Project-Based Science (PBS) is an educational paradigm supported by recent developments in learning and motivation theory that suggest learning may be facilitated through meaningful and inquiry-oriented activities (Blumenfeld, et al., 1991) . Project-based science learning environments produce communities rich with activities that enable students to explore and construct understandings and meanings in science. These socially-situated activities lead to the development of a unique culture with

more »

... s own set of values, meanings, and practices presumably centered around learning and doing science (Latour & Woolgar, 1979; Lave & Wenger, 1991; Ruopp, 1993) . In PBS classrooms, students actively construct their knowledge during projects consisting of: 1) a question or problem that serves to organize and drive activities; 2) a series of products that address the question or problem; 3) students engaging in authentic investigations; 4) communities of students, teachers, and members of society engaging in discourse about the problem as well as collaborating together; and 5) the use of cognitive tools, including portable computers, Internet information and communications, modeling and simulation software, page layout and presentation tools, and hypermedia construction kits.