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 as a key goal of science education. In this article we compare 2 approaches to defining functional scientific literacy and helping students to 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 language, values, personal identity, and other factors that affect an individual's participation in the activities of a community. Both canonical and sociocultural approaches can play a useful-role in analyzing events in science classrooms. It has been helpful to us to think of the students as orchestrating the complex interplay among 3 types of foci for their attention: interpersonal relationships, scientific activity, and task requirements. We show with a case study of a group of 5 sixth graders from our research how the interplay of these factors can subvert the scientific intentions of a group activity. In this case, interpersonal relationships among students and their interpretations of the task requirements led to the scientific activity being appropriated largely 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 sociocultural traditions. The resource needs of classrooms that engage all students in authentic scientific activity will be substantial. However, the costs to society of failing to make these investments will also be substantial. Without them we see little hope of achieving functional scientific literacy for all Americans.