In order to comprehend complex and abstract phenomena, students must partake in the process of learning by integrating complex and invisible components without ever physically encountering or manipulating such components. Prior knowledge and experiences will influence the way students assimilate and model new experiences and knowledge. If prior…

The Next Generation Science Standards lay out a model of energy that locates energy within objects and fields, and tracks energy as it transfers between these objects and transforms between forms of energy while always being conserved. This model of energy pervades much of modern science and represents a foundational, cross-cutting concept for…

This article aims to investigate the teaching of chance in the context of tactile models (TM) from the perspective of the Theory of Register of Semiotic Representations. In this qualitative research, we sought to identify the different types of semiotic registers and transformations (treatment and conversion), in the solutions of the tasks of the…

The use of manipulatives to develop conceptual understanding appears to be a prevalent practice in many mathematical learning experiences, particularly in the early years of schooling. This study evaluates the impact of mathematical manipulatives on young children's attitudes towards mathematics (YCATM). The modified three-dimensional model of…

The authors describe the construction and use of tactile models for demonstrating intermolecular forces. These models are composed of inexpensive materials and can be used in college chemistry classrooms of varying levels including general and organic chemistry. The models were designed to be paired with an accompanying activity to encourage…

Embodied learning tools (ELTs), such as building and manipulating models, bolster students' learning of spatially demanding science content, such as stereochemistry. However, studies comparing the effectiveness of virtual to physical ELTs on student learning are limited. This study compares online instruction using a virtual ELT, virtual models,…

Introduction: The emerging technology of three-dimensional (3D) printing has the potential to provide unique 3D modeling to support specific content in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, particularly chemistry. Method: Seventeen (n=17) students with visual impairments were provided direct instruction on chemistry…

This study aimed to identify the needs of a 10th grade congenitally blind student in an inclusive chemistry classroom and design and develop tactile materials to teach the 'energy in living systems' topic with particular emphasis on covering the symbolic language of the chemistry. A single case study design was used to carry out an in-depth and…

Out of all the complex systems in science education curricula, cellular respiration is considered to be one of the most complex and abstract processes. Students are known to have low interest and difficulties in conceptual understanding of cellular respiration which provides a challenge for teaching and learning. In this study, we took literature…

With the increasing attention and surge of empirical research in providing academic instruction for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) comes the need to provide teachers with research-supported strategies. Using one evidence-based strategy for teaching mathematics to students with high incidence disabilities, and another for teaching…

Self-generated analogical models have emerged recently as alternatives to teacher-supplied analogies and seem to have good potential to promote deep learning and scientific thinking. However, studies of the ways and contexts in which students generate these models are still too limited to allow a fuller appraisal of these models' effectiveness in…

There are various types of instructional media related to Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR) but there is a lack of diversity of resources devoted to assessment. This research presents an assessment and comparison of students' understanding of VSEPR theory before and after tuition involving the use of the foam molecule model (FMM) and…

This article notes the convergence of recent thinking in neuroscience and grounded cognition regarding the way we understand mental representation and recollection: ideas are dynamic and multi-modal, actively created at the point of recall. Also, neurophysiologically, re-entrant signalling among cortical circuits allows non-conscious processing to…

The intention of the present study is to know how the pupils can learn to make a group of ten to understand the idea of unitizing. The pupils were given a contextual problem "Counting the Beads" in order to promote their understanding about the idea of unitizing. The process of designing the problem was based on the 5 tenets of…

Several researchers have noted how children's whole number schemes can interfere with their efforts to learn fractions. An Australian study found that children who were successful with the solution of rational number tasks exhibited greater whole number knowledge and more flexible solution strategies. Behr and Post (1988) indicated that children…