Learning and retaining science content may be increased by applying the basic science material to real-world situations. Discussing cases with students during lectures and having them participate in laboratory exercises where they apply the science content to practical situations increases students' interest and enthusiasm. A summer course in…

December 26, 2004 was one of the deadliest days in modern history, when a 9.3 magnitude earthquake--the third largest ever recorded--struck off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia (National Centers for Environmental Information 2014). The massive quake lasted at least 10 minutes and devastated the Indian Ocean. The quake displaced an estimated…

This study aims to conduct a detailed investigation on the effect the use of concept mapping, as an individual learning tool, has on students' success in learning the concept of gravimetric analysis. This study applies a case study research design to quantitatively examine the effect of the use of concept mapping and to conduct a detailed…

How do secondary school science teachers justify the model of a particulate nature of matter, and how do the arguments they use relate to historical arguments? To find out, we individually interviewed 11 in-service secondary school science teachers (certified to teach chemistry and/or physics in secondary school, and with 2 to 30 years of teaching…

The authors represent the life cycle of the butterfly through writing, drawing, dance, and math. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) (NGSS Lead States 2013) emphasize college and career readiness as well as critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Students must develop a deep understanding of science concepts and engage in scientific…

Recent studies indicate poor understanding of the causes and consequences of climate change among college students. In an effort to improve climate change literacy, we have developed an authentic research experience for upper level undergraduate students focused on resolving spatial and temporal patterns of coral reef bleaching, an ecologically…

The purpose of this study was to uncover pre-service science teachers' images and misconceptions regarding atomic orbital and self-ionization concepts. This study involved a total of 68 pre-service science teachers working at a public university during the 2015-2016 academic year. In this qualitative study, data were collated with the use of…

This research aimed at identifying student profiles of perceptions by means of a clustering method using a validated questionnaire. These profiles describe "students' attraction to science and technology (S&T) studies and careers" as a variable driven by "school S&T self-concept" and "interest in school…

Articulating the complexity of teachers' professional knowledge development is complicated but highly desirable. Exploration of dilemmas, which interrupt teaching practice, offers the opportunity to view teachers' professional knowledge in action as interruptions signal the limits of knowledge. Transitioning from science teacher to science teacher…

According to variation theory, it is essential to enable students to focus on the object of learning and discern its critical features, but the features that "it is possible" to discern often depend on the equipment used. Thus, in labs, the experimental technologies used may shape students' experience of focal phenomena, in a…

This study aimed to examine high school students' learning strategies in relation to their epistemic views and conceptions of learning in the discipline of biology through a structural equation modelling technique. A total of 247 high school students (168 males) participating in this study completed 3 questionnaires, the Epistemic Views of Biology…

Smoothing techniques are designed to improve the accuracy of equating functions. The main purpose of this study is to compare seven model selection strategies for choosing the smoothing parameter (C) for polynomial loglinear presmoothing and one procedure for model selection in cubic spline postsmoothing for mixed-format pseudo tests under the…

In this research, it is aimed to examine in depth the effect of design based learning (DBL) program on pre-service science teachers' on development of the decision making skills and determine the opinions of pre-service science teachers regarding the effect of the DBL program on decision making skills. For this purpose, embedded integrated design…

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the use of ePortfolio as context for discussion and reflection in improving students' scientific explanation after laboratory activities. Method: This action research study aimed to solve the limitation of the undergraduate laboratory course in fundamental biology course by using available free source of…

In this article, Amanda Poole looks at how the science capital teaching approach can be used to build science capital when teaching electricity in primary schools. The science capital teaching approach is a reflective framework that builds upon good practice in the classroom. The teaching approach builds upon a foundation of "broadening what…