To be literate in modern society no longer means that one can simply read and write. In our rapidly changing world where information is available with a few taps of our fingers, critical thinking and process-oriented learning have become an essential part of being literate. Therefore, when many of the states decided to create a unifying set of…

Zinc oxide is a common additive in food, cosmetics, and medicines. Here, we describe the validation of methods to analyze two pharmaceutical samples containing ZnO--talc powder and dermal ointment--by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) titration. The methods developed were implemented as a practical class to students of a Quantitative Analysis…

This paper presents an experimental lab designed for undergraduate students which focuses on soil science and chemistry. Students perform a series of tests to classify soil's phosphate retaining characteristics, texture, pH, organic matter content, and permeability with the addition of a novel soil amendment, Al Mg biochar. This lab has minimal…

Preparatory or bridging courses are widespread and have a long tradition at universities. They are designed to increase students' academic success -- in particular of students with low prior knowledge -- and to reduce dropout rates. However, critics of these short and compact bridging courses complain that preparatory courses are not able to fill…

In electrochemistry, the concept of a reference electrode is fundamental. Introductory courses might mention the standard hydrogen electrode (SHE), its working principle, and its theoretical design; however, chances are that students will never have the opportunity to work with one. A hydrogen electrode should be a device readily available at the…

An increased public knowledge of the health benefits of unsaturated fats has resulted in a surge of different cooking oils. Intense advertising of various oil brands claiming to provide the best dietary recommendations often leaves buyers unclear of what their best choices are. Herein, we describe a research-based project for upper-level…

Creativity has become an increasingly important competence in today's rapidly changing times. It is a central aspect of social development, but it is hardly discussed in schools and often neglected in the natural sciences. In order to promote creativity in science teaching in a targeted way, it is important to understand the perspectives and views…

Peirce made repeated attempts to clarify what he understood as abduction or creative reasoning in scientific discoveries. In this article, we draw on past and recent scholarship on Peirce's later accounts of abduction to put a case for how teachers can apply his ideas productively to elicit and guide student creative reasoning in the science…

High school students find reaction stoichiometry and the concept of the mole hard to comprehend. Teachers are well aware of the importance of teaching the mole concept and also the difficulty associated with it. In an attempt to improve the understanding of the mole concept with reduced difficulty, an atomic model kit that provides a hands-on…

In this paper, the inclusion of history and philosophy of science in science teaching is proposed with the goal of depicting pre-service primary teachers' perception of the role of historical experiments in learning science and the nature of science. In order to achieve this, a teaching-learning sequence was designed and conducted in the context…

Your body is not a point particle. The nature and direction of the forces counteracting gravity influence your experience of uniform rectilinear motion--as does your own orientation in relation to the force of gravity. Sensors in smartphones or other devices can capture these forces, and help establish a connection between the personal experience…

This article reports the design of a scientific board game, named "Element Enterprise Tycoon" (EET), which creates a scenario combining chemical elements, techniques, and products in daily life. The game cards are designed to motivate students not only to retrieve information about chemical elements, but also to be proficient in…

Mobile devices (smartphones or tablets) as experimental tools (METs) offer inspiring possibilities for science education, but until now, there has been little research studying this approach. Previous research indicated that METs have positive effects on students' interest and curiosity. The present investigation focuses on potential cognitive…

The possible benefits of using music to enhance learning of STEM content are numerous, diverse, and largely unproven. We sought to determine which (if any) of these possible benefits are commonly experienced by undergraduate students and are thus especially worthy of further investigation. Four hundred ninety-three students in nine physiology…

The concept of productive failure posits that a problem-solving phase prior to explicit instruction is more effective than explicit instruction followed by problem-solving. This prediction was tested with Year 5 primary school students learning about light energy efficiency. Two, fully randomised, controlled experiments were conducted. In the…