Page 97 - Cultural Studies of Science Education

74 W.-M. Roth

Table 1 Outcomes in an activity system (seventh-grade science class) as mediated by the tools
Outcomes Correlation Classification Radio-like Processes of Dissolved
between and reportage, investigating, oxygen
stream speed frequency slides, environmental levels,
and profile of website health organism
organisms, type/oxygen
stream level
speed correlation
Division Timer, releaser, Measurer, Roles in Roles in
of labor measurer, recorder research research
recorder team team
Rules Repeated For use of
timing and stopwatch
averaging
Community Central Saanich Teachers, Teacher, Researchers, Teacher,
parents students Michael, fellow Michael,
(Mr. Goulet) from other Stuart students Misty,
activists, classes community
scientists [Davie]
Tools Stopwatch, tape Tape, Cassette Video camera Dissolved
measures, stopwatch, recorder, oxygen
ruler Serber camera meter,
sampler Serber
sampler
Object Hagan Creek Hagan Creek Graham Student Hagan Creek
Creek, researchers
shore line
Subject John, Tim Seventh-grade Michelle Gabriel Jodie et al.
students et al.,
(John, Kathy
Len, et al.; et al.;
Lisa et al.) Chris

could be found right next to the water-level chart that Kelly Cabrera had recorded
on her farm, enhanced by adding bars for the size and date of rainfall events, and
that Kelly now explained to interested visitors (Fig. 13).
Given the different tools that the children had used to conduct investigations and
construct their representations, the variety of the displays came as no surprise
(Table 1, last column). There were maps, photographs, drawings of invertebrate
organisms, instruments and tools, live invertebrates and microscopes to view them,
larger organisms in a glass tank, interview transcripts, and a variety of scientific
representations (graphs, histograms). The type of representations used was little
different from those used in the various exhibits by the environmental activists.
That is, the children’s representations were a reflection of those that are character-
istically used in a community-based science. In the following, I provide several
brief descriptions and transcripts to articulate scientific literacy in the community
involving children.
Michelle and her three (female) teammates had been interested more in qualita-
tive than in quantitative representations of the creek. For example, one of their