SUPPORTED INQUIRY SCIENCE - TEACHING FOR CONCEPTUAL CHANGE IN URBAN AND SUBURBAN SCIENCE CLASSROOMS

Science education professionals generally agree that hands-on, inquiry -based science potentially benefits all students, yet there are few sp ecific guidelines for helping students with learning disabilities (LD) achieve success in general education science classrooms. This study c ompared the effects of two approaches to hands-on science-supported in quiry science (SIS) and activity-based science- in six urban and two s uburban fourth-grade general education classrooms. Participants includ ed 172 students, 33 of whom had learning disabilities. The study found that students with and without LD demonstrated greater concept learni ng in the SIS classrooms, which focused on eliciting and reworking stu dents' misconceptions and co-constructing knowledge under the guidance of a teacher-coach.