This study aimed to identify science teacher candidates' mental structures about the concept of the atom. This study included 120 science teacher candidates who were chosen using the convenience sampling method. This research is a phenomenological study. The data on students' mental models of the atom was collected using a metaphor form and an…

The ability to extract structural information from a drawing of a molecule is key to being successful in organic chemistry. One source of difficulty for novices in interpreting structures is that hydrogens bound to carbon are represented implicitly in the often-used line-angle structures. Other representations that explicitly show hydrogens, such…

Visual representations of data are widely used for communication and understanding, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). However, despite their importance, many people have difficulty understanding data-based visualizations. This work presents a series of three studies that examine how understanding time-based…

Students' perceptions of an activity involving visualization are important in assessing their learning of the task. In view of this, this study was developed with undergraduate students from different courses at a public Brazilian university. The research objective was to determine how three students, who are majoring in different courses…

The central focus of my dissertation concerns the issue of representation. The issue of representation is important for science education research for two reasons: (1) the use of external representation in science teaching and learning, particularly in chemistry education, is ubiquitous as microscopic entities are not directly visible, and (2) the…

The central focus of my dissertation concerns the issue of representation. The issue of representation is important for science education research for two reasons: (1) the use of external representation in science teaching and learning, particularly in chemistry education, is ubiquitous as microscopic entities are not directly visible, and (2) the…

This article describes two sets of experiments designed to enhance the understanding of colloidal systems. These experiments were designed as a part of the theme "Colloids: Where Science Meets Engineering" taught in the Department of Chemical Engineering and additionally offered to physics, chemistry, and materials science departments as…

This study examined the impact of spatial ability on science achievement by distinguishing between domain-general and domain-specific spatial abilities, focusing on their relationship with the conceptual understanding of the apparent path of the sun. Additionally, the mediating effects of domain-specific spatial knowledge on the relationships…

Visual representations of information are prevalent in many academic domains, and students must learn how to interpret and use these visual representations. How do students acquire this representational competence? Past work has focused on the role of explicit instruction. In this work, we consider another route for acquiring representational…

A Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) experiment appropriate for an upper-level undergraduate laboratory such as chemical instrumentation is described. Students collect FTIR spectra of four protio-solvents and their deuterated analogues. In addition to qualitatively observing C-H and O-H peaks shift to lower energy upon deuteration, students apply a…

Regulation is a key concept for understanding the dynamics of metabolism in bacteria. This report outlines a simple laboratory experiment aimed at studying a key form of regulation in bacterial metabolism, exemplifying how microbes switch the flux of carbon towards alternative metabolic fates as a function of nutrient availability and according to…

Undergraduate organic chemistry students, as they study conformational analysis and stereochemistry, frequently have trouble manipulating three-dimensional structures on a two-dimensional page or screen. The inability to accurately convert three-dimensional bond-line representations into Fischer projections is one example of this. While some…

A well-developed mental model is crucial for effectively studying physiology core concepts. However, mental models can be difficult for students to represent and for instructors to evaluate and correct. Systems modeling as a visualization cognitive tool may facilitate mental model development. On the other hand, evidence of mental model…

University students stepped into synchronous remote learning as the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in spring 2020. Temporal limitations of the live field trip-based paradigm in teaching ecology have been complicated by remote learning. To meet the challenge, we have designed and deployed an immersive virtual ecology platform with associated field…

A central topic in Bioelectricity is the generation of the extracellular potential that results from the propagation of a transmembrane action potential along the muscle fiber. However, the way in which the extracellular potential is determined by the propagating action potential is difficult to describe, conceptualize, and visualize. Moreover,…