In electromagnetism, to determine the direction of the electromagnetic force and magnetic field, the right-hand rule (RHR) is used. Previous researches show that students have difficulty in applying the RHR. This research is aimed to find out the factors which make it difficult for the students to apply the RHR. To achieve this, qualitative case…

Field independence describes the extent to which individuals are influenced by context when trying to identify embedded targets. It associates with cognitive functioning and is a predictor of academic achievement. However, little is known about the neural and cognitive underpinnings of field independence that lead to these associations. Here, we…

We examined the variation in Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE) preclass scores according to the type of physics class a student had in high school. This was done for students who had taken Physics 1 at a highly selective university. The majority of students had taken an Advanced Placement (AP) physics course, allowing us to examine in…

The aim of this research is to examine the effects of the General Geography lessons, which are taught by using place, based teaching activities, on the science process skills for classroom teacher candidates. A nested pattern, which is one of the mix method research patterns, is used for this research. The quasi-experimental design with pre-test…

This study is designed to test a reciprocal causation, cross-lagged model of self-concept, self-efficacy, and achievement in a postsecondary STEM course. Both self-efficacy and self-concept are known to be related to achievement; however, there is a need to untangle the relationship between the two constructs as well as their association to…

The authors have experienced increasing demand from undergraduate students, particularly those in the early years of study, to be able to access more "test-style" material to help with revision, as well as guidance on how to approach their university assessments. With increased use of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) in university…

This study consists of a categorisation of the vocabulary of chemistry, focusing on the terminological difficulties students face when learning this subject. Therefore, this classification intends to provide chemistry teachers an awareness of the language barriers students must overcome in their understanding of this scientific discipline. Two…

The authors examined the relationships of ACT Aspire test scores and high school course grades, AP test scores, and Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test scores, demonstrating criterion-related as well as convergent and discriminant validity evidence. They found that ACT Aspire test scores are strong…

The most recent round of the assessment, PISA 2015, focused on 15-year-olds' science literacy, defined as "the ability to engage with science-related issues, and with the ideas of science, as a reflective citizen". To succeed on the PISA science test, students had to display their mastery of three skills: explaining phenomena…

Evaluation of student written work during summative assessments is an important task for instructors at all educational levels. Nevertheless, few research studies exist that provide insights into how different instructors approach this task. In this study, we characterised variation in chemistry instructors' approaches to the evaluation and…

Formally launched in September 2018, the ACT® Certified Educator™ program is a professional learning and credentialing program designed to help educators improve their teaching and tutoring strategies and skills and be fully equipped to support student learning in the core content areas of the ACT® test. In this study, participants' views of the…

Background: A long-standing premise in test design is that contextualizing test items makes them concrete, less demanding, and more conducive to determining whether students can apply or transfer their knowledge. Purpose: We assert that despite decades of study and experience, much remains to be learned about how to construct effective and fair…

Abilities in scientific thinking and reasoning have been emphasized as core areas of initiatives, such as the Next Generation Science Standards or the College Board Standards for College Success in Science, which focus on the skills the future will demand of today's students. Although there is rich literature on studies of how these abilities…

Secondary school teachers in Tanzania have been attempting to implement the inquiry-based science curriculum since 2005. This study is descriptive and was designed within the realms of a Type IV case-study design (Yin, R. K. 2014. "Case study research: Design and methods" 5th ed. SAGE) to investigate their concerns in dealing with this…

Harnessing a cluster randomized controlled trial, we estimated the impact on students' advanced placement (AP) examination performance of a project-based learning (PBL) approach to AP compared with a lecture-based AP approach. Through PBL, teachers primarily play a facilitator role, while students work on complex tasks organized around central…