Models and modeling are core elements of scientific methods and consequently also are of key importance for the conception and teaching of scientific methodology. The epistemology of models and its transfer and adaption to nature of science education are not, however, simple themes. We present some conceptual units in which school science models…

There is widespread agreement that an adequate understanding of the nature of science (NOS) is a critical component of scientific literacy and a major goal in science education. However, we still do not know many specific details regarding how students and teachers learn particular aspects of NOS and what are the most important feature traits of…

Internationally, learning science through investigation is promoted as a preferred pedagogical approach. Research presented takes a view that such learning depends on how teachers understand science investigation. Teachers' understanding of science investigation was an aspect of an interpretive case study of the phenomenon of science investigation…

One hundred years after its conception, the scientific method continues to reinforce a kind of cultural lore about what it means to participate in inquiry. As commonly implemented in venues ranging from middle school classrooms to undergraduate laboratories, it emphasizes the testing of predictions rather than ideas, focuses learners on material…

"Approaches and Strategies in Next Generation Science Learning" examines the challenges involved in the development of modern curriculum models, teaching strategies, and assessments in science education in order to prepare future students in the 21st century economies. This comprehensive collection of research brings together science educators,…

Inquiry-based science instruction has been advocated for decades. However, the implementation of inquiry teaching and learning in everyday classrooms is rather limited due to various factors. Previous research investigated implementations of inquiry-based teaching at the activity level with self-reported methods. However, little is known about how…

Background: The results of international studies have concluded the low level of science literacy in natural science subjects of Slovak students. These studies also showed that this state can be positively influenced by various innovations, which are implemented into the teaching process of above-mentioned subjects. Purpose: The aim of this study…

The reform documents of the 1990s stressed that science is not practiced by a rigid scientific method, but science texts continue to describe the process as if it were rigid and linear. The purpose of this investigation was twofold: (a) to explore middle school in-service teachers' perceptions of scientific methodology and (b) to explore ways in…

With a focus on the use of language related to scientific inquiry, this paper explores how 12 secondary school science teachers describe instances of students' practical work in their science classes. The purpose of the study was to shed light on the culture and traditions of secondary school science teaching related to inquiry as expressed in the…

Analogies are useful tools for teaching difficult scientific concepts and clearing up learners' misconceptions. However, if not properly used, they can lead to further misconceptions. More importantly, little is known about how science teachers use analogies in Nigerian classrooms. This study assessed science teachers' use of analogies by…

Inquiry-based instruction has been promoted worldwide to achieve scientific literacy among citizens. This kind of reform-based instruction requires science teachers to have specialized knowledge called pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching science, which includes a set of knowledge and beliefs. Orientations to teaching science are…

The adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) has brought with it a need for classroom assessments that measure students' ability to make sense of, explain, and use science, with many of the performance expectations asking students to apply scientific principles and evidence to produce an explanation. But creating coherent written…

In this paper we explore the views and opinions of four secondary education science teachers regarding the teaching of scientific competences. Their views were gathered in the context of a training programme in which they had to design, implement, and assess their own teaching unit for developing students' scientific competences by means of…

Designed to provide teachers with new knowledge about the goals of science instruction and practical recommendations for instructional practice, this first of a three part series of guidebooks specifically focuses on the topic of scientific literacy. The major objective of this guide is to introduce teachers to a working definition of scientific…

The aim of the study is to analyse teachers' efforts to develop secondary school students' knowledge and argumentation skills of what constitutes scientific theories. The analysis is based on Leontiev's three-level structure of activity (activity, action, and operation), as these levels correspond to the questions why, what, and how content is…