Background: In science education asynchronous online interactions have increased dramatically during the recent pandemic and some of these practices will stay. One of the characteristics in asynchronous exchanges is the spacing and sequencing of online interaction. It means that dialogue partners do not necessarily receive immediate feedback as is…

High-stakes assessments prominently influence what is done in secondary school science lessons ('washback' effects). It is therefore important that assessments of knowledge and understanding gained from practical work are constructed to reward and incentivise effective practices in practical work. To do that, they must differentiate between pupils…

This paper presents the argument that climate change should be taught in schools as a sociopolitical and scientific process, and that students should be able to use their science knowledge to think critically about climate change as a social justice issue. A necessary and achievable outcome of science education is critical climate awareness--an…

Teaching quantum physics (QP) to high school (HS) students is gaining momentum, necessitating the exploration of various effective methods. Specifically, the research on quantitative teaching methods is still in its early stages. Understanding the power of Dirac notation (DN) in teaching is crucial for grasping the complexities of QP, as it…

This study examined integrated science questions of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in Ghana at the end of grade 9. Results from BECE determine which senior high school a student can attend. Science questions (n = 751) over the span of eight years were analyzed in this study and viewed under the lens of the revised Bloom's…

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education offers a valuable approach for developing scientific research competencies (SRC) in students, yet it remains underutilized for this purpose in Vietnamese high schools. Additionally, no suitable tools currently exist to assess SRCs effectively. This study explores a model for…

Green School intend to increase student connection to the environment, and have the potential to increase achievement through opportunities for hands-on science learning. This study utilizes publicly available data on all public schools in Maryland to examine the extent to which the Green School designation relates to changes in science…

We often say food and fuels "contain" energy. It is more accurate to say that energy is stored in the "fuel-oxygen system" generated during photosynthesis. It is definitely "not" stored in fuels or food (except for the very small amount of energy that can be obtained during anaerobic respiration). Aerobic respiration…

Deep science understanding is reflected in students' ability to use content and skills when making sense of the world. Assessing deep understanding requires measuring complex constructs that combine elements of content and skills. To develop valid measures of complex constructs, we need to understand how their theoretical dimensionality, reflected…

The remote screen control feature in Zoom was used to remotely control instrumentation during an online summer chemistry enrichment session for high school students. This feature was used to draw students into actively participating in chemistry demonstrations where instrumentation was used to gather and analyze data. It can be a challenge to keep…

Within the framework of a nationwide project to boost students' enrollment in scientific disciplines in Italy, a multilevel science project was designed with a focus on the chemistry of tattoo inks, offering immediate connection with 16-18 year-old high school students. The approach takes into account time constraints, since all sessions have a…

The use of serious educational games has the potential to increase student learning outcomes in science education by providing students with opportunities to explore phenomena in ways that vary from traditional instruction; yet, empirical research to support this assertion is limited. This study aimed to explore deeply what learning gains were…

A practical experiment is described to estimate the distance to a star using simple equipment, suitable for secondary or undergraduate students. The brightness of the star is visually matched to a miniature filament lamp, and its distance inferred from the inverse square law. Students gain an appreciation of astronomical units and practice in…

In contrast to a macroscopic solid, the color and spectroscopic properties of gold nanoparticles change with size. Here, we propose a teaching platform for high school students (hereafter defined as students, attending secondary school in Europe, preparatory high schools in the US, or any educational institution of a comparable level) that…

In the transition from classical to modern physics, the idea of taking some certain quantities as distinct or bounded values and keeping the rest continuous has proved useful in dealing with many problems. In this paper we assume an upper bound on the velocity of classical particles and indicate that applying this assumption to electromagnetism…