In the face of current socio-environmental challenges, the linear logic of cause and effect that has been the pillar of modern Western science has proved insufficient to account for the differential and multi-levelled impacts that techno-scientific developments themselves have had and continue to make on the Planet. Questions of sustainability and…

We developed a fluorescence microscopy lesson geared towards high school students. Our goals included demonstrating how fluorescence microscopy works and illustrating the localisation of key cellular structures/organelles in the model organism, budding yeast. A trained student teacher/researcher on our team took the microscopy images and…

As a result of human beings' activities to dominate nature and transform it for their own benefit as they continue to advance in science and technology, environmental problems such as climate change have become the biggest threat faced by the biosphere in the current century. One of the biggest problems of humanity today is the scarcity of water…

This study analyzed articles from the last four years regarding how science education research is framed and discussed as qualitative research. The research question that guided this study was: "To what extent do qualitative secondary science teaching research publications reflect high-quality practices found in mainstream methodological…

Socio-scientific issues-based science instruction addresses societal-related issues to promote contemporary science education. Societal-related issues almost always have to be considered in the cultural environment to which they are relevant. This means that the cultural aspects of socio-scientific issues need to be taken into account to develop…

Most chemistry instruction and assessment lie in the symbolic domain of Johnstone's representational levels, despite years of chemistry education researchers calling for increased emphasis to be placed on the molecular or particulate level of chemistry. Without a deep understanding of the particulate nature of matter and molecular-level…

Many studies done in the last three decades show that, beginning with adolescence and sometimes even earlier, many adolescents undergo a process of distancing themselves from science as they age. This longitudinal study attempts to deepen our knowledge and understanding of factors that play a role in early adolescents' science identity…

In addressing contemporary socio-ecological challenges it is imperative to engage individuals with the moral dilemmas in the human-nature context. A socioscientific-issues (SSI) approach to secondary biology education can contribute to engaging students in moral dilemmas and reflecting on their values. Following a design research methodology, we…

Physics education in secondary schools can include biophysics topics as electives. An open simulation based on a simulation like Minecraft for learning the workings of the action potential in human cells was designed and tested for students in upper secondary physics education. In small design and test cycles both the simulation engine and the…

Background: With a growing new materialism paradigm and research on multimodality, there is an increasing attention on the role of material objects in science teaching and learning. However, there is currently no available framework, coding scheme, or method of inquiry to specifically analyze the use of material objects in science meaning-making.…

Especially within the light of the current loss of biodiversity, we want our students to gain a better understanding of the issues at stake in order to take action and support plants and their pollinators. Many educational approaches focus on honeybees, disregarding the vast diversity in the context of pollination systems and the complex…

Most students enter college without any exposure to polymer science, which leads to the poor understanding and slow implementation of plastic recycling programs in the United States. To address the knowledge gap in chemical recycling, we introduce a 2-part laboratory experiment that was conducted in multiple high schools and public outreach events…

In this laboratory experiment, a guided inquiry exploring the physicochemical principles of the dissolution of Ca(OH)[subscript 2](s) in water is proposed for laboratory classes in university and high school. As part of students' inquiry, two experimental approaches are used. One is the change in solubility with temperature revealed by measuring…

Artificial intelligence (AI) is now a major driver of societal acceleration making a significant impact on science and science education. AI is used by scientists to generate hypotheses, design experiments, collect and interpret data in ways that were not previously possible with traditional methods alone. Science education research is…

This study examines the impact of the Scientific Creativity in Practice program on students' scientific creativity. This comprehensive teaching program aims to foster general creative skills, domain-specific competencies, and certain personality traits in science education. The program includes a variety of interventions and reflection tools that…