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Rosalind Franklin and the Discovery of the Structure of DNA Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2021-01-15 Peng Dai, Cody Tyler Williams, Allison Michelle Witucki, David Wÿss Rudge
Issues associated with nature of science (NOS) have long been recognized as an essential component of scientific literacy. While consensus exists regarding the importance of an explicit reflective approach, precisely how to teach NOS remains elusive. The present study explores one particularly promising approach, namely the use of historical narratives. The purpose of the study was to examine whether
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Biological Conceptualization of Race Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2021-01-13 Jun-Ki Lee, Rahmi Qurota Aini, Yustika Sya’bandari, Ai Nurlaelasari Rusmana, Minsu Ha, Sein Shin
The conception of racial categories from a biological perspective is unconsciously embedded in the individual’s cognition. This is true even among university students majoring in biology and medicine. Even though students have never learned about “race” explicitly in formal biology class, they are highly likely to implicitly construct, and hold biological concepts of race. This study investigated how
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Students’ Views of Nature of Science Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2021-01-09 Hagop A. Yacoubian
Nature of science (NOS) is considered an important aspect of scientific literacy. Despite efforts in guiding school students to develop more adequate NOS views, little is known about the long-term retention of students’ post-intervention views. Retention of adequate NOS views is needed for functioning as scientifically literate citizens. Moreover, little is known about the long-term impacts of NOS
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Measuring Pupils’ Attitudes Towards Socioscientific Issues Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-11-26 Lida T. Klaver, Juliette H. Walma van der Molen
This paper presents the results of a large-scale study to validate a questionnaire that measures pupils’ attitudes towards socioscientific issues (the PASSI questionnaire). We define socioscientific issues (SSI) as those topics that are about complex societal and technological developments that may induce ethical dilemmas. In this study, the term attitudes describes a combination of attitude components
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Pre-Service Teachers’ Analysis of Claims About COVID-19 in an Online Course Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-11-25 Deniz Saribas, Ertan Çetinkaya
Along with the COVID-19 outbreak, which has been a global threat for public health, the unconfirmed information about the pandemic in circulation has become another threat. Hence, it has become important to improve public understanding of science with a focus on explaining the nature of uncertainty in science and its impacts. The goal of the present study was to explore pre-service teachers’ analysis
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Risk Society and Science Education Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-11-24 Maurício Pietrocola, Ernani Rodrigues, Filipe Bercot, Samuel Schnorr
The current COVID-19 pandemic raises reflection on the new roles of science education in citizen education in a world characterized by civilization risks, derived from the current socioeconomic development. This specific type of risk is treated as a manufactured risk as proposed by the sociologist Ulrich Beck. In this paper, we report a document analysis starting from Beck’s risk society theory, followed
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Investigating Conflation of Sex and Gender Language in Student Writing About Genetics Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-11-23 Molly A. M. Stuhlsatz, Zoë E. Buck Bracey, Brian M. Donovan
Conflation of sex and gender is implicated in the development of essentialist thinking, which has been linked to the justification of systems of prejudice in modern society. This exploratory study presents findings from a person randomized control trial conducted with 460 students in 8th–10th grade that investigated the extent to which students conflate sex and gender in their writing about genetics
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Providing Undergraduates with Opportunities to Explicitly Reflect on How News Articles Promote the Public (Mis)understanding of Science Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-11-20 Pablo Antonio Archila, Jorge Molina, Giovanna Danies, Anne-Marie Truscott de Mejía, Silvia Restrepo
A well-informed populace is vitally important for the proper functioning of democracy. Media news articles constitute an essential means by which the public comes into contact with scientific issues. However, not all of the scientific information presented in news articles is trustworthy or accurate. Naturally, the situation becomes more complicated because most university science departments spend
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From Basic to Humane Genomics Literacy Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-11-17 Brian M. Donovan, Monica Weindling, Dennis M. Lee
Genetic essentialism of race is the belief that racial groups have different underlying genetic essences which cause them to differ physically, cognitively, or behaviorally. Apparently, no published studies have explored if belief in genetic essentialism of race among adolescents differs after many weeks of formal instruction about different domains of genetics knowledge. Nor have any studies explored
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Development of the Inquiry-Based Science Teaching Efficacy Scale for Primary Teachers Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-11-12 Mehmet Aydeniz, Kader Bilican, Burcu Senler
Helping students at all grade levels to develop inquiry skills has been an ambitious goal that science educators have been pursuing for the last three decades. Yet, studies consistently report cases of failure from science classrooms with regard to inquiry-based teaching. The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument for measuring primary teachers’ self-efficacy to teach science through inquiry
