Science is the activity of studying the natural world in various ways to construct theories and models to explain phenomena. Windschitl et al. reported that model-based inquiry includes the connection between observable aspects of the target phenomenon and conjectured underlying causal processes. In addition, they insisted that learners are…

Modeling is a core practice in science and is a meaningful way to learn the subject. This article introduces a modeling-based approach that highlights the idea that modeling is an iterative process and integrates the fundamental parts of scientists' work and key suggestions for teaching through modeling. The lesson "The Structure and Function…

In this work extensive misconceptions of university students'--from nutrition area--about the metabolism of carbohydrates (CHM) in the human organism have been documented. The results lead to consider their difficulties concerning the learning of a complex set of imbricated biochemical models involved. Pursuant to these considerations, three…

Idealizations are omnipresent in science. However, to date, science education research has paid surprisingly little attention to the use of idealizations in fostering students' model competence and understanding of the nature of science (NOS). The starting point for the theoretical reflection in this paper is that insufficient consideration of…

Understanding the general ideas and methods of detecting molecular structures is essential in high school chemistry. However, there is a need for more practical activities in teaching. A hands-on activity was designed in this study, which uses flexible foam balls and long sticks such as knitting needles to imitate how scientists construct the 3D…

When learning about scientific phenomena, students are expected to "mechanistically" explain how underlying interactions produce the observable phenomenon and "conceptually" connect the observed phenomenon to canonical scientific knowledge. This paper investigates how the integration of the complementary processes of designing…

Many studies have researched students' ideas about air pollution, basically focusing on nature and impact of gaseous pollutants on human health. However, recent research has highlighted the importance of the role of particulate matter air pollution for a good air quality in cities. This phenomenon is especially interesting for exploring the limits…

The digestive system (DS) is a fundamental topic in biological science teaching. However, the literature indicates that students have difficulties in learning about it. In the present work, we focus on how early childhood Pre-Service Teachers (PSTs) develop their understanding of the DS regarding the CMP (Components-Mechanisms-Phenomena) framework…

Most educational literature on conceptual change concerns the process by which introductory students acquire scientific knowledge. However, with modern developments in science and technology, the social significance of learning successive theories is steadily increasing, thus opening new areas of interest to discipline-based education research,…

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…

Proteins are essential for cell function, and their biological performance depends on three-dimensional (3D) structures. Insulin is made up of 51 amino acids and is a critical hormone involved in glycaemia regulation. In basic education, concepts involving proteins (synthesis, structure, interactions, and function) are abstract and difficult for…

Chemistry is a systems science that deals with complex-dynamic systems and systems thinking is an essential aspect of chemical practices. Thus, a systems thinking approach is needed in chemistry education for meaningful learning of the subject matter. Despite this necessity, systems thinking has not received sufficient attention in chemistry…

This study aims to examine the effect of conceptual understandings related to anion-cation, acid-base, ionic-covalent, metal-nonmetal, and number of protons-number of electrons concept pairs taught in the periodic table to 8th grade students with the 5E learning model supported by concept maps. The study was conducted among 100 (50 in the…

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,…

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…