Circus art excites amazes and delights. Most of circus genres are based on the principles of classical physics. Dialogic discussions are known as an instrument to identify conceptual barriers (misconceptions) and facilitate their further revision. The present study integrates the three worlds: physics education, dialogic teaching and circus art;…

The greenhouse effect is a complex scientific phenomenon that plays a crucial role in understanding climate change. Grasping students' understanding of this phenomenon on the content-specific level but also how students' conceptions are organized is vital for effective climate change education. This study addresses both levels and delves into the…

Since the viscous behaviour of liquids is evident in many everyday situations, it is plausible to assume that students have (pre-)conceptions about the physics behind these phenomena. As yet, no reliable studies exist on this topic. Therefore, the present study aims to address this research gap by exploring secondary school students' conceptions…

A scientific conceptual understanding of photosynthesis and respiration provides an important basis for understanding nature and the regulations of life. Photosynthesis and respiration are complex processes, and learning about them requires a proper understanding of their various aspects, from molecular biology to the ecosystem level. This study…

This research aims to analyse students' conceptual understanding of chemical equilibrium matter using Physics Education Technology (PhET) Interactive Simulations. Students' misconceptions can be caused by the difficulty in connecting the sub-microscopic, macroscopic, and symbolic levels of understanding in chemistry. The study was conducted at a…

The concept of a sinusoidal wave traveling along a string is included in all secondary education physics books and as a result is being taught in undergraduate lectures around the globe. The didactic approach that follows is advantageous since it provides in a simplified way (through basic mathematical tools) a description of a disturbance that…

Polarization of light is one of the topics in the Croatian high school physics curriculum. It is taught in the final year of high school education. Twenty-seven Croatian high-school students (aged 18-19 years) were interviewed after regular instruction about their understanding of polarization of light and the model of light itself. This paper…

In this study, it was aimed to determine the students' conceptual understanding and misconceptions about the concepts in the 8th grade Matter and Properties unit. Students (n = 180) of two middle schools in Istanbul Province participated in the study. The qualitative research method was used to determine students' conceptual understanding. A…

Rapidly occurring advancements in molecular genetics, such as recent developments in epigenetics, are challenging traditional genetics as it is taught at schools. For example, the adoption of epigenetics--which provides molecular mechanisms for the environment to directly alter phenotypic variation--would mean that pivotal tenets in genetics…

Genetics is an area that is increasingly important in people's daily lives. Despite this, its teaching/learning is among the most challenging topics in biology. Several instruments were created over a number of years to ascertain the quality of teaching and learning genetics. In our study, we created a specific instrument to investigate Mendelian…

This work aims to evaluate the evolution of chemical bonding concepts of high school students at public schools in southern Brazil. For this, we built the epistemological profile of each student who took part in a teaching-learning sequence (TLS) about this topic, based on the foundations of Bachelard's theory. Following the principles of the…

In this paper, we described the development of the High School Wave Optics Test (HSWOT). Firstly, 56 conceptual, multiple-choice items with a single correct answer and three distractors were created. Next, we conducted an initial review of the items which resulted in reducing the item pool to 44 highest quality items. Validity evidence and…

Background: Bringing about conceptual change in school science classrooms is difficult for teachers. Researchers in this field have struggled to influence classroom practice. Purpose: The present research presents a method and a framework for video-based pedagogy analysis. Sample: Six groups of 11-year-old pupils took part (three girls and three…

Research has identified several students' misinterpretations of the principles of the photoelectric effect (PE). Students cannot interpret the formula using the graph's context despite the linear dependence inherited in it. Many studies pointed out that the graphical representation of kinetic energy of the ejected electrons versus frequency of…

There are three aspects of science: (1) scientific knowledge: what we know about the natural world, which would include crosscutting concepts; (2) scientific practices: skills and knowledge necessary for building scientific knowledge; and (3) nature of science (NOS): how science works (Bell et al. 2003). Most science instruction emphasizes the…