This study aims to make a thematic classification of possible misconceptions about solid friction by reviewing papers in the literature which include conceptual difficulties about friction; in this way, the study contributes to the literature. The study's scope was limited to the dry friction that occurs with the interaction of two solid objects,…

Chladni patterns are one of the most fascinating physics demonstrations. They can be produced very easily using commercially available apparatus based on metallic plates attached to a mechanical driver, similar to a loudspeaker without the membrane, and a signal generator. The figures are observed using sand sprinkled on the surface of the plate.…

Already when they enter primary school, children have rich everyday experience with factors influencing the rate of liquids' evaporation. Tea spilled into a large puddle on the table evaporates more rapidly than the same amount remaining in the cup, laundry hanging on a clothesline dries faster on a hot and windy day in comparison with a cold and…

The conventional approach to teaching blackbody radiation in introductory modern physics courses relies on an oversimplified explanation of Wien's displacement law, which does not uphold students' conceptual understanding of Planck's law and can lead to well-known misconceptions. Thus, there is a need to clarify the pedagogical role of this…

In order to describe the velocity of two bodies after they collide, Newton developed a phenomenological equation known as 'Newton's experimental law' (NEL). In this way, he was able to practically bypass the complication involving the details of the force that occurs during the collision of the two bodies. Today, we use NEL together with momentum…

A hula hoop rotating around a person's waist is an example of circular motion where the centripetal force on the hoop is directed towards the centre of the circle rather than the centre of the hoop. The friction force on the hoop is relatively small by comparison since the hoop rolls around the waist. A slight complication is that the hoop rotates…

This article addresses the following question: Can speculation be used in social science research or should this not be an option? The secondary literature on speculation, which is minimal, is presented and discussed. It is noted that natural scientists often differentiate between a scientific form of speculation and the old metaphysical form of…

The performance of any economy is based on scientific knowledge and technological innovation. Consequently, a highly motivated workforce with skills in science and engineering is key to any prosperous economy. Science education has a critical role in providing scientific literacy to students, as well as in training young people to choose careers…

Pressure gradients serve as the key driving force for the bulk flow of fluids in biology (e.g., blood, air, phloem sap). However, students often struggle to understand the mechanism that causes these fluids to flow. To investigate student reasoning about bulk flow, we collected students' written responses to assessment items and interviewed…

The interrelationship of science and engineering and the recent inclusion of engineering in K-12 science standards have promoted the incorporation of engineering design in science classrooms. However, empirical studies on the impacts of engineering design on science learning show mixed findings and indicate that factors such as the complexity of…

The aim of this research is to take a fresh look at the physical science concepts that Year 3 students struggle with. In this work, the responses of over 8,000 middle-primary-aged students to a range of physics, space science and chemistry questions were evaluated. The questions covered a number of topics ranging from selecting and using simple…

The More Than Human (MTH; Bang and Marin 2015) world is often considered passive and neutral, not implicated in meaning-making in science classrooms. Through this framing, learning spaces are considered the backdrop upon which learning occurs, where the goal of science teaching is to explain why or predict how science phenomena-assumed as static…

This study aims to determine misconceptions about interphase, a basic phase in the cell cycle and to address those misconceptions. Meristem cells in plants, stem cells in animals, spermatogonia and oogonia cells, and some cells with partial regeneration ability do not lose dividing ability. However, normal tissue cells other than these are in the…

Meaningful learning for conceptual change in science education should aim to help students change their existing misconceptions to develop an accurate understanding of scientific concepts. Although collaborative argumentation is assumed to support such processes, its value for conceptual change is unclear. Moreover, the roles of argumentative…

An ability to engage in system thinking is necessary to understand complex problems. While many pre-college students use system modeling tools, there is limited evidence of student reasoning about causal relationships that interact in diverging and converging chains, and how these affect system behavior. A chemistry unit on gas phenomena was…