Literature suggests that "current characterizations of the terms procedural knowledge and conceptual knowledge are limiting and are, in fact, impediments to careful investigation of these constructs" (Star, 2005, p. 405). We examined secondary mathematics teachers' understanding of procedural and conceptual knowledge at superficial and…

Further analysis of the effectiveness of integrating project-based learning (PjBL) in Invertebrate Zoology courses to improve students' science process skills and conceptual understanding needs to be carried out. This research was aimed to analyze the integration of PjBL in the Invertebrate Zoology course on scientific process skills and…

This paper describes applying a new brain-based instructional approach called "Tailored Instructions and Engineered Delivery using Protocols" (TIED UP) in an engineering classroom. Brain-based strategies leverage our knowledge about the functioning of the human brain to deliver the course information effectively. Although brain-based…

This study aims to investigate the applicability and effectiveness of the peer instruction method on teaching the subject of acids and bases at the 12th-grade level. In addition, it aims to determine the effect of peer instruction on students' attitudes towards chemistry and in-class discussion, and to examine students' opinions regarding peer…

Background: While the effectiveness of tutoring-style videos has been reported in previous studies conducted in laboratories, how these types of videos facilitate students' learning experiences and achievement has not been much explored in prior studies, which prevents discussion on how to design such tutoring-style videos. Objectives: In this…

Most chemistry students struggle with interpreting and understanding NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectra and the general concepts of NMR spectroscopy. NMR spectroscopy seems to be difficult to both teach and learn. Therefore, the corresponding courses should be investigated in more detail. We conducted a survey with N = 39 German university…

The idea of "threshold concepts" has been used to identify discipline-based concepts that are critical to that academic area. Threshold concepts are often difficult for students to assimilate in a meaningful way but, once done, can be powerful for the learner. In general, threshold concepts are 1) transformative to learner thinking; 2)…

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…

Research on productive failure suggests that attempting to solve a problem prior to instruction facilitates conceptual understanding compared to receiving instruction prior to problem solving. The assumptions are that during the problem-solving phase, students activate their prior knowledge, become aware of their knowledge gaps, and discover deep…

Grade 8 students were given a task that had pairs of shapes that had been transformed (i.e., preimages and images). Students were to identify which of the three rigid transformations--reflections, rotations, or translations--were used to map the preimage to the image. Students were also asked to give a justification for their choice of…

The aim of this paper is to narrate a significant part of the experience of a professor over several semesters teaching fundamental ideas of the "Theory of Calculus." The narrative explains how his didactic and mathematical mentality evolved as he witnessed students' conceptual difficulties, as they were confronted with situations that…

Reading mathematical texts is closely related to the effort of the reader to understand its content; therefore, it is reasonable to consider such reading as a problem-solving activity. In this paper, the Principle of Mathematical Induction was given to secondary education students, and their effort to comprehend the text was examined in order to…

High school students' difficulties with quantum physics (QP) are partly due to their limited understanding of the nature of science (NOS). The essence of QP can only be understood with informed views about NOS aspects such as the role of models and the relevance of controversies between physicists. Inversely, QP is an ideal topic for teaching…

A good number of instructional strategies are identified to help students overcome their learning difficulties in the mole concept. However, Ghanaian senior high school students continue to have difficulties in the mole concept. Hence, there was the need to examine the perceived nature of learning the mole concept in the perspectives of male and…

Although the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS) have three dimensions, the crosscutting concepts are often the forgotten dimension. One reason teachers may not emphasize the crosscutting concepts might be because they are broad, domain-general constructs that can be difficult to conceptualize in a meaningful way. Yet, when taught…