Large carnivore predators can be controversial animals, but sustainable coexistence with humans depends on peoples' tolerance and willingness to support their conservation. We conducted a short-term study on a sample of Slovak schoolchildren (aged 9-15) aimed at changing attitudes toward the grey wolf. The intervention consisted of videos and PPT…

Despite efforts to make school science appealing, students' negative attitude toward it persists globally. This qualitative study elucidates how and why undergraduate students in Japan had declining attitudes toward school science during primary and secondary school. Twenty-two first- and second-year students at a Japanese national university…

Astronomy is seen as a "gateway" science, inspiring students to pursue Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics (STEM) related careers. However, there is little evidence that students' attitudes towards astronomy remain stable over time. By integrating Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), we identified…

Policy documents in many nations, as well as international policies indicate that the goal of improved student science learning requires teachers to learn to use knowledge generation environments for teaching science. This is a particular challenge for early childhood teachers (kindergarten through grade two), who have historically valued…

Evolution is an essential underlying concept in biology. Previous research demonstrates that many obstacles exist that prevent successful teaching and learning about evolution. This research study used the theoretical framework of cultural border crossing and its underlying cognitive explanation, collateral learning, to design an intervention for…

This study investigated whether the Science on Stage, a theatre and drama project, taught middle-school students more about the lives and discoveries of great scientists and whether it helped them develop positive views and attitudes towards the science course and scientists. This 8-month study employed an embedded design. The sample consisted of…

In the globalisation era, engaging youth in science and technology is a joint responsibility across nations. This study examined the effects of Global Korean Science Program (GKSP) on 608 Indonesian middle school students' attitudes towards science. Their science attitudes were assessed before and after the programme with Behaviour, Related…

The current study investigates the developmental trajectories of "novice elementary teachers' self-efficacy science beliefs", "their science instructional beliefs" and "science knowledge" over the course of participants' teacher preparation and into their first two years of teaching. Study results indicate changes in…

While students tend to enjoy their science learning at a young age, as they mature, they tend to distance themselves from science, becoming less motivated to engage with science and holding negative attitudes towards science. In parallel, a career choice in science often begins to develop during early adolescence. To understand how the environment…

The purpose of this study was to analyze visual attention during students' learning of Toulmin's argument pattern (TAP) and the effects of epistemic beliefs in science on the understanding of argument components. A total of 43 undergraduates were recruited through the Internet. Online questionnaires targeting beliefs about knowledge in science…

The analysis of students' conceptions is a crucial element in modern science education research. Based on a large number of studies, we know that learning environments should build upon students' existing knowledge to initiate conceptual change towards an adequate scientific understanding. This also holds true when it comes to moral reasoning. In…

There are numerous interventions worldwide targeting young people's participation in STEM. While gender imbalance seems to be a focus of many of these interventions, it is not clear how many specifically target females, and from those that do, what their characteristics and strengths are. We address this gap in the existing literature by…

In this study, the conceptions of pre-university level secondary students with respect to radiation and radioactivity were investigated. A literature review determined what was already known about secondary school students' conceptions that differ from scientific theory, regarding radiation and radioactivity. Next, 12 Dutch students and their…

The aim of this mixed-method study is twofold: The first aim concerns pre-service science teachers' (PSTs) perceptions about what makes an argument persuasive. At the first phase, an in-depth analysis of their views about persuasiveness of different quality level arguments in three socioscientific contexts which were global climate change, base…

The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of the visiting-scientist approach supported by conceptual change activities on high school students' images of scientists and perceptions of gender and risks that scientists take. Twenty-five students attending 10th grade in the 2017-2018 academic years participated in the study. A…