Modelling roles of mathematics in physics has proved to be a difficult task, with previous models of the interplay between the two disciplines mainly focusing on mathematical modelling and problem solving. However, to convey a realistic view of physics as a field of science to our students, we need to do more than train them to become fluent in…

Background: Blended mathematical sensemaking in science ("Math-Sci sensemaking") involves deep conceptual understanding of quantitative relationships describing scientific phenomena and has been studied in various disciplines. However, no unified characterization of blended Math-Sci sensemaking exists. Results: We developed a theoretical…

An ability to engage in system thinking is necessary to understand complex problems. While many pre-college students use system modeling tools, there is limited evidence of student reasoning about causal relationships that interact in diverging and converging chains, and how these affect system behavior. A chemistry unit on gas phenomena was…

Peer Instruction gives practice in the abstract language of physics, addresses common misconceptions among students, and is more effective than traditional lecturing. However, it is not clear what makes Peer Instruction effective nor how we might improve the method. An emerging perspective is that what makes Peer Instruction effective is how it…

In this industrial revolution era, university-level education emphasises higher-order thinking skills. This research aims to analyse the effect of implementing the PjB-HOTS learning model on cognitive learning, creative thinking skills, analytical thinking skills, and metacognitive skills of the students studying osmoregulation concepts in Animal…

Undergraduate students may possess underdeveloped knowledge about water systems, particularly groundwater. The use of models and modeling have been employed in undergraduate classrooms to support students' learning about water. However, effective modeling requires spatial thinking skills, which undergraduate students may also need to develop.…

Genetics is known to be one of the most challenging subjects in biology education because of its abstract concepts and processes. Therefore, hands-on experiments in authentic learning environments are supposed to increase comprehensibility and provide otherwise unavailable experiences to students. We applied a hands-on module in an out-of-school…

Modeling is a scientific practice that supports creative reasoning, motivates inquiry, and facilitates community sense-making. This paper explores students' perspectives on modeling in an undergraduate laboratory course, Authentic Inquiry through Modeling (AIM-Bio), in which they proposed, tested, and revised their own models. We conducted…

One of the most challenging tasks for teachers in projects is to develop creative ideas. Due to the linear system perspective of education, fostering students' creativity is restricted. However, engineering design and scientific process skills that comprise creativity have an iterative structure. An iterative process-oriented education enables…

In physics and chemistry, the development of problem-solving skills is necessary to become an expert. A simple cognitive model to analyse such development is proposed and tested. An exploratory research was conducted with expert professors and students in initial and advanced years. A think aloud procedure was used to obtain relevant data while…

Unlike general approaches to learning, the Causalitic-Thinking Approach, aims to construct phenomena that have more than one possible answer. However this approach requires scaffolding strategies. This study aims to investigate the strategy of developing scaffolding in learning with the Causalitic-Thinking Approach to increase students'…

A number of studies on single instructional quality features have been reported for mathematics and science instruction. For summarizing single instructional quality features, researchers have created a model of three basic dimensions ("classroom management," "supportive climate," and "cognitive activation") of…

Children's everyday activities enable them to learn some science even before entering preschool education and children bring these ideas with them when entering education settings. Some of these ideas, or else mental representations, may not be compatible with what is generally accepted by the scientific community. This paper presents the results…

Increased teacher awareness of student thinking and understanding enables teachers to better support students' learning by allowing for increased formative feedback that clarifies students' understanding and supports their construction of knowledge. However, many science teachers do not possess skills related to assessing student learning and…

In this paper, we present a case study of a pair of students as they use nondisciplinary communicative practices to mechanistically reason about binary star dynamics. To do so, we first review and bring together the theoretical perspectives of social semiotics and embodied cognition, therein developing a new methodological approach for analyzing…