Understanding the nature of scientific inquiry is considered a critical component of scientific literacy [Michaels, S., Shouse, A. W., & Schweingruber, H. A. (2008). "Ready, set, science!: Putting research to work in K-8 classrooms." National Academies Press]. What do elementary students already know about scientific inquiry? Using…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a context-based learning (CBL) management plan on the scientific reasoning abilities of Grade 6 students in Thailand. The participants consisted of 13 students from a public school in the northeastern region. The research instruments included a two-tier multiple-choice test to assess…

Previous research suggests that the use of metaphors in science education have both possibilities and challenges. In this study, we analyse the role of metaphors in meaning-making in the upper primary science classroom. We investigate the potential of metaphors about nutrient uptake occurring in classrooms in which an animation was used. To…

Developing a deeper understanding of scientific concepts is one of the primary goals of science education. To improve students' conceptual understanding, it is necessary to explore the major characteristics of their learning process. Informed by previous work on conceptual understanding, this study focuses on the concept of evaporation, exploring…

This explanatory case study aims to investigate conceptual changes on the part of gifted and talented students and describe their reflective thinking with regard to problem-solving as part of the problem-based learning (PBL) process. Twenty-two gifted and talented fourth grade primary school students participated in the study. The students were…

Virtual reality (VR) can provide access to otherwise inaccessible aspects of the world and thus promote science learning. We developed a VR learning tool about the water cycle, with 11 lessons for classroom teaching at the primary level. We assessed prior knowledge before a four-week intervention and learning outcomes directly after the…

In STEM education, the engineering design process serves as a pedagogical strategy to connect science and mathematics concepts. While STEM approaches are increasingly favored in science courses, the role of mathematics in integrated STEM activities is often overlooked, despite its foundational importance across STEM disciplines. This manuscript…

Background: To support collaborative drawing, it is essential to investigate how students make collaborative drawings and how these contribute to elaborating their ideas. This study examines how 5th and 6th grade students' group drawings contributed to increased levels of explanations of their drawings about sound transmission. Methods: We…

Reflection plays a critical role in learning. Game-based learning environments have significant potential to elicit and support student reflection by prompting learners to think critically about their own learning processes and performance. Stealth assessment models, used for unobtrusively assessing student competencies from evidence of game…

This paper re-validates middle school students' learning progression of the concept of buoyancy (Gao et al., 2020) by using two-time point data. The previous study developed a four-level learning progression based on data collected at a single time point using cross-sectional design. This single-time-point model of learning progression calls for a…

Although there has been extensive research on students' understanding of the particulate nature of matter (PNM), there is still a lack of research on contexts that can be used to teach this challenging topic. In a previous design-based research study, the authors developed a teaching-learning sequence (TLS) on the PNM in the context of crystal…

The digital era's technological transformation has a wide range of beneficial effects on the science learning process. Game-based learning (GBL) is the use of game design ideas to learn about some topic while pupils are striving to do their best in the process. This study was carried out with the help of Educaplay apps ("Identify Me…

Visualizations are commonly used in educational materials, however not all visualizations are equally effective at promoting learning. Prior research has supported the idea that both perceptually rich and bland visualizations are beneficial for learning and generalization. We investigated whether the perceptual richness of a life cycle diagram…

This study explored elementary students' reasoning about the life cycles of various organisms, including insects and amphibians. The study took place in a private school in Lebanon with 24 fifth-grade students. Students participated in a life cycle unit with pre and post-written assessments about what they learned and interviews to help determine…

This study explored the integration of neural networks and artificial intelligence in image recognition for object identification. The aim was to enhance students' learning experiences through a "Learning by Teaching" approach, in which students act as instructors to train AI robots in recognizing objects. This research specifically…