Does expertise within a domain of knowledge predict accurate self-assessment of the ability to explain topics in that domain? We find that expertise increases confidence in the ability to explain a wide variety of phenomena. However, this confidence is unwarranted; after actually offering full explanations, people are surprised by the limitations…

Science education research has shown that students use causal reasoning, particularly the model "agent--instrument--object," to explain or predict the outcome of many natural situations. Students' reasoning seems to be based on a small set of few intuitive rules. One of these rules quantitatively correlates the outcome of an experiment…

Astro Academy: Principia is an education programme developed by the UK National Space Academy for the UK Space Agency (UKSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA). The Academy designed, constructed, flight-qualified and developed experimental procedures for a suite of physics and chemistry demonstration experiments that were conducted by ESA…

Using a scenario-based analogue experiment embedded within an online survey, 174 masters-level counseling students located at a university on the Southwest Coast of the United States provided data to test the notion that the teaching alliance--a framework for enhancing the quality of the student-instructor relationship--is (a) important in…

Declarative concepts (i.e., key terms and corresponding definitions for abstract concepts) represent foundational knowledge that students learn in many content domains. Thus, investigating techniques to enhance concept learning is of critical importance. Various theoretical accounts support the expectation that example generation will serve this…

Information literacy is of paramount importance to any successful research program. Information techniques and skills should be infused throughout a student's undergraduate curriculum rather than being the focus of a single course. To this end, we have created several courses, beginning in the first year, where students review current scientific…

In this study, an instructional design model, based on the computational experiment approach, was employed in order to explore the effects of the formative assessment strategies and scientific abilities rubrics on students' engagement in the development of inquiry-based pedagogical scenario. In the following study, rubrics were used during the…

Transition metals play an important role in many biological processes, however, they are also toxic at high concentrations. Therefore, the uptake and efflux of these metals must be tightly regulated by the cell. Bacteria have evolved a variety of pathways and regulatory systems to monitor the presence and concentration of metals in the cellular…

In the United States with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)'s emphasis on learning science while doing science, laboratory activities in the secondary school chemistry continues to be an important component of a strong curriculum. Laboratory equipment and consumable materials create a unique expense which chemistry teachers and schools…

The current study aimed at investigating how different types of embodied learnings influence elementary school students' English as a foreign language (EFL) listening performance. Two kinds of embodied learnings: real and physical body versus the 3D avatar, were compared with non-embodied learning. 69 fifth graders from two elementary schools…

Identification and quantification of an unknown illicit drug (cocaine) from both simulated drug paraphernalia and simulated urine can be achieved via direct analysis in real time (DART) triple quadrupole linear ion trap (QTRAP) mass spectrometry (MS). We describe a novel, hands-on laboratory activity which utilizes the recent DART technology…

The current study focused on scaffolding programmes, including cognitive and meta-cognitive components, for science problem solving in a computerised learning environment to identify their unique effects on aspects of student motivation. Using expectancy-value theory as a conceptual framework, the current study focused on two motivational aspects:…

Experimental investigations are an integral part of biology education because they demonstrate essential methods of obtaining knowledge in the natural sciences and generate high levels of learning activity. However, gender differences can arise during experimentation just as in other teaching situations. This article shows examples of social…

This study examines the effectiveness of classroom experiments conducted before the relevant theories were taught. The experiments were used to provide students with first-hand experience of decision-making under various rivalry settings and to demonstrate several key predictions of oligopoly models. Statistical methods were used to analyze the…

We designed a "3D Printing Technology Science Project" as part of a science methods course to engage preservice teachers (N = 41) in a 3D printing project that they could implement with their future elementary school students. The goal was to introduce prospective teachers to engineering design and technology application ideas and…