Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe how the JASON project was implemented in a self-contained fourth grade classroom and to examine this project within the overall context of student--scientist partnership (SSP) models of science education reform. Additionally, this study examined and described any changes in student conceptions of the nature of science as a result of participating in JASON. The primary sources of data were verbatim transcripts derived from semistructured student and teacher interviews along with notes acquired through participant observation. Overall, results indicate that the project had a notable impact on short-term attainment of science content for participants, however little change was seen in their conceptions of the nature of science. Technology was underutilized across all areas of the program and there was essentially no communication between students and scientists. These findings are related to the instructional decisions of the classroom teacher which were directly influenced by the professional development workshop available for this program. Although this project has great promise to serve as an excellent model for bringing students and scientists together to facilitate an understanding of the nature of science, that potential was not realized.
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Moss, D.M. A Window on Science: Exploring the JASON Project and Student Conceptions of Science. Journal of Science Education and Technology 12, 21–30 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022151410028
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022151410028