We introduced a microfluidic paper-based analytical device ([mu]PAD) to undergraduates majoring in nutrition education using a modified acid-base titration on paper microzones. After designing experiments for sample analysis using micro acid-base titration, students fabricated the devices and implement the experiment as designed. Then they…

Practical work may be assessed using many different forms of assessment, including coursework projects, practical exams and written questions in exams. In this article, the authors focus on the evaluation of one method for the assessment of practical science: written exam questions. Although individual syllabuses and curricula state the skills and…

In this practical guide, literacy experts show teachers how to use project-based inquiry to build students' discipline-specific skills and knowledge in grades 6-12. The authors present a five-phase framework that incorporates their professional development experience working with over 3,000 teachers. By making the intuitive practices of the…

In this article the authors share how social media, paired with gaming and in-class supports, can facilitate the practice of scientific argumentation and report data that show how students can learn and practice argumentation through these highly interactive and engaging mediums. Social media will continue to evolve and fluctuate in popularity,…

This study investigates the effectiveness of computer-delivered hints in relation to problem-solving abilities in two alternative indirect instruction schemes. In one instruction scheme, hints are available to students immediately after they are given a new problem to solve as well as after they have completed the problem. In the other scheme,…

Discussed are the basic and specialized skills needed for graphing exercises. Suggests approaches and activities that can be used in the teaching of graphing skills. Includes a listing of software programs for both teaching graphing and for analyzing data. (ML)

Reviews findings from three diagnostic studies which focused on the problem of tautological explanations. Includes a report on a teaching intervention strategy which resulted in the improvement of pupil performance. Suggests that avoidance of tautology can be taught. (ML)

Explains a study that proposed and tested how graphical representations influence what is learned and recalled from text. Results highlighted the importance of graph-focusing strategies for text learning and support the creative use of interactive computer presentation. (ML)

Raises questions about the widely accepted rationale of teaching scientific methodology in order to help students become better problem solvers in nonscience settings. Argues that it is better to teach problem solving skills within familiar contexts not complicated by difficult subject matter. (DC)

Explains an investigation which examined Nigerian students' (N=200) ability to respond to depth cues and to visualize the effects of rotations. Study results indicated that performance on cues tests correlated significantly with performance on rotation tests suggesting that cues influence students' ability to visualize the effects of performing…

Investigated secondary-level students' (N=66) understanding of three-dimensional structures in biology. Results suggest that student performance is highly correlated with age, scientific ability, and sex. Suggestions for instructional improvement in spatial relationships are offered. (ML)

Examined the effectiveness of cooperative, competitive, and individualistic interaction patterns in promoting acquisition of science process skills during biology laboratory activities. Results (from 720 secondary students--352 girls and 368 boys) show that competitive interaction was superior to cooperative and individualistic interaction…

Lists a number of ways in which science teachers can emphasize the development of thinking skills as demonstrated by writing. Discusses the elimination of multiple choice questions, replacement of long term papers with shorter papers, and revision of textbook questions used in assignments. (CS)

Presents a demonstration of wave behavior, and experiments of (1) the determination of the mechanical equivalent of heat, and (2) a "discovery" investigation based on the maximum-span staircase. (CS)

Designed to describe students' perceptions within high school classes in biology and chemistry over the course of a school year, this study focused on person-environment congruence. Person-environment congruence was defined as the measure of the distance between high school students' perceptions of self and their science class, science teacher,…