
45 Exline, J.D., 1998, The national survey with respect to earth science education at state, district, and school levels. Paper presented at the American Geological Institute Conference, Toronto, Canada, p. 15
46 Hurd, P.D., 1976, An expository study of the impact of BSCS secondary school curriculum materials. The American Biology Teacher, 38 (2), 79-85   DOI
47 American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1989, Science for All Americans. American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC., p. 1
48 Merrill, R. and Ridgway, D., 1969, The CHEM Study story. San Francisco, CA, Freeman. p. 1
49 Renner, J.W., 1972, The laboratory and science teaching. In Renner, J.W. and Stafford, D.G. Teaching science in secondary schools. Harper and Row, New York, p. 23
50 American Geological Institute, 2000a, Earth System Science in the Community (EarthComm), It's About Time, New York, p. 1
51 Haney, J.J., Czerniak, C.M., and Lumpe, A.T., 1996, Teacher beliefs and intentions regarding the implementation of science education reform strands. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 33 (9), 971-993   DOI   ScienceOn
52 Yager, R.E., 1984a, The major crisis in science education. School Science and Mathematics, 84 (3), 189-198   DOI
53 Ireton, M.F.W., 1994, Development, status, and potential future of earth science education. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Maryland, MD, p. 13
54 Mayer, V.J. 1991, History of the earth science curriculum in American schools. Earth Scientist, 8 (Fall), 3-6
55 Stinner, A., 1989, The teaching of physics and the contexts of inquiry: From Aristotle to Einstein. Science Education, 73 (5), 591-605   DOI
56 Townsend, R.D., 1976, Assessing NSF impact in the arena. School Science and Mathematics, 76 (5), 392-396   DOI
57 Park, D., 2005, Differences between a standards-based curriculum and traditional textbooks in high school earth science. Journal of Geoscience Education, 53 (5), 540- 547   DOI
58 Kahl, S. and Harms, N., 1981, Project synthesis: Purpose, organization and procedures. In Harms, N. and Yager, R.E., (Eds.) What research says to the science teacher: vol. 3. National Science Teachers Association, Washington, D.C., p. 13
59 Shymansky, J., 1984, BSCS programs: Just how effective were they? The American Biology Teacher, 46 (1), 54- 57   DOI
60 Weiss, I.R., 1978, Report of the 1977 national survey of science, mathematics and social studies education. Center for Educational Research and Evaluation, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC, p. 10
61 Klopfer, L, 1971, Evaluation of learning in science. In Bloom, B.S., Hastings, J.T., and Madaus, G.F., Handbook of formative and summative evaluation. McGraw- Hill, New York, p. 25
62 Smith, M., 1999, Challenges faced developing secondary earth science curriculum based on National Science Education Standards. Paper Presented at the Geological Society of America's Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, p. 15
63 Stake, R.E. and Easley, J., 1978, Case studies in science education, vol. 13. Center for Instructional Research and Curriculum Evaluation. University of Illinois, Urbana- Champaign, IL, p. 13:59
64 Staver, J.R. and Bay, M. 1987, Analysis of the project synthesis goal cluster orientation and inquiry emphasis of elementary science textbooks. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 24 (7), 629-643   DOI
65 Yager, R.E., 1976, Secondary science education: 1975 Assessment. High School Journal, 59 (5), 198-207
66 American Chemical Society, 1988, Chemistry in the Community (ChemCom), 3rd Edition. Kendall-Hunt, Dubuque, IA, p. 1
67 Helgeson, S.L., Blosser, P.E., and Howe, R.W., 1977, The status of pre-college science. mathematics, and social science education: 1955-75. The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, p. 23