Examining Science Inquiry Practices in the Elementary Classroom through Science Notebooks

Abstract

Current research and reports on classroom practice indicate an ongoing need for professional development in elementary science education. The purpose of this research is to investigate the efficacy of science notebook analysis as a vehicle for informing this professional development, with a particular emphasis on guiding teachers in using student-produced graphics more effectively. A purposeful sample of 32 science notebooks from a single elementary school were analyzed for graphic content based on a research-based taxonomy. The results of the analysis show a non-uniform distribution of graphic production across stages of the inquiry. The graphics produced were also largely teacher-driven and represented concrete, macro-scale, real-time phenomena. The paper concludes that this analytic approach has considerable value in informing elementary science professional development.