Teacher education needs to combine training in content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). One important part of PCK in science education is knowledge about school science practical work to promote learning by scientific inquiry and about the nature of science. In Germany, practical seminars and lab sessions…

This study focused on inquiring into undergraduate chemistry professors' efforts in North America to increase student motivation and interest in the subject and the feasibility of methods that connect students to real world applications and societal issues related to chemistry. A survey was distributed to chemistry instructors at post-secondary…

This study focused on determining the elements of mental models of atomic structure and views on visual representations of models of atomic structure in two sub-cohorts of student teachers studying at a university in Turkey. In total, 141 student teachers participated in this study. In the first cohort, the focus was on 73 freshman science student…

This study shows how students can learn about green and sustainable chemistry by using the knowledge perspective of a local indigenous culture as a starting point. This learning approach encourages students to learn chemistry by connecting culture with learning about green chemistry. The cultural context selects the use of a phytochemical agent…

Indigenous science is comprised of the science-related knowledge and associated practices of indigenous cultures. Indigenous science provides rich contexts that can contribute to understanding the relationship of sociocultural life and environmental ethics in certain communities. It can also lead to better reflection upon Western modern views of…

This paper discusses beliefs about teaching and learning chemistry. The sample includes chemistry student teachers and in-service teachers from Jordan, Turkey, and Germany. Two test instruments were used to investigate (student) teachers' beliefs. A qualitative instrument was used to explore Beliefs about Classroom Organization, Beliefs about…

This paper presents a cross-level study of German student teachers' beliefs about teaching and learning chemistry. It covers different stages of their teacher training program. The study is based upon drawings of teaching situations, which were analyzed using an evaluation pattern developed using grounded theory. The qualitative scales analyze…

This paper describes beliefs held about teaching and learning chemistry by Turkish teachers and student-teachers. The study investigated different aspects of pre-service and in-service teachers' belief structures. Part of the study examined teachers' overall beliefs, based on participants' drawings of classroom situations. A qualitative evaluation…

This paper presents a case study examining the current controversial issue of palm oil production for manufacturing biodiesel in Indonesia. The study looks at how this issue was used as a context to teach chemistry at the undergraduate level. The lesson unit promotes general educational skills, which students need to develop in order to become…

This paper summarizes the work and conclusions of a working group established by the European Chemistry Thematic Network (ECTN). The aim of the working group was to identify potential areas for innovative approaches to the teaching and learning of chemistry in Higher Education, and to survey good practice throughout the EU. The paper starts by…

The aim of this case study was to explore students' application of chemical concepts and their use of arguments in an educational research framework to incorporate and reconstruct indigenous science in chemistry education. This framework fosters education for sustainable development (ESD) in chemistry learning by integrating intercultural and…

After the collapse of the former Soviet Union, many Central and Eastern European countries underwent significant change in their political and educational systems, among them Georgia and Moldova. Reforms in education sought to overcome the highly centralized educational system of the former Soviet Union as well as to conquer the teacher-centred…

This paper examines quantitative differences among groups of first-year science education students regarding student- or teacher-centeredness while teaching. Our research sample comprised four groups of first-year students from university-level teacher-training programs for both primary school science and for secondary school in the subjects of…