The aim of this research was to investigate the synergistic effects of peer collaboration and graphic organisers (i.e. mind maps) in Hong Kong science classrooms. Over two hundred Grade Four (i.e. Primary Four) students were assigned to different pedagogical groups, namely, "individualised learning with mind mapping," "collaborative…

Cultivating students' enjoyment of science is one of the significant aims of science education. However, it seems challenging to achieve this goal in most countries or economies. Using the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2019 Hong Kong data, this study aims to identify multiple configurations of school conditions to…

Persistent concerns exist regarding the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and science achievement, prompting ongoing research into the factors enabling some low-SES students to excel in science despite the odds. This study seeks to identify multiple combinations of individual, family, and school conditions that contribute to…

This research integrates context-based learning and modelling. It presents a teaching-learning sequence (TLS) about the dissolution of gases in liquids using carbonated drinks as the context. The impact of the TLS is analysed in a longitudinal short-term study involving two groups of learners aged 13-14 years old (n=53). The results led us to…

The impact of self-regulated learning (SRL) on students' performance in various subjects has been extensively studied. However, there has been limited research on how task-specific SRL skills and self-reported SRL skills affect students' learning outcomes in chemistry classes at senior secondary schools. To address this gap, we examined the…

Science achievement and the factors related to it are frequently discussed in science education community. However, less researchers tend to consider student achievement in other subjects, especially reading and mathematics as included in the "Programme for International Student Assessment" (PISA). This research examined the relationship…

Science competitions target students interested in science with the aim to support them in developing science competence and career aspirations. Contrary to the common belief that science competition participants are exceptionally competent and strongly motivated to pursue a science career, there is growing evidence that the entirety of…

Past studies have shown that students' conceptions of learning science (CLS) are related to their approaches to learning science (ALS) and to their self-efficacy for learning science (SELS), but it has not yet been studied whether parents' CLS play a role in children's ALS and SELS. This research investigated 472 pairs of Chinese high school…

The ability to understand science is important for productive participation in societies that rely on scientific knowledge to guide decision-making. A challenge is how to motivate and engage all learners in science, and not just those destined for science-related careers. This challenge becomes more acute in senior secondary high-stakes assessment…

In this longitudinal study, we investigate how demographic, cognitive and meta-cognitive variables affect students' success in chemistry and physics exams in two Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics undergraduate courses, biology and engineering. Independent variables include high school final examination performance, chemistry and physics…

Breadth and depth of curriculum are important for success in science teaching and learning. Curriculum theorists recommend less breadth and more depth than overloaded, superficial science curricula. This study investigates breadth and depth in the official biology syllabi in the seventh to eighth or ninth years in four diverse jurisdictions,…

An abundance of empirical evidence indicates that spatial ability is significantly correlated with educational performance in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Previous studies have explored the relationship between spatial ability and science achievement in adults. However, the relationship between spatial ability…

A growing body of literature shows that Primary Scientific Literature (PSL) is a valuable and useful tool for STEM. Current assessments measuring the success of PSL-based interventions focus mainly on specific scientific content and/or the specific scientific skills students learn. We believe that the underlying motivation students consider while…

By measuring students' attitudes towards science using Rasch modelling, the present study investigated the factors related to elementary students' attitudes toward science at both the individual- and school- levels using HLM in China, where students are often reported to have high achievement in science with below-average attitudes towards the…

Science academic achievement is a key construct for examining students' science learning outcomes. While international comparative assessments like TIMSS and PISA have shown high science achievement of Korean middle school students, there is a lack of comprehensive investigation of factors influencing the achievement using domestic data.…