Troubleshooting activities require students to diagnose teacher-crafted erroneous examples by detecting and explaining the conceptual errors driving them. In a previous study, the author tested whether diagnosing erroneous examples and then scoring them using a rubric that contained the related worked examples, a step-by-step strategy to solve a…

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a situation, the "anthropopause", of lockdowns and distancing among individuals to reduce the spread of the disease. One of the major problems to surface is the inequality of the educational process in schools. We present a study of high school students who conduct a year-long research project with an…

Classroom climate and motivation plays a major role in the teaching-learning process. In this study, we proposed a new teaching method (PBL-JD). "Problem-Based Learning" (PBL)-Jigsaw Discussion (JD) (PBL-JD) is a student-centered teaching methodology applied in science education; it ensures that the students are actively involved…

Chemical bonding knowledge is fundamental and essential to the understanding of almost every topic in chemistry, but it is very difficult to learn. While many studies have characterized some of the central elements of knowledge of this topic, these elements of knowledge have not been systematically organized. We describe the development and…

This study examined the reflection interview as a tool for assessing and facilitating the use of "systems language" amongst 11th grade students who have recently completed their first year of high school biology. Eighty-three students composed two concept maps in the 10th grade--one at the beginning of the school year and one at its end.…

The twenty-first century is characterized by multiple, frequent and remarkable scientific advancements, which have a major effect on the decisions that govern everyday life. It is therefore vital to give proper comprehensive scientific education to the population and provide it with the right tools for decision-making. This in turn requires that…

Today's society is continuously coping with sustainability-related complex issues in the Science-Technology-Environment-Society (STES) interfaces. In those contexts, the need and relevance of the development of students' higher-order cognitive skills (HOCS) such as question-asking, critical-thinking, problem-solving and decision-making…

The main goals of this study were to find why some students in the 10th grade do not choose to major in any of the science disciplines, and how to arouse their interest in science. The assumption was that the way students perceive and evaluate their acquaintance with any kind of knowledge was very important in their learning process. If students…

Indicates that the ability of tenth-grade students (N=600) to distinguish between teleological or anthropomorphic explanations and causal ones is different and independent from the ability to distinguish between teleological or anthropomorphic formulations and factual ones, and that special treatment should be given to develop each of these two…

The Learning Environment Inventory (LEI) was administered to tenth-grade biology classes (N=572) in urban and kibbutz district schools in Israel. Findings indicated that seven out of nine scales of the LEI yield significant differences in scores for urban and kibbutz samples indicating a more positive learning climate in the kibbutz. (Author/DS)

Compared student attitudes (N=211) toward chemistry/mathematics. Results indicate no significant differences between liking a subject and its importance or application, with mathematics being seen as more important and more useful than chemistry. Suggests that teachers must spend more time and energy in developing positive attitudes toward…

Examined is the effectiveness of a smoking-prevention program in modifying high school students' attitudes and values in such categories as health, peer pressure, and social image as related to smoking. The intervention lasted four to six weeks within the framework of ninth- and tenth-grade biology classes. (Author/YP)

Compares a particular student attitude, scientific curiosity, exhibited by different groups of secondary school students (N=322), including (1) boys and girls; (2) from the U. S. and Israel; and (3) those who choose to pursue careers in science. (CS)

Discussed are the implications of the three main stages of conceptual change--"awareness, disequilibrium, and reformulating"--on misconceptions of grade 10 students in Israel. The difficulties and problems encountered with the procedure are included. (KR)

Survey responses from a stratified sample, across school type, of Israeli tenth graders (n=544) indicate that informal and nonformal science activities are associated with a distinctive commitment to science and science learning. Further, school conditions, home influences, and career aspirations appear to mediate the decision to participate in…