This study examines how third-graders' conceptions about the origin of species are affected by formal instruction and whether children can learn not only about evolution but also about natural selection. We interviewed the same group of third-grade children (8-9 years old) twice, before and after following a curriculum about these topics.…

Background: Students' prior knowledge plays an important role in learning new knowledge. In physical education (PE) and physical activity settings, studies have confirmed the role of students' prior knowledge. According to Placek and Griffin, these studies demonstrate that: "our students are not empty balls waiting to be filled with knowledge…

Questioning has been utilized as a critical assessment tool for centuries. It has been thought that there is a relationship between asking good questions and effective teaching. In order to analyze teachers' questioning strategies from various aspects, this study was conducted during the 2014-2015 academic year with 170 primary school teachers…

This study aims to examine kindergarten children's mental models of the day and night cycle and provide implications for pedagogical practices targeting space science concepts in early childhood classrooms. A total of 46 kindergartners participated in the study, their age ranging from 60 to 75 months, including 22 boys and 24 girls.…

Mathematics games are often used in the classroom as a reward or warm-up activity before the "real" learning takes place. Many teachers have witnessed how useful games are for tuning-in students to the impending mathematics lesson. However, have teachers considered playing games as the central part of the lesson? This article explores…