This study investigated how visual attention differed between students who hold scientific knowledge and those who have misconceptions. We analyzed visual fixations of 98 middle students on problems containing information relevant to scientific knowledge and common misconceptions. It showed that students who acquired scientific concepts paid more…

Today, the need for individuals who follow scientific and technological developments closely and who can adapt to these changes rapidly is increasing. These needs have made it necessary for countries to try various changes, reforms and current approaches required by the age in their education systems. One of these approaches is STEM education,…

As schools continue to focus on outcome-based instructional practices, less emphasis is placed on the creativity and reasoning necessary for students to become effective critical thinkers. As a result, students struggle to demonstrate creative problem-solving skills in the classroom. This study examines how the facilitation of an instructional…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implementation and impact of the Pack program. The Pack was developed by the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) and includes a digital game and set of curricular and professional development resources that aim to support computational thinking teaching and learning in middle school science and computer…

This study aimed to examine the effects of a research-based SSI program on fostering students' understanding of issues and their willingness to act. Twenty-five middle school students voluntarily participated in the program on the issue of artificial food additives over 6 months. The data were collected by means of interviews with the students,…

The purpose of this action research study was to explore the impact of problem-based learning on science instruction in my eighth-grade college preparatory classroom. Constructivism was the framework for this study. Problem-based learning is based on constructivist principles, and it served as the instructional model for this study. PBL can foster…

Efficient collaborative learning relies on productive interaction among learners. Previous studies have suggested that group gender composition might affect the group dynamics. While previous studies have generally focused on the learning performance of different gender groups, relatively little effort has been devoted to scrutinising the learning…

In the digital age in which we live, one of the primary goals of education is to nurture individuals who are capable of thinking creatively, solving problems, and being innovative and productive. Computational thinking is an analytical process that requires defining problems and at the same time solving these problems by proceeding in creative…

This article concerns the synergy between science learning, understanding complexity, and computational thinking (CT), and their impact on near and far learning transfer. The potential relationship between computer-based model construction and knowledge transfer has yet to be explored. We studied middle school students who modeled systemic…

Self-efficacy and achievement goals represent two extensively researched motivational factors in education and have been related to numerous academic outcomes. However, little is known about how they relate to different types of problem-solving. Furthermore, while prior work has found these motivational factors are related, less work has examined…

Despite national curricula and instructional reforms calling for collaborative problem-solving skills (CPS), however, there is an absence of a theory-laden model showing how to effectively construct CPS for science learning. We therefore developed and validated a simulation-based CPS model that exploits its constructs, sequences, and causal…

The implementation of the value of life and integrity has been done in the teaching and learning process of science by moral problems in life that relate to biological issues and to train the students' capability in problem-solving. It stimulated the students' moral development involving logic, feeling, and behaviors deemed as right and wrong in…

A successful instructional method is to engage learners with exploratory problem-solving before providing explanations of the canonical solutions and foundational concepts. A key question is whether and what type of guidance will lead learners to explore more productively and how this guidance will affect subsequent learning and transfer. We…

Recently, potential effects of STEM activities on students in science education are among important research topics. Therefore, in this study, the effect of STEM activity practices on the scientific creativity of middle school students was investigated. The research sample consists of 98 (experimental group = 50 students, control group = 48…

Interdisciplinary approach is viewed as the best way to learn about and perceive complex scientific phenomena in the real world; therefore, students need to develop interdisciplinary habits of mind in K-12 science education. This article provided a framework for understanding middle school students' interdisciplinary competence that included four…