One of the critical goals of teaching chemistry is to enable learners to gain conceptual understanding. Traditional instruction has often been associated with rote memorisation, resulting in learners failing to explain observed chemical phenomena, make predictions based on acquired concepts, advance convincing arguments, and engage in meaningful…

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, many education systems around the world have recognized the value of using technology such as virtual laboratories to teach science subjects. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of using a virtual laboratory on grade eight students in learning about electricity-related topics. A…

This study describes the role that Rasch measurement played in the development of assessments aligned to the "Next Generation Science Standards," tasks that require students to use the three dimensions of science practices, disciplinary core ideas and cross-cutting concepts to make sense of energy-related phenomena. A set of 27…

At the end of the 18th-century, Charles Coulomb developed an apparatus to study the force between two electrified beads which allowed him to obtain his famous Coulomb's law. Today, as one of the most fundamental outcomes in classical electromagnetism, his result is revisited in most high school physics courses, where students are asked to…

With the help of augmented reality apps objects and text can be added virtually to the physical world (e.g. physical experiments) in real time. The augmented reality (AR) app 'PUMA: "Spannungslabor"' enhances simple electric circuits experiments for students with virtual representations based on the electron gas analogy including…

This paper presents an intervention aiming to promote students' learning by enhancing their interest in the concept of energy. Junior high school students' learning and interest is evaluated after engaging in activities on work and energy. The intervention integrated hands-on and simulated experiments included a structured series of guided…

During the last decade the development of modern digital media such as smartphones and tablet computers has enabled new experimental possibilities in STEM education. Besides these now nearly ubiquitous devices, the fields of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) also made huge progress and reached education. In this paper we introduce an…

The glowing discharges of plasma obtained by introducing direct current high voltages between two electrodes in a chamber that contains a low pressure gas produces a spectacular effect that makes it attractive to be used as a laboratory experiment for students. Setting up this experiment is however costly and has crucial safety issues to be…

Inquiry-based learning can be an effective approach when students are provided with sufficient guidance. However, there is an ongoing debate among practitioners about the nature, type, and level of such guidance. This study investigated the effects on middle school students' (N = 116) conceptual knowledge and inquiry skills acquisition of…

In this work, we describe an educational approach based on augmented reality (AR) and mobile technology that has been developed with the aim to engage students in a learning procedure regarding the electric forces as well as Coulomb's Law. Initially, we present the AR learning environment and we explain its design principles with respect to the…

Individual based models (IBMs) are up-to-date tools both in research and educational areas. Here we introduce an IBM built on NetLogo platform that simulates a top-down trophic cascade controlled by the pressure exerted by two model predators (web-building spiders and ground runner spiders) on a model pest (the olive fruit fly) within a…

This work seeks to solve one of the basic problems in chemistry learning: understanding the chemical bond as a dynamic equilibrium between attractive and repulsive forces. This force-based model is difficult to grasp, as there are no analogues from everyday life for both attractions and repulsions happening simultaneously. In addition, current…

This paper describes the design process for a digital instructional sequence on introductory quantum physics for upper secondary education. Based on a collaboration between teachers and physics education researchers, this sequence incorporates relevant theoretical foundations from the field of science teaching to promote meaningful and conceptual…

The present study investigates the impact of utilizing virtual laboratory environments combining dynamically linked concrete and abstract representations in investigative activities on the ability of students to comprehend simple and complex phenomena in the field of electric circuits. Forty-two 16- to 17-year-old high school students participated…

Computer simulations are often considered effective educational tools, since their visual and communicative power enable students to better understand physical systems and phenomena. However, previous studies have found that when students read visual representations some reading difficulties can arise, especially when these are complex or dynamic…