Science education models for secondary and college students as well as K‐12 teachers have been dominated by classroom‐based approaches. Recently, research apprenticeships wherein learners worked with practicing scientists on authentic scientific research have become increasingly popular. The purpose of this critical review of the literature was to review and synthesize empirical studies that have explored learning outcomes associated with research apprenticeships for science learners. We reviewed 53 studies of scientific research apprenticeship experiences for secondary students, undergraduates and teachers, both pre‐service and in‐service. The review explored various learning outcomes associated with participation in research apprenticeships. These outcomes included effects of apprenticeship experiences on participant career aspirations, ideas about the nature of science (NOS), understandings of scientific content, confidence for doing science and intellectual development. The extant literature supported many of the presumed positive associations between apprenticeship experiences and desired learning outcomes, but findings related to some themes (e.g., NOS understandings) supported conflicting conclusions. Implications included importance of the length of the apprenticeship, need to explicitly place attention on desired outcomes, and engagement of participants. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 47:235–256, 2010

The chemistry of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), a new class of emerging crystalline porous solids with three-dimensional (3D) networks composed of metals and multidentate organic molecules, was introduced by using three differently shaped crystals. We reported new and mild MOF synthesis methods that are simple and devised to be performed in high school or primarily undergraduate school settings. MOF applications were demonstrated by use of our synthesized MOFs in the capture of iodine as a potentially hazardous molecule from solution and as a drug delivery system. These applications can be visually confirmed in minutes. Students can gain knowledge on advanced topics, such as drug delivery systems, through these easy-to-prepare MOFs. Furthermore, students can gain an understanding of powder X-ray analysis and ultraviolet–visible near-infrared spectroscopy. This laboratory experience is practical, including synthesis and application of MOFs. The entire experiment has also been recorded as an educational video posted on YouTube as a free public medium for students to watch and learn. In this paper we first report the steps we took to synthesize and analyze the MOFs, followed by a description of a simple demonstration that we verified to effectively exhibit adsorption by MOFs. We conclude with a description of how the laboratory activity and demonstration were implemented in an undergraduate chemistry laboratory.

No abstract

No abstract

The merits of three approaches (explicit, reflective and implicit) to Nature of Science (NOS) teaching and learning in the context of a summer research experience on high school student participants' NOS ideas were explored in this study. The effectiveness of explicit over implicit approaches has been demonstrated in school contexts, but less empirical evidence exists regarding the comparative merits of these approaches when the practices that learners engage in are highly authentic in terms of their alignment with professional science and the context where they take place. The Authentic Experiences in Science Program (AESP), a summer program at a major research university, offered a unique context for an investigation of these issues. In the AESP, high school students worked for an extended period of time in a research laboratory on an authentic research project accompanied by out-of-laboratory seminars. A modified form of the Views of Nature of Science (VNOS) Questionnaire was administered to 30 participants of the AESP at the beginning and again at the end of the program. Additionally, six participants experiencing one of the three approaches were interviewed and observed as they participated in laboratory research. Results revealed that the explicit approach was generally more influential in this context. However, some students experiencing one of the other two approaches did exhibit changes in NOS understandings, and these changes seemed to be associated with favorable dimensions of the laboratory placements. These results support the argument that engaging students in highly authentic forms of scientific and engineering practices can be influential as a context for reflecting on NOS. Our results also speak to the power of explicit approaches to NOS teaching and learning when accompanying learner involvement in highly authentic science and engineering research. # 2015