This article introduces a flexible and easy-to-implement open-ended scientific inquiry activity called the Paper Towels Challenge. After experimentally determining which of three unbranded paper towels is the most absorbent, students discuss their results and methods. The teacher facilitates the discussion of epistemological issues. This activity…

The ability to relate physical concepts and phenomena to multiple mathematical representations--and to move fluidly between these representations--is a critical outcome expected of physics instruction. In upper-division quantum mechanics, students must work with multiple symbolic notations, including some that they have not previously encountered.…

This study was conducted in the laboratory and Metaverse environment with "Acids-Bases," a science subject related to the Metaverse, one of today's technologies. In line with the purpose of the research, the embedded design of the mixed research method, which combined quantitative and qualitative research methods, was used. The…

The aim of this research was to investigate the synergistic effects of peer collaboration and graphic organisers (i.e. mind maps) in Hong Kong science classrooms. Over two hundred Grade Four (i.e. Primary Four) students were assigned to different pedagogical groups, namely, "individualised learning with mind mapping," "collaborative…

Many science students struggle with using scientific language and making sense of scientific phenomena. Thus, there is an increased interest in science education research and public policy with regard to understanding and promoting scientific language use and sensemaking in science classrooms. However, there is a lack of comparative studies on how…

This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the use of virtual reality in science education over three decades (1993-2023). The method involved data from Google Scholar-indexed publications using Publish or Perish with keywords related to "virtual reality" and" education" over the past 3 decades. Nine hundred and…

Mixed results have been reported on the correlation between clickers and performance. This study investigates the usage of clickers in a voluntary context to answer in-class questions in a General Chemistry class. Scores on an internal chemistry placement exam were used to estimate cognitive ability, as a factor that students can no longer…

Science education researchers and curriculum documents have advocated scientific inquiry for more than six decades; however, inconsistent findings concerning its effects on students' learning outcomes have been revealed in recent analyses of large-scale international assessment data (e.g., the Programme for International Student Assessment…

Assessment plays a critical role in instruction and curriculum. Existing literature on instructors' assessment practices and related factors has been intensively focused on primary and secondary education. This study extended the contexts of previous literature to post-secondary chemistry education by exploring general chemistry instructors'…

This study aimed to develop an instrument with acceptable validity and reliability for assessing two key aspects among science teachers: their self-efficacy in teaching science through an integrated STEM approach (STSIS) and their outcome expectancy when employing this approach (OETSIS), which we refer to as TSTSIS. We administered this tool to…

The quality and effectiveness of online teaching-learning are increasingly important with online learning becoming the norm. This cross-sectional survey study aimed to determine the relationship between first-year polytechnic students' perception of chemistry asynchronous lectures and their learning performance. Their perception was determined…

The purpose of this study was to compare virtual school students' learning outcomes with traditional school students' learning outcomes in Texas. The research design was a quantitative study using a retrospective causal-comparative design. The researcher used archival state assessment data to compare the learning outcomes of K-12 virtual school…

This mixed-methods research study aimed to observe the changes in relational conceptual changes and achievement in photosynthesis and cellular respiration in 15 seventh-grade students using the variation theory of learning, a framework for contextual distinctions, and supports the Common Knowledge Construction Model (CKCM) for science education.…

Virtual contexts play a crucial role in assisting students' learning. Researchers have taken advantage of the potential of immersive virtual reality (VR) for situating students in inaccessible places, and for engaging them in learning activities. Meanwhile, several previous studies have reported that, in VR-based learning contexts, students'…

Cultivating students' enjoyment of science is one of the significant aims of science education. However, it seems challenging to achieve this goal in most countries or economies. Using the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2019 Hong Kong data, this study aims to identify multiple configurations of school conditions to…