Powerful Factors that Determine if Safe, Hands-on Science is being taught in Elementary Schools

An important part of science education at all levels is about providing firsthand experiences for students. If offered in early-grades, students can begin to learn the scientific process as well as the content of science. Hands-on experiences, whether in the classroom, field or formal laboratory can begin to instill an intrinsic appreciation of the wonder of science and may lead many more students on a path to a genuine scientific literacy if not also a scientific career. The Conceptual Framework for the New Science Standards (published in 2010), the Next Generation Science Standards (in draft form this year) along with the 2011 NSTA Standards for Science Teacher Preparation all recommend increasing the amount of student-centered hands-on science instruction. In 2009 and 2012, as part of a South Dakota Board of Regents grant, two state-wide science safety surveys were disseminated. Questions examined were: 1) is science being taught through hands-on methods in elementary schools? 2) Is science being taught safely? 3) And, which factors determine if safe, hands-on science instruction is taking place? The study sampled the science practice and safety knowledge of science teachers and administrators in South Dakota. Survey data (n=96) show 19% of respondents indicated that they had or were presently teaching elementary science. Almost 18% of the respondents were not certified in science. Approximately 32% percent did not have a dedicated area in which to do science. Interestingly, 85% of the respondents indicated that they have never had formal science safety instruction prior to or subsequent to teaching in the classroom. And, 85% of the respondents admitted that they were unsure of how to purchase, handle and store science equipment. . However, 73 % of the respondents indicated that they addressed safety issues in their classrooms. Appropriate science instruction should always include providing students the opportunity to actively engage in scientific investigations. The implications for teachers are that they are assumed to have been trained in safe science practice, proper use of equipment and age-appropriate procedures and activities for their grade level and science topics. Many science accidents have been documented such as an incident in Jacksonville, FL in 2004, where elementary students were taken to the hospital after a science demonstration blew up in their faces. New certification requirements, including alternative certification, provide shortcuts to the classroom and may not provide adequate safety training for teachers. Conclusions drawn indicate that if teachers lack confidence in their knowledge of hands-on science and science safety and are unsure of how to manage science equipment, then fewer safe hands-on and inquiry-based science activities will be performed in elementary classrooms. The feedback and data from this study suggests that pre-service science instruction of teachers should model explicit instruction in science safety and hands-on science for the elementary classroom.