Reading problems among students in Nigeria prompted the implementation of a literacy across the curriculum initiative in a cluster of schools within a district, where all teachers were required to integrate literacy strategies into their lessons. The problem investigated in this study was that the teachers' instruction of science at Beta Schools…

Chemistry outreach has an important role in building trust between scientists, scientific research, and the public. Ensuring that chemistry outreach is relevant and inclusive to diverse participants is necessary to achieve genuine inclusion of individuals from minoritized groups. We describe the design, delivery, and evaluation of an outreach…

This study reported the effects of a research-based laboratory module on students' scientific research, green chemistry, and research skills self-efficacy in a second-semester general chemistry laboratory course. The research-based laboratory module was designed based on the course-based research experience (CURE) model, which features materials…

Socio-scientific issues demonstrate the relationship between science, technology, and society by considering currently unresolved questions. The problem of plastics and their pollution is just one example with important implications for the planet. The aim of this paper is to revisit socio-scientific issues and see them as a way of developing…

This paper describes the design of an instrument to assess secondary school students' proficiency in structure-property reasoning (SPR). Design criteria for the instrument required that it should be based on a comprehensive model for structure-property reasoning, assess both reproductive and productive use of structure-property reasoning, be…

The ability of students to perform quantitative analysis is a fundamental aspect of analytical chemistry courses and laboratories. In this laboratory experiment, students quantitatively analyze both liquid and solid samples through the use of internal standard calibration and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. Using a problem-based approach to selecting their…

As educational accountability pressures and science teacher attrition rates within American public-school systems continue to rise, so does the need for improved reform-based professional development (PD) opportunities that allow science educators to challenge their pedagogical beliefs and teaching practices. This qualitative case study explores…

Circular dichroism (CD) is the differential absorption of left and right circularly polarized light. It arises from molecular electron oscillations that are driven by both the light's electric and magnetic fields, where the effects are in phase for one circular polarization and out of phase for the other. We describe these interactions, which have…

Anthocyanins are natural pigments belonging to the flavonoid family that generate the red, blue, and purple colors of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Their structure and color are dependent on various factors, like the pH. Anthocyanins appear red in acidic, purple in neutral, and blue in basic solutions, making them suitable for use as natural pH…

Little is known about the integration of social-emotional learning (SEL) with science instruction. We used a sequential mixed-methods design to examine (1) how fourth graders use argumentation practices and social gestures in science class and (2) how argumentation practices and social gestures differ between intervention and comparison…

We provide a protocol for rapid DNA extraction from spiders suitable for undergraduate practical sessions. Students who were previously naïve to the theory and laboratory technique of DNA barcoding were successfully able to extract and recover 29 DNA sequences from 16 species of small spiders in the family Linyphiidae. We anticipate that with…

How can you switch from a hands-on face-to-face chemistry course to an online course in the face of a pandemic? It is possible to have students do hands-on experiments at home. There are many readily available kitchen, drug store, and garden chemicals that can be used to illustrate the same principles in standard chemistry curricula at multiple…

We compared 2014-15 New York State Science Assessment scores of fourth grade students who received the New York Sun Works (NYSW) Program (n = 638) with two comparison groups: students who received NYSW the following year (n = 993) and students attending matched schools (n = 1490). We first applied a multi-level regression model to compare scores…

The field of epigenetics is progressing rapidly and becoming indispensable to the study of fundamental gene regulation. Recent advances are redefining our understanding of core components that regulate gene expression during development and in human diseases. Scientific knowledge on the importance of epigenetic regulation is now well known and…

Principals are increasingly called upon to support effective instruction and student learning across content areas. Content and process standards emphasize the need for leadership that addresses teachers' pedagogical and content understandings. The purpose of this article is to conceptualize content-specific leadership in mathematics and science…