Researchers have proposed integration as an approach to effectively teach social studies in primary grades. Many teachers integrate by teaching social studies content and skills during time allocated for other subjects, such as literacy, science, or math. Integration clearly uses time efficiently to allow for more social studies content. However,…

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) provides a noteworthy conceptual lens for many countries when it comes to labor recruitment. For many countries, providing opportunities for gifted students at school and quality STEM education should be included. A limited number of qualitative study has focused in-depth on the skills and…

With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, teacher colleges across the country suddenly shifted to online. In many cases, faculty, wary of shortchanging students of a meaningful learning experience, leveraged synchronous meetings as a way of compensating for the abrupt removal of face-to-face (F2F) interactions. This mixed-methods…

This article focuses on the integration of argumentation and digital technologies in science teacher education. We present theoretical reflections, results of empirical research, and description of innovative experiences with pre- and in-service biology teachers. Regarding argumentation, we analyse what defending a claim in science entails for…

The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of inquiry-based learning and the regular science curriculum on students' learner autonomy and conceptions of learning. The students in the experimental group engaged in inquiry beginning with structured, continuing with guided and ending with open, while the students in the comparison group…

This contribution belongs to a larger empirical study that focuses on issues related to the implementation of inquiry-based learning and formative assessment in science and mathematics education, while it also refers to the issue of STEM education. Here, we discuss the two topics from the perspective of professional preparation of primary school…

Textbooks remain an important resource in the hands of science teachers in ensuring that curricular aims and educational reforms are realised in school science. In a publication of the National Research Council (NRC) entitled "A Framework for K-12 Science Education," emphasis is placed on students experiencing inquiry-based practices and…

This study aims to examine the effects of engineering design-based science teaching (EDBST) on classroom teacher candidates' decision-making skills, scientific creativity and engineering design-based process skills. The random design of the quantitative approach with a pretest-posttest control group was used in the study. The study group consists…

The development and implementation of a trial Religious Education (RE) curriculum within a Catholic diocese of Australia was characterized by the scriptural metaphor "into the deep." Commentary (5300 words) from teacher developers (n = 40) and implementers (n = 85) were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Findings…

Too often, high school algebra students encounter topics in a discrete, disconnected fashion. In the authors' first years of teaching, they found students to be adept at solving problems they were currently studying; for instance, they could solve quadratics during a quadratics unit. Too often, however, students struggled with that same content…

Inquiry-based laboratory activities, as a part of science curricula, have been advocated to increase students' learning outcomes and improve students' learning experiences, but students sometimes struggle with open-inquiry activities. This study aims to investigate students' perceptions of inquiry-based learning in a set of laboratory activities,…

In recent decades, three forms of practitioner research have emerged: Reflective Practice, Action Research, and Exploratory Practice. While Reflective Practice and Action Research focus on teachers-as-researchers, Exploratory Practice positions learners as co-researchers, alongside teachers, teacher educators, and others. This article adds to…

Initial teacher education (ITE) providers prepare graduates to be effective classroom practitioners, but there is little contemporary research capturing what this preparation actually looks like for primary (elementary) science education in Australia. Drawing on a broader study, this paper reports on teacher educators' practices and perspectives…

On average, Florida students earn only half of the points possible in the statistics content area of the state's annual mathematics assessment. Leaders in Broward County Public Schools, a large, diverse, urban school district, viewed changes to statistics curriculum and instruction as one way to address this issue. This study randomly assigned 40…

Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) has identified low student achievement in statistics in the middle grades as a critical concern. It has also expressed concern that statistics instruction does not meet the level of cognitive complexity described in the state curriculum standards. This randomized controlled trial in 40 BCPS middle schools…