In this research, we have explored the possible differences in students' performance in grade nine chemistry exams that could have been influenced by a different instructional approach in grade eight. We compared two groups of students: one group had received a transmissive propaedeutic approach in grade eight (especially related to the memorising…

This study examined pre-service primary teachers' (PPTs) initial NOSI conceptions and their evolution after the immersion in a specific teaching module focused on inquiry and NOSI. The participants were 40 PPTs attending a science education course during a semester. The study consisted of a pre-test/post-test design approach framed qualitative…

Although citizenship's literacy in biodiversity is a promising way of confronting its loss, the unawareness about this topic is generalised particularly regarding plants. The latter phenomenon, named Plant Blindness (PB), not only refers to the inability to notice and identify the surrounding plants, but also to the lack of knowledge about the…

One of the goals of secondary science education is to help students develop skills related to scientific inquiry. However, the results of previous studies have shown that students have difficulties in identifying problems, formulating hypotheses, drawing conclusions, and designing experiments. The main objective of this contribution is to indicate…

Health literacy should be developed from early ages, but students, including preservice teachers, hold misconceptions about micro-organisms. The objective of this study was to analyse the knowledge that a sample of 102 Early Childhood Preservice Teachers (PST) had about micro-organisms and about cystitis. The PSTs performed a series of activities…

In this paper, a self-created analogy is presented based on comparing the process of osmosis with a situation recreated in a train carriage. It was implemented with upper-secondary education students at a secondary school in Chiclana de la Frontera (Cádiz, Spain). To assess the progression of the students' models on osmosis, their activities…

In this paper, we analyse the conceptual and procedural difficulties that university students of the Primary Education Degree have about respiratory physiology. To carry out this study a questionnaire was designed in order to assess the knowledge of these future teachers before and after studying the first subject of natural sciences of the…

We conducted a study with introductory and upper-division level physics students in a Mexican and a Spanish university to learn how students recognize the main characteristics of the electric field in three of its more widely used representations, namely, algebraic notation, vector field plot, and electric field lines, and how the students do…

Social constructivism is a learning approach in which students actively construct their own knowledge by way of experiences and interactions with others. As such, it is important to highlight both individual and group-based reflection practices in pre-service teacher training as a key aspect for improving teaching practice. This paper presents the…

In this work we present the application of design based research (DBR) methodology to conduct a systematic iterative study of the design and implementation of a teaching-learning sequence (TLS) on emf (electromotive force). This work is the final part of a broader study that started with the analysis of students' difficulties with emf in the…

Background: Scientific inquiry is a widely accepted methodology to promote science process skills. In inquiry activities, students develop their understanding by addressing questions, performing scientific research and interpreting results derived from their research. Developing these science skills to perform scientific inquiries is considered a…

Despite the increasing demand for non-formal science learning activities, few studies report on practitioners' perspectives and experiences with designing and implementing such activities worldwide. This paper focuses on their challenges by drawing upon twenty-two interviews with practitioners involved in diverse science learning activities in…

In this work we analyze the educational reality of Early Childhood Education classrooms in relation to the teaching of science. A total of 83 students from a fourth-year elementary science teacher training program participated in the study. A 48-item instrument was used to collect data. In general, the results obtained show that sciences are a…

STEM education is present in most recent curriculum reforms around the world. One of the main novelties of this educational movement is the integration of engineering practices into science education. In the Spanish educational context, this implies an important challenge for science teachers. So, this study analyzes whether secondary science…

This article presents the results of a piece of research that analyzed the views on the nature of science (NOS) among student teachers enrolled in programs of Primary Education at two public universities in Spain. Previous studies have reported that science teachers maintain 'eclectic' epistemological perspectives on science; in this article, we…