Virtual reality (VR) technologies have the potential to transform astronomy education practices profoundly: new forms of visual representations, perceptual engagement and embodied participation promise authentic learning experiences in formal and informal learning spaces. While a growing body of research studies the educational needs and…

Recruiting students to science and mathematics fields continues to be a nationwide issue, resulting in a dearth of individuals to fill these present and future careers. Novel interventions, especially within the K-12 space, call for a move from content acquisition to the formation of individuals' identity that particularly fosters science and math…

Place-based education (PBE) is a situated, context-rich, transdisciplinary teaching and learning modality distinguished by its unequivocal relationship to place, which is any locality that people have imbued with meanings and personal attachments through actual or vicarious experiences. As an observational and historical science, geoscience is…

As spaces for researchers and practitioners to engage in long-term, mutual collaborations aimed at addressing problems of practice in education, research-practice partnerships (RPPs) offer rich contexts for research use. Our study examines how interactions between researchers and practitioners shape opportunities for research use in a professional…

Cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) approaches to intervention aim for transformative agency, that is, collective actions that expand and bring about new possibilities for activity. In this article, we draw on CHAT as a resource for organizing design research that promotes teachers' agency in designing new science curriculum materials. We…

Despite decades of research regarding best practices for the teaching and learning of chemistry, as well as two sets of national reform documents for science education, classroom instruction in high school chemistry classrooms remains largely unchanged. One key reason for this continued gap between research and practice is a reliance on…

The primacy of the research question in designing studies affords an opportunity for enhancing collaborations between researchers and "practitioners". This paper describes the use of a modified Delphi technique to co-generate research questions for a collaborative research study co-funded by a university and a natural history museum.…

In these days of the achievement gap, evidence-based practices, and accountability issues, Julie Allan's "Complicating, not explicating: Taking up philosophy in learning disability research" challenges everyone to think seriously about how well the field is meeting the mission of providing for the academic and social needs of students with…

Background: Effectiveness research is maturing as a field within intervention and prevention science. Effectiveness research involves the implementation and evaluation of the effectiveness of the dissemination of evidence-based interventions in everyday circumstances (i.e., type 2 translational research). Effectiveness research is characterized by…

Despite several decades of research into the teaching and learning of Science/Chemistry, at both secondary and tertiary level, it has had relatively little impact on practice. In many countries interest in studying Science at school and university is falling, and there is concern over falling numbers and falling standards. There is a changing…

Albeit science is clear in its support for early childhood, the developmental outcomes for young children, globally, are poor. It is hypothesized that evidence-based policies may be a potential mediator of the application of science to improve the lives and well-being of young children. However, the question arises--at what stage of policy…

There are some important ambiguities in discussions about the implications of "evidence-based practice", both for educational research and for the work of teachers. In this paper we explore several of these through examining the Evidence-based Practice in Science Education (EPSE) study--part of the Teaching and Learning Research…

This paper reviews research with a focus on looking at the differences between research taken on by those who see themselves primarily as science educators/science education researchers, and those who conduct research on science education from the perspective of a particular discipline such as psychology or sociology. It is assumed that the…

Reviews research related to the problem of using research findings to improve science classroom practice. Discusses two aspects of the problem: familiarizing teachers with relevant research and identifying aspects of teaching that need to be improved. Provides several research findings. (Author/YP)

This article reviews three issues (306, 307 and 308) of "School Science Review" (SSR), the ASE journal for science education 11-19. It aims to highlight ideas and developments that are of relevance to the teaching and learning of science in both secondary and primary phases. Each of the issues being reviewed includes articles that focus on a…