Newtonian mechanics is still among the most difficult topics in the physics' syllabus taught at school. For example, even after completing traditional instruction, students still think that a force is necessary to maintain motion. Therefore, a revised method of instruction is needed that meets students' learning needs. The aim of the project…

One of the topics students have understanding difficulties in science is pressure. The study investigates the effectiveness of an active-learning environment on the students' understanding of the concept of pressure. The sample consisted of 30 students from a public secondary school in Turkey. This study used a pre-test, post-test,…

The "Playground Physics" program combines informal, play-based, embodied learning experiences to support middle school students' engagement with and motivation to learn about complex and abstract physics concepts. This experimental design study examines the impact of "Playground Physics" on students' science motivation,…

Besides viewing knowledge about the nature of science (NOS) as important for its own value with respect to scientific literacy, an adequate understanding of NOS is expected to improve science content learning by fostering the ability to interrelate scientific concepts and, thus, coherently acquire scientific content knowledge. However, there is a…

A common challenge for many primary pre-service teacher educators is to rekindle interest in science content with future teachers who often express a lifetime of negative associations with school science. This pilot study investigated if the notion of wonder could be utilized with preservice teachers as a vehicle to develop more positive…

Traditionally, alchemy has involved the power of transmuting base metals such as lead into gold or producing the "elixir of life" for those wealthy people who wanted to live forever. But what of today's developments? One hundred years ago, even breaking the four-minute mile would have been deemed "magic," which is what the alchemists of the past…

This qualitative, multi-case study explored the use of science-content music for teaching and learning in six middle school science classrooms. The researcher sought to understand how teachers made use of content-rich songs for teaching science, how they impacted student engagement and learning, and what the experiences of these teachers and…

In accordance with the requirements for the National Curriculum Statement for both Life sciences and Physical sciences and the importance of community engagement in Higher Education in South Africa, this paper described the use of the lecture-demonstration "A Pollutant's Tale" to create climate change awareness amongst school learners.…

Given the current state of science education Cultural Historical theory appears promising in clarifying how students' social context advances the understanding of science concepts and shapes their attitude toward science. The purpose of the study was to focus on how children's development in science is assisted by both home and school interactions…