ABSTRACT
The current focus of much work in science education reform is to bring more ambitious science into classrooms. Education reformers have argued that students need to learn more rigorous scientific content than what is typically taught (AAAS, 1990). In addition, reformers are attempting to bring more of the practices of scientific inquiry into student learning activities (NRC, 1996). This means establishing a learning setting in which students can take ownership of the questions they pursue, can design and implement an investigation to pursue their questions, and can interpret and communicate their results to others (Linn, diSessa, Pea, & Songer, 1994). These goals have emerged from research documenting the shallow level of understanding engendered in what is argued to be a decontextualized approach to teaching science.
