This article revisits and expands upon a previous phenomenographic study characterising the qualitatively different ways in which South African undergraduate physics students may experience the use of +/- signs in one-dimensional kinematics (1DK). We find the original categorisation as applicable for interpreting Swedish university-level students'…

Ample research exists on barriers to the use of computers as a form of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in teaching. The most common barrier reported to prevent teachers from using computers in teaching is the lack of resources. However when resources are available, ICTs are still often not effectively integrated into teaching.…

Students' approaches to learning have a significant impact on the outcomes of any educational programme. In the light of the documented concerns about the quality of students' engagement with academic work, this study sets out to determine and explain preservice teachers' (PSTs) approaches to learning. This was based on the premise that, while…

This study compares the scientific and alternative conceptions of energy and momentum of university first-year science students in Ethiopia and the US. Written data were collected using the Energy and Momentum Conceptual Survey developed by Singh and Rosengrant. The Concentration Analysis statistical method was used for analysing the Ethiopian…

This case study explored the development of two pre-service teachers' subject matter knowledge (SMK) of electromagnetism while integrating the use of concept maps (CM) and collaborative learning (CL) strategies. The study aimed at capturing how these pre-service teachers' SMK in electromagnetism was enhanced after having been taught SMK in a…

Twenty-nine Zulu-speaking primary school teachers were enrolled for a certificate in-service science education course. Initially, informal classroom discussions with these teachers pointed out poor conceptual knowledge in basic astronomy. This study investigated teachers' scientific and indigenous conceptions of the Earth-Moon-Sun (E-M-S) system,…