Recent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have brought society closer to the long-held dream of creating machines to help with both common and complex tasks and functions. From recommending movies to detecting disease in its earliest stages, AI has become an aspect of daily life many people accept without scrutiny. Despite its functionality…

This study investigates the influence of inquiry-based laboratory activities on the understanding of heat concepts and the self-efficacy beliefs of pre-service primary teachers. Recognizing that both scientific literacy and teaching efficacy are critical for effective science education, this research aims to determine how inquiry-based laboratory…

Discovering concepts through observation, exploration, and constructing scientific explanations of phenomena is best practice in science education. Instead of following lab procedures to verify a known answer or solution, involve students in the work of science. Begin by presenting a phenomenon to engage students in scientific inquiry and uncover…

Science centers provide an engaging way for young learners to explore related concepts. The hands-on nature of each exercise secures the stimulation necessary to maintain focused attention. In this article, the authors describe a multi-day 5E (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate) lesson on nocturnal and diurnal animals with science…

Introduction: Individuals with visual impairments are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, perhaps in part because they sometimes do not have the same opportunities for hands-on learning as sighted peers. Methods: Twelve braille readers aged 11-16 years participated in a synchronous online hands-on…

Lab-on-a-chip devices are a critical and emerging chemical technology. New pedagogical tactics that effectively capture both analytical chemistry concepts along with the design elements unique to these devices are necessary for effective integration in the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. This article develops a design-based learning laboratory…

Common objects are made of materials that have obvious physical features which, although readily observable, may be overlooked by children. Helping young children to notice characteristic features -- scientifically referred to as properties -- equips them to discern common and distinct (diagnostic) features. Once children begin to recognise…

An inquiry-based learning approach was implemented into comprehensive organic chemistry experiments focusing on the formation process of N-phenylbenzamide from the reaction between N-benzylideneaniline and benzoyl peroxide in commercial dimethyl sulfoxide. Students conducted comparative experiments using alternative reagents or reaction conditions…

The Gatsby "Good Practical Science" report (Gatsby, 2017) identified opportunities to carry out open-ended investigative projects as one of ten benchmarks for good practical science. However, there is currently no requirement for post-16 students in England to have access to such opportunities as this is not required by A-level…

The study explored science teachers' perceptions of Scientific Investigations (SI) and their classroom practices in South Africa. An explanatory sequential design using qualitative and quantitative approaches was used. Qualitative data were collected first using interviews and classroom observations, followed by quantitative data using a…

According to the National Survey of Science and Mathematics Education (2018), only 16% of the elementary teachers surveyed reported including hands-on activities in all or most of their lessons. Strategies that engage students in hands-on investigations help improve student achievement (Minner, Levy, and Century 2010) and provide students with a…

The Making Introductory Courses Real while Online (MICRO) laboratory project was developed to meet the need for hands-on experiments, focused on topics in analytical chemistry, to be delivered safely remotely or in a socially distanced in-person lab. Unlike more traditional lab experiments, MICRO laboratories use only microgram or nanogram amounts…

The application of the Study and Research Path (SRP) methodology for learning general chemistry, a fundamental course often found in the first-year curriculum of many technical degrees, is investigated. In recent years, SRPs have emerged as interesting inquiry and project-based teaching formats. In an SRP, the search for an answer to a generating…

Water is a meaningful context for children to engage in inquiry, and to acquire and use science and engineering practices, such as developing spatial thinking and early concepts of water dynamics. This book shows teachers how to provide children with opportunities to engineer water movement through pouring and filling containers of various kinds…

Under the new ABET accreditation framework, students are expected to demonstrate "an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions." Traditional, recipe-based labs provide few opportunities for students to engage in realistic experimental design or…