Science Education in Self-Contained and Non-Self-Contained Elementary Science Classes: Comparisons of Instruction and Teachers in the Two Settings

Q: What is the main comparison between self-contained and non-self-contained elementary science classes in grades 3–5?

The report compares how science instruction differs in amount of time, instructional objectives, classroom activities, and science and engineering practices between self-contained (SC) and non-self-contained (NSC) settings.

Q: How much more science time do NSC classes typically provide compared with SC classes?

For grades 3–5, science instruction averages about 24 minutes per day in SC classes and about 46 minutes per day in NSC classes.

Q: Which kinds of instructional emphases and activities are more common in non-self-contained science classes?

NSC classes are more likely to emphasize understanding science concepts and learning science vocabulary and facts, and they more often include whole-class explanations, whole-class discussions, and small-group work.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by WPS_1786070896

Elementary science teachers in U.S. grades K–5 face different structural conditions depending on whether science is taught in self-contained classrooms or non-self-contained (content-specialized) settings. Based on results from the 2018 NSSME+, the study compares instructional time, classroom structure, instructional emphases, and common science and engineering practices. In grades 3–5, NSC classes allocate more minutes to science and show higher attention to conceptual understanding, vocabulary, whole-class interaction, and several science/engineering practices.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Time for Science Instruction

Differences in Instruction

Instructional objectives and emphases (Tables 1-2)

Science and engineering practices frequency (Table 3)

P. Sean Smith and Laura M. Craven Science Education in Self-Contained and Non-Self-Contained Elementary Science Classes: Comparisons of Instruction and Teachers in the Two Settings Relative to their middle and high schoolteacher counterparts, elementary science teachers are both uniquely situated and uniquely challenged for excellent science instruction. More than 90 percent of elementary teachers work in self-contained classrooms, meaning they have opportunities to connect their science instruction with English language arts, mathematics, and social studies. However, teachers in self-contained settings also face formidable obstacles. Accountability pressures in English language arts and mathematics draw instructional time away from science. Further, because teachers in self-contained classrooms are responsible for all core subjects, their preparation tends tobe very broad in terms of disciplinary focus. This brief discusses results from the 2108 NSSME+, a recent major national survey of K–12 schools and teachers in the US. It describes differences in elementary science instruction when it occurs in self-contained vs. non-self-contained classrooms in grades 3–5. It also describes differences in teachers of these classes. Time for Science Instruction Grades K–6 self-contained (SC) elementary science classes average a little more than 20 minutes per day of science instruction, considerably less than the time spent on both English language arts (about 90 minutes) and mathematics (about 60 minutes) . However, in grades 3–5, roughly a third of elementary science classes are not self-contained (NSC), meaning the teacher teaches science to more than one group of students each day. This arrangement, referred to as content specialization, may be fully departmentalized (one teacher for each core subject) or a hybrid in which one teacher on a team of two takes responsibility for two subjects (e.g., mathematics and science) while another teaches the other subjects (e.g., English language arts and social studies) . NSC science classes are increasingly common as grade level increases, representing 41 percent of all science classes in grade 5 (see Figure 1) . The most obvious, and perhaps most important, difference between grades 3–5 SC and NSC science classes is the amount of science instruction, averaging 24 minutes per day in SC classes and 46 minutes per day in NSC classes. Interestingly, the additional time does not appear to come from mathematics, as NSC mathematics classes average substantially more minutes per day than self-contained classes. 1 Percent of Classes Science Class Structure Grades 3–5 100 80 60 40 20 0 3rd Grade* 4th Grade* 5th Grade Self-Contained Non-Self-Contained Average Number of Minutes Minutes of Instruction Grades 3–5 100 80 60 40 20 0 Science* Mathematics* Self-Contained Non-Self-Contained * Indicates a statistically significant difference betweenSCand NSC (two-tailed independentsamplest-test, p< 0.05). Figure 1 Differences in Instruction If a straightforward structural change is associated with the amount of science instruction, it is worth exploring other differences that may coincide with this arrangement. NSC science classes are more likely than SC classes to include a heavy emphasis on understanding science concepts (see Table 1) . However, they are also considerably more likely to emphasize learning science vocabulary and facts. In terms of actual class activities, NSC science classes are more likely to have the teacher explain science ideas to the whole class at least once a week, as well as to have students engage in whole class discussion and work in small groups. They are much less likely than SC science classes to engage in project-based learning activities and to focus on literacy skills at least once a week (see Table 2) . One series of items asked teachers about the frequency with which students engage in science and engineerin

FAQs

What is the main comparison between self-contained and non-self-contained elementary science classes in grades 3–5?

The report compares how science instruction differs in amount of time, instructional objectives, classroom activities, and science and engineering practices between self-contained (SC) and non-self-contained (NSC) settings.

How much more science time do NSC classes typically provide compared with SC classes?

For grades 3–5, science instruction averages about 24 minutes per day in SC classes and about 46 minutes per day in NSC classes.

Which kinds of instructional emphases and activities are more common in non-self-contained science classes?

NSC classes are more likely to emphasize understanding science concepts and learning science vocabulary and facts, and they more often include whole-class explanations, whole-class discussions, and small-group work.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by WPS_1786070896