Purpose: Attending to teachers' instructional contexts is integral for understanding their learning and implementation of education reform. However, there is still much to be understood about the processes that surround teacher decision making and their navigations through change in their work contexts. Research Methods/Approach: This article…

The formation of chemistry identities among students is closely linked to the norms and practices prevalent in their chemistry learning environments. However, these norms may not be equally accessible or aligned with formal assessment criteria, leading to disparities for students in cultivating a positive chemistry identity. This study…

Data from PISA and TIMSS have recently fuelled the debate on the efficacy of Inquiry-Based Science Teaching (IBST). Some analyses of these data show that the effects of different scientific activities related to IBST carried out with students vary according to the frequency of their implementation. Extending this research, the present study…

This Spotlight explores strategies to foster an engaging classroom environment that promotes critical thinking and knowledge building. Discover how effective instruction can enhance student engagement, the importance of comprehension strategies in curriculum design, and the essential role of real-world problem-solving in preparing students for…

The incorporation of socioscientific issues into science teaching to promote students' scientific literacy may require that science teachers reconsider and transform their teaching practices. This study examines the knowledge and considerations involved when two teachers incorporated socioscientific issues into their teaching, with the aim of…

This practical resource will help K-5 teachers incorporate digitally supported disciplinary literacy practices into their classroom instruction. With an emphasis on reaching "all" learners, the authors present Planning for Elementary Digitally supported Disciplinary Literacy (PEDDL)--a six-phase framework that introduces readers to an…

The aim of this study is to examine the impact of the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK) based educational practices in astronomy lectures on prospective science teachers' success levels. The study was conducted on 4th-grade prospective science teachers of a public university and lasted for 14 weeks. In the study,…

This research study was conducted to address pre-service physics teachers' assessment literacy and its implementation into practice. The research was both quantitative and qualitative in nature. For the quantitative aspect of the study, the researchers determined the participants' assessment literacy after their enrolment with the…

This study explored preservice elementary teachers' and their mentors' understanding of the essential features of inquiry-based teaching through the use of evidence-based reflection. The web-based video analysis tool (VAT) system was used to support preservice teachers' and mentors' evidence-based reflection during field…

In this paper, I examine the nature of primary science expertise using an ethnographic and sociocultural approach and a theoretical analysis that conceptualises educational practice in terms of the resolution of dilemmas. Using data from an in-depth investigation of the perspective and practice of a single teacher, I discuss some of the "dilemmas"…

Impending change can provide us with the opportunity to rethink and renew the things that we do. The first phase of the Australian Curriculum implementation offers primary school teachers the chance to examine their approaches to science learning and teaching. This paper focuses on the perceptions of three primary school teachers regarding what…

In this article, we present a mixed-methods study of 2 schools' elementary science programs including outdoor instruction specific to each school's culture. We explore fifth-grade students in measures of science knowledge, environmental attitudes, and outdoor comfort levels including gender and ethnic differences. We further examine students'…

This study explored whether early childhood preservice teachers' concerns about teaching nature of science (NOS) and their intellectual levels influenced whether and how they taught NOS at the preschool and primary (K-3) levels. We used videotaped classroom observations and lesson plans to determine the science instructional practices at the…

Investigates how student ability, anxiety level, question wiseness, and relative difficulty of questions influence students' opinions of and performance on a chemistry examination. Examines strategies employed by students in selecting questions. Concludes that the major problem for test candidates is anxiety. (Author/DB)

Echoing the current emphasis on examining changes in teacher beliefs, combined with the central role of inquiry in reform, this article argues that science "education" research experiences should hold promise in shaping preservice teachers' beliefs about the role of inquiry in understanding classroom science teaching. The aim of this…