The American school system is funded, operated, and evaluated based on student academic achievement data that is generated by various assessment tools and grading practices. The most traditional grading practice, norm-referenced grading, assesses student academic achievement on a 100-point scale that is further broken into categorical levels (A-F)…

An exploratory study was to determine the effectiveness of discussion sessions as a teaching strategy of thermodynamics in basic physical chemistry of fundamental concepts in this area as spontaneity by explaining students according to their ideas. A previously validated questionnaire was used as an instrument on thermochemistry, enthalpies of…

We created the "3-dimensional synaptic puzzle" (3Dsp) as an educational resource for the physiology teaching of synaptic transmission (ST). In this study, we aimed to apply and evaluate the use of 3Dsp. For this, we divided 175 university students from public and private universities into two groups: (1) control (CT; students that were…

When conducting biological investigations, experts constantly integrate their conceptual and quantitative understanding of variation with the design and analysis of the investigation. This process is difficult for students, because curricula often treat these concepts as separate components. This study describes the effect of a curricular…

This paper employed a quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest control group to investigate the effects of the predict-observe-explain (POE) strategy on fourth grade students' academic achievement, attitudes towards science, and retention. Participants of the study were consisted of 60 students. Experimental (n=30) and control groups (n=30)…

In large physiology classes, there is a demand for low-effort, or "light touch," strategies that faculty can use to connect with students and promote increased academic performance and student engagement. The purpose of this study was to compare personalized versus standardized emails following unit quizzes on student perceptions of…

Brain-Based Learning (BBL) is an educational theoretical framework based on principles that derive from important findings about the structure and function of the brain through biology, psychology, and neuroscientific research, and forms a holistic context for a comprehensive instructional approach design. In the present study, a teaching…

This study compared two expectancy-value-theory-based interventions designed to promote college students' motivation and performance in introductory college physics. The utility value intervention was adapted from prior research and focused on helping students relate course material to their lives in order to perceive the material as more useful.…

Quasi-experiments are common in studies that estimate the effect of instructional interventions on student performance outcomes. In this type of research, the nature of the experimental design, the choice in assessment, the selection of comparison groups, and the statistical methods used to analyze the comparison data dictate the validity of…

Laboratory experimentation in the context of school science is a widely advocated teaching strategy for the simplification of several abstract scientific concepts. Laboratory-based learning activities have proven to enhance learners' conceptual and procedural understandings of micro chemical phenomena, thus boosting achievement in chemistry…

This randomized controlled trial examined effects of the MyTeachingPartner-Math/Science intervention on the quality and quantity of teachers' mathematics and science instruction, and children's mathematics and science outcomes in 140 pre-kindergarten classrooms. Teachers participated in the intervention for two years with consecutive cohorts of…

Metacognitive ability is enormously important for improving students' learning performance. However, overconfidence bias may hinder students' metacognition abilities. Therefore, in this study, we conducted an intervention to reduce or debias overconfidence among students using the KAAR (knowledge, awareness, action, and reflection) model. Ninety…

Latinos/as experience underachievement and underrepresentation in science. Mindset beliefs contribute to positive academic outcomes among students generally, but are understudied among Latinos/as in science. In this quasi-experimental study, Latino/a students expressed initial mindset-related beliefs shown to be less generative of success in…

This study tests the influence of a video-based, analysis-of-practice professional development (PD) program on upper-elementary teachers' science content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and teaching practice and on their students' achievement. Using a cluster-randomized experimental design, the study compares the outcomes for teachers in…

One way to encourage performance and persistence in STEM fields is to have students write about the utility value (UV) or personal relevance of course topics to their life. This intervention has been shown to increase engagement and performance in introductory courses. However, questions remain about the longevity of the effects and how best to…