Learning assistants (LAs) play a pivotal role in transforming traditional physics instruction toward a more inquiry-oriented approach. While empirical evidence supports the effectiveness of LA-involved physics instruction, there is a research gap regarding the specific competencies of LAs that contribute to improved conceptual understanding. One…

There is a growing need for more effective interdisciplinary science instruction across undergraduate degree programs. In addition to supporting students' connections between disciplinary concepts, interdisciplinary learning can develop students' critical thinking skills and allow them to evaluate scientific investigations and claims between…

This study aimed at evaluating how students perceive the linguistic quality and scientific accuracy of ChatGPT responses to physics comprehension questions. A total of 102 first- and second-year physics students were confronted with three questions of progressing difficulty from introductory mechanics (rolling motion, waves, and fluid dynamics).…

The education science (or pedagogy based on scientific principles) of the learning of spectroscopy analysis in terms of critical thinking was examined in a community college setting with high school outreach and senor college transfer students enrolling in courses and/or projects. The most important discovery of science in the 20th Century was the…

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship and prediction of motivation, conceptual understanding, and critical thinking on metacognition in introductory physics. A correlational research design with multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the data from 84 first-year pre-engineering students from two public universities in…

This chapter provides some elements that may be useful for teacher educators who wish to promote critical analysis in physics. Firstly, it is argued that conducting a critical analysis is useful for any text, whether highly debatable or not, in order to maximise its comprehension. It is suggested that you can give the students both a classic…

Instructional labs are fundamental to an undergraduate physics curriculum, but their possible learning goals are vast with limited evidence to support any particular goal. In this study, we evaluate the efficacy of labs with different goals and structures on students' critical thinking skills and views about experimentation, using an extensive…

Recent years have seen a rise in interest in how education can foster critical thinking and discourage epistemically unwarranted beliefs. Considering this, this paper seeks to explore whether master's physics students are more critical and skeptical in the philosophical tradition of 'Scientific skepticism', than 1st year students. This is done by…

This study aims to develop a learning model that can foster science literacy skills by involving 'the ability to think critically, think creatively, and collaborate skills. Three research questions were asked: i) how to develop learning models to cultivate skills (science literacy, critical thinking, creative thinking, and collaboration); ii) how…

The Survey of Physics Reasoning on Uncertainty Concepts in Experiments (SPRUCE) was designed to measure students' proficiency with measurement uncertainty concepts and practices across ten different assessment objectives to help facilitate the improvement of laboratory instruction focused on this important topic. To ensure the reliability and…

In this article, we discuss Micro Assignment Guided Inquiry and Collaboration (MAGIC), an active learning method that draws on the merits of inquiry-based learning in STEM courses. We describe the use of Micro Assignments (MAs) consisting of a series of short, instructive guiding questions that scaffold the course material. Students work through…

The challenge of accurately assessing critical thinking in physics education, particularly on topics like work and energy, remains a key issue for educators. The current study aims to address this challenge by exploring students' critical thinking abilities using two-tier test data analyzed through the Rasch model. Data were collected from…

Augmented Reality (AR) based learning provides real experiences for educators and new strategies for presenting physics concepts but also provides opportunities for students to interact interactively, spontaneously, and interestingly. Previous research has shown that AR has many advantages in education, but only a few focus on Independent…

The history and philosophy of science (HPS) plays a special role in education. An elective HPS course on the philosophy of scientific experimentation for young scientists and graduate students of natural science is presented. The course bears a pragmatic character, and its main aims include the development of critical thinking (CT),…

Advanced clarification is an essential part of thinking skills relevant to students, which contains the ability evaluate, make decisions and make arguments. This ability is needed to prepare students to face the VUCA era. Clarity Learning Model (CLM) is a formulation of IBL, and the strengthening of reasoning abilities aims to improve advanced…