Intrinsic motivation plays a unique mediating role in student academic performance. An inquiry-based learning (IBL) physics practical is studied in terms of effects on secondary school students' intrinsic motivation towards performing science practicals. After performing IBL experiments on ionizing radiation, 38 secondary school physics students…

Learning analytics, referring to the measurement, collection, analysis, and reporting of data about learners and their contexts in order to optimize learning and the environments in which it occurs, is proving to be a powerful approach for understanding and improving science learning. However, few studies focused on leveraging learning analytics…

Justifications play a central role in argumentation, which is a core topic in school science education. This paper contributes to this field of research by presenting two studies in which we assess students' justifications for supporting or rejecting hypotheses in the physics lab based on self-collected, anomalous experimental data, which are…

Integration of technology, social learning and scientific models offers pedagogical opportunities for science education. A particularly interesting area is thermal science, where students often struggle with abstract concepts, such as heat. In taking on this conceptual obstacle, we explore how hand-held infrared (IR) visualization technology can…

The main purposes of this study were to identify Taiwanese university students' physics learning profiles in terms of their critical conceptions of learning physics and to compare their physics learning self-efficacy with the different learning profiles. A total of 250 Taiwanese undergraduates who were majoring in physics participated in this…

In this work an attempt is made to explore the possible value of using Thought Experiments (TEs) in teaching physics to upper secondary education students. Specifically, a qualitative research project is designed to investigate the extent to which the Thought Experiment (TE) called "Heisenberg's Microscope", as it has been transformed by…

This study investigated the effect of metaconceptual teaching interventions on students' understanding of force and motion concepts. A multimethod research design including quasi-experimental design and case study designs was employed to compare the effect of the metaconceptual activities and traditional instruction and investigate students'…

Draws data from student responses to the Science Laboratory Environment Inventory (SLEI) and a curriculum analysis of the implemented laboratory tasks. Involves biology, chemistry, and physics students (N=387) in 20 classes in Tasmania, Australia. Contains 23 references. (DDR)

Investigates how microcomputer-based laboratory (MBL) activities specifically designed to be consistent with a constructivist theory of learning support or constrain student construction of understanding. Analysis of students' discourse and actions reveal that students invented numerous techniques for manipulating data in the service of their…

Describes a laboratory-based program in physics designed to help students build effective links between the mathematical equations used to solve problems in mechanics and the real world of moving objects. Conducts the study among senior college students and points out the value of laboratory work in science education for development of thinking…

Examines the extent and nature of Year 10 students' model-based reasoning in a laboratory investigation that considered the influence of six factors on electrical resistance. Finds that spontaneous use of the electron-drift model of metals in explanations increased over the duration of the task, but the explanations were restricted to mainly…

Administered a laboratory process skills test to 147 year-5 students to assess their investigations, performance, and reasoning in biology, chemistry, and physics. Reports significant correlation between performance and amount of homework done and students' perceptions of several aspects of the classroom environment including personalization,…