In analytical chemistry, discussing different method sand techniques of analysis is essential to promote critical thinking and reasoning. Analytical courses in the chemist, pharmacist, and biochemist curricula represent the opportunity to study concepts such as experimental design, sampling, development, and optimization of protocols, data…

This qualitative case study delved into students' understanding and positioning while they participated in solving an authentic, conceptually-based problem in a high-school chemistry class. Verbal and nonverbal cues, particularly gestures, offered broader awareness of students' engagement in sensemaking during the learning experience. The…

Understanding experimental design (e.g. control of variable strategy or CVS) is foundational for scientific reasoning. Previous research has demonstrated that demonstrations with cognitive conflict (e.g. asking students to evaluate and explain different experimental designs) are effective in promoting children's scientific reasoning, however, the…

Laboratory work has been a common element of science courses at university level for around two centuries, but its practice has been criticised by scholars in the field and related stakeholders. Mainly on a rationale of financial justification and educational efficacy, more evidence for learning has been called for. The aims of this systematic…

The Next Generation Science Standards encourage students to develop the reasoning and practice skills of scientists. Rather than promoting rote memorization, teachers engage students with real-world phenomena and prompt students to think critically. ChemVLab+ is a series of freely available, online modules that require students to reason like…

Crystal materials are an important pillar of advanced technology. Among them, the preparation of large-sized single crystal materials is of great importance for their practical application. Herein, we select the well-known nonlinear optical crystal KH[subscript 2]PO[subscript 4] and impressive deep-blue colored crystal CuSO[subscript…

In this laboratory experiment, first-semester organic chemistry students use mechanistic reasoning to propose possible outcomes for the reaction of vanillin isobutyrate with a hydride source. The students subsequently run the reaction, isolate the product, and acquire its infrared spectrum. The experiment provides students with the opportunity to…

The COVID-19 pandemic posed significant challenges for practical teaching within the sciences. While many instructors adopted innovative alternatives to conventional practicals, many relied on digital approaches that did not give students hands-on experience. In this study we evaluate the use of 'at home' practical kits used in first year physics…

Integrating new synthetic methods and experimental techniques from the latest research reports into undergraduate laboratory experiments is of great significance, as it enables students to learn the cutting-edge technology of organic chemistry and cultivates their experimental skills and innovative thinking. In this study, an experiment on their…

This study reports on the theoretical- and empirical-based design and evaluation of cell membrane biology learning activities within the Model of Educational Reconstruction and experiential realism. First, we designed analogy-based learning activities by considering students' and scientists' conceptions as described in the literature. Secondly, we…

The recent Next Generation Science Standards recommend students have increased opportunities engaging in modeling work scientists do. Science classroom tasks include simple inquiry compared to more complex authentic inquiry that closely resembles authentic science. Science fair participation presents students with the opportunity to engage in…

Instructional labs are fundamental to an undergraduate physics curriculum, but their possible learning goals are vast with limited evidence to support any particular goal. In this study, we evaluate the efficacy of labs with different goals and structures on students' critical thinking skills and views about experimentation, using an extensive…

An undergraduate-level Computational Chemistry project was incorporated initially into a Physical Chemistry course and then into the laboratory curriculum in the subsequent application. Before the introduction of the project, the lectures covered quantum chemistry, spectroscopy, and kinetics while simultaneously including computational chemistry…

This research aims to develop students' scientific process and innovative thinking skills using digital activities in distance and face-to-face education. A total of 12 sixth-grade students in a primary school participated in the study. The research was action research. The analysis was carried out in the "Transmission of Electricity"…

This study addresses the measurement of high school students' epistemic knowledge associated with scientific experimentation (EKSE) which concerns "how" scientific experimentation generates knowledge and "why" that knowledge is justified. Based on philosophical, educational standards, and literature analyses, an EKSE construct…