Saturday Science QUEST: A Science Enrichment Program forElementary Children and Preservice Elementary Teachers

Eric A. Worch, Dorothy L. GdbelSchool of EducationIndiana University

Michael R.L.OdellCollege of EducationUniversity of Idaho

Motivated by recent reports decrying the state of elementary science teaching in the United States, ascience enrichmentprogram has been instituted to stimulate science interest in elementary-age childrenandtoprovidepreservice elementary teachers\vithadditional science teaching experience. After one anda halfyears, our data indicate that children feel science at school is boring because they usually learnscience only from a textbook and/or they don’t feel challenged. Most of these children enjoy the morechallenging Saturday Science QUEST courses because they are engaged in hands-on explorations andreceive more attention from their instructors. Course descriptions, preservice teacher experiences,program maintenance, andfeedbackfrom children and parents are provided.

Science is often neglected and/or poorly taught inelementary schools for at least three reasons. First,many elementary teachers dislike teaching science.Lessow (1991) asked elementary teachers to rankfrom most preferred to least their preference forteaching mathematics, reading, social studies,language arts, and science. Over 50% of the respon-dents ranked science fifth. In addition, only 6% ofthese teachers ranked science as their favorite subjectto teach.

Second, the reticence of elementary teachers toteach science has been linked to their perceptions oftheir ability to understand and teach science well. Ina national survey by Weiss (1987), only 27% ofelementary teachers felt very well qualified to teachlife science and 15% to teach physical science andearth science compared to 63% who felt very wellqualified to teach reading. In a survey of collegesproviding teacher education programs, Tolman andCampbell (1991) found that only 20% of the re-sponding institutions provided science contentcourses specifically designed for elementary teachers.

Third, the average amount of time spent onscience each week in elementary schools ranges from18 minutes in Grades K-3 to 29 minutes in Grades 4-6, compared to 77 minutes and 63 minutes spent onreading, per respective grade level (Weiss, 1987). Inaddition, most of the time spent on science involveslecturing and reading from commercial texts.

Viewing these problems as impediments toinstilling curiosity and excitement about science inchildren, the National Science Foundation andIndiana University have instituted Saturday ScienceQUEST to stimulate science interest in elementary-age children and to provide preservice elementary

teachers with additional science teaching experience.This article discusses some of the chief aspects ofthis program and feedback from children and parents.

Goals

One goal of Saturday Science QUEST, is topromote a scientifically literate citizenry that is ableto understand and assess factors that affect ourenvironment, health, and careers. In addition, thereare many more unfilled science and engineering jobsthan can possibly be filled by gifted individuals.Thus, the program’s second goal is to providechildren with fun, challenging, and rewardingscience experiences in order to stimulate and main-tain interest in science throughout their schooling andto encourage the pursuit of science and engineeringcareers. A third goal of Saturday Science QUEST isto provide preservice elementary teachers with earlyfield experiences in order to observe science as itought to be taught, interact with and observe childrenactively engaged in science activities, and receiveadvanced instruction in science education.

Program for Children

On selected Saturdays each semester, childrenenrolled in Saturday Science QUEST explore con-cepts in specific areas of science with an emphasis onthe idea that science is all around us and fun to leam.The program is currently offered to children inGrades 4-6 for eight consecutive Saturdays in boththe fall and spring semesters. Children spend 2 1/2 -3 hours per week exploring one major theme or topicin geology, chemistry, microbiology, astronomy,physics, genetics, and telecommunications, using ahands-on approach.

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Under the guidance of science education gradu-ate students and faculty instructors, children useuniversity laboratories and other science facilitiesincluding the observatory and planetarium. Forexample, the Saturday Science QUEST geology classutilizes the paleontology and paleobiology laborato-ries to break down shales and sieve for micro- andmacrofossils. Stereo microscopes in these labs areused to sort and mount microfossils. Thus, eachcourse familiarizes children with various sciencefacilities and equipment that they may only see intextbooks or experience in later academic courses.Children also experience science as scientists do, thatis, by observing, problem solving, hypothesizing, andtesting. It is hoped that conducting classes in auniversity setting will influence children to pursuescience and science-related careers.

