CANONICAL AND SOCIOCULTURAL APPROACHES TO RESEARCH AND REFORM IN SCIENCE-EDUCATION - THE STORY OF JUAN AND HIS GROUP

Recent reforms have emphasized scientific literacy for all Americans a s a key goal of science education. In this article we compare 2 approa ches to defining functional scientific literacy and helping students t o achieve it. The first, which we label a canonical approach, focuses on the knowledge, skills, and habits of mind of Literate individuals. The second, which we label a sociocultural approach, focuses on langua ge, values, personal identity, and other factors that affect an indivi dual's participation in the activities of a community. Both canonical and sociocultural approaches can play a useful-role in analyzing event s in science classrooms. It has been helpful to us to think of the stu dents as orchestrating the complex interplay among 3 types of foci for their attention: interpersonal relationships, scientific activity, an d task requirements. We show with a case study of a group of 5 sixth g raders from our research how the interplay of these factors can subver t the scientific intentions of a group activity. In this case, interpe rsonal relationships among students and their interpretations of the t ask requirements led to the scientific activity being appropriated lar gely by the most academically successful member of the group. Further progress in science education will require new approaches to teaching and curriculum that combine tools and insights from canonical and soci ocultural traditions. The resource needs of classrooms that engage all students in authentic scientific activity will be substantial. Howeve r, the costs to society of failing to make these investments will also be substantial. Without them we see little hope of achieving function al scientific literacy for all Americans.