Design-based learning (DBL), a pedagogical approach to integrating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, has been internationally promoted in K-12 curricula. Despite DBL's variations, research has indicated it can facilitate students' content learning. However, it is less clear whether DBL can foster students' STEM…

The purpose of this case study, informed by a Lakatosian perspective, is to identify how an alternative conception that originates in present learning but is related directly to subsequent learning contexts can be constructed. Before the study, one of the authors found by accident that a student who had learned about Avogadro's principle and…

In science education, students need to work with laboratory elements that create conditions for them to learn to do science and experience the value of making meaning in this process. However, students rarely get to carry out investigations that resemble actual scientific practices. More often, they are encouraged to follow an already given…

The conception of functions, defined as the relationship between magnitudes or sets of ordered pairs, varies among students depending on the contextualization of the concept within the curriculum, notably in school textbooks. This investigation endeavors to scrutinize the approach taken by Indonesian textbooks in introducing the function concept…

This study contributes to the understanding of the relationship between emotions and development of scientific understanding by examining (1) how students perform in scientific sensemaking in the context of a three-cycle predict-observe-explain (POE) activity, (2) what kind of trajectories of situational epistemic emotions students show when…

The aim of this study was to determine the cognitive structures of high school students related to the atmosphere and climate. The study group consists of 70 students in the 10th grade of a state high school affiliated to Konya Provincial Ministry of National Education. In this study, a survey model, which allowed us to determine the current…

The algorithm for fraction multiplication is relatively easy to memorize and implement with accuracy. The simplicity of the algorithm masks the conceptual complexity involved in making sense of what fraction multiplication means in quantitative situations. One important interpretation of fraction multiplication involves fraction composition,…

Developing a deeper understanding of scientific concepts is one of the primary goals of science education. To improve students' conceptual understanding, it is necessary to explore the major characteristics of their learning process. Informed by previous work on conceptual understanding, this study focuses on the concept of evaporation, exploring…

The study investigated the influence of a connected learning approach for explicit nature of science (NOS) instruction and explicit argumentation instruction, in comparison with a non-connected approach, on students' NOS conceptions and argumentation skills. Participants comprised 42 students enrolled in two sections of grade 10 that were randomly…

The aim of this study is to explore the possibility of introducing the general notions of function and inverse function through a mathematical activity on linear functions, focusing on the quantitative meaning associated to the connection between a relation and its inverse. We present a genetic decomposition, that is, a viable cognitive path for…

Although there has been extensive research on students' understanding of the particulate nature of matter (PNM), there is still a lack of research on contexts that can be used to teach this challenging topic. In a previous design-based research study, the authors developed a teaching-learning sequence (TLS) on the PNM in the context of crystal…

The study examined the impact of concept-based instruction on the teaching and learning of mathematics. Functions is the topic that was implemented in order to identify the improvements in learners' understanding. A total of 35 Grade 11 learners from a South African township school in Limpopo province participated in this study. Data were…

The focus of the present study is the learning processes of concepts related to hydrogen bonds, which were developed using a didactic sequence (DS). Based on the perspective of Imre Lakatos, it was observed whether the explanatory models created by upper-secondary students form progressive transition sequences, which are similar to what Lakatos,…

The metaphors used by teachers to explain the nature of student learning and student difficulty can reveal a great deal about how teachers conceive the teaching and learning process. This is an important area of research as it can shed light on how they see their role in the learning process and how they should intervene to assist students in…

Vectors have important applications both within and outside mathematics, but the concept of vectors is often taught to students in a less-than-engaging way, leading to students feeling inadequate and frustrated. This article describes the use of a mathematical microworld, "Driving with Vectors," to explore vectors using equitable…