Frost diagrams provide convenient illustrations of the aqueous reduction potentials and thermodynamic tendencies of different oxidation states of an element. Undergraduate textbooks often describe the lowest point on a Frost diagram as the most stable oxidation state of the element, but this interpretation is misleading because the thermodynamic…

Before taking formal science education, learners usually construct preconceptions based on their daily life experiences, many of which are scientifically unacceptable misconceptions. In formal science learning, new concepts often contradict these misconceptions. To correct a misconception, it is first needed to create dissatisfaction about it by…

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the Common Knowledge Construction Model (CKCM) based instruction on 5th grade students' conceptual understanding of the "biodiversity" topic. The study is conducted with 74 fifth grade female students at middle school in the district of Usküdar, Istanbul. Semi-experimental method is…

Introductory biochemistry courses are often challenging for students because they require the integration of chemistry, biology, physics, math, and physiology knowledge and frameworks to understand and apply a large body of knowledge. This can be complicated by students' persistent misconceptions of fundamental concepts and lack of fluency with…

Best Evidence Science Teaching (BEST) is a large online collection of resources developed for effective teaching of difficult ideas in science, currently for use in secondary schools. The unique selling point of BEST is that it enables teachers to draw on the best research evidence when teaching a wide range of topics in the science curriculum.…

In this study, a new model termed as "Flexible Inquiry Based Science Teaching", which is developed using the framework of the inquiry approach is proposed. Science teachers (n=2) who participated in the study were instructed on the inquiry approach and their in-class activity applications were examined. The "electricity module"…

This study describes the use of worksheet activities based on alternative concepts from a two-tiered diagnostic assessment on chemical phenomena to remediate 37 first year non-major chemistry pre-service teachers' alternative conceptions about word chemical equations. The instruments for data collection were tiered assessments and group learning…

Background: Information Communication Technologies are increasingly present in the African educational system at all educational levels. However, their integration into pedagogical practices to improve the quality of teaching and learning across disciplines remains the exception. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to compare the learning…

This paper describes a pedagogical approach to help students understand chemical bonding by emphasizing the importance of electrostatic interactions between atoms. The approach draws on prior studies that have indicated many misconceptions among students in understanding the nature of the chemical bond and energetics associated with bond formation…

This paper examines the educational impact of a prepilot study on the "Learning Logs" literacy strategy as it was used in Louisiana. The study examined how students' conceptual understanding of kinematics and Newton's laws were impacted in a ninth-grade physical science course. The findings address a gap within the current research…

Comics have an important role in non-formal learning environments. However, how comics may be effective teaching/learning activitities in formal education is an ongoing debate in literature. The purpose of this study is to create and evaluate a series of instructional comics about heat related concepts to be used as teaching/learning activities in…

Comics have an important role in non-formal learning environments. However, how comics may be effective teaching/learning activitities in formal education is an ongoing debate in literature. The purpose of this study is to create and evaluate a series of instructional comics about heat related concepts to be used as teaching/learning activities in…

Materials science--the science of stuff--has made our lives better by making it possible for manufacturers to supply us with products. Students have misconceptions about materials use. Many may think using bottled water, for example, is harmless because they recycle the plastic empties, but they fail to consider the resources and energy used to…

Prismatic refraction is a classic topic in science education. To investigate how undergraduate students think about prismatic dispersion, and to see how they change their thinking when observing dispersed images, five teaching experiments were done and analysed according to the Model of Educational Reconstruction. For projection through a prism,…

Eight inquiry-based activities, described here in sufficient detail for faculty to adopt in their own courses, were designed to teach students fundamental concepts in heat transfer. The concept areas chosen were (1) factors affecting the rate vs. amount of heat transfer, (2) temperature vs. perceptions of hot and cold, (3) temperature vs. energy…