OpenSciEd enactment faces key challenges: project fatigue, unit length and pacing, pseudoagency, and gaps in student sensemaking practices¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2023 · checked against its sources 2026-10-17 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Some teachers reported students' interest in the anchoring phenomenon declines over time (project fatigue). → McElhaney et al. 2023 q2 i? 20% of interviewed teachers reported struggling with unit length and pacing during the field test. → McElhaney et al. 2023 q2 i? Pseudoagency arises when students see teachers' attempts to open sensemaking as disingenuous; nearly half of students had no ideas about what to investigate next. → McElhaney et al. 2023

Evidence¶

McElhaney et al. 2023¶

McElhaney, K. W., Mills, K., Kamdar, D., Baker, A., & Roschelle, J. (2023, March). A summary and synthesis of initial OpenSciEd research: Updated version [White paper]. Digital Promise. https://doi.org/10.51388/20.500.12265/171

q2 · i? · review · r2

The review synthesizes field-test summary reports (2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years) reporting declining interest in the anchoring phenomenon over time; descriptive teacher reports, no effect sizes.

"While teachers generally reported students are engaged by the phenomena and actively participate in activities, some teachers also reported that students' interest in the anchoring phenomenon declines over time (OpenSciEd, 2020, 2021)."

"In interviews conducted with teachers who participated in OpenSciEd professional development, 20% reported struggling with the length and pacing of units during the field test (Deverel-Rico et al, 2022)."

"Based on an analysis of the SEET across three OpenSciEd units, nearly half of the students did not have ideas about questions they should investigate next (OpenSciEd, 2021)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Collective enterprise and care in equitable classroom cultures are positively associated with students' science interest — related
• OpenSciEd curriculum design goals, especially coherence from the student perspective, come into tension during unit design — related
• OpenSciEd grade 7 units align with some data-practice frameworks but are less aligned with digital tools, large data sets, and full data cycles — related
• Professional learning and other teacher supports are perceived as foundational, addressing root causes of many OpenSciEd practitioner challenges across adoption, enactment, and assessment. — a broader claim this one bears on
• Student hat activities and planning-reflection tools support teachers' curricular sensemaking, content understanding, and empathy with student experiences — related
• Students find OpenSciEd units relevant and coherent, with over 90% reporting relevance and 87% reporting the lesson ties to the bigger picture — related
• Teachers find World History Project overwhelming in their initial adoption year and make substantial modifications across three main categories — related
• OpenSciEd materials equitably support student participation and engagement across racial, gender, and linguistic groups, per field-test SEET and teacher-report data — related