Using Inquiry Processes to Investigate Knowledge, Skills, and Perceptions of Diverse Learners: An Approach to Working With Prospective and Current Science Teachers

National and state science education standards are imbued with the theme of science for all learners (American Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS], 1989); National Research Council [NRC], 1996). Science teaching strategies are incorporated into the various documents, but issues and challenges facing the goal of meeting individual learner needs are addressed in only a perfunctory fashion. Social inequalities are often made invisible in the implementation of education reform (Rodriguez, 1999) and the achievement gap separating diverse, low-income students from those who are more economically privileged remains problematic (Lynch, 2001; Warren, Ballenger, Ogonowski, Rosebery, & Hudicourt-Barnes, 2001). Even the Standards for Staff Development include equity under the heading of content and address it in a broad, general manner (National Staff Development Council, 2001).