In a traditional lecturing environment, students possess limited agency in accepting or rejecting information provided by teachers. A higher level of student agency involves opportunities and actively identifying uncertainties and collaborating with peers to deepen understanding within the classroom community. Teachers play a crucial role in…

This case study examines how material resistance (limitations posed by the physical world) and graph interpretation intersected during a high school biology investigation using digital sensors. We use an extended episode from a small group to illustrate how, in an inquiry-based unit, measuring near the resolution limit of a sensor caused scaling…

Food, cooking, and eating are commonly used as contexts or legitimations to teach and communicate science. However, for teaching to have contextual credibility, the relationship between subject and context is a relevant area of study. The present contribution describes an analysis of curricula from three Nordic countries shedding light on…

The challenge of climate change means that school education is more important than ever in preparing young people for an uncertain future. The focus of this research is climate change education and its status in the compulsory middle school years (approximately years 7-10) across six countries (Australia, Israel, Finland, Indonesia, Canada and…

Despite numerous benefits, students do not always respond positively and engage in active learning in STEM courses. Understanding the factors that influence how students' respond to active learning is important to devising interventions that support their learning, especially for students from historically underrepresented groups. This study…

This paper investigates whether and how primary school students improve their epistemic understanding about a particular aspect of the nature of inquiry (NOSI), namely, the 'non-linear nature of inquiry' through an explicit-reflective or implicit instruction. The sample consisted of 30 5th grade students, who were randomly divided into two groups:…

Drawing upon the model for science teacher assessment literacy developed by [Abell, S. K., & Siegel, M. A. (2011). Assessment literacy: What science teachers need to know and be able to do. In "The professional knowledge base of science teaching" (pp. 205-221). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3927-9_12], this study…

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of the science module which was designed using the problem-based learning method on the basis of the Integrated Curriculum Model and applied in the blended learning environment on the scientific reasoning and scientific process skills of gifted students. The study was carried out with 9 gifted 5th…

The aim of this research was to investigate the synergistic effects of peer collaboration and graphic organisers (i.e. mind maps) in Hong Kong science classrooms. Over two hundred Grade Four (i.e. Primary Four) students were assigned to different pedagogical groups, namely, "individualised learning with mind mapping," "collaborative…

Field trips provide real-world learning opportunities in biology education as they promote knowledge about nature among other things. As biodiversity is declining knowledge of species is important for understanding and appreciating the natural world and its implications. Many field guides are digitally available, but differences from traditional…

Curriculum statements are crucial documents for guiding teaching and learning as they describe the content and skills to be acquired by learners. Textbooks translate curriculum statements into materials for use in schools. This study examines the educative nature of three physical sciences textbooks about electrostatics using the lens of…

This paper analyses Australian secondary science teachers' perceptions of their pedagogy and students' classroom engagement based on the Science Capital Teaching Approach (SCTA). Previous research studies related to the idea of teaching to enhance the science capital of secondary students mainly employed qualitative methods to collect data from…

The field of geometrical optics features a broad knowledge base concerning conceptual learning difficulties and student conceptions. However, in contrast to other areas of physics, no widely used standard test instrument exists to assess middle school students' conceptual knowledge of geometrical optics. This is even more true for other areas of…

Although extensive research has shown the important educational value of technology-enhanced online units on students' science learning, few studies have looked at upper elementary students' knowledge integration in a web-based inquiry science environment (WISE). This case study investigates how upper-elementary students responded to an online…

The literature on scientific modelling practices in science education has provided a fruitful discussion on how learners tend to view models vs. how and what they should think about them. One approach is to teach students that models are abstractions so that they do not view them as a copy of phenomena they represent. Although teaching students…