This mixed-methods study explored the effects of student-generated visualization on middle-schoolers' science concept learning. We compared students who visualized during study time with those who did not and found that visualization as a study strategy led to students' improved test performances (p=.02). However, middle schoolers' scores on a…

This paper is focused on primary trainee teachers' conceptualization of the vision process and image formation in a plane mirror. The study involved 55 non-specialist, undergraduate trainee primary teachers on a 4-year programme of initial teacher training. The process incorporated tracking trainees' ideas during university-taught sessions through…

"Earth Mission: Rescue" focuses on problems like pollution and wasting resources-- but with an emphasis on the problems? societal implications and solutions. Working in teams, students must show a working knowledge of environmental issues and demonstrate environmental awareness so that they can eliminate various environmental problems. The…

With the current focus on constructivist perspectives, science demonstrations have fallen out of favor in some circles. Demonstrations are easy to do and offer many benefits and unique opportunities in the constructivist classroom. With careful use, demonstrations can be powerful teaching tools. A wonderful quality of a demonstration (or a series…

When watching a small child with a toy car, it is seen that interest in motion comes early. Children often suggest speed through sounds such as "RRRrrrRRRooooommMMMmmmm" as the toy car is made to speed up, slow down, or accelerate through a turn. Older children start to consider force and motion studies in more detail, and experiences in school…

Chemistry is a unique language in and of itself that can be difficult for students to understand. For instance, a white powder can be translated down to the atomic level in a chemical equation, thus creating a chemical word that needs to be decoded. In this article, the author shares an approach to a basic curriculum that makes chemistry…

On any night, the stars seen in the sky can be as close to Earth as a few light-years or as distant as a few thousand light-years. Distances this large are hard to comprehend. The stars are so far away that the fastest spacecraft would take tens of thousands of years to reach even the nearest one. Yet, astronomers have been able to accurately…

Physicist James Trefil once describes the universe as "The Spongy Universe," comparing large-scale cosmic structures to the structure of a sponge. The NASA Genesis education module "Cosmic Chemistry: Cosmogony" features the "Spongy Universe" activity in which pairs of students observe a household sponge, making…

Case studies provide a positive and engaging experience for students, but if not chosen carefully, they may not necessarily promote concept learning. The case study method of instruction in undergraduate science courses is a constructivist pedagogy that can address some of the problems currently facing higher education. The case method often…

This article describes a few novel acid-base experiments intended to introduce students to the basic concepts of acid-base chemistry and provide practical examples that apply directly to the study of biology and the human body. Important concepts such as the reaction between carbon dioxide and water, buffers and protein denaturation, are covered.…

In recent years, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has emerged as a robust and widely used methodology for biological investigation because it can detect and quantify very small amounts of specific nucleic acid sequences. As a research tool, a major application of this technology is the rapid and accurate assessment of changes in gene…

The World Wide Web (Web), the largest multimedia system in existence, has been heralded by many as the perfect tool for lifelong learning. One topic mentioned in this regard is science, since many adults have little prior knowledge about it and the field is constantly changing. Yet little empirical research has been done to examine how web…

According to construal level theory (N. Liberman, Y. Trope, & E. Stephan, in press; Y. Trope & N. Liberman, 2003), people use a more abstract, high construal level when judging, perceiving, and predicting more psychologically distal targets, and they judge more abstract targets as being more psychologically distal. The present research…

The educational potential of non-linear systems is given surprisingly little attention in science education research--at least in research that links content matter and educational issues. The project on educational reconstruction of non-linear systems at the IPN has investigated the educational significance of threferring phenomena and the…

This paper looks at three case studies within the teaching and learning of chemistry. Each case considers the effectiveness of group learning activities in terms of the ways in which they enhance cooperative learning. Group tasks are generally undertaken in order to encourage learners to develop their understanding of particular issues, lthough…