Research-based multiple-choice questions implemented in class with peer instruction have been shown to be an effective tool for improving students' engagement and learning outcomes. Moreover, multiple-choice questions that are carefully sequenced to build on each other can be particularly helpful for students to develop a systematic understanding…

This paper compares direct measures of content knowledge for students studying Chemistry through English Medium Instruction (EMI) and Japanese Medium Instruction (JMI). It also examines a range of contextual differences between the two mediums of instruction. A total of 53 undergraduate students undertook pre-post course content tests at a…

The accurate assessment of analytical thinking in physics, particularly in magnetism, poses substantial challenges due to the limitations of conventional tools in measuring higher-order cognitive skills. This study aimed to validate an analytical skills test in physics, based on Bloom's Revised Taxonomy, with an emphasis on the dimensions of…

In this study, Q methodology was used to identify 16 secondary school physics, chemistry, and biology teachers' views on competences in education for sustainable development (ESD). Our data collection instrument was grounded in the "GreenComp" competence framework developed by the European Commission. We captured three different…

Many researches show that students have difficulties in understanding graphics in kinematics. Some authors argue that we can use different instructional strategies to reduce these difficulties. Based on these studies, we developed and applied a didactic sequence using educational robotics to teach graphic analysis in movements in a dimension with…

We ask questions of students in order to probe their understanding. We design our questions in such a way that we can assess a student's progress towards an accurate worldview. However, there is a consensus that a performance gap exists in many physics assessments, where male students outperform their female peers. While early work in this area…

In a signal detection theory (SDT) approach to multiple choice exams, examinees are viewed as choosing, for each item, the alternative that is perceived as being the most plausible, with perceived plausibility depending in part on whether or not an item is known. The SDT model is a process model and provides measures of item difficulty, item…

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a survey of opportunities to participate (OtP) in science that will allow educators and researchers to closely approximate the types of learning opportunities students have in science classrooms. Additionally, we examined whether and how opportunity gaps in science learning may exist across…

[superscript 1]H NMR spectroscopy is a molecular characterization technique that is ubiquitously used in research and teaching laboratories alike. Strategic deuteration of molecules is a commonly employed technique in the deconvolution of [superscript 1]H NMR signals. Here this approach is applied in a second-year chemistry course in which…

Understanding genetics is one of the most significant learning difficulties faced by students. To improve teaching genetics and the students' representational competence within the classroom have been proposed using multiple representations. This study presents an analysis of representational levels used by high school students learning Mendelian…

Knowledge of embryology is foundational for understanding normal anatomy and birth defects, yet, embryology is a notoriously difficult subject for medical students. Embryonic lateral folding in particular is one of the most challenging concepts in embryology. Highly effective teaching methods that promote active engagement with dynamic,…

The development and evaluation of valid assessments of scientific reasoning are an integral part of research in science education. In the present study, we used the linear logistic test model (LLTM) to analyze how item features related to text complexity and the presence of visual representations influence the overall item difficulty of an…

New MAP® Growth™ assessments are being developed that administer items more closely matched to the grade level of the student. However, MAP Growth items are calibrated with samples that typically consist of students from a variety of grades, including the target grade to which an item is aligned. While this choice of calibration sample is…

To better understand Tennessee's new standardized science assessments, this quantitative study utilized a nonexperimental, descriptive-comparative design to compare the readability of the long-used science TCAP assessment with the newly created science TNReady assessment in grades three, four, and five. As new standards in the state boast higher…

Traditionally, multiple choice assessments are graded in a dichotomous manner, where selecting the correct option for a question awards 1 point and the selection of an incorrect option awards 0 points. As a result of this grading scheme, all incorrect response options are treated as being equally incorrect regardless of potential differences in…