Elementary and middle level biology topics: a content analysis of Science and Children and Science Scope from 1990 to 2014

Science and Children and Science Scope are peer-reviewed science practitioner journals that publish articles for science educators who teach children of ages 5–10 years and 10–13 years, respectively. As such, these articles are a reflection of the science concepts that are being communicated to science educators. This comprehensive literature review was completed to determine the extent to which the articles included in these journals from 1990 to 2014 focused on biology topics, incorporated other non-science subjects and science disciplines, and encouraged inquiry-based learning. The results indicate that out of the 2701 total articles, 557 (21%) focused on biology. The biology topic covered most often by both journals was animals. The biology topics covered least often were fungi, photosynthesis, respiration and viruses. The findings are taken into consideration and the educational implications for the journals and educators are discussed.