This study aimed to determine differences in students' argumentation abilities on the subject matter of cell structure and function through a scientific approach in high schools with different accreditation ratings. The research design used is "ex post facto." The sampling technique used was purposive sampling, with a total sample of 111…

There are situations where teachers accustomed to years of traditional teaching are tasked with implementing inquiry-based science teaching in schools nationwide, with few professional developments to change their self-efficacy. The implicit expectations are that teachers' self-efficacy will improve as they implement inquiry-based practices over…

The results of an earlier four-year longitudinal research study on the development of experimental design skills led to the conclusion that 12-13 year old students probably need more help to design experiments than had been offered to them in that project. This paper reports the findings of the first year of a further four-year empirical research…

The purpose of this applied research study was to improve the use of three-dimensional pedagogy in science classes in chronically low-performing schools. The need to build teacher capacity became evident after the state adopted more rigorous science standards revealing deficits in teachers' pedagogical content knowledge. This study utilized two…

Modern science education the world over deliberately remains in the objective, rational, positivist paradigm. In South African classrooms, this paradigm is often alienating for young learners who then stop learning science at the end of Grade 9. Literature indicates that an arts-rich education improves learner engagement, attitudes and test…

Case studies of two biology teachers, Cathy and David, from the same minority-majority, urban U.S. high school, provide insights into their instructional practices while they engaged in long-term professional development (PD). Findings suggest why science teachers engaged with PD may, or may not, adopt more adaptive pedagogical approaches in the…

There is compelling evidence that arguing with peers in educational contexts fosters students' content knowledge and argumentation skills. Indeed, curricula have already been developed that, through tailored support for peer argumentation, promote both content knowledge and argumentation skills simultaneously. However, we do not yet know how to…

teachers, particularly in providing these students the core competencies to be more globally competitive and functionality literate in science and in biological disciplines in particular. The purpose of this study was to determine the least mastered competencies of 10 graders in different biology competencies they learned from grade 7 to grade 10.…

A teacher's receptivity to inquiry-based instruction is varied due to teacher self-efficacy which invariably affected by his or her immediate professional environment. This study examined how professional development (PD) designs affect in-service teachers' efficacy beliefs to teach inquiry science. This investigation had three objectives: (a)…

This project produced an online astronomy course based on the free, online OpenStax textbook. When this project was conceived, about a year before the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors had no idea that in a short period of time, most college and university classes would be online. This abrupt change in modalities of courses, from traditional,…

Inquiry-based science teaching is an innovative pedagogy that is more effective than traditional instruction in promoting scientific literacy. However, teachers must develop strong favourable beliefs about inquiry teaching before they can successfully employ it to improve students' learning outcomes. Despite its importance few studies have been…

With more investigation into the reception of evolution in non-Christian majority cultures, and the increased awareness that anti-evolution sentiment is a global phenomenon, new educational resources are being developed to meet newly understood needs. This article explores the situation in Israel regarding conceptions of the compatibility of…

A survey of introductory soil science or equivalent (ISS[subscript e]) instructors and courses at 79 institutions differing in land-grant status (38 land-grant, 41 non-land-grant) and Carnegie category (48 doctoral, 16 masters, 10 baccalaureate, 2 associate, 3 respondents did not identify by Carnegie classification) was conducted to collect…

Secondary school teachers in Tanzania have been attempting to implement the inquiry-based science curriculum since 2005. This study is descriptive and was designed within the realms of a Type IV case-study design (Yin, R. K. 2014. "Case study research: Design and methods" 5th ed. SAGE) to investigate their concerns in dealing with this…

National efforts to improve equitable teaching practices in biology education have led to an increase in research on the barriers to student participation and performance, as well as solutions for overcoming these barriers. Fewer studies have examined the extent to which the resulting data trends and effective strategies are generalizable across…