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Using Explicit Teaching of Philosophy to Promote Understanding of the Nature of Science Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-11-09 Xiaoming Shi
Adopting an explicit and reflective approach to the teaching of the history and philosophy of science is useful in promoting high school students’ understanding of the nature of science. Whereas the history of science is usually signposted clearly in the school science curriculum, the philosophy of science is considered to be embedded in and integral to science education. This article argues that philosophical
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Behavioral Genetics, Population Genetics, and Genetic Essentialism Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-11-04 Alexandre Morin-Chassé
The paper presents an experimental study that examines the conditions required for news about behavioral genetics to activate genetic essentialism beliefs. Nine hundred sixty-five adults living in the USA were randomly assigned to read either a control news article or one of the three versions of a news story about behavioral genetics. The cautious version presents a general introduction to behavioral
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The Presentation of Science Practice in Twenty Historical Cases Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-10-30 Bing Wei, Yaqing Wang
The term “science practice” has drawn increasing attention in the current science education literature. In this study, the methodology of content analysis was adopted to examine the presentation of science practice in 20 historical cases compiled in a popular science book. Three aspects and eight categories of science practice constitute the analytical framework. As a result of the qualitative analysis
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Exploring Spatial Cognitive Process Among STEM Students and Its Role in STEM Education Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-10-30 Xiaoshan Li, Wenjing Wang
Spatial ability is a powerful systematic source of individual differences in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and technology (STEM). Abundant research has evidenced that psychometrically assessed spatial ability is a strong predictor of STEM achievement. However, its underlying cognitive process and relevant role in STEM education are unknown. From the perspective of cognitive neuroscience
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The Impact of Personal Moral Philosophies on the Safe Practice of Students in Chemistry and Related Majors Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-10-19 Xiaohong Ren, Xiaoyan Wang, Xinglong Jin, Mengting Li
Moral ethic prevails in the science and education of chemistry. These issues are unique to chemistry and arise from between the theoretical and the practical behavior in laboratory. The study reported in the paper investigated the impact of personal moral philosophies on the safety practices of students in chemistry and related majors. The results showed that lab anxiety, safety attitude, safety knowledge
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Using Anthropological Principles to Transform the Teaching of Human “Difference” and Genetic Variation in College Classrooms Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-10-15 Amelia R. Hubbard, Laurel A. Monnig
Exposure to information about genetics is at an all-time high, while a full understanding of the biocultural complexity of human difference is low. This paper demonstrates the value of an “anthropological approach” to enhance genetics education in biology, anthropology, and other related disciplines, when teaching about human differences such as race/ethnicity, sex/gender, and disability. As part of
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Talking Science Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-09-30 Yilmaz Soysal
The paper reports an empirical study that examined relationships between the implementation quality of an argument-based inquiry (ABI) approach, teachers’ talk moves, and students’ critical thinking. Students were taught using an ABI approach in which they had opportunities to engage in critical thinking. However, this instructional approach was handled by a variety of teachers with differing capacities
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Mediating Students’ Fixation with Grades in an Inquiry-Based Undergraduate Biology Course Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-09-29 Dayna Jean DeFeo, Trang C. Tran, Sarah Gerken
The paper analyzes focus group data to explore student perceptions of an inquiry-based undergraduate biology course. Though the course was designed to mimic the scientific process by incorporating uncertainty, peer review, and self-reflection, students came to class focused on getting As and with a developed schema for didactic instruction and passive learning. They perceived the autonomy and self-directedness
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The Present Shock and Time Re-appropriation in the Pandemic Era Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-09-25 Olivia Levrini, Paola Fantini, Eleonora Barelli, Laura Branchetti, Sara Satanassi, Giulia Tasquier
The crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic led most people all over the world to deal with a change in their perception and organization of time. This happened also, and mainly, within the educational institutions, where students and teachers had to rearrange their teaching/learning dynamics because of the forced education at a distance. In this paper, we present an exploratory qualitative study with
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Guiding Physics Teachers by Following in Galileo’s Footsteps Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-09-23 Maayan Schvartzer, Michael Elazar, Shulamit Kapon
