Conducting experiments fosters conceptual understanding in science education. In various studies, combinations of real (hands-on) and virtual (computer-simulated) experiments have been shown to be especially helpful for gaining conceptual understanding. The present systematic review, based on 42 experimental studies, focuses on the following: (1)…

Background: Scientific thinking is an essential learning goal of science education and it can be fostered by inquiry learning. One important prerequisite for scientific thinking is procedural understanding. Procedural understanding is the knowledge about specific steps in scientific inquiry (e.g. formulating hypotheses, measuring dependent and…

During the last three decades, chemical education in Slovenia has developed mainly in two chemistry education research groups, one located at the University of Ljubljana and the other at the University of Maribor. The present study aims to identify research papers in the field of chemical education published between 1991 and 2019 through a…

In experimental physics, lab notebooks play an essential role in the research process. For all of the ubiquity of lab notebooks, little formal attention has been paid to addressing what is considered "best practice" for scientific documentation and how researchers come to learn these practices in experimental physics. Using interviews…

The first PhD thesis in the field of Chemistry Education at the Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, was defended in 1992. This can be regarded as the symbolic dawn of Chemistry Education as a scientific discipline in this region. After the official breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, research that had started in the…

Climate change is one of the significant global challenges currently facing humanity. Even though its seriousness seems to be common knowledge among the public, the reaction of individuals to it has been slow and uncertain. Many studies assert that simply knowing about climate change is not enough to generate people's behavioural response. They…

Drawing on concepts developed in actor-network theory and postphenomenology this article shows how material objects in the science classroom become part of epistemic configurations and thus co-shape science education. An ethnographic study on epistemic objects in science education is the basis for the analysis of two of these objects: experimental…

As evidence-based reform becomes increasingly important in educational policy, it is becoming essential to understand how research design might contribute to reported effect sizes in experiments evaluating educational programs. The purpose of this study was to examine how methodological features such as types of publication, sample sizes, and…

Using course materials to promote visual literacy skills is an important aspect of undergraduate science education. A comparison study was undertaken to determine the composition of visual representations, specifically representations of data generated from experimental research, found in general biology and discipline-specific textbooks compared…

This article is a methodological contribution to the use of design experiments in educational research. We will discuss the implications of a historical and situated interpretation to design experiments, the consequences this has for the analysis of the collected data and empirically based suggestions to improve the designs of the computer-based…

Uses base-year data from a nationally representative database (NELS:88) to identify important explanatory factors for gender differences in science performance. Documents a large advantage for boys on the subtest of physical science and a modest advantage for girls in life science. Concludes that laboratory experiences are beneficial for girls'…

Reports results of a questionnaire surveying opinions of university chemistry departments (N=34) that used integrated experiments in lower- and upper-level chemistry courses. Reviews general problems and advantages inherent in the use of this kind of experiment, which brings together material from several different areas of chemistry. (CS)

The first article in this publication concerns radio-telemetry temperature studies of homoiotherms and poikilotherms. Radio telemetry reduces the problems related to demonstrating the differences between "warm-blooded" and "cold-blooded" animals; results may be plotted graphically, compared and used to generate classroom…

Data from this study suggest that evaluations of long-term accumulations of students' laboratory analyses should be standard procedure to detect deviations from the accepted true assays. Efforts are recommended to determine the cause of the error and the implications or grading procedures reconsidered. (Author/MA)

This paper describes an attempt to evaluate the contribution of laboratory experiments on student achievement in an elementary, one-term college chemistry course and suggests some less expensive alternatives. (Author/BB)