In this study, science trade books from the libraries of 10 elementary schools across the United States were evaluated using a science trade book evaluation rubric for their overall quality pertaining to science content, literacy, and critical literacy criteria. Findings indicate that 62% of the books met the overall science content criterion, 99%…

Vaping (the use of an e-cigarette) is a common practice among teenagers; 26.7% of high school students report vaping in the last 30 days (Johnston, Miech, O'Malley, Bachman, Schulenberg, and Patrick 2019), making this issue highly relevant. In order to make an informed decision about the use of e-cigarettes, students need to understand the impacts…

Green Tycoon is a free-of-charge game-based mobile application that embraces a systems thinking approach to introducing students to a biorefining process model within green chemistry. Players adopt the role of a manager in a chemical factory, synthesizing the fictional compound, Yorkanone. Through upgrading the system and engaging with the…

This paper reports findings from a small study with Fijian pre-service teachers about their perceptions of science and scientists. No known study of this nature has been conducted in Fiji nor in other Pacific Island Countries. The study drew on previous studies using Draw-A-Scientist Test as well as critiques of the instrument using qualitative…

Recent reforms in science education emphasize having students develop and refine core disciplinary ideas through participation in science knowledge--building practices. Supporting students' meaningful participation in these practices is challenging, in part because our understanding of how this kind of participation develops is underexplored. This…

Newton's law of universal gravitation underpins our understanding of the dynamics of the Solar System and of a good portion of the observable universe. Generally, in the classroom or in textbooks, the law is presented initially in a qualitative way and at some point during the exposition its mathematical formulation is written on the blackboard…

Charging a capacitor with a photovoltaic module is an experiment which reveals a lot about the modules characteristics. It is customary to represent these characteristics with an equivalent circuit whose elements represent its physical parameters. The behavior of a photovoltaic module is very similar to that of a single cell but the electric…

The aim of this paper is to investigate the stability of a bottle filled with different volumes of water, and to determine the angle at which it topples over for each volume of water. Data for the angle at which the bottle toppled were gathered experimentally using a cylindrical 1 litre bottle, and two theoretical models were then developed,…

The understanding of measurement is related to the understanding of the nature of science--one of the main goals of current international science teaching at all levels of education. This case study explores how a first-year university physics course deals with measurement uncertainties in the light of an epistemological analysis of measurement.…

The "domain-coloring algorithm" allows us to visualize complex-valued functions on the plane in a single image--an alternative to before-and-after mapping diagrams. It helps us see when a function is analytic and aids in understanding contour integrals. The culmination of this article is a visual discovery and subsequent proof of the…

Inorganic polymers can be introduced in a variety of undergraduate courses to discuss concepts related to polymer chemistry. Inorganic polymers such as silicates and polysiloxanes are simple materials that can be incorporated into an introductory or descriptive inorganic course. Polymers based on inorganic carbon, including diamond and graphite,…

Two experiments are described which lead to the preparation of dimethyl fumarate, a compound currently used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. Preparation of a compound with "real-world" applications is believed to increase student interest in the experiment. One experiment involves the isomerization of dimethyl maleate to the…

Understanding Nature of Science (NOS) is a central component of scientific literacy, which is agreed upon internationally, and consequently has been a major educational goal for many years all over the globe. In order to justify the promotion of an adequate understanding of NOS, educators have developed several arguments, among them the cultural…

The aim of the present research was to explore the effect of the Common Knowledge Construction Model (CKCM)- oriented education on sixth grade students' views on the Nature of Science (NOS) and to compare it with the existing learning model (5Es learning model). The research was conducted with a total of 76 students (38 by 38--for experimental and…

In this paper we present a novel way to demonstrate the Hall effect and study some of its main properties using basic materials and easily obtainable measuring devices.