Many physics learners take the specific mathematical representations they are using as part of their learning and doing physics for granted. The paper addresses this problem by highlighting two goals. The first is to show how a historical investigation from history of science can be transformed into a concrete lesson plan in physics, in a physics teacher education program. The second is to explore
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Beyond a Pragmatic Account of the Aesthetic in Science Education Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-09-23 Maurizio Toscano, John Quay
This paper argues that pragmatist philosophies and theories of science, education and art have dominated our understanding of aesthetics in science education in ways that overshadow other important and pertinent aspects of aesthetic experience. For all its strengths, a pragmatist account of science education and aesthetics remains vulnerable to a kind of instrumentalism that reduces the objects, practices
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Nature of Science and Nature of Scientists Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-09-16 Ashwin Mohan, Gregory J. Kelly
The past decade has seen multiple debates and discussions over the appropriate framing of Nature of Science (NOS) for science education. These debates have stemmed from a diversity of philosophical views on what science fundamentally is. In post-secondary STEM education, the goals of a science education rest in having students socialize into scientific STEM communities by engaging in research. In this
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What Knowledge is Worth Knowing? Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-09-12 Edith R. Dempster
The paper reports a study that used a Bernsteinian analysis in order to investigate the association between higher primary science curriculum and social equity in four contrasting socioeconomic contexts: British Columbia (Canada), Singapore, South Africa and Kenya. The official science curriculum of each jurisdiction was analysed in terms of strength of knowledge boundaries, selection and progression
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Conceptual Profile of Substance Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-09-12 Raúl Orduña Picón, Hannah Sevian, Eduardo F. Mortimer
Teachers face challenges when building the concept of substance with students because tensions of meanings emerge from students’ daily life and canonical ideas developed in classrooms. A powerful tool to address learning, pedagogical, and research challenges is the conceptual profile theory. According to this theory, people employ various ways of conceptualizing the world to signify experiences. Conceptual
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Challenges of designing and carrying out laboratory experiments about Newton's second law Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-09-12 Sangwoo Ha, Minchul Kim
Experiment is understood as a core activity in science education as well as science in general. Despite many efforts to improve science education in the laboratory, a cookbook style of verification experiments often dominate school science. In this study, we conducted an open laboratory activity that provided students with an opportunity to think about Newton’s second law reflectively. Specifically
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Between Education and Opinion-Making: Dialogue between Didactic/Didaktik Models from Science Education and Science Communication in the Times of a Pandemic. Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-09-09 Erik C Fooladi
The fields of science education and science communication are said to have developed as disparate fields of research and practice, operating based on somewhat different logics and premises about their audiences. As the two fields share many of the same goals, arguments have been made for a rapprochement between the two. Drawing inspiration from a historical debate between the scholars John Dewey and
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Causal Mapping as a Teaching Tool for Reflecting on Causation in Human Evolution Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-09-09 Susan Hanisch, Dustin Eirdosh
Teleological reasoning is viewed as a major hurdle to evolution education, and yet, eliciting, interpreting, and reflecting upon teleological language presents an arguably greater challenge to the evolution educator and researcher. This article argues that making explicit the role of behavior as a causal factor in the evolution of particular traits may prove productive in helping students to link their
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Balancing Emotion and Reason to Develop Critical Thinking About Popularized Neurosciences Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-09-07 François Lombard, Daniel K. Schneider, Marie Merminod, Laura Weiss
Bioscientific advances raise numerous new ethical dilemmas. Neuroscience research opens possibilities of tracing and even modifying human brain processes, such as decision-making, revenge, or pain control. Social media and science popularization challenge the boundaries between truth, fiction, and deliberate misinformation, calling for critical thinking (CT). Biology teachers often feel ill-equipped
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Measuring Belief in Genetic Determinism: A Psychometric Evaluation of the PUGGS Instrument Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-09-05 Robyn E. Tornabene, Gena C. Sbeglia, Ross H. Nehm
Belief in genetic determinism (BGD) has been associated with increased social stereotyping and prejudicial views and consequently is of significant concern to science educators. The Public Understanding and Attitudes towards Genetics and Genomics (PUGGS) instrument was developed to measure relationships among BGD, genetics knowledge, and demographic variables. PUGGS validity evidence has relied primarily
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Changing How We Teach Acid-Base Chemistry: A Proposal Grounded in Studies of the History and Nature of Science Education. Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-08-15 Maria Rut Jiménez-Liso,Luisa López-Banet,Justin Dillon
