In three samples (Ns = 286, 304, and 273), we found that endorsement of conspiracy theories, paranormal beliefs, and psychological misconceptions were all positively intercorrelated, supporting an individual difference in the tendency to generally endorse unsubstantiated claims. Multiple regression analyses further supported generality, showing…

Students have misconceptions about many scientific topics they encounter in the classroom--such misconceptions are especially rife in subjects with counterintuitive concepts. Several studies have copiously documented students' misconceptions in different science domains. Research shows that students' misconceptions can be resistant to change and…

The aim of the current study was to examine the antecedents of susceptibility to pseudoscientific information. Participants were asked to assess their perceived probability of and familiarity with statements containing popular science misconceptions and pseudoscientific claims, which were fabricated for the study. Measures of scientific literacy,…

This study aimed to determine the extent of pre-service science teachers' (PTS) process and materialistic understanding of sound concept and the role of their task value beliefs in their scientific conception of sound. With this aim, the Sound Concept Inventory Instrument (SCII) was translated and adapted to Turkish. The SCII was administered to…

One of the foundational assumptions in education is that greater teacher knowledge contributes to greater gains in student knowledge, but empirical evidence in support of this assumption is scarce. Using a U.S. sample of 79 biology teachers and their 2749 high school students, we investigate whether teachers' subject matter knowledge (SMK) and…

In the United States, research on beginning science teachers provides little guidance regarding empirical minimum levels of discipline-specific science coursework for sufficient subject matter knowledge to teach science. Accordingly, in this study we analyzed secondary physical science teachers' science coursework for subject matter knowledge…

The concepts of randomness and variation are pervasive in science. The purpose of this study was to document how post-secondary life science students explain randomness and variation, infer relationships between their explanations, and ability to describe and identify appropriate and inappropriate variation, and determine if students can identify…

At first glance it seems easy to attribute cause and effect when it's not applicable, either through mistakenly taking every correlation as a cause and effect relationship, misinterpreting the meaning of independent and dependent variables, or not focusing on direct causes. Sometimes it's easy to help students understand where…

Recent calls to action urge sweeping reform in science education, advocating for improved learning for "all" students--including those majoring in fields beyond the sciences. However, little work has been done to characterize the differences--if any exist--between students planning a career in science and those studying other…

This study involves the development of a three-tier diagnostic test to measure high school students' understanding of states of matter concepts. The States of Matter Diagnostic Test (SMDT) is a 19-item three-tier diagnostic test consisting of three-tier items for assessing students' understanding of states of matter concepts. The SMDT was…

Conceptual change requires learners to restructure parts of their conceptual knowledge base. Prior research has identified the fragmentation and the integration of knowledge as 2 important component processes of knowledge restructuring but remains unclear as to their relative importance and the time of their occurrence during development. Previous…

In this study, students' understanding of chemical changes was investigated in relation to four individual differences, related to logical thinking, field dependence/independence, convergence and divergence thinking. The study took place in Greece with the participation of students (n = 374) from three grades (8th, 10th and 12th grades) of…

The authors aimed to propose a valid and reliable diagnostic instrument by developing a three-tier test on simple electric circuits. Based on findings from the interviews, open-ended questions, and the related literature, the test was developed and administered to 124 high school students. In addition to some qualitative techniques for…

The aim of this study is to investigate Emiratii high school students' understandings of stoichiometry, their use of metacognitive strategies, and the influence of students' use of metacognitive strategies on their understandings of stoichiometry. Two instruments were used in this study, the first to measure students' understandings of…