Elementary school science: implementation of domain-general strategies into a teaching didactics

In the present study a teaching didactics for science learning was set up for children of 11 and 12 years old in such a way a dynamic interaction between domain general strategies and developing conceptual knowledge was made possible while each type of the scientific process was negotiated (forming of hypotheses, experimenting and evaluating). The didactics was used to stimulate metacognitive awareness and was implemented in a 2-months programme around eight different content domains (alternative energy, electrical circuitry, electromagnetism, the human body, slopes, the pendulum, friction and sinking and floating). Results showed that children developed significant understandings with regard to the process and strategy domain of scientific thinking but that this effect was dependent on the type of teacher that was involved (pre-service versus in-service teacher). In addition, it was found that 12 year-olds showed some aspects of self-regulated learning in hands-on experimenting after they received the programme. On the level of attitudes, relative to controls, a significant drop of science enthusiasm was found while both children of 11 years and 12 years old viewed science as less difficult after the programme was finished. Findings were interpreted in the light of situated versus longer term personal interest in science and technology.status: publishe