Recently, there have been many calls for an increase in instruction on the nature of science (NOS) in schools (i.e. NRC, 1996; NGSS Lead States, 2013). These calls recognize the importance of this topic at all levels of science education, but there is little guidance in terms of how to address it effectively in curricula. Similarly, there have…

The support of academics, professionals, and researchers from the most diverse scientific areas to STEAM education is due to the strong impact it has on preparing citizens for a world of continuous scientific and technological development. Among its benefits, we highlight the improvement of critical, innovative, and creative thinking; the…

This study examined laboratory experiments and traditional lecturing as an introductory teaching method in physics. In this participatory action research study, a qualitative and quantitative method were used to examine the level of achievement and the levels of engagement of high school students in introductory physics. The qualitative data was…

This paper describes recent developments in Ireland to promote a greater interest in science among students in the 12-15 age group by means of practical work involving Inquiry Based Science Education (IBSE). The tasks, know as Investigations, are a component of the assessment of the subject Science which is studied as part of the Junior…

Hands-on activities with live organisms allow students to actively explore scientific investigation. Here, I present activities that combine guided inquiry with direct instruction and relate how nutrition affects the physiology and behavior of the common housefly. These experiments encourage student involvement in the formulation of experimental…

Motivated by computational analyses, we look at how teaching affects exploration and discovery. In Experiment 1, we investigated children's exploratory play after an adult pedagogically demonstrated a function of a toy, after an interrupted pedagogical demonstration, after a naive adult demonstrated the function, and at baseline. Preschoolers in…

This study investigated whether the level of instructional guidance affected student learning and science self-efficacy when nine- and ten- year old children learn to design unconfounded experiments using control of variable strategies (CVS). Specifically, the goal of this study was to replicate and extend prior research that examines the impact…

The authors investigated whether the amount of instructional guidance affects science learning and self-efficacy. Sixty 9- and 10-year-old children were randomly assigned to one of the following three instructional conditions: (a) guided instruction consisting of examples and student-generated explanations, (b) direct instruction consisting of a…

The purpose of this mixed-method study was to assess student perceptions of teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence, measured by the Community of Inquiry Scale (Arbaugh et al., 2008), through group collaboration via online and face-to-face instruction. Thirty-seven teacher education students participated in this…

This study investigated whether the use of "Spelling Through Morphographs" (Lessons 1-45) designed for grade 3-adult students could be effective when implemented in an above-average educational setting with grade 2 students. Using a cross-grade, longitudinal design, designed to provide a methodological foundation for addressing the acceleration of…