A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted for articles published between 1985 and May 2009 to (a) examine the degree to which science content was taught to students with severe developmental disabilities and (b) and evaluate instructional procedures in science as evidence-based practices. The review was organized by a conceptual model developed for science content. Seventeen experiments were analyzed for research quality where science content was taught to this population; 14 of these studies were viewed to be of high or adequate quality. In general, we found systematic instruction as an overarching instructional package to be an evidence-based practice for teaching science content. Furthermore, components of systematic instruction (i.e., task analytic instruction and time delay) were analyzed. We discuss the outcomes to reflect how to teach science, what science content to teach, why to teach science, and recommendations for future research and practice.

Predicting student performance in the classroom is an important area of educational research owing to its potential for helping educators identify students who may have difficulty grasping the material in a course. The goal of this research was to develop a sensitive and specific pre-semester assessment for students enrolled in general chemistry for science majors that would identify students at risk for failing the course. The student pre-semester assessment (SPSA) predicted 40.8% of the students who went on to fail first-semester general chemistry. It was a better predictor of at-risk students than the Toledo exam (27.7%), SAT (16.8%), or predicted grade point index (PGI) (29.4%). The inclusion of demographic variables did little to increase the SPSA's predictive power, but math and chemistry background and age significantly increased the accuracy of predicting at-risk students when combined with either the SAT score or the PGI.

There has been limited research on the acquisition of grade-aligned science skills for students with moderate intellectual disability, with even more restriction on academic skills in inclusive settings. This study examined the effects of peer-mediated time-delay instruction to teach inquiry science and use of a knowledge chart to students with moderate intellectual disability in an inclusive setting. Six general education peers implemented an embedded constant time-delay procedure during three science units with 5 students with moderate intellectual disability. All 5 students increased the number of correct science responses across all science units. Three students required additional support by the special education teacher to reach mastery. In addition, all 6 peers were able to implement the intervention with high fidelity, while maintaining science grades at preintervention levels. High levels of social validity were reported.

The purpose of this study was to determine teachers' attitudes, values, and beliefs about inquiry. The participants of this study were 275 middle grade and secondary science teachers from four districts in North Carolina. Issues such as class size, accountability, curricular demands, and administrative support are perceived as constraints, impeding the use of inquiry. These are the issues that must be effectively dealt with in the professional education and professional development of all science teachers.

The laboratory and lecture components of general chemistry are commonly offered as two separate courses, with lecture typically meeting two or three times per week and laboratory scheduled to meet only once per week. The concepts, content, and relationships presented in lecture may be disjointed and asynchronous with respect to those encountered in laboratory experiments. In addition, traditional laboratory experiments tend to be confirmation labs, in which students are aware of the “right” answer before beginning the lab. Students enrolled in a specific lecture section do not necessarily meet for the same laboratory section. As such, learning experiences in laboratory do little to help the students construct an understanding of chemical concepts, content, or relationships. The goal of this project was to develop an inquiry‐based approach to curriculum and instruction in first‐semester general chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. A major objective of the project was to develop a laboratory curriculum that meshes intimately with lecture. This objective was accomplished by (a) creating a laboratory course that met for 80‐minutes twice a week immediately following the lecture, (b) involving students in laboratory experiments that related to the material presented during lecture, and (c) using laboratory observations and data in lecture to help students construct an understanding of chemical phenomena.