It is a widely held view that students' epistemic beliefs influence the way they think and learn in a given context, however, in the science learning context, the relationship between sophisticated epistemic beliefs and success in scientific practice is sometimes ambiguous. Taking this inconsistency as a point of departure, we examined the…

Recent research on achievement in science asserts that motivation, emotion, and metacognition are important driving forces for learning. This study sought to examine the relationships between two physics class emotions (hope and anxiety), their motivational predictors (instrumentality and self-efficacy), and their effects on metacognitive problem…

Students at the junior high school (JHS) level often cannot use their knowledge of physics for explaining and predicting phenomena. We claim that this difficulty stems from the fact that explanations are multi-step reasoning tasks, and students often lack the qualitative problem-solving strategies needed to guide them. This article describes a new…

This study investigated seventh grade learners' decision making about genetic engineering concepts and applications. A social network analyses supported by technology tracked changes in student understanding with a focus on social and conceptual influences. Results indicated that several social and conceptual mechanisms potentially affected how…

Investigated were student problem-solving strategies in an attempt to develop a model of student performance. The problem-solving strategies used by 30 high school students were analyzed. Suggestions for improved instruction in solving genetics problems are provided. (CW)

Investigated effects of teaching an explicit approach to problem solving on the mathematical chemistry achievement of preparatory college students (with a control group being taught dimensional analysis as its problem-solving strategy). No difference in cumulative achievement between the groups was found. Interpretations of the results obtained…

Compares expert-/novice-based problem-solving behaviors with a Geographic Information Systems program. Uses naturalistic methods to analyze problem-solving strategies for occurrence of thematic elements. Reports that experts relied on logical formulations to query the database while novices used trial-and-error methods and midlevel cognitive…

Presents a study involving students (n=46) enrolled in an introductory physics course designed to describe and understand students' experimenting and problem-solving strategies in a constructivist learning environment. Concludes that students should be provided with problem-rich learning environments in which they learn to investigate phenomena of…

Examines ways in which students collaborate to construct, use, and revise conceptual and strategic knowledge as they solve complex genetics problems. Concludes that students used three types of knowledge during model revision: knowledge of genetics, knowledge of the process of model revision, and knowledge of their own problem-solving strategies…

Investigates the relationship of locus-of-control orientation and task structure to the science problem-solving performance of 100 same-sex, sixth-grade student pairs. Some overall conclusions were that there was no relationship between locus-of-control orientation and effectiveness of problem-solving strategy. Internality was significantly…

A model of expertise in chemistry problem solving was tested on undergraduate science majors enrolled in a chemistry course. The model was based on Anderson's "Adaptive Control of Thought-Rational" (ACT-R) theory. The model shows how conceptualization, self-efficacy, and strategy interact and contribute to the successful solution of quantitative,…

Assesses students' learning of evolution by natural selection within four different sections of an introductory biology course where each section used a different combination of curricular materials and instruction. Reports that comparisons between sections support the use of paired problem-solving instructional strategy in conjunction with the…

Discusses the use of analogies and other instructional strategies (problem solving, demonstration, group labs, and large group discussion) in dealing with students' preconceptions in physics. (PR)

Reports on a study intended to determine the science education research interests of elementary teachers and to examine the data according to certain demographic variables. Results indicate that hands-on experience, science content, cognitive development and learning styles, problem solving, and teaching strategies were the top five research…

There is growing recognition in the education community that the problem-solving practices that comprise computational thinking (CT) are a fundamental component of both life and work in the twenty-first century. Historically, opportunities to learn CT have been confined to computer science (CS) and elective courses that lack racial, ethnic, and…