A variety of teaching/learning strategies is usedto facilitate concept acquisition and proficiency inscience inquiry skills. For example, in most activi-ties children investigate natural phenomena thataffect their daily lives through cooperative learningexperiences. Cooperative groups consist of fourchildren (two in telecommunications) who shareresponsibility for carrying out the group’s activitiesand interpreting data. Each child is also assigned aspecific role to play in the group’s activities on arotating basis (see Figure 1). This type of coopera-tive arrangement helps to improve the scienceprocess skills of each child while developing a senseof positive interdependence within the group(Johnson & Johnson, 1989).

Many investigations utilize the learning cycleapproach, where children begin to construct theirown knowledge of science concepts and processesthrough hands-on exploration. These explorationsact as springboards for forming formal scienceconcepts and thinking processes which arc applied tonew situations. Children arc encouraged to furtherexplore these concepts with take-home experimentsduring the following week and discussions of theirexperiences during the subsequent session.

Program for Preservice Teachers

Saturday Science QUEST is one component of aprogram especially designed for prcservice elemen-tary teachers interested in a science area of concen-tration. The Saturday program provides prcserviceteachers with small-group teaching and observationexperiences as they participate in 3 three-hoursessions during the sophomore year. During eachsession, prcservice teachers focus on three differentfacets of teaching: (a) cooperative learning interac-tions, (b) learning cycle-based instructional activities,and (c) the identification of alternative conceptionsheld by children.

Preservice teachers arrive 45 minutes before thechildren for a discussion of the week’s readings and abrief review of the content and teaching strategiesthey will observe and participate in that day. Forexample, prior to the cooperative learning session,the discussion focuses on student-generated ques-tions about the various cooperative strategies pre-

Figure 1. Descriptions of Roles in Cooperative Groups.

Cooperative Roles

Telecommunications

Analyst

Operator

Other Courses

Director

Operator

Reporter

Checker

Role Descriptions

Reads directions aloud to the group andkeeps the activity moving

Gathers materials for group and returns themin clean condition

Reports the group’s findings andinterpretations to class

Encourages group members to recheck theirmeasurements and support their conclusions

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seated in the assigned readings and the task ofassigning group membership. The specific strategyto be used by the instructor is discussed in greaterdetail, including the tasks of each group member andthe expected interactions between members. Toprovide practice in performance assessment, thepreservice teachers are asked to discuss diagramsillustrating interactions among members within awell-functioning group and one that is functioningpoorly.

Once the children arrive, the preservice teachersparticipate in specific activities designed to providepractical experiences. For example, each preserviceteacher observes two different cooperative learninggroups, constructs an interaction chart for eachgroup, and interacts with the children in order toassess each group’s performance. At the same time,the instructor circulates among the cooperativegroups and models some appropriate questioningtechniques for the preservice teachers.

At the conclusion of each Saturday session, thepreservice teachers complete a reflective assignmentthat provides closure for the day’s activities. Afterthe cooperative learning session, for example, theywrite an assessment of each group’s performance,identify specific problems that may have arisen, anddevise practical solutions to help ameliorate them.The following week, they discuss their ideas andconcerns with the course instructor and other QUEST

students. It is hoped that Saturday Science QUESTprovides preservice teachers with valuable experi-ences that carry through to all aspects of their teacherpreparation.

Program Maintenance

Saturday Science QUEST is self supporting.There is a $75 tuition fee for students enrolling in theprogram. The tuition covers all student materialsused during the course, field trip fees, and teacherstipends. Financial aid and scholarships are availableto children who qualify for the local school systems’subsidized lunch program. Approximately 15% ofthe students enrolled in the program receive somesort of aid. In addition to the instructors, the programemploys an administrator whose duties includerecruiting students, soliciting community support andarranging publicity, and managing the budget. Theadministrator also provides instruction to preserviceteachers before each session and assists courseinstructors when necessary.

Community Support

Local businesses have provided funds for trans-portation, assistance in setting up field trips, opportu-nities for children to meet scientists, and supplemen-tal materials. In addition, local and regional newspa-

Table 1. Activities specified by two or more children in response to "What didyou like most about the course?"

