Excellence gaps are differences in advanced education outcomes among student groups. This study replicates and extends an earlier study on the prevalence and magnitude of excellence gaps based on student sex and immigrant status using Grade 8 TIMSS data. Data were included for the 12 countries that have participated in each TIMSS administration…

The aim of this study was to identify students' motivational beliefs in science and revealed the connections between the profiles and three cognitive dimensions of science achievement through the examination of the socio-economic status (SES) and gender covariates of the profile memberships. Latent profile analysis using science motivational…

Noticing the inconsistency in previous studies of gender differences in learning physics, it was determined to check whether a gender gap exists in a relatively large sample of competitors (N = 12,966) from Serbia. The aim of the research presented here was to analyze the achievements of male and female lower secondary school students, competitors…

Metacognition and curiosity play an important role in the educational process. Therefore, it is significant to examine their correlation with students' performance and satisfaction with classes. In order to examine whether the effect of metacognition and curiosity on physics performance and satisfaction with physics classes depends on gender, a…

This study aims to investigate the impact of using the flipped classroom strategy on motivation and academic achievement in learning science among 9th-grade students Proved as an innovative technique, flipped learning improves academic performance, enhances students' motivation, supports independent learning, triggers higher thinking skills, and…

The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread disruptions to education, with school closures affecting over one billion children. These closures, aimed at reducing virus transmission, resulted in significant learning losses, particularly in mathematics and science. Using data from TIMSS 2023, which assesses fourth and eighth-grade achievements across 71…

The aim of this study is to determine the academic achievements of 8th graders in mathematics and science courses and STEM skill levels. The research has been carried out with the survey model. The sample of the study consists of 251 8th grade students in the 2020-2021 academic year. Math and Science academic achievement tests and STEM skill…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of computer-assisted instruction [CAI], incorporating virtual reality [VR], on the academic achievement of 6th-grade students in Science courses. The research employed a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test and post-test control group. Lessons in both experimental and control groups were…

This study analyses the coherent integration of creativity into science education modules for eighth-grade students to enhance competence development. The learning modules' content covered a basic ecological unit about forests, applied as digital or analog lesson. By utilizing the creativity subscales 'Act' and 'Flow' its analysis resulted in a…

The study examined the effectiveness of concept mapping in improving students' academic performance using an embedded mixed-methods design. It involved Srinka Secondary School's grade 10 biology teacher, students, and department head in the study and gathered data from them by using biology achievement tests, interviews, and focus group…

We investigated two research questions: which students are more likely to respond inconsistently to mixed-worded questionnaire scales, and which country samples have larger shares of inconsistent respondents? We defined an inconsistent response as strongly agreeing or disagreeing with both positively and negatively worded items of the same scale.…

This study examined the impact of integrating virtual science inquiry activities with Predict-Observe-Explain (POE) teaching strategies on 5th graders' understanding of science concepts and epistemic beliefs in science. A cohort of 80 5th graders (mean age of 12 years old, 40 boys and 40 girls) from a public primary school in North China took part…

Nearly 14 million species are estimated to exist on Earth, of which 1.8 million have been identified, and new species are being added to the world of science every day. Therefore, scientists are aware that there are still unidentified species living globally. Biodiversity is a wide concept encompassing all living things in our living space. This…

This study developed and validated the Science Practice Scale (SPS) and investigated the implementation of scientific teaching practices by Grade 8 science teachers in Jordan. The responses of 235 8th grade science teachers who participated in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study [TIMSS] of 2019 were analysed using the Rasch…

This brief examines which students in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) were more likely to choose the STEM endorsement in ninth grade. The study examined STEM endorsement choice among students who began high school in the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years. The analyses showed female students were significantly less likely to…