Computer simulations have been used very effectively for many years in the teaching of science but the focus has been on cognitive development. This study, however, is an investigation into the possibility that a student's experimental skills in the real-world environment can be judged via the undertaking of a suitably chosen computer simulation…

This study aims to conduct a detailed investigation on the effect the use of concept mapping, as an individual learning tool, has on students' success in learning the concept of gravimetric analysis. This study applies a case study research design to quantitatively examine the effect of the use of concept mapping and to conduct a detailed…

The integrative role that Evolutionary theory plays within Biology is recognised by most scientific authors, as well as in governmental education policies, including Brazilian policies. However, teaching and learning evolution seems problematic in many countries, and Brazil is among those. Many factors may affect teachers' and students'…

In the context of introductory physics, we study student conceptual understanding of differentials, differential products, and integrals and possible pathways to understanding these quantities. We developed a multiple choice conceptual assessment employing a variety of physical contexts probing physical understanding of these three quantities and…

This study focuses on student development of two important laboratory skills in the context of introductory college-level physics. The first skill, which we call model making, is the ability to analyze a phenomenon in a way that produces a quantitative multimodal model. The second skill, which we call model breaking, is the ability to critically…

The teleological bias, a major learning obstacle, involves explaining biological phenomena in terms of purposes and goals. To probe the teleological bias, researchers have used acceptance judgement tasks and preference judgement tasks. In the present study, such tasks were used with German high school students (N = 353) for 10 phenomena from human…

The purpose of this study is to identify the Form Four students' misconceptions in the electrolysis of molten compounds and aqueous solutions. The respondents were 60 Form Four students from two secondary schools in Sibu, Sarawak. The two instruments used in this study were an open-ended electrochemistry assessment and interview protocol. This…

Students in the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) at the University of Maine were exposed to the cheese-making process, within a lab setting of two hours, utilizing an accelerated recipe for a Queso Fresco-style cheese. The purpose of this project was to provide students with a novel, hands-on learning experience, which covered concepts of…

The concept of the centre of mass of a rigid body as a virtual point where the weight force acts is not easy to understand without a number of supporting school experiments. In school practice, however, experiments on this topic are often limited to a few of the simplest cases in which a simple flat body, such as a triangle or rectangle, is hung…

The benefits of field courses for biological science students are well established, but field courses also have limitations: they are generally too brief to allow significant research and they are staff-designed and led, limiting the development of student autonomy. In contrast, the value of student-organised field expeditions has been little…

Creativity has become an increasingly important competence in today's rapidly changing times, especially for school graduates who strive for pursuing a technical or scientific career. But creativity has not been integrated in the lessons or curricula of STEM subjects. To successfully integrate it in the classroom, it is important to investigate…

The Kruger-Dunning effect was studied as it related to performance in chemistry courses based on student differences in academic background. Student major was chosen as the classification to look at the effect of students with different interests/specializations. Chemistry majors tended to predict lower performance than biology majors, while…

Pretesting and early intervention measures to identify and remediate at-risk students were implemented in algebra-based introductory physics to help improve student success rates. Pretesting via a math and problem-solving diagnostic exam administered at the beginning of the course was employed to identify at-risk students based on their scores.…

This study investigates the effect of the science writing heuristic (SWH) approach on the quality of prospective science teachers' (PSTs) argumentative writing and their understanding of the components of argumentation in the SWH approach and their own learning. Ten SWH approach activities were implemented during the semester. The study was…

This study describes the development and implementation of an iterative diagnostic and intervention routine designed to elicit and quantitatively describe aspects of student metacognition, affect, and study habits in a first-year undergraduate biology course. The Student Metacognition, Affect, and Study Habits (SMASH) inventory is a…