ActivityMicrobiology (n=18)

Making yogurtMaking cheese

Geology (n=ll)

Telecommunications (n=28)

Astronomy (n=16)

Chemistry (n=16)

#Making vims models

Making cell modelsObserving organisms in pond waterMaking rocks and mineralsExcavating & assembling dinosaur fossilsUsing graphics programsUsing electronic mailUsing network information systemsUsing lasersDetermining effects ofpH on pond lifeMaking scale models of solar systemMaking sundials and telescopesMaking and launching rocketsFields trips to observatory & planetariumMaking slimeDoing acid/base experimentsField trip to chemistry demonstrations

of Children32222272467534155423

Percentage16.711.111.111.111.118.263.67.114.321.425.017.918.825.093.831.325.012.518.8

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pers, radio stations, and school districts have pro-vided free publicity for the program. Parents areencouraged to attend field trips and astronomy-observation sessions and their enthusiastic responsehelps to promote positive attitudes in their children.At the end of each course, parents also attend an openhouse in which children arc recognized for theiraccomplishments and arc encouraged to show theirparents some of their newly-acquired science skills,course projects, and experimental results. Thus,parents have been one of the most valuable assets tothe program and parental recommendations havehelped bring in many new students.

Program Evaluation

At the end of each course, children and parentsare asked to anonymously complete several open-ended questions to help us evaluate each course andplan subsequent sessions. The responses of 89children enrolled in courses offered during the firstthree semesters of the program (microbiology,chemistry, geology, astronomy, and telecommunica-tions) and 66 parents were coded and grouped intogeneral categories. Prcservice teachers’ perceptionsof their Saturday experiences were collected sepa-rately as part of a comprehensive evaluation of theprogram for elementary science specialists (Gabel,Boone, & Bemier, 1994) and will not be discussed ingreat detail herc.

In response to the question, "What did you likemost about the course," just over 2% of the childrensaid they liked the classroom dynamics and hands-onactivities, about 13% said they liked everything, andmore than 83% mentioned one or more specificactivities or topics. Activities specified by two ormore children arc shown in Table 1. Almost 17% ofthe children in microbiology said they liked makingmodels of viruses more than any other activity, whilemaking yogurt, making cheese, making cell models,and observing pond water, each accounted for 11%.Almost 64% of the children in geology preferredexcavating and reconstructing dinosaur fossils.Making rocks and minerals was a distant second at18%.

In telecommunications, 25% of the children saidusing lasers was their favorite activity, over 21%liked using international computer netwoiks, and18% enjoyed determining the effects ofpH on pondwater. Almost 94% of the children in astronomypreferred building and launching rockets, 25% likedmaking sundials and telescopes, and 31% enjoyed the

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field trips to the observatory and planetarium, hichemistry, 25% of the children liked making andstudying the properties of slime more than any otheractivity, 12.5% enjoyed performing acid/base experi-ments, and 19% liked watching demonstrationsduring a field trip to the chemistry department.

In response to the question, *’ What did you likeleast about the course." about 3% of the children said

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tasting their cheeses during the ripening process. In::::::::::-,,»:.::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::<::<:::::::::::::-:-::::::::::^ i telecommunications 25% of the children disliked||ii^ | activities associated with acid rain and 14% disliked

marking earthquake maps. Nearly 13% of theastronomy students disliked marking star maps andmaking scale drawings of the planets. Only 2children specified a chemistry activity and no one ingeology singled out a particular activity.

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We also asked the children, "How does this

^welillana5!!!^!^^ Saturday Science course compare with the way youlearn science at school?" Over 78% ofthe children

and 11% failed to respond. The following commentsIBi^iliilllI^^ illustrate the feelings ofmany students about hands-llllllilllW on science. "We learn science a boring way atllgllllllljl^^ school. Through books�yuck. In Saturday Science|||l|||i|||^ we learn by doing experiments..." "At school we

111111111111^^ just read the book but here we do much more experi-l|l||l|||l|li||B ments." Many students also appreciated the level ofliillil|liii|i|i^^^ difficulty of the Saturday Science sciences. The

following comments are representative of their -feelings. "Saturday Science soars right over what Ilearn at school." "Saturday Science is much betterthan school and more detailed." "The science class at

illllJB^^^ school is for preschool kids when you compare it to»:ii^^^^^^^^ ^,.

