The study explored the effects of robotic-assisted applications on the variables of academic achievement and problem-solving skills in the "Propagation of Light" unit of the 5th grade science course. The study employed the pretest-posttest control group design, one of the quasi-experimental methods. The study sample consist of 36 5th…

Several reforms in national and international curricula have been implemented to introduce inquiry-based activities to promote different science process skills. Science skills require high cognitive effort for students and, thus, they need supports to develop them in an inquiry process. Among these supports, video-worked examples demonstrate how…

In this research, it was aimed to examine the effects of interdisciplinary science activities on 5th grade students' creative problem-solving skills and 21st century skills. The study group consisted of 50 5th grade students, 26 girls and 24 boys, were studying at a public school in Ankara, Çankaya district in the 2018-2019 academic year. The…

This study used a three-phase design to explore how teachers' views and practices of scientific inquiry can be reconciled with early graders' ability to engage in scientific inquiry. First, 19 early years teachers were interviewed to explore their views and practices of scientific inquiry. Second, six standard two students were exposed to a…

This paper is about an experimental problem on forced oscillations, which was given to 14-year-old primary school pupils at the Slovenian national (final) level of the physics competition in April 2019. At the time when the competition took place these pupils were approaching the end of the school year, when they encountered physics as a school…

The purpose of this research is to examine the impact of activities based on scientific process skills on problem-solving skills of 4th grade students in science lessons. In the study a non-equivalent control group pre-test and post-test design type of quasi-experimental method was used. The research study group was composed of 30 students with 15…

Space is a key area of science that is often taught in year 5 (ages 9-10) in English schools and related to this is gravitational force. Almost without exception children enjoy learning about the solar system and beyond. This article introduces a series of activities for children to explore the formation of impact craters in the solar system. The…

At a time when changes in standards and curriculum compound the pressures of fifth-grade state testing, the authors wanted to find an engaging way to involve students in authentic science and engineering. Rather than put their efforts into a traditional science fair that would inevitably lead to inequitable input by parents and students alike,…

The "Next Generation Science Standards" call for engaging students in practices that scientists and engineers use (NGSS Lead States 2013), but it's also important to explicitly teach thinking approaches that scientists and engineers use. One way to help children think and act like scientists and engineers is to engage them with…

Developing the problem-solving abilities of elementary school students has been recognized as an important educational objective. Science curricula, because of their practical and experimental characteristics, are thought to be an important way to develop students' problem-solving ability. The use of Virtual Reality (VR) technology in teaching…

When it snows, children are permitted to play outside during recess, which causes them to experience a variety of problems with their mittens or gloves. To align instruction with a problem student's experience in every day life, the authors developed and administered a short survey to second graders in an after school program. The authors found…

This article describes how fifth grade students participated in a place-based environmental education initiative in West Michigan that supports teachers who want to involve their students in citizen science by protecting local water resources. Every year, Groundswell works with about 100 teachers at 30 schools to engage students in citizen science…

This study examines interactions of fourth graders and their parents during informal science activities to understand the parental influence on children's science interests, attitudes, and participation. Sixteen Latino/a parent-child dyads and 16 Non-Latino/a parent-child dyads, matched on socioeconomic status (SES), participated in this…

Picture this: a PhD chemist, PhD science educator, and a preservice Latina elementary educator walk into an aftercare program for primary and intermediate students from a rural school. These students are identified as low income and at risk and therefore eligible to participate in this school-provided aftercare. While across the state, these same…

Because students have often been conditioned as passive learners and receivers of knowledge, it can be difficult for them to persevere in solving authentic problems. Nevertheless, teachers must persist in preparing students as problem solvers and critical thinkers. In an urban inner-city neighborhood school in the southeast, students embarked on a…