We propose explicit and implicit approaches for the teaching of acid-base chemistry based on research into the history and nature of science (NoS). To support these instructional proposals, we identify four rationales for students to understand acid-base processes: daily life, socio-scientific, curriculum, and history of science. The extensive bibliography on misconceptions at all educational levels
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Scientific Perspectivism in Secondary-School Chemistry Education Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-08-07 Ilse Landa, Hanna Westbroek, Fred Janssen, Jacqueline van Muijlwijk, Martijn Meeter
The importance of learning chemical ways of thinking is widely recognized. Various frameworks have been developed to address the essence of chemistry and chemical thinking. However, very few studies have focused on how chemical ways of thinking can be defined. To elaborate chemical ways of thinking, this paper draws on scientific perspectivism (Giere 2010; Wimsatt 2007; Thagard 2012). Scientific perspectivism
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Engineering Education as the Development of Critical Sociotechnical Literacy. Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-08-07 Veronica Cassone McGowan,Philip Bell
Recent policy documents position engineering as a way to broaden participation for students in STEM fields. However, a recent review of the literature on engineering education found that fewer than 1% of reviewed articles focused on issues of equity and broadening participation. For this reason, there are few frameworks to build on when designing for equitable engineering instruction in K-12 settings
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Nature of "STEM"?: Epistemic Underpinnings of Integrated Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in Education. Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-07-24 Sibel Erduran
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The Effect of Replicating Historical Scientific Apparatus on High School Students’ Attitudes Towards Science and Their Understanding of Nature of Science Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-07-23 Zeynep Neslihan Alisir, Serhat Irez
For many historians of science and science educators, the method of replicating historical scientific apparatus and experiments provides an avenue for science learning, promotes critical and independent thinking, and fosters a deeper understanding of the nature of scientific practice. This paper presents a research study where a group of high school students replicated various historical scientific
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Teaching the Nature of Science from a Philosophical Perspective Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-07-22 Yvonne Lampert
This paper draws attention to basic philosophical perspectives which are of theoretical and methodological interest for science education, general education and curriculum research. It focuses on potential contributions philosophy class can offer if philosophy education opens up for science and for a collaboration of teachers in the context of post-compulsory education. A central educational goal is
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Understanding Biological Evolution Through Computational Thinking Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-07-22 Dana Christensen; Doug Lombardi
Computational thinking is a contemporary science and engineering practice that has been introduced to the US science classrooms due to its emphasis in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). However, including computational thinking into science instruction may be challenging. Therefore, for biological evolution (an essential theory within biology that spans across temporal and organizational
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Comparing Crosscutting Practices in STEM Disciplines Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-07-21 Maria Develaki
In the literature, there are multiple definitions of integrated STEM education, resulting in ambiguity and uncertainty of application. A firm conception of integrated STEM education is needed to determine its content, procedures and epistemological knowledge, the latter being the focus of this article. While epistemological accounts exist for its several disciplines, an integrated STEM epistemology
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Trends, Issues and Possibilities for an Interdisciplinary STEM Curriculum Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-07-18 Victoria Millar
In the last decade, the term STEM has been increasingly picked up internationally and come to represent a solution to a range of issues. Within education, STEM is being translated as a curriculum organiser that has the possibility of engaging and retaining students and is interdisciplinary and skills focussed. This paper takes the STEM curriculum as its focus and investigates the influences that have
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Pre-service Teachers’ False Beliefs in Superstitions and Pseudosciences in Relation to Science and Technology Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-07-17 Miguel Ángel Fuertes-Prieto, Santiago Andrés-Sánchez, Diego Corrochano-Fernández, Carmen Urones-Jambrina, Mª Laura Delgado-Martín, Pablo Herrero-Teijón, Camilo Ruiz
In order to increase scientific competence within the general population, it is important that teachers and educators have a realistic image of science and scientists, leaving aside superstitions and pseudoscientific claims that could be transmitted to their students. A starting point in this strategy is to make a good diagnosis of the future teachers’ perceptions of science and technology. To this
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Science Education in the Light of COVID-19: The Contribution of History, Philosophy and Sociology of Science. Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-07-09 Michael J Reiss
In this position paper, I examine how the history, philosophy and sociology of science (HPS) can contribute to science education in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. I discuss shortcomings in the ways that history is often used in school science, and examine how knowledge of previous pandemics might help in teaching about COVID-19. I look at the potential of issues to do with measurement in the context