Although nearly all of our activities are hands-they disliked everything, 11% disliked either the time on, the above data show that students prefer activitiesof day or the length of each session, over 11% in which mey can create, study, and take home theirdisliked taking notes, recording data, and completing finished products. These children also gain a senseassessments, 22% said they disliked nothing, and of pride and accomplishment after completingnearly 44% singled out a specific activity as their challenging activities. Most of the least-favoriteleast favorite part of the course. Activities specified activities require children to read, record, and/orby two or more children are shown in Table 2. analyze large amounts of data. Thus, responses toAbout 22% of the children in microbiology disliked the above questions indicate that children enjoy

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Saturday Science Quest

engaging in the manipulation of objects and equip-ment to gain understanding, but prefer not to dealwith details and critical analysis in a written format.

A set of similar questions was asked of parents.In response to, "What kinds of comments did yourchild have about Saturday Science," almost 91% ofthe parents reported positive comments by theirchildren, 3% reported negative comments, and 6%were indifferent. Many parents remarked that theirchildren preferred coming to Saturday Science tosleeping in or watching Saturday morning cartoons.Others said that Saturday Science was their child’sfavorite activity all week. One parent told us hownervous his/her child was about science at first, butnow she completely enjoys science.

When parents were asked, "How did your childfeel about the course and/or instructor," almost 91%provided positive commentary, less than 2% reportednegative comments, and about 8% were indifferent.Most comments concerned the personal attentionfrom the instructors. For example, "Our son’sfavorite pan of Science Quest was the instructors.They made him feel that his opinion and input wereimportant and helpful, something usually lacking inpublic schools."

In response to, "Would you enroll your child inanother Saturday Science QUEST course? Explain,"almost 88% of the parents said they would enrolltheir child in another Saturday Science course, justover 1% said they would not, and about 11% didn’tknow or didn’t respond. Most of the affirmativecomments were overwhelmingly positive. Forexample, "Yes, she feels very special to be attendingclasses at a college. The [Saturday] science classesmake the subjects less intimidating for her and nowshe believes science can be fun and very exciting."Many parents expressed a desire for Saturday Sci-ence courses for children who are younger and olderthan those currently being accepted. "Yes, our sonloves it, we love it. We only wish there were adown-scale version for our 2nd grader." "Why waituntil you’re 10 or 11 to get turned on to science?"

Summary

Saturday science enrichment programs providethe means to increase science interest and careerinterest among children. Nearly 56% of the childrenhave, in fact, enrolled in more than one SaturdayScience course. In addition, the program fosterspositive attitudes towards science in parents, as wellas children. Saturday Science programs also provide

the opportunity to develop and implement newactivities and assess their impact on children.

Saturday Science programs can provide valuableexperiences to preservice teachers by improving theirself-efficacy for teaching science. Our preliminarydata suggest that QUEST preservice teachers have amore positive attitude toward themselves as scienceteachers and the teaching of science compared topreservice teachers specializing in nonscience areas(Gabel et al.. 1994), however the effect of the Satur-day program is, as yet, uncertain. Members of ourfirst cohort are now entering the teaching profession.It is hoped that with greater confidence in their ownability to do and teach science, these teachers willincrease the amount of time they spend teachingscience, as well as improve the quality of scienceinstruction. Our data suggest that more childrenwould like science at school if more teachers pro-vided engaging, hands-on activities for their studentsand showed greater enthusiasm for science them-selves.

References

Gabel. D., Boone, W. J., & Bemier, N. (1994).Comparisons of science and non-science pre-service elementary teachers’ background infor-mation, attitudes and beliefs, and science contentand process skill attainment. Manuscript submit-ted for publication.

Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. (1989). Cooperationand competition. Edina.MN: Interaction BookCompany.

Lessow, B. (1991). Factors related to elementaryteachers effective utilization of field trips to in-formal science resources. (Doctoral dissertation,Indiana University, 1990). Dissertation Ab-stracts International, 52,491A.

Tolman,M.N.,&CampbeU,M.K. (1991). Sciencepreparation requirements of elementary schoolteachers in the United States. Journal of ScienceTeacher Education, 2(3), 72-76.

Weiss, I. (1987). Report of the 1985-1986 nationalsurvey of science and mathematics education.Research Triangle Park, NC: Research TriangleInstitute.

Note: Eric A. Worch and Dorothy L. Gabel can bereached at School of Education 3130, Indiana University,Bloomington, IN 47405. Michael R.L. OdelFs address isCollege of Education, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID83843.

School Science and Mathematics