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skills, to better learn science content, and to better illustrate the nature of science by mimicking scientists’ work.
Recent policy and reform documents in the 1980s through the 2000s moved experiential learning, namely inquiry, to the forefront of science education. This was done in part to accomplish two goals: 1) for students to develop the skills and mental acuity to foster scientific habits of mind and 2) to help students understand more about how science is practiced. This reexamination of the pedagogy of science instruction was necessary as U.S. students struggled to perform well in national and international testing in mathematics and science compared to their peers in other industrialized nations. Business as usual was not developing scientific thinkers.
It is important to note that while a possible goal of inquiry science learning can include a better understanding of the enterprise of science, researchers have found that simply by “mirroring” science in classroom inquiry investigations students do automatically make the connection that they are emulating scientists and the work of scientists. In order to take advantage of learning about the enterprise of science by participating in scientific inquiry, it is necessary to employ explicit discussion bringing this to their attention (Schwartz, Lederman, & Crawford, 2004).
This study focused upon the successes and struggles of 11 preservice science teachers as they progressed through a series of three science methods courses and a science student teaching seminar (which could pass as a fourth methods course). This situation is worth exploring as it provided the sustained support that was necessary to create change in teaching practice. As it is often said that we “teach as we were taught,” these entrenched behaviors are difficult to change. The Iowa-Secondary Science Teacher Education Program (Iowa-SSTEP) attempts to change