We investigated how the level of variance in students' prior knowledge may have influenced their collaborative interactions and science learning in small groups. We examined learning outcomes from 102 groups from seven science teachers' classes and discourse from two contrasting groups: Homogeneous versus heterogeneous. We examined individual and…

We investigate an interactive teacher-generated drawing strategy in which the teacher constructs a drawing with the help of the students. The students contribute their ideas on how to visualize to-be-drawn concepts, embedded in an interactive process. The present study explored whether learning from a scientific text on plate tectonics could be…

As we begin the third decade of the twenty-first century, argument and debate are not habitual practices of university science education. This can be explained by the hegemony of instructor-centered traditional approaches in many of these practices. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only pushed university education online but also seems to provide an…

We investigate the effects of guided group work sessions on graduate student performance on a quantum mechanics assessment. Data from a single large Midwestern university were taken over a five-year period, during which guided group work sessions were offered to accompany the graduate-level quantum mechanics course. Students were pre- and…

Dropout and low academic performance at university level constitute a big current challenge. In this work, materials comprising different interactive tools were developed following instructional design, rooted in the cognitive load theory. They were applied in a first-year lecture chemistry course to tackle low academic performance and high…

This study uses positional analysis to describe the student interaction networks in four research-based introductory physics curricula. Positional analysis is a technique for simplifying the structure of a network into blocks of actors whose connections are more similar to each other than to the rest of the network. This method describes social…

Many instructors globally reported a lack of engagement in synchronous online sessions during the COVID-19 lockdowns. This article outlines the use of collaborative small group tasks mediated via breakout rooms in Teams during the 2020/21 academic year. The rationale for the activities, which are available for download, is described along with…

Student-centered pedagogies have become increasingly popular in higher education. Research on flipped learning, in particular, has shown that collaborative problem-solving environments are able to better support effective learning than lecture alone. However, the effects of this format on students' interests and motivations in chemistry remain…

Student learning and course performance are often improved when students actively engage with content. However, pedagogical practices that foster active engagement often rely on student-student and student-instructor interactions that may be difficult to adapt to an online environment. Here we describe a Collaborative Learning program that…

Effective early science learning opportunities are critical for young children to build a solid foundation for subsequent development of concepts, as well as positive attitudes towards science (Eshach & Fried, 2005). However, these opportunities are often lacking in typical preschool classrooms (Connor, Morrison, & Slominski, 2006; Early…

This study examined the effects of an intervention that integrated peer-mediated instruction (PMI) with augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) using speech-generating devices (SGDs). Nine trained peer tutors without disabilities taught science concepts and modeled use of SGDs following a script to three elementary school students with…

Informal science learning aims to improve public understanding of STEM. Free-choice learners can be engaged in a wide range of experiences, ranging from watching entertaining educational videos to actively participating in hands-on projects. Efforts in informal science learning are often gauged by their ability to elicit interaction, to foster…

Using Collaborative Creativity Learning (CCL) model that is integrated with PhET simulation, this study aims to improve students' scientific creativity in natural science lesson. This research is an experimental study. The sample in this study is 144 junior high school students. The practicality and effectiveness of CCL model that is integrated…

Educators have indicated that a good flipped learning design has the potential to enable teachers to use the class time effectively for conducting higher-order thinking activities and enhancing the interactions among peers and teachers. Several previous studies have also pointed out the importance of employing proper learning strategies, such that…

This article aims to explore the impact of AR on the learning outcomes of college freshmen and their knowledge about the biology lab course. In a study, a basic biology lab course app was developed using AR technology. The students used this app to prepare for a basic biology lab course, and carry on self-learning without the help of instructors.…