Modern science education the world over deliberately remains in the objective, rational, positivist paradigm. In South African classrooms, this paradigm is often alienating for young learners who then stop learning science at the end of Grade 9. Literature indicates that an arts-rich education improves learner engagement, attitudes and test…

The present study examined the influence of the method of physical activity games and digital games on 9th-grade students' achievements in a physics lesson. In the study, the semi-experimental design was used. The study group was made up of secondary school 9th-grade students from three different groups at a public school. The 1st experimental…

The consequences of adolescent drug and alcohol use may be serious and far-reaching, forecasting problematic use or addictive behaviors into adulthood. School counselors are particularly well suited to understand the needs of the school community and to seamlessly deliver sustainable substance use prevention. This pilot study with 46 ninth-grade…

In South Africa, limited studies have been conducted investigating responsive teaching and little is known about how teachers respond to unexpected events 'in the moment' that did not form part of their planning. In this article, we report how a Grade 9 novice and expert teacher responded to unexpected learner offers during the teaching of algebra…

In response to concerns expressed by educational professionals, the researchers developed a quantitative Likert-scale survey to examine the relationships between academic performance (defined as final marks) and recreational video gaming and texting. Questions about video gaming and texting were included with other questions about social…

This study was grounded in the social cognitive career theoretical framework (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994). The purpose of this four-year longitudinal study was to examine the factors that may have contributed to students' motivation to develop STEM interest during secondary school years. The participants in our study were 9th-11th grade high…

Schools are under tremendous pressure to close achievement gaps and increase students' college and career readiness. Research has shown that students' interactions with rigorous curriculum and instructional practices positively impact their postsecondary outcomes (e.g. Adelman, 2006; Oakes and Saunders, 2007). With an established standard of rigor…

Several in-depth and experimental research have been carried out on the positive results of extensive reading (ER) over the past several years in the areas of ESL/EFL. However, several of the studies include limitations that raise doubts about the claimed positive outcomes. The current study adds to the small amount of well-regulated research by…

Student misbehavior has long presented challenges to school teachers and leaders. Scholars have argued that the extent to which students comply with rules is linked to their perceptions that their school's rules and authority are fair. To understand one driver of noncompliance with school rules, this study asks: "What are students'…

This study explores the effect of video-based instruction on the safety rules in the chemistry laboratory on student achievement. The sample for the study comprised 61 ninth grade students enrolled in two different classes at a public high school. The students in the class designated as the experimental group (N = 32) were given video-based…

Parasites evoke an array of emotions that subsequently can govern our action as well as our precautionary measures. If parasites are unknown, an important question is how people can be educated about this parasite. Bedbugs are blood-sucking human parasites that (i) stigmatise hosts, (ii) are hardly correctly identified by people in the western…

The extent to which people understand the role of energy in everyday life is called energy literacy. The purpose of this study is to investigate the levels of energy literacy among 393 Iranian 9th-grade students using the 'Energy Literacy Questionnaire' (ELQ) and study the effective factors on their energy literacy. The Mann-Whitney U test,…

In this mixed method study, we analyse the effectiveness of two pedagogical approaches -- one model-based and another non-model-based -- for developing secondary students' understanding of the phenomenon of increase in Earth's average surface temperatures, a core dimension of global climate change (GCC). Building on past research on teaching and…

This study aimed to teach 9th grade students the meanings of scientific theory and scientific law, and the differences between them. The related literature informs that students at different grade levels have misconceptions about the definition of both scientific theory and scientific law and the relationship between them. In this study, the…

The South African Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement for Technology stipulates that Technology should provide learners with the opportunity to solve authentic problems that are embedded in real-life experiences. Solving these authentic technological problems requires learners to use critical thinking skills and teachers are expected to…