This study aimed to investigate to what extent the use of hands-on science activities influences on students? academic achievement in science. Review of literature revealed several research studies focusing upon such aim and thus, a meta-analysis of these researches was carried out to obtain an overall effect size estimate of hands-on science…

While opportunities for spontaneous, undesigned, serendipitous science engagement (SSE) are abundant and evidence regarding its affordances is accumulating, little is known about its nature. In this paper, I present a model defining and identifying SSE, which consists of a personal and a contextual continuum. To explore the nature of family SSE, I…

This study discusses the effectiveness of a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) program spanning grades six through eight in a traditional, urban school district located in Northeastern Ohio. The history and expressed need for STEM education within post-steel producing and economically depressed regions are discussed. Important…

The discourse of quality has permeated everyday discussions about education, yet the concept as such remains complex. Moreover, during the constant struggle to improve educational quality, governments have increasingly devoted attention to the results of international large-scale assessments. As those results are used to inform policy decisions to…

Computational tools and methods have permeated multiple science and engineering disciplines, because they enable scientists and engineers to process large amounts of data, represent abstract phenomena, and to model and simulate complex concepts. In order to prepare future engineers with the ability to use computational tools in the context of…

Background: Fair comparisons of educational systems in large-scale assessments can be made only if the differences in curricula have little impact on the outcomes. This study investigated the sensitivity of science achievement rankings to varying degrees of curriculum implementation in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study…

Universities have a long-established tradition of granting students special consideration when circumstances beyond their control negatively affect performance in assessments. Typically, such situations affect only one student (e.g. medical emergencies) but we consider the impact of a natural disaster that led to all students being eligible for…

This study examined students' voluntary use of digital self-assessment quizzes as a resource for learning in a large anatomy and physiology lecture course. Students (n = 238) could use 16 chapter quizzes and four analogous unit quizzes to rehearse and self-assess knowledge. Most students (75%) engaged in occasional use of self-assessment quiz…

Recently, there has been more focus on issues related to the professional development of teacher leaders (TLs), but there is still much to learn. Situated within a larger study, the purpose of this research was to understand the ways in which individuals participated in teacher leadership and how participation and identities shaped and were shaped…

The purpose of this study was to uncover pre-service science teachers' images and misconceptions regarding atomic orbital and self-ionization concepts. This study involved a total of 68 pre-service science teachers working at a public university during the 2015-2016 academic year. In this qualitative study, data were collated with the use of…

The study examined the impact of students' absolute age-position at the time of testing by grade level and gender on their achieved level of mathematics, reading and science performance. An analysis was conducted based on a sample of 11,500 15-year-old pupils in the United Arab Emirates who participated in the OECD's Programme for International…

The development of new medicines holds particular fascination for chemistry, biochemistry, and biology students interested in a career in medicine or the life sciences. The identification and refinement of lead compounds to treat diseases requires researchers to be facile in a number of different disciplines including organic synthesis,…

One of the most challenging things a professor of science in a college setting deals with is the apprehension of students toward the very idea of science and scientists. This feeling of science anxiety does not appear to be limited by nation or culture and is often spread across all ages of students. The concept of "science is hard" is…

Since 2013, 39 states and the District of Columbia have adopted the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) or similar standards based on the National Research Council's "A Framework for K-12 Science Education," signaling a commitment to high-quality and rigorous science education for all students. States' previous science standards…

From a sociocognitive perspective, item parameters in a test represent regularities in examinees' item responses. These regularities are originated from shared experiences among individuals in interacting with their environment. Theories explaining the relationship between culture and cognition also acknowledge these shared experiences as the…