This study investigates the role of environmental insight--defined as students' prior knowledge--and the use of a virtual reality laboratory in exploring celestial bodies and solar system content integrated with Qur'anic science, with a focus on their effects on students' argumentation abilities. The research employs a quasi-experimental design,…

Background: Argumentation, the justification of claims with reasons and/or evidence, has emerged as a significant goal in science education in recent years. Yet, there is limited understanding of secondary students' arguments and particularly their use of warrants in interdisciplinary contexts such as science and religious education. Furthermore,…

Big ideas in science education are meant to be interpretive frameworks that empower student learning. Unfortunately, outside of the broad conception of scientific evaluation, there are few theoretical explanations of how this might happen. Therefore, we contribute one such explanation, an instructional concept called integrative analysis wherein…

The use of investigations in science teaching is both common and commonly advocated for in science education literature. We suggest that the use of investigations should differ depending on the complexity of the subject matter. That complexity can vary depending on both the nature of the information and students' expertise levels. The present…

An important educational goal is enabling students to learn scientific concepts. The scientific concepts learned in class are developed within students' cognitive structures. Despite the successful application of Semantic Network Analysis (SNA) to study these cognitive structures, there has been limited examination of students' concept networks…

Sustaining a broad diversity of plants is key for a sustainable future. For instance, providing a variety of flowering plants in urban and agricultural landscapes mitigates the current decline of pollinators and biodiversity in general. Therefore, educating about the diversity of flowering plants has high current relevance for biology and…

A new generation of science curriculum materials is being developed and made widely available across K-12. These materials, along with their associated professional learning, are expected to play a pivotal role in transforming science instruction to meet the vision of A Framework for K-12 Science Education and the performance expectations of the…

This study explores the impact of robotics activities on the creativity and problem-solving performances of secondary school students. The participants consisted of 10 students from a computer science class at a secondary school. The robotics activities utilized Lego Ev3 kits and incorporated reverse engineering principles. Data were gathered…

Each year, in middle and high school classrooms, secondary science teachers introduce their students to the periodic table of elements (herein the periodic table). According to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013), one of the performance expectations states that high school students should be able to, "Use the…

This research integrates context-based learning and modelling. It presents a teaching-learning sequence (TLS) about the dissolution of gases in liquids using carbonated drinks as the context. The impact of the TLS is analysed in a longitudinal short-term study involving two groups of learners aged 13-14 years old (n=53). The results led us to…

Many simple chemical reactions produce an audible fizz due to the formation of gases, such as oxygen, hydrogen, or carbon dioxide. A hands-on activity based on perceiving these audible chemical changes is presented. The relative quality of fizz due to the formation of gases in a chemical reaction was determined by visually impaired middle and high…

A critical objective of environmental education (EE) is sustained and active care for the natural world. Numerous studies point to the inadequacy of information-centered pedagogies in motivating such ecologically responsive action. The primacy of action in effectively addressing environmental issues calls for conceptions of EE that emphasize the…

There have been many calls for the development of discipline-specific argument writing interventions to integrate science-specific and general literacy standards and goals. Yet, adolescents with and without exceptionalities struggle to meet existing writing demands. This explanatory sequential mixed methods design draws from the strengths of…

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) advocate for K-12 educators to go beyond teaching content knowledge by prioritizing the integration of academic disciplines into real-life experiences and careers. Schools are now focused on preparing students with the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in college and careers, and gain exposure…

The science curriculum aims to provide students with the identity of a researcher, thinking skills, and scientific process skills. Critical thinking skill emerges as one of the skills that should be emphasized in the teaching process in terms of its structural features and the qualities aimed to be given to individuals. For individuals to gain…