This article discusses how abstract concepts in primary science can be tackled using interactive digital simulations, models, and analogies. The author provides information on simulations for physics; abstract space concepts; size and scale; distances; time; and weather. Interactive digital simulations are a way to help children visualise some of…

Chemistry is a difficult subject for many students. The content is challenging, and students often enter chemistry classes with preconceived ideas about chemical phenomena which may or may not align with scientific ideas (Gabel, 1999; Johnstone, 1991, 1993; Nakhleh, 1992). The purpose of this study was to understand high school students'…

Manipulative-based instructional sequences have proven to be successful with students with disabilities. However, instruction must not only support the acquisition of conceptual and procedural knowledge but also build on students' strengths. This article describes how teachers can use manipulative-based instructional sequences to support the…

There is growing evidence that the ability to perceive structure is essential for students' mathematical development. Looking at students' structure sense in basic numerical and patterning tasks seems promising for understanding how these tasks set the foundation for the development of later mathematical skills. Previous studies have shown how…

As students read scientific texts created in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools, they need to draw on their epistemic knowledge of GenAI as well as that of science. However, only a few research discussed multimodality as a methodological approach in characterising students' ideas of GenAI-science epistemic reading. This study…

In science, one of the most crucial representations for constructing meaning about physical events is graphs. The first graph students encounter in science class is the constant velocity motion graph. Therefore, examining students' understanding of structuring and interpreting these graphs for the relationship between distance, time, and velocity…

This paper attempts to address challenges identified by Michael Young and those arising from his writings on 'powerful knowledge' to gain a deeper insight into the relationship between everyday horizontal knowledge and disciplinary vertical knowledge as well as how we can approach it in a way that benefits pedagogy. The attempt includes the move…

In our ever-changing and complex world, we encounter difficult problems that demand sophisticated solutions. Critical thinking, a vital skill for modern survival, lies at the heart of higher education. It is what we should develop in students, arguably a concept that defines higher education. Critical thinking, however, is subject to wide…

Visual representations in molecular biology tend to follow a set of shared conventions for using certain shapes and symbols to convey information about the size and structure of nucleotides, genes, and chromosomes. Understanding how and why biologists use these conventions to represent DNA is a key part of visual literacy in molecular biology.…

Background: Performance in fraction word problems in primary school indicates that learners face challenges when working with fraction word problems, despite their frequent use of textbooks as learning materials. Aim: This article presents a comparative analysis of three commonly used Grade 6 mathematics textbooks, with the objective of evaluating…

Teaching to support students' sense-making is challenging. It requires continuous, context-dependent decision-making about which student ideas to pursue, when, how, and why. This paper presents a single case study of an experienced teacher, Nadine, as an illustrative case in order to provide a rich description of this teacher's decisional…

This study aimed to analyse how school health team professionals in geographical areas with a long tradition of neo-Nazi activism discursively conceptualise the problem of racism. The participants do not consider racism or neo-Nazi mobilisation to be a central problem at their schools. At the same time, they cited several examples of obvious…

The purpose of this study is to "meta"-analytically evaluate research that used chemical bonding-based interventions to improve academic performance. Through "meta"-analysis, the present study used several keyword patterns (e.g., chemical bonding, experimental, chemistry education, science education) via relevant databases…

Modeling is a core practice in science and is a meaningful way to learn the subject. This article introduces a modeling-based approach that highlights the idea that modeling is an iterative process and integrates the fundamental parts of scientists' work and key suggestions for teaching through modeling. The lesson "The Structure and Function…

Background: Prior research suggests that the teaching of abstract concepts can be enhanced by the use of concrete examples, but there are few controlled studies. Objective: To replicate key findings from experiment one from Rawson et al. (2015). Method: Experiment participants studied definitions of abstract concepts from psychology, either with…