Research into seed germination classroom activities has been common in the last few decades. Didactic proposals have generally focused on the implementation of guided activities in a specific educational stage and context, and an evaluation of the results. However, it is not evident that students approach seed and germination concepts with a…

Despite being a fundamental concept in biology, evolution continues to be one of the most challenging topics to teach in science education. Ideas of evolution emphasising anatomical or behavioural features of individuals, as opposed to the interplay between genetics and the environment, are reinforced through language and culture, making them…

Non-formal science education provides an ever-growing network of different educational opportunities that makes it a valuable instrument to increase scientific education quality and to promote scientific literacy among students. This study analysed teachers' conceptions about the goals they set prior to participating in a crystal-growing…

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…

This study analysed secondary school teachers' self-reported learning during their participation in a long-term, non-formal scientific activity in the form of a crystal-growing contest. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to explore in-service teachers' experiences and describe the different types of learning that they report they have…

Several reforms in national and international curricula have been implemented to introduce inquiry-based activities to promote different science process skills. Science skills require high cognitive effort for students and, thus, they need supports to develop them in an inquiry process. Among these supports, video-worked examples demonstrate how…

This paper presents the case for how students can be helped to increase their scientific vocation by experimental work and the introduction of particle physics into pre-university studies. These two ideas are the two main lines of work of the ADMIRA initiative, which has been created by individuals belonging to different and complementary…

The activities designed by 91 teams of primary teacher education students as part of their teaching proposals in a course on science teaching are analysed together with the subsequent reformulations of those activities. The objective of the study was to gain insight into the students' professional practical knowledge and the underlying focus of…

Gender equality and women's empowerment are important issues that still need to be addressed, despite some progress in recent years. The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which aim to tackle various global challenges, including the 4th (Quality Education) and 5th (Gender…

The aim of this research was to assess students' ability to explain scientific phenomena by means of a POE pedagogical tool. To achieve this aim, we conducted home experiments in a digital environment. In this qualitative and transversal ex-post-facto research, 775 pupils (aged 13-18 years) enrolled in compulsory secondary education from the…

Many studies have been conducted in recent years on the explanations given by preschool-age children about different natural phenomena. Nonetheless, very few studies have actually focused on the important domain of matter and its transformations. Specifically, the field of chemical reactions remains unexplored. This qualitative study aims to…

A high variety of experimental model organisms have been used in developmental biology practical lectures. The work with developing embryos is crucial to make students aware of the multiple biological phenomena underlying normal animal embryogenesis and morphogenesis and represent a unique experimental platform to analyze the impact of molecular…

Purpose: Invasive species are under the spotlight because of their detrimental effects on biodiversity. However, management of invasions presents multiple dimensions frequently difficult to disentangle. This complex topic has been tackled through a service-learning project on an invasive insect ("Vespa velutina"), a bee-eating species…

The European Commission calls for schools to move towards becoming open to their communities, integrating external social, civil, and expert stakeholders into authentic learning experiences' development alongside teachers and students, particularly in terms of science education. However, little research or practical implementation has been…

Physiology is an integrative science that requires an understanding of the organism as a whole to acquire a deep comprehension of its functions and avoid misconceptions that may impair further learning. Thus it is necessary to develop resources that promote the integrative vision that Physiology requires. Chronobiology is a challenging discipline…