The purpose of this action research study was to explore the impact of problem-based learning on science instruction in my eighth-grade college preparatory classroom. Constructivism was the framework for this study. Problem-based learning is based on constructivist principles, and it served as the instructional model for this study. PBL can foster…

Algebraic knowledge transfer is considered an important skill in problem-solving. Using algebraic knowledge transfer, students can connect concepts using common procedural similarities. This quasi-experimental study investigates the influence of algebraic knowledge in solving problems in a chemistry context by using analogical transformations. The…

TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) is a long-standing international assessment of mathematics and science at the fourth and eighth grades, collecting trend data every four years since 1995. Over 70 countries rely on TIMSS to monitor their education systems in a global context, benchmarking national curricula and…

The individual problem-solving (IPS) and collaborative problem-solving (CPS) have received a lot of attention, yet little research has been conducted to investigate whether CPS and IPS are equally effective in improving students' understanding of physics concepts, problem-solving abilities, and minimizing achievement gaps. Therefore, the present…

VR technology is being widely used in education due to it's a sense of immersion, real-time interaction, and ability to stimulate imagination. However, there is a lack of research comparing students at different stages. This study used a quasi-experimental design involving 73 fourth-grade and 86 eighth-grade students in two schools in northwest…

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of science, technology, mathematics, engineering (STEM) applications and STEM based teaching on 8th grade students' environmental attitudes, scientific creativity, problem solving skills and science achievement and to get students' opinions about STEM practices. Two groups were used in the…

Modelling ability is one of the essential elements of the latest educational reforms, and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is a curriculum-based assessment which allows educational systems worldwide to inspect the curricular influences. The aims of this study were to examine the role of modelling ability in the…

The current assessment is demanding for a more personalised and less-time consuming testing environment. Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) is seemed as a more effective alternative testing method in comparison to conventional test in meeting the current standard of assessment. This research reports on the calibration of the released Grade 8 Science…

In this study, the effects of some student (e.g., gender, bullying, etc.) and school variables (e.g., emphasis on academic achievement, clarity of teaching, etc.) on the TIMSS 2015 science and mathematics achievement of eighth grade students in Türkiye were examined by controlling for the socioeconomic status of the students at the student and…

The aim of this study was to explore principals' perceptions of school practices that have ethical meaning through a transnational perspective based on the 8th grade TIMSS 2015 international assessment. The sample comprised 8353 principals from 8353 different schools and 280,130 students that participated in the TIMSS 2015 survey. We used…

This research was carried out to analyze the effect of Group Investigation (GI) model on the student problem solving ability and students academic achievement on the digestive system material for students grade 8th junior high school 2 Belimbing Hulu. In this study we used quasi experimental design according to the quantitative research methods,…

Being part of the German didactic tradition, reflective thinking was first coined by Wilhelm von Humboldt two-century ago. Reflective thinking helps individuals to develop strategies in order to overcome the problems that they encounter. Investigating the reflective thinking skills of students for problem solving is important to identify students…

The present study examined to what extent inquiry-based investigation as an instructional approach associated with students' overall science achievement and achievement in cognitive domains, including knowing science facts, applying scientific principles, and reasoning with scientific concepts to solve problems. Using TIMSS 2007 science…

Assessing the achievement of students in elementary and secondary schools and the nation's educational progress is fundamental to informing education policy approaches. Congressional interest in this area includes and extends beyond the annual assessments administered by states to comply with the educational accountability requirements of Title…

South Africa participated in TIMSS from 1995 to 2015. Over these two decades, some positive changes have been reported on the aggregated mathematics performance patterns of South African learners. This paper focuses on the achievement patterns of South Africa's high-performing Grade 9 learners (n = 3378) in comparison with similar subsamples of…