This action research case study explored the ability of three high school chemistry students to grow in their understanding of nature of science (NOS) during its explicit-reflective inclusion in two unit chapters on bonding (ionic compounds followed by covalent molecules). Students completed a pre, post and delayed Views of Nature of Science Form…

Background: Research on chemistry education has found that students have commonly some difficulties in understanding chemical changes. These difficulties in the learning process have negatively affected students' success. For this reason, it is very important to overcome students' learning difficulties with new materials that prevent the…

Background: Integrated science is a ubiquitous school subject that is an amalgamation of science disciplines; its teaching allows topics to be sequenced in any order and given various degrees of coverage and emphasis in the classroom. Ensuring canonical coherence, which is the logical organization of subject matter for effective instruction is…

When conducting biological investigations, experts constantly integrate their conceptual and quantitative understanding of variation with the design and analysis of the investigation. This process is difficult for students, because curricula often treat these concepts as separate components. This study describes the effect of a curricular…

Undergraduate biology laboratories emphasize hands-on skills. Typically, descriptions of manual techniques are delivered via written instruction. Custom-produced prelab instructional videos, which augment prelab instruction, have come into wider use in recent years. However, institutional and economic barriers can interfere with video production…

Understanding scientific models and practicing scientific modeling have been emphasized and advocated in science learning. Although teachers have been perceived as shaping their students' understanding of the nature of science, they have been recognized for their lack of understanding of scientific models. This study explores middle school science…

High school science classes can be difficult for students to be successful in because of the content-specific vocabulary and the expectation of prior knowledge in the subject area that teachers have of their students. The use of digital games in the classroom can provide teachers with the tools to help students scaffold their learning and better…

It is often claimed that engineering projects improve student achievement in mathematics and science, but research on this topic has shown that many projects do not live up to the claim (Teacher Advisory Council, 2009). Ideally, undertaking a science project should be motivating, while also helping students to understand the interplay between…

The purpose of this study was to uncover pre-service science teachers' images and misconceptions regarding atomic orbital and self-ionization concepts. This study involved a total of 68 pre-service science teachers working at a public university during the 2015-2016 academic year. In this qualitative study, data were collated with the use of…

The Green Ninja Film Academy (GENIE) is an interdisciplinary curriculum development project that examines the efficacy of combining climate science concepts and practices with digital storytelling for middle school youth. We present findings from iterative enactments of this design-based research project in 2017 (N = 296) and 2018 (N = 539). On…

Science teachers need to evaluate their lessons and units of study, frequently, to stay abreast of recommended trends in the curriculum. Self evaluation is involved here. A quality science program must be implemented in order to assist learners to achieve as optimally as possible. Which guidelines should then serve in self evaluation?

Both the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the new AP Chemistry curriculum focus on a deeper understanding of content, as well as application of concepts within science classes. A well accepted research-based method for improving student understanding and the ability to apply many of the abstract concepts presented in chemistry is…

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) have brought a stronger emphasis on engineering into K-12 STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) instruction. Introducing the design process used in engineering into science classrooms simulated a dialogue among some educators about adding the arts to the mix. This led to proposals for…

Contemporary research has suggested that in order for students to compete globally in the 21st century workplace, pedagogy must shift to include the integration of science and mathematics, where teachers effectively incorporate the two disciplines seamlessly. Mathematics facilitates a deeper understanding of science concepts and has been linked to…

In this study the authors set out to better understand the relationship between teacher knowledge of science and student learning. The authors administered identical multiple-choice assessment items both to teachers of middle school physical science and to their students throughout the school year. The authors found that teachers who have strong…