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The Nature of STEM Disciplines in the Science Education Standards Documents from the USA, Korea and Taiwan Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-07-07 Wonyong Park; Jen-Yi Wu; Sibel Erduran
Understanding the nature of science (NOS) has emerged as a core curricular goal since at least the 1960s. While science education reforms around the world have shed light on various epistemic and social underpinnings of science, how science curriculum documents portray the nature of other related disciplines such as mathematics and engineering has drawn little attention. Such lack of attention is surprising
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Exploring How Students Construct Collaborative Thought Experiments During Physics Problem-Solving Activities Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-06-18 Hartono Bancong; Jinwoong Song
Thought experiments are personal and tacit processes of experimentation that scientists perform within their own imagery in formulating new theories or refuting existing theories. However, by viewing learning as a social process, this study aims to show that thought experiments can also be constructed collaboratively and to present a detailed mechanism of how thought experiments occur as a collective
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Science Teachers’ Professional Development about Science Centers Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-06-17 Ece N. Eren-Şişman, Ceyhan Çiğdemoğlu, Uygar Kanlı, Fitnat Köseoğlu
The purpose of this study is twofold: first, to delve into professional development (PD) of science teachers’ views about nature of science (NOS) throughout activities linking NOS aspects to science centers (SCs), and second, to reveal how a science teacher uses NOS aspects while teaching in SCs. An instrumental qualitative case study method with different data sources was used. There were 18 elementary
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A Critique of “STEM” Education Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-06-12 William F. McComas; Stephen R. Burgin
While a mutually agreed-upon definition of STEM education remains elusive, there is no doubt that instructional models and ideas put forward with the STEM label have had a tremendous impact on thinking, debate, and practice in schools worldwide. At issue is the degree to which some or all the STEM disciplines must be taught in a concurrent or combined way, so curricula can qualify for the STEM education
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Indonesian Pre-service Biology Teachers’ and Biology Education Professors’ Views on Evolution Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-06-05 Rahmi Qurota Aini; Arif Rachmatullah; Muhammad Dika Harliadi; Minsu Ha
Indonesia is a religious country that values local wisdom and customs. Although the characteristics of the Indonesian people may provide novel insight into and distinguished views on the theory of evolution by natural selection, few studies have explored how Indonesians view the theory of biological evolution. Thus, this study aimed to examine the views on evolution of undergraduate students and their
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A Framework for Epistemological Discussion on Integrated STEM Education Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-06-02 Jairo Ortiz-Revilla; Agustín Adúriz-Bravo; Ileana M. Greca
In primary and secondary schools, the disciplines encompassed in “STEM”—Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics—have usually been studied as separate subjects, with little effort directed towards non-anecdotal integration. “Integrated STEM education” is one of the most recent interdisciplinary proposals and, under its umbrella, school disciplines are beginning to be integrated in an educationally
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S + T + M = E as a Convergent Model for the Nature of STEM Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-05-30 Candice M. Quinn; Joshua W. Reid; Grant E. Gardner
The paper provides a theoretical synthesis that addresses the multiple calls to consider the existence of an integrated nature of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). The nature of STEM (NOSTEM) has been advocated for as a way to promote effective STEM instruction in K-16 education and has been challenged as being non-existent. We propose a theoretical conceptualization of the
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Bringing Nuance to "the Science" in Public Policy and Science Understanding. Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-05-28 Sibel Erduran
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Inquiring into the Nature of STEM Problems Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-05-27 Jacob Pleasants
Around the world, there is a growing interest in integrated STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education. Many of the calls for integrated STEM emphasize the need for students to engage with complex STEM problems that cut across multiple fields. Yet there is a need to clarify the nature of those problems and differentiate STEM problems from those of different kinds. This conceptual
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Using Historical Scientific Controversies to Promote Undergraduates' Argumentation. Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-05-27 Pablo Antonio Archila,Jorge Molina,Anne-Marie Truscott de Mejía
The Covid-19 pandemic is the reason why humanity is paying more attention to the importance of regular and rigorous handwashing. Interestingly, in the nineteenth century, regular and rigorous handwashing was a key (and controversial) solution proposed by the Hungarian obstetrician Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis to cut drastically cases of puerperal fever. The purpose of this study was to provide evidence
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Philosophical Standpoints of Textbooks in Quantum Mechanics Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-05-25 Ashwin Krishnan Mohan
