We report on the development of a new instrument for measuring teachers' knowledge of language as an epistemic tool in science classes. Language is essential for science learning, as all learning requires the use of language to constitute one's own ideas and to engage with others' ideas. Teachers with knowledge of language as an epistemic tool can…

In this article, we describe the main phases in the development and validation of a questionnaire measuring secondary students' teleology and essentialism conceptions in the context of genetics. The validation process involved 714 Swiss and French secondary school students from 14 different schools. The process included interviews, several pilot…

The extent to which people understand the role of energy in everyday life is called energy literacy. The purpose of this study is to investigate the levels of energy literacy among 393 Iranian 9th-grade students using the 'Energy Literacy Questionnaire' (ELQ) and study the effective factors on their energy literacy. The Mann-Whitney U test,…

Over the past few years, a new research field has emerged, focusing on the social-scientific criteria for the study of opinions toward genetically modified foods (GMFs), since these may be limiting factors for the success or failure of these products. Basic education is the first step in the Mexican education system, and teachers may wield an…

The integrative role that Evolutionary theory plays within Biology is recognised by most scientific authors, as well as in governmental education policies, including Brazilian policies. However, teaching and learning evolution seems problematic in many countries, and Brazil is among those. Many factors may affect teachers' and students'…

The knowledge and skills required of chemists in chemical-based industries were compared to those in the undergraduate chemistry curriculum in Nigeria to establish whether there were gaps between the two. In a questionnaire survey, 120 chemists in 20 chemical-based industries gave their views of the extent to which the chemistry curriculum…

The "Playground Physics" program combines informal, play-based, embodied learning experiences to support middle school students' engagement with and motivation to learn about complex and abstract physics concepts. This experimental design study examines the impact of "Playground Physics" on students' science motivation,…

This study investigated biology teachers' (N = 148) understanding of models and modelling (MoMo), their model-related teaching activities and relations between the two. A framework which distinguishes five aspects of MoMo in science ("nature of models," "multiple models," "purpose of models," "testing…

This paper reports on the results from administering a modified version of the Introductory Astronomy Questionnaire (IAQ) to middle school students and preservice science teachers in Norway. Ranking tasks formed a key part of the instrument, and we detail a new method for analyzing ranking task data. One of our main findings was that even after…

This study aims to bring out the misconceptions of middle school students relatively to the concept of the living and know what pupils perceive about this concept studied in class in order to ameliorate our teaching. The results obtained from questionnaires provided to middle school pupils show that their designs are diversified and they have lots…

The quality of the process of teaching is related to the behaviors shown by the teacher and their capability. In cases where teachers who have different training are expected to teach the same topic, teachers may make some alterations in the topics in question. Turkish education system has teachers who have different training but teach the same…

Considerable debate exists among discipline-based astronomy education researchers about how students change their perceptions in science and astronomy. The study questioned the development of astronomical models among students in institutions of higher education by examining how college students change their initial conceptual frameworks and…

The results of studies of the nature of science (NOS) as a factor that enhances students' understanding of evolution have been inconclusive. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to test the role of NOS instruction in enhancing students' learning about evolution. We used a quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-tests to investigate…

Since its inception, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) blue print has attracted interest from more than 40 states in the United States. The overall objective of these proposed changes is to align K-12 science education with current trends in technology and career needs. However, the assessment of teacher preparedness and classroom…

The study is part of a larger project concerned with addressing the problem that Eritrean science teachers face in their attempt to implement a new learner-centred science curriculum. Specifically, the study attempted to determine the effects of the use of an Argumentation-Based Instructional Model (ABIM) on 25 pre-service science teachers'…