A Summary and Synthesis of Initial OpenSciEd Research

This report summarizes and synthesizes OpenSciEd research published as of August 2022, addressing two questions about OpenSciEd: (1) To what extent do teachers enact OpenSciEd units with integrity to its distinctive principles? and (2) To what extent do OpenSciEd teacher tools and professional learning experiences support teachers to enact OpenSciEd with integrity? This review includes 16 publications (journal articles, peer-reviewed conference proceedings, conference papers, doctoral dissertations, and published reports). Five of the papers focus on the design of OpenSciEd materials and do not have an empirical focus, seven have an empirical focus on classroom enactment, and four have an empirical focus on teacher supports. All but one of the papers were co-authored by affiliates of the OpenSciEd middle school development consortium, and all but one focus on the middle school grade band.