Quantum mechanics has proven to be a challenging subject for instructors to teach and conceptually difficult for students to understand. A major source of the difficulty is the lack of everyday experience that quantum mechanics can be related to and the change in thinking required in transitioning from deterministic classical mechanics to a probabilistic quantum theory. Philosophically, the transition
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Can Faraday's The Chemical History of a Candle Inform the Teaching of Experimentation? Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-05-25 Markus Emden; Mario Gerwig
Michael Faraday is considered one of the greatest science lecturers in history. He popularized the Christmas Lectures as a format of science communication that has survived until today in the Royal Institution of Great Britain. Especially, his Chemical History of a Candle has become a classic of science communication that has inspired numerous approaches to science teaching. Science educators have
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Teachers’ Conceptions about the Origin of Humans in the Context of Three Latin American Countries with Different Forms and Degrees of Secularism Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-05-22 Heslley Machado Silva; Eduardo Fleury Mortimer
In comparison to teachers from Argentina and Uruguay, Brazilian teachers face greater difficulties in teaching biological evolution, due to religion. While Argentina has an official religion set in its constitution, Uruguay and Brazil are considered secular countries. Despite being a self-proclaimed secular country, Brazil tolerates and encourages religious teaching in public schools. Acceptance of
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Does Social Constructionist Curricula Both Decrease Essentialist and Increase Nominalist Beliefs About Race? Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-05-11 John Tawa
Increasingly, educators in the biological and social sciences teach about the concept of race from a social constructionist perspective. Scholarship on race pedagogy suggests that to fully appreciate the complexity of race, students must be able to both deconstruct multiple false beliefs about the fixed nature of race (i.e., racial essentialism) and be able to articulate the sociopolitical development
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How Should We Select Conceptual Content for Biology High School Curricula? Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-05-02 Ítalo Nascimento de Carvalho; Charbel N. El-Hani; Nei Nunes-Neto
The excess of curriculum content is a well-known problem in high school biology. Some strategies to adjust the amount of content to the available classroom time have been proposed, but none has been widely accepted and applied. Furthermore, biology is frequently presented in high school not as an integrated science, but as a collection of unrelated sub-areas, say, zoology, botany, physiology, genetics
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Exploring the Inclusion of Nature of Science in Biology Curriculum and High-Stakes Assessments in Hong Kong Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-05-02 Kason Ka Ching Cheung
Nature of science (NOS) has become one of the major emphases in curriculum and assessment. This study explores what NOS is included and how this is achieved in the Hong Kong biology curriculum and 7-year high-stakes assessments. While conceptualizations of the official definition of NOS differ, this study employs the family resemblance approach (FRA) to analyze the inclusion of NOS in the curriculum
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Effect of Scientific Argumentation on the Development of Critical Thinking Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-05-02 Vetti Giri; M. U. Paily
The paper reports a study that focussed on investigating the effectiveness of Toulmin’s argument pattern (TAP) within Think-Read-Group-Share-Reflect (TRGSR) scientific argumentation strategy on higher secondary students’ critical thinking. A quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest-control group design was deployed. The subjects were 50 twelfth grade students. The experimental group was taught with TAP
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Exploring the Promises and Perils of Integrated STEM Through Disciplinary Practices and Epistemologies Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-04-18 Brandon M. Reynante; Megan E. Selbach-Allen; Daniel R. Pimentel
Growing interest in integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (iSTEM) education has been promoted as one way to increase innovation capacity, support future employment, and enhance learning outcomes in K-12 education throughout the USA. Existing efforts to construct iSTEM curricula have largely focused on finding points of integration among commonly shared disciplinary practices
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Supporting Elementary Teachers' Collective Inquiry into the “E” in STEM Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-04-14 Elaine Silva Mangiante; Kaitlin A. Gabriele-Black
In the USA context of the Next Generation Science Standards, elementary teachers face challenges in implementing engineering practices in their teaching due their lack of experience and training in engineering design. The paper reports about a multiple case study that examined one professional development approach to improve teachers’ understanding and implementation of the STEM discipline of engineering
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The Influence of PCK-Based NOS Teaching on Pre-service Science Teachers’ NOS Views Sci. Edu. (IF 1.266) Pub Date : 2020-04-08 Günkut Mesci
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK)–based nature of science (NOS) teaching on pre-service science teachers’ (PSTs) NOS views. The study is grounded by conceptual change and experiential learning theory. It is also framed by the teacher professional knowledge and skill (TPK&S) PCK model. This is an exploratory case study of PSTs’ developments
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