Report
An Action Research Perspective of Making Connections between Science and Mathematics in a Science Methods Course
Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse
1999
Abstract
This study documents and interprets the efforts made by one elementary science methods professor to make connections between mathematics and science in an elementary science methods course. This is an action research study using an N of one (a case study) from the theoretical stance of symbolic interaction. Participants in this study include the course professor, a co-researcher, and the 30 teacher candidates in the course. Special focus is on six teacher candidates participating in a National Science Foundation funded undergraduate teacher preparation program designed to produce specialist mathematics and science upper elementary/middle level teachers and on three elementary education majors with concentrations in mathematics or science. Discussion focuses on the researchers' reflections as prompted by a comparison of the performance of the special teacher candidates' and the other teacher candidate participants. A key implication from this study is the assertion that while all participants benefited from the teaching innovation to blend mathematics and science in the methods course, the teacher candidates participating in the specialist program were particularly receptive to and accomplished in making connections between mathematics and science. The authors believe that they benefited preferentially due to their prior experience in content specialist classes in which the professors emphasized connections between the two disciplines. However, the authors also advise caution in implementing this innovation in all contexts. A major finding is that teacher candidates are inclined to construct visions of the role of mathematics and science when making connections, which specialists in the disciplines might find problematic. (Author/DDR)
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Details
- Title
- An Action Research Perspective of Making Connections between Science and Mathematics in a Science Methods Course
- Creators
- J. Randy McGinnisAmy Roth-McDuffieCarolyn Parker
- Publisher
- Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse
- Identifiers
- 99900594760701842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Report