[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Instructional labs: Improving traditions and new directions.] This paper presents a historical analysis of the development, implementation, research, and assessment of an evidence-based introductory algebra-based physics course. The course is laboratory based and taught with an inquiry-based…

Single slit diffraction is part of many high-school physics curricula throughout the world. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether high-school physics teachers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and North Macedonia are adequately prepared to discuss with their students about various aspects of the single slit diffraction pattern,…

The purpose of the study reported on here was to investigate the role of partnerships in helping in-service teachers overcome the difficulties associated with performing practical work prescribed in the Life Sciences Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), an educational policy intended to transform the South African school curriculum…

It is commonly accepted that learners gain better understanding of science concepts when they perform 'hands-on' experiments in the lab. However, the lack of lab infrastructure, particularly in most rural schools, negatively affects the teaching of science. With the increasing potential of ICT to education, virtual laboratories (VL) have emerged…

Achievement in primary school science courses has always been a field of interest by researchers in Turkey and other countries. For this reason, studies are conducted on science teaching at the primary school level. This study aimed to examine strengths and weaknesses of pre- and in-service primary teachers in science teaching. In addition, to…

This study is a descriptive study that adopts relational screening model with the aim of determining pre-service classroom teachers' opinions about laboratory use in science teaching their preferences among laboratory approaches and identifying the reasons of the answers given by the pre-service teachers. The sample of the study is 236 pre-service…

The development of scientifically literate citizens begins in the elementary school. Yet elementary school teachers are ill prepared to teach science (Trygstad, Smith, Banilower, Nelson, & Horizon Research, Inc., 2013). The research base on teacher preparation finds that programs designed to prepare elementary teachers are inadequate in…

In Germany, science education standards for students at the end of grade nine have been in existance since 2005. Some of these standards are dedicated to scientific inquiry (e.g. experimentation). They describe which abilities learners are expected to possess at the end of grade nine. In the USA, several documents describe standards for…

In Germany, science education standards for students at the end of grade nine have been in existence since 2005. Some of these standards are dedicated to scientific inquiry (e.g. experimentation). They describe which abilities learners are expected to possess at the end of grade nine. In the USA, several documents describe standards for…

Teachers' professional knowledge is assumed to be a key variable for effective teaching. As teacher education has the goal to enhance professional knowledge of current and future teachers, this knowledge should be described and assessed. Nevertheless, only a limited number of studies quantitatively measures physics teachers' professional…

Given the emphasis on community engagement in higher education, academic departments need to become more involved in the community. This paper discusses a number of outreach activities undertaken by the chemistry department at Rhodes University, South Africa. The activities range from service learning to community engagement with teachers and…

In this study our goal was to better understand the development of chemistry teachers who are involved in a continuous professional development (CPD) programme, focusing on using the inquiry approach in the chemistry classroom-laboratory, followed by protocols assembled in a portfolio that can be used to demonstrate evidence-based practice in…

The research reported here focuses on links between teachers' comprehension of the underlying physics and their development of educational strategies for classroom work during in-service training. It deals with the teaching of hydrostatics, a topic considered particularly interesting by teachers. Starting from the analysis of simple experiments…