Purpose: The aim of this research is to determine the impact of hands-on science activities on preschool children's motivation for science. Design/Approach/Methods: The study group of the research, in which the quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest control group was used, consists of 25 children aged 60-72 months who are continuing their…

Each student's individual experience in learning is very important. Lower secondary school students are engaged in activities that focus on inquiry rather than the acquisition of scientific knowledge in science classrooms. Therefore, the experiences and thoughts of lower secondary school students in the stage of scientific inquiry need to be…

The collaborative nature of introductory college science labs means that labs can play a major role in boosting students' interest in experimental science when they work together in small groups. However, collaboration in lab courses is not always positive for all students. We report on a study that documented how women in mixed-gender groups in a…

In this quantitative study, we explored learners' intrinsic motivation towards three different experimental physics educational activities offered by our department to upper-grade high school students. The inspected activities were lecture demonstrations, a science show, and hands-on practical work. The respondents were Czech high school students…

The objective of this work was the theoretical modeling of a construct based on teaching practice about the perception that pupils have of difficulties in problem solving (PS) in experimental sciences, specifically physics, to predict pupil performance in PS. The research was carried out with an incidental sample of second year of secondary…

A large-enrollment, introductory physics laboratory course at the University of Colorado Boulder has undergone a recent transformation to help students' develop lab skills and better align students' views and beliefs about experimental physics with those of expert experimental physicists through engagement with authentic scientific practices. We…

In this study, we focused on students' intrinsic motivation towards practical work, more specifically the strength of predictors for intrinsic motivation. As a research tool, we used a modified Intrinsic Motivation Inventory supplemented by additional questions on attitudes towards physics. The respondents were more than 2000 Czech upper secondary…

An increase in online science course offerings requires a closer evaluation of the online laboratory experience. While it has been established that students can successfully learn from online laboratory simulations, there is a lack of knowledge regarding factors that impact student success. Grounded in the constructivist learning theory, a unique…

Nowadays, the assessment of student performance has become increasingly technology-based, a trend that can also be observed in the evaluation of scientific reasoning, with more and more of the formerly paper-based assessment tools moving into the digital space. The study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the paper-based and…

Understanding social interactions among students comprises a rich area of physics education research. Here we focus on the social interactions in introductory physics laboratories (labs). Most existing research in such contexts focuses on within-group social dynamics, however, we argue that interactions between different lab groups are just as…

The science laboratory learning environment has been a distinctive area in science education since the 19th century. Unfortunately, students are generally not aware of what science instructors expect from laboratory experiences, and far too often, the undergraduate science laboratory curriculum lacks explicit, well-defined goals. Science…

Due to the vast territory, there are problems of unbalanced development of education and students' ability level in China. In order to explore the relation between regional education equity and the development of students' scientific ability, and to better promote the development of education and students' growth, it is urgent to carry out the…

Affective and cognitive outcomes of science teaching in schools may be enhanced by science outreach labs (SOLs). Particularly interesting is whether and how to connect SOL visits to in-school science learning. Recent studies--among others, in this journal--have confirmed SOLs' positive affective effects. However, research remains inconclusive…

Purpose: The present study examined the effect of Directed Activity Related to Texts (DARTs) and gender on student achievement in qualitative analysis in chemistry. It focused on the qualitative analysis component of the Chemistry course, which for students has been perceived as being the most difficult aspect of their mastery of the subject.…

Virtual worlds are increasingly popular in educational settings. In order to further usefulness in providing a laboratory education, almost 300 students participated in a study to determine the relative learning gains and attitudes related to performing two chemistry experiments in either the virtual world of Second Life (SL) or a real world…