Topics associated with the biological sciences form a significant fraction of the curriculum in science at primary school level in the U.K. In this methodology paper we demonstrate how a wide range of research articles associated with the biological sciences can be disseminated to a primary school audience and how children can carry out…

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) were developed by 26 lead states with NSTA, AAAS, NRC, and Achieve in 2013 to provide a new vision for the teaching of science in U.S. schools. Teachers' applications have been mainly concentrated on efforts to align the current practices with the standards. Elementary science teachers need to use…

As part of the current UK GCSE science curriculum, pupils need to use their understanding of science to answer questions about a series of core experiments. Problem-solving and applying knowledge to new situations is fundamental in enabling students to progress in science; however, many learners struggle to develop these skills. This can lead to…

In an era of socio-ecological challenges and uncertain times, it is imperative that student voice is supported to enable student transformative agency and desired positive change in their lives and community. Although international policy, the Australian Curriculum, School Strategic Plans, communities, teachers, and students often advocate for…

Science education objectives in Brazil have evolved over time. Initially, the focus was on creating scientifically literate citizens who could relate scientific concepts to their daily lives. In 2017, the São Paulo City Curriculum for Natural Sciences was introduced to teach students scientific literacy through inquiry-based teaching methods. This…

The purpose of this study is to analyze the learning goals, nature of science, inquiry skills, understanding of inquiry, and inquiry types in the senior high school physics textbooks in Indonesia. We selected the textbooks based on three criteria: (1) approved by the Ministry of Education and Culture in Indonesia, (2) widely used in senior high…

The use of digital technologies as teaching and learning materials supports and enhances science learning, encouraging students to develop valuable inquiry skills and knowledge. In response, this paper seeks to explore digital inquiry-based learning as a useful aid for teaching the elementary school science curriculum on plants in Malaysia. There…

Reform efforts in Taiwan have added a mandatory 'Scientific Inquiry and Practice' curriculum for all high school students, emphasising 'inquiry-based learning content' including observing and questioning, planning and carrying out an investigation, argumentation and modelling, and expression and sharing. The purpose of this study was to develop an…

Chemistry curricula in part rely on the use of laboratory demonstrations and experiments. The complex nature of this kind of educational activity has been posing challenges from the very early days of teaching chemistry. As chemistry is an experimental science, one possible approach to make the teaching of this subject more efficient is to use…

Teachers lack effective curriculum-based instruments to assess their students' scientific competence that would provide information for modifying their inquiry instruction. The main purpose of this study was to develop and validate a Curriculum-Based Scientific Competence (CBSC) test to assess students' scientific competence in a 1-semester Grade…

The current study aimed to investigate the effect of visual media-supported classroom discussions on 8th grade students' attitudes towards socio-scientific issues, towards research and inquiry and on their decision making. The study was conducted in a secondary school located in a city in the western part of Turkey in the fall term of the…

The suitability and characteristics of middle school inquiry activities in the 2015 National Curriculum of Science in Korea were studied from the perspective of eight science teachers with rich experience in teaching science inquiry activities. In-depth interviews revealed problems teachers experienced while conducting inquiry classes. Problems…

Given the importance of cultivating scientific literate societies, the integration of scientific inquiry into school curriculum is key to contemporary science education. It is apparent that textbooks have been an accessible source of science information for teachers and students since the growth of public K-12 schooling worldwide. Textbooks are…

Inquiry-based science education has been advocated as a goal in the South African school science curriculum. Despite this goal, the implementation of inquiry in this country has been largely fragmented due to contextual factors that exert an influence on its traction in the classroom. This phenomenologically orientated study reports on the…

Teachers' practices and interactions with curriculum materials are influenced by a host of factors, which include their values. The mechanisms of this influence may benefit from elucidation. Here, we describe a case of a teacher enacting an inquiry-based learning unit (LU) as part of a school science enrichment programme. The teacher's…