Purpose: The aim of this research is to determine the impact of hands-on science activities on preschool children's motivation for science. Design/Approach/Methods: The study group of the research, in which the quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest control group was used, consists of 25 children aged 60-72 months who are continuing their…

Scientific inquiry is an inquiry-based learning approach that emphasizes student investigation of research questions and the utilization of scientific methods to address those research questions. One such method is experimentation, which is viewed as an open-ended problem-solving process that is mostly perceived by students as a complex procedure.…

This case study examines students' perception, motivation, and learning gain of a teaching unit featuring wireless sensors as tools to collect scientific data in the classroom. Students analyze data using the corresponding cellphone app, communicate findings to the class, and learn about a changing environment. Wireless sensors are produced for…

In this study, we focused on students' intrinsic motivation towards practical work, more specifically the strength of predictors for intrinsic motivation. As a research tool, we used a modified Intrinsic Motivation Inventory supplemented by additional questions on attitudes towards physics. The respondents were more than 2000 Czech upper secondary…

It is generally agreed that making real-world connections in mathematics teaching increases students' motivation and interest and contributes to meaningful and permanent learning. In this paper we propose a simple and fast activity to find a rectangular hyperbola in real life and we show how to operate the data to retrieve a straight line. Since…

We propose an easy experiment that allows students to determine the speed of sound through a simple time-of-flight measurement using two smartphones. The concept of using the sensors in mobile phones for physics experiments has become a well-known option for science teachers. Since these devices are readily available to most students and teachers,…

Teaching blackbody radiation within the framework of astrophysics can motivate students to learn and obtain a more profound and qualitative understanding of the subject. In this paper we present a teaching module that intertwines teaching blackbody radiation via the continuous spectrum of hot objects, especially the stars. The module's approach…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many educators have been required to offer their courses online. A particular challenge is the implementation of practical laboratory experiments in the field of materials science. The central questions are the following: How can students carry out laboratory experiments at home? How are applications on mobile devices…

A semester-long research project for second-semester organic chemistry lab sections was developed. Student projects were based on preliminary data from faculty research that suggested the natural product neurolenin B to be a treatment for lymphatic filariasis. Students isolated neurolenins from the Central American plant "Neurolaena…

This research aimed to reveal the opinions of the university students who conducted original educational videos context for the experiments in the Biochemistry laboratory course. Participants were fourth year students (N=40) of the Mathematics and Science Education Department, in Chemistry Education Program. A case study was used and carried out…

This article describes a new competence-oriented teaching rationale for a science course, developed in Germany through close cooperation between teachers and researchers, that seeks to improve scientific literacy at upper-level secondary school (ages 15-17). Its aim is to help students become independent and competent experimenters by combining…

The concept of the centre of mass of a rigid body as a virtual point where the weight force acts is not easy to understand without a number of supporting school experiments. In school practice, however, experiments on this topic are often limited to a few of the simplest cases in which a simple flat body, such as a triangle or rectangle, is hung…

In this paper a sequence of nine, easy to manufacture optical black-box experiments with increasing levels of difficulty, and supportive frameworks for physics classes are introduced. They have been evaluated in a lower-secondary school at the end of optics lessons. A black-box is a kind of experimental task where the inner structure is not…

An inexpensive apparatus and associated experiments are described for studying the basic laws of reflection and refraction of light at an air-glass interface, and multiple internal reflections within a glass block. In order to motivate students and encourage their active participation, a novel technique is described for determining the refractive…

Experiments in different forms can certainly be suitable tools for increasing student interest in physics. However, educators continuously discuss which forms of experimenting (if any) are the most beneficial for these purposes. At the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Prague, two different forms of physics experiments are…