Chemical bonding is central to explaining many phenomena. Research in chemical education and the Framework for K-12 Science Education (the "Framework") argue for new approaches to learning chemical bonding grounded in (1) using ideas of the balance of electric forces and energy minimization to explain bond formation, (2) using learning…

The potential of using virtual reality in the school context is assessed heterogeneously from a scientific point of view. Especially the embedding in existing didactic approaches, the concrete design of the support system as well as the competence of the teachers are relevant. But it is undisputed that virtual reality opens up new possibilities to…

Digital games, especially simulations, have supported student learning outcomes in the areas of science and agriculture in classrooms and nonformal settings. Simulations contribute robustly to student achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and agriculture content areas, especially when they are aligned with…

Developers and designers of virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) products are expressing concerns regarding accountability for ethical design and use of VR/AR products in virtual learning environments. Within the field of education, more research is needed to determine how VR/AR designers make decisions regarding ethical issues, and particularly…

The goal of this study was to examine the professional development experiences of two contrastive participants while they were creating standards-based individualized education plan (IEP) goals using a virtual world called TeacherSim. Two specific focuses of the study were on how special educators engaged with the task of creating standards-based…

The Next-Generation Science Standards (NGSS) call for a different approach to learning science. They promote three-dimensional (3D) learning that blends disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts and scientific practices. In this study, we examined explanations constructed by secondary science teacher candidates (TCs) as a scientific practice…