ABSTRACT. Natural history collections are a good source of primary biodiversity data because of their wide taxonomic and geographic coverage and their immense potential is widely acknowledged. It is also recognised that this data source is largely untapped due to inherent spatio-temporal unevenness. This study maps onto the Singapore urban/land-use planning areas, Singapore specimen records in the Zoological Reference Collections (ZRC) housed in the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) to elucidate spatial and temporal patterns within the collection and understand the potential of collection data in guiding local biodiversity research, exploration, and conservation management decisions. The Singapore records of the ZRC show spatio-temporal unevenness in geographical and temporal coverage, e.g., the largest number of ZRC records (>33,800 records) were collected from Singapore’s four nature reserves and some offshore islands. The ZRC as mapped in this study identifies biodiversity data gaps that can support designation of nature areas, and even potentially a second marine nature area in our western islands. This is the first comprehensive study on Singapore zoological specimen data.

ABSTRACT. Scientific knowledge is accumulated both through formal schooling and informal daily life experiences. Informal science learning (science popularization, after-school programmes, summer camps, science museum etc.) is often seen as an important means to cultivate citizens' scientific literacy. Previous studies have shown that informal science learning can improve students' interest in science learning and achievement in science This article systematically reviews the development of informal learning in science between 2003 and 2023. The research questions to be answered were (RQ1) What studies exist on the the forms and teaching methods of informal science learning; (RQ2) What are the effects of students' participation in informal science learning and (RQ3)How to ensure that informal science learning can be carried out effectively? A total of 254 relevant studies were found through systematic screening. This review points toward three main findings. The Science Museum is an important place for informal science learning, using cultural artefacts as a teaching strategy that can stimulate learners' imagination and passion for science and harmonize their social and scientific worlds. Additionally, students' participation in informal science learning can greatly increase their sense of scientific self-efficacy and interest in future careers as scientists, and students' academic performance can also be improved. Lastly, in informal learning, teachers often use technology to assist teaching. AR and VR are mainly used in science learning, mainly for learning abstract scientific knowledge.Several implications are provided for future research.

ABSTRACT. In a rapidly changing society, scientific literacy to solve the problem reasonably and participate in that process is increasingly emphasized. Primary students are asked to inquire macro-level issues that are less relevant to their daily life experiences, which results in confusion among students regarding how to act and behave. Therefore, there is a need to consider a different form of science education that consists of context at individual level, which gradually expands to local and global level. This study analyzed the changes of participation and action(P&A) in KSES of Korean primary students who take parts in the informal science program designed with context extending from individual to local and global level. 63 students from 5 and 6 grade Took pre-post survey for identifying the changes of categories of P&A using Korea’s Science Education Indicators(Hong et al., 2021). In addition, semi-structured interview was conducted with 39 students to characterize the changes in their daily perceptions and behaviors related to P&A. The findings are as follows: (1) The survey analysis shows that the context-expanding informal science program had positive impacts on ‘ Science Community Activities’, ‘Science Leadership, and ’Enjoying Science Culture’; (2) The interview analysis shows that primary students have been shown to experience more cognitive and affective changes than behavioral changes in their daily lives related to the topics they learn. ; (3) Depending on the level of context in which program class practiced, students’ perceptions and interests vary differently; and (4) Primary students mostly acted on the personal and local levels, and less often on the global level. The implications of this study were as follows: (1) How to personalize, localize, and globalize the science class can make a difference in how primary students participate and take action.; and (2) Effort are needed to move from cognitive and affective changes to behavioral P&A balanced.

ABSTRACT. Science teachers play a critical role in delivering science education polies. Their beliefs about effective science teaching significantly shape how they interpret and implement science curriculum in their real teaching situations. These beliefs are intricately influenced by the complex controls that are mainly due to the cultural contexts they belong to. Thus, science teachers can function as cultural indicators driving the differences across science classrooms. This study compares pedagogical beliefs regarding effective science teaching among expert science teachers in Japan and Thailand. To achieve this objective, we interviewed lower secondary school science teachers renowned for their expertise in inquiry-based science teaching in both countries. The content analysis revealed that science teachers in Japan and Thailand shared some beliefs, such as initiating science lessons with real-world situations related to scientific concepts students were about to learn. However, they differed in certain aspects guiding their science lesson designs. Japanese science teachers tended to more emphasize content knowledge when designing lessons, while Thai science teachers prioritized pedagogical strategies for science teaching. Japanese science teachers tended to closely align their pedagogical thinking and decision-making for science teaching with the national science curriculum (Top-down thinking). In contrast, Thai science teachers possibly focused more on the unique contexts of their schools and students (Bottom-up thinking). Also, this study found that the emerging variations across cultural boundaries possibly rooted in socio-cultural factors, including economic conditions, religious influences, and political dynamics. Therefore, this study suggests that supporting science teachers’ learning and professional development should be tailored to their specific needs, contexts, and circumstances, creating more personally meaningful and sustainable teacher growth.

ABSTRACT. Dialogical argumentation becomes an essential key to connecting and driving the learners to go beyond understanding and applying knowledge as a non-rigorous critiquing practice. It is distinguished from the commonly found structural argumentation that emphasizes investigating the components and procedure of argumentation. Meanwhile, a few purposeful dialogues to engage the learner with practicing dialogical argumentation were rarely found in the learning activity design, nor were professional reflective thoughts or feedback in the lesson plan developments focusing on collaborative inquiry. Therefore, this research aims to analyze the reflective thoughts about the design and development of dialogues that are used in STEM lessons throughout the professional development programmes of eighty teachers. Data were collected from participants’ worksheets and their reflections. Data were analyzed by inductive analysis to categorize the distinct functions of using dialogues in science and STEM learning. The findings reported that the six functions of using dialogues in science or STEM learning consist of constructing the common value between learners and teacher, saturating learners in the challenges, making equity in participating, creating the individual assessment, engaging the evidence in the learning process, and elevating the persuasion in negotiation. Furthermore, the reflective thoughts around using dialogues indicate the trajectory, which consists of three types: the connection between the two purposes of using dialogues; the dynamic path around collecting evidence for learning; and the drive of using dialogues to persuade, justify, or verify learning STEM. However, the majority of participants lacked confidence with misconceptions about using dialogues in active learning, which is the same as the questioning technique. That highlight would become important feedback to develop the further professional programme by gathering the nature of each practice and emphasizing teachers to understand and design the appropriate dialogues in active learning lessons effectively.

ABSTRACT. Although developing preservice science teachers’ (PSTs’) ability to enact responsive teaching is an important goal of science teacher preparation programs, science teacher educators have not yet developed a clear understanding of how and under what conditions PSTs develop this ability. In this case study, we used a mixed-methods triangulation design to examine how PSTs (n=11) learn to enact the core practice of eliciting and working with student thinking in a practice-based teaching intervention designed to improve their ability to enact responsive teaching. The teaching intervention provided PSTs with a unique opportunity to rehearse responsive teaching moves incrementally in specially designed, tightly constrained approximations of practice called mini-rehearsals. Specifically, we examined how PSTs’ ability to enact the focal core practice changed after the teaching intervention. We also examined PSTs’ views on the role of the mini-rehearsals in their learning. Multiple data sources included transcripts of microteaching videos recorded before and after the teaching intervention, interview transcripts, and reflective journals. Analysis of the data from the microteaching videos revealed that the PSTs improved their ability to enact the focal core practice. For example, the total number of words spoken by the PSTs on average in each turn decreased significantly from 89 words pre-intervention to 64 words post-intervention (p=0.021). There is also a statistically significant increase in the use of moves such as “Elicit other views” (p=0.026), “Recognise student ideas” (p=0.023), “Restate” (p=0.010), “Say more” (p=0.021) and “Add on” (p=0.038) moves. The PSTs found the mini-rehearsals useful for learning the focal core practice and reported two unique benefits of the mini-rehearsals. The study provided empirical evidence of the role of mini-rehearsals in developing PSTs’ ability to enact responsive teaching and identified some responsive teaching moves that PSTs may need more support and scaffolding to master. These findings have implications for the design of teacher education activities to prepare PSTs to enact responsive teaching.

ABSTRACT. To gain comprehension of specific teaching practises, the concept of reflection has been introduced. Reflective practises facilitate the construction and understanding of personal PCK (pPCK) through the concept of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). The goal of this self-study research was to examine how, as a new chemistry teacher, reflection affects my PCK development. These have been combined with the core reflection model to create my own reflection, which looks for my core values and principles. I gathered the data rom my personal journal, my chemistry teaching notes, and my post-class reflection. I looked deeply on reflection in my comprehension and advancement of my personal content knowledge with a critical friend. My current PCK has primarily been formed through practise reflection, with the understanding and evolution of my PCK occurring later in the after-class reflection alongside the core reflection. This makes me more conscious of the need to look for strategies to advance my PCK. The results indicated that I was able to own my PCK—uniqueness and distinction from others—through reflection in my chemistry class. Throughout my time as a teacher, I frequently collected various representations of the content knowledge in chemistry based on assessments, unintentional answers to my questions, and inquiries arising from student misconceptions. It demonstrated assessment, student, and PCK knowledge, but the post-class reflection and the central reflection have addressed my concerns. During my teaching, I regularly gathered different depictions of the chemistry content knowledge from assessments, accidental responses to my questions, