Achieving knowledge integration for deep learning requires students to construct well-connected knowledge structures by understanding and applying the central ideas of a concept. However, research on student learning in work and mechanical energy reveals persistent challenges in grasping fundamental concepts, particularly in connecting the…

This study investigates if a force-based teaching approach, based on quantum mechanical principles and developed in a lesson study, would enhance the understanding of chemical bonding among upper secondary school students. The teaching approach was based on research on the teaching and learning of chemical bonding. The study included first-year…

This study focuses on exploring pre-service science teachers' conceptual integration understandings in explaining the subject of metabolism with the concepts of physics and chemistry. Action research was employed in this study. Nine pre-service science teachers taking the General Biology II course participated. Participants were taught metabolism…

Although much research exists of students' alternative conceptions about evolution and natural selection, the way in which these vary in time and how scientific explanations change during instruction remains to be described and understood. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to characterise the nature of the change in student…

Many studies have reported various interventions to increase critical thinking, but very few studies have examined the impact of learning in classrooms and laboratories. This study aimed to find a learning pattern (practice to theory or theory to practice) in improving students' critical thinking skills (CTs). Pre and posttest nonequivalent group…

Understanding human behavior and reasoning is essential for developing successful instruction. Discipline-based education researchers have examined how students learn, informing the development of successful instructional strategies. Researchers have also identified barriers to the successful implementation of such strategies. This work utilizes…

While formative assessment is a widely valued instructional approach to support meaningful learning, putting it into classroom practice remains a challenge, also because the time resources required may conflict with other goals. In a cluster-randomized controlled intervention study with 29 teachers and 604 students (mean age 15.6 years) at…

This study proposes methods of reporting results of physics conceptual evaluations that more fully characterize the range of outcomes experienced by students with differing levels of prior preparation, allowing for more meaningful comparison of the outcomes of educational interventions within and across institutions. Factors leading to variation…

Nature of science (NOS) has been a target of interest for decades. The main goal of this study is to explore the impact of the science, technology, society, environment (STSE) approach on students' understanding of NOS, taking "Galileo's study of free-fall motion" as an example. Participants in this study were 350 students of grade 10…

The purposes of this study were to examine preservice elementary teachers' conception of the water cycle; determine if participating in a conceptual change-based role-play alters these conceptions; and ascertain if any conceptual change brought about by the intervention is lasting. We found that most of our students held naive conceptions of the…

The purpose of this study was to quantitatively assess the integration of computational thinking with learning about biological evolution. Specifically, we investigated the effectiveness of a framework from a recently developed learning progression that emphasises the complex nature of teaching both computational thinking and biological evolution.…

Background: Studies in biology have shown that students perceive variation and evolution to be difficult areas to learn. This has sparked rote learning of variation and evolution concepts and is evidenced in poor performance in tests involving these concepts. Purpose: In light of the significant role of variation and evolution in a human's…

This study aimed at analyzing the impact of problem-based learning (PBL) in improving physics students' conceptual understanding of mechanical waves. This study used a quasiexperimental, pretest-post-test control group design with PBL instruction as a teaching intervention. The participants of this study were 239 physics students from 19 secondary…

An exploratory study was to determine the effectiveness of discussion sessions as a teaching strategy of thermodynamics in basic physical chemistry of fundamental concepts in this area as spontaneity by explaining students according to their ideas. A previously validated questionnaire was used as an instrument on thermochemistry, enthalpies of…

The gamification of learning has increased in popularity in recent years as a tool for enhancing student engagement and attainment. In undergraduate chemistry courses, hybridization is a fundamental concept that students need to master in order to understand introductory organic and inorganic topics. This study focused on the development of a card…