The role of scientific reasoning in promoting scientific literacy during the early years of schooling is well acknowledged. Using the analytical framework for scientific reasoning skills by A. Opitz et al. (2017, "Educational Research and Evaluation," 23(3-4), 78-101), this multi-age observational study investigated the extent of…

Solving organic chemistry reactions requires reasoning with multiple concepts and data (i.e., multivariate reasoning). However, studies have reported that organic chemistry students typically demonstrate univariate reasoning. Case comparisons, where students compare two or more tasks, have been reported to support students' multivariate reasoning.…

Electricity and magnetism are fundamentally interconnected, as represented by the symmetry in Maxwell's equations. Much of the research on Gauss's and Ampere's laws has focused on their application in calculating electric or magnetic fields. However, there remains a significant gap in the literature in exploring these laws in a broader…

We use a validated conceptual multiple-choice survey instrument focusing on thermodynamic processes and the first and second laws of thermodynamics at the level of introductory physics to investigate the problem-property dependence of introductory and advanced student responses to introductory thermodynamics problems after traditional…

Response times (RTs) facilitate the quantification of underlying cognitive processes in problem-solving behavior. To provide more comprehensive diagnostic feedback on strategy selection and attribute profiles with multistrategy cognitive diagnosis model (CDM) and utilize additional information for item RTs, this study develops a multistrategy…

Redox reaction is a core chemical concept. However, its abstract nature makes it very difficult for students. Students' conceptual structure reflects their mastery of concepts, which helps teachers implement targeted educational strategies. This study aimed to explore the conceptual structures of redox reaction held by students (grades 10 to 12)…

Nowadays, physics learning in the classroom should no longer only focus on achieving academics. It must prepare students to face challenges in the future. One of the abilities that are important for learners is problem solving, and the problem-solving ability that is becoming increasingly important in today's digital era is computational thinking…

Problem solving is a key component of authentic scientific research and practice in organic chemistry. One factor that has been shown to have a major role in successful problem solving in a variety of disciplines is metacognitive regulation, defined as the control of one's thought processes through the use of planning, monitoring, and evaluation…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the results of measuring a sample of engineering students' perceived achievement of complex thinking at different stages of their professional training. This study intended to analyze and predict the differences in the self-perception of achieved complex thinking competency by gender, semester,…

Physics experts and students commonly use a variety of representations when working with partial derivatives, including symbols, graphs, and words. One especially powerful representation is the contour graph. In open-ended problem-solving interviews with nine upper-division physics students, we asked students to determine derivatives from contour…

The field of anatomy is often seen by nonanatomists as concerned primarily with the tasks of locating, naming, and describing structures; these tasks, in turn, are often assumed to require only lower-order cognitive skills (LOCSs), i.e., the Knowledge or Comprehension levels of Bloom's taxonomy. Many nonanatomists may thus believe that studying…

Physics problem-solving ability is among the crucial skills physics students require as it enhances their conceptual understanding and develops their abilities for real-world problem-solving. This study employed a descriptive design to investigate the physics problem-solving skills of Senior-Five physics students from Rwandan secondary schools.…

Development of scientific explanation abilities in students is an important aspect in science education. However, traditional learning methods such as textbooks and PowerPoint presentations are often less effective in improving skills due to lack of student interactivity and involvement in the learning process. This study aimed to analyze the…

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection in Investigating and Improving Quantum Education through Research.] One of the greatest weaknesses of physics education research is the paucity of research on graduate education. While there are a growing number of investigations of graduate student degree progress and admissions, there are very few…

Several reforms in national and international curricula have been implemented to introduce inquiry-based activities to promote different science process skills. Science skills require high cognitive effort for students and, thus, they need supports to develop them in an inquiry process. Among these supports, video-worked examples demonstrate how…