This guide offers a comprehensive handbook to scientific research methodology and experimental design, specifically for novice MA and PhD researchers in Education and Language Learning (TESOL/TEFL). It establishes scientific research as a systematic, objective inquiry focused on identifying cause-and-effect relationships through empirical data.…

Data reasoning is an essential component of scientific reasoning, as a component of evidence evaluation. In this paper, we outline a model of scientific data reasoning that describes how data sensemaking underlies data reasoning. Data sensemaking, a relatively automatic process rooted in perceptual mechanisms that summarize large quantities of…

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates how understanding science in context is not a luxury but a necessity in our times. In order to make sense of a complex issue such as a pandemic, pupils need to understand not only how scientists do science but also how science relates to other school subjects. By drawing on findings from funded research projects…

Many school practical activities focus on scientific methods such as hypothesis testing. Yet science is more than hypothesis testing: it includes other methods. This article presents a framework called 'Brandon's Matrix' that illustrates the diversity of scientific methods. The matrix has been used as part of Project Calibrate based at the…

Chemical engineering is a challenging field to explain to first-year students. Food production processes are a safe and accessible way to introduce the students to basic engineering concepts. Modernist cuisine -- using scientific methods and engineering techniques to enhance classical cooking -- was used as a hook to capture the attention of…

Although the Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE) has been challenged on methodological, theoretical, and ethical grounds, these criticisms have been largely ignored by teachers and textbook authors. Recent revelations arising from an analysis of the SPE archival materials, however, not only strongly support these past criticisms but also question the…

The Scientific Method is the series of processes by which hypotheses, ideas and theories are shown to be true beyond a reasonable scientific doubt. Most science "fact" is expressed in terms of probabilities rather than certainties. Thus, by means of statistical calculations, researchers aim to determine whether an observed association…

Having high-quality early childhood education programs that prepare children for success in school and later years continues to be an ever increasing national priority. While the "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS") do not provide standards for preschool, there are ample opportunities to use the Standards as a guide to…

Understanding catalytic chemistry, collecting and interpreting kinetic data, and operating chemical reactors are critical skills for chemical engineers. This laboratory experiment provides students with a hands-on supplement to a course in chemical kinetics and reaction engineering. The oxidation of methane with a palladium catalyst supported on…

In this article, the authors describe a fourth-grade lesson where 3-D printing technologies were not only a stimulus for engagement but also served as a modeling tool providing meaningful learning opportunities. Specifically, fourth-grade students construct an argument that animals' external structures function to support survival in a particular…

Solar current is an increasingly important aspect of modern life and will be even more so crucial in the students' future. Encouraging students to be the "toolmakers" allows students to take ownership of scientific investigations, as well as forcing them to refine their research questions and hypothesis, including the design and…

Rania Gikopoulou is a primary school teacher and post-doctoral researcher at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. In this article she describes how her 5th grade class (Age 11) learned about abstract phenomena through models of their microscopic structure.

Broadening participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers requires that underrepresented students, including women and minorities, persist in their studies and complete undergraduate and graduate degrees. Studies have shown that engaging students in undergraduate research and improving students' science…

This paper is an attempt to reconstruct how C.V. Raman, a peripheral scientist in the early 20th century colonial India, managed to develop a research programme in physical optics from his remote colonial location. His attempts at self-training and self-education eventually led him to the discovery of the Raman Effect and to the Nobel Prize in…

Research shows the importance of active learning, especially within science classes. One way to achieve this goal is to incorporate student-driven projects into the course (e.g., posters). Traditionally, science-poster assignments follow the spirit of the science fair in which a student conducts an experiment and analyzes the results. This article…