In common with many other countries, the Iranian science curriculum does not introduce primary children to atoms and molecules but instead leaves the teaching of these concepts until high school. This paper challenges this practice and describes the changes in elementary Iranian children's understanding of atoms and molecules following a 10-h…

Reform efforts in Taiwan have added a mandatory 'Scientific Inquiry and Practice' curriculum for all high school students, emphasising 'inquiry-based learning content' including observing and questioning, planning and carrying out an investigation, argumentation and modelling, and expression and sharing. The purpose of this study was to develop an…

Indigenous students are underrepresented in science, and the exclusion of Indigenous knowledge from Western education may be a contributor. Recently, Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers have called for a better integration of Indigenous knowledge systems into Western science. One suggestion from the literature is to integrate Traditional…

In this response essay we offer some critical comments on the nature of science (NOS) and thereby hopefully extend Hodson and Wong's (2017, this issue) argument concerning "understanding scientific practice." Drawing on selected theorising in science and technology studies (STS), we argue that NOS needs to take much more seriously…

The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the common knowledge construction model (CKCM)-based instruction on academic achievement and 7th grade students' views about the nature of science (NOS) presented in electrical energy unit at schools of different socio-economic levels. In accordance with this purpose, three secondary…

The Framework for K-12 science education (The "Framework") and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) emphasize the usefulness of learning progressions in helping align curriculum, instruction, and assessment to organize the learning process. The "Framework" defines three dimensions of science as the basis of theoretical…

Despite the substantial progress made to develop evidence-based pedagogical practices that support student learning, many courses are dominated by "traditional" practices such as a passive lecture. Thus, a continued focus on reforming courses is necessary. Here we describe the deliberate practice-driven reform of a large lecture-format…

This study aims to determine the topic-specific nature of two experienced chemistry teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in the topics of interactions between chemical species and states of matter. The teachers' PCK on these topics was investigated in terms of the following components: orientations toward science teaching (OST), knowledge…

Scientific Practices play a central role in the Next Generation Science Standards, influencing the standards of more than 70% of students in the United States. Therefore, a view of what has been studied about Scientific Practices in Science Education, globally in the past decade is relevant. Thus, 44 articles from international journals in Science…

This article explores some of the links that can be made to the science curriculum through learning outdoors with bushcraft and Forest School activities. It focuses particularly on students who are otherwise disengaged with learning, or who have relatively complex needs that mean they find traditional education more challenging.

Curriculum-embedded undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have the unique advantage that "all" students enrolled in a course engage in authentic scientific research. While CUREs guided by faculty research interests are common, this article describes CUREs embedded in the senior chemistry curriculum that were driven entirely by…

Strengthening Learning Progression (LP) for students' reasoning abilities is important, especially learning about diseases in Indonesia. This study aimed to map the learning progression of disease in Indonesia, compare and analyze its similarities and differences with the LP designed by National Research Council (NRC). This qualitative research to…

The (written) state curriculum is one of the cornerstones influencing education. Its specifically mediated by textbooks. In an open textbook market, the influence of the state curriculum is limited, and the main responsibility passes to individual schools or teachers. In order to understand education from the potential attainment of curriculum…

Chemistry curricula in part rely on the use of laboratory demonstrations and experiments. The complex nature of this kind of educational activity has been posing challenges from the very early days of teaching chemistry. As chemistry is an experimental science, one possible approach to make the teaching of this subject more efficient is to use…

This study explored ways in which the development and implementation of an online professional development experience for secondary science teachers might shift teacher perspectives, understandings, and practices surrounding the integration of socio-ecological justice learning (SEJL) into their classrooms, courses, and curricula. This…