This study focuses on the effectiveness of two types of teaching practices (i.e., inquiry-based and teacher-directed) on students' science achievement, an ongoing contentious issue in science education. It examined the direct and indirect effects of the two types of teaching practices, enjoyment of science, and students' science achievement with…

It has repeatedly been documented that there are cross-sectional gender differences in adolescents' science interest, and these differences are often considered the main factor behind the gap in enrolment rates in higher education STEM programmes. Based on expectancy-value theory and interest theory, this study models interest and tests how…

The relationship between inquiry-based learning and science self-efficacy was analysed using data from 57 countries and economics participating in the 2015 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). This analysis generated a mediating--moderating model, which involved the mediating role of science interest and the moderating role of…

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has undergone immense transformation since the discovery of oil in the late 1950s, and the educational sector has seen vivid reform. The UAE government is increasingly seeking diversification of its economy and, as a result, the country's goals heavily emphasise education in the development of its Knowledge Economy.…

Seen as one of the essential domains for active citizenship, examining how students relate to science has become crucial. Based on a person-centered approach, this article investigates self-related dispositions and motivation in science using the 2015 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data set. By employing a latent profile…

Multilevel bifactor item response theory (IRT) models are commonly used to account for features of the data that are related to the sampling and measurement processes used to gather those data. These models conventionally make assumptions about the portions of the data structure that represent these features. Unfortunately, when data violate these…

This study aims to examine the moderating effect of teacher feedback on the associations among inquiry-based science teaching and learning practices and students' science-related attitudes and beliefs. The data set included 9, 841 15-year-old students from four Chinese provinces (Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Guangdong) who took part in the…

When new PISA data are published, many researchers around the world analyse them with the aim of shedding light on all sorts of questions. One question in search of an answer: why are women under-represented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professions? Using data from the Program for International Student Assessment…

Finland and Singapore are both top-performing countries in international assessments such as PISA. Finland has been consistently one of the high-achievers regarding not only students' literacy levels but also educational equity. Similarly, Singapore has continuously shown outstanding performance in PISA. It outperformed all the other participants…

This study aimed to comparatively review student-level and school-level factors affecting scientific literacy in Singapore, Italy and Turkey. Two-level hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) was applied to the 2015 Programme for International Student Assessment data set. The findings show that (a) the enjoyment of science, interest in broad science…

Research findings indicate a decline in students' motivation towards science learning through grade levels. However, there is a lack of studies investigating students' motivation comparing learning between science subjects and at different school levels. Using self-determination theory as a framework, this study compares perceived changes in…

Background: Evidence so far shows that Waldorf students are characterized by average science achievement but at the same time high socioeconomic status and high science motivation. Moreover, Waldorf education is characterized by high emphasis on inquiry-based science education (IBSE). The present study investigates if the specific…

Informal science learning has been proven to have effects on a variety of science learning outcomes. This study explored the direct and indirect influence of both prior and current informal science learning on science performance by using data from the Programme for International Student Assessment 2015. More than ten kinds of informal science…

In recent years, research on students' scientific competencies has generated much discussion. According to the PISA 2015 Assessment and Analytical Framework, both scientific competencies and attitudes towards science -- interest in science, valuing scientific approaches to enquiry (or epistemological beliefs about science), and environmental…

In this article, a science interest network model (SINM) is introduced and a first empirical test of the model is presented. The SINM models interest as a dynamic relational construct, in which different interest components, that is, affective, behavioral, and cognitive components and related motivational components mutually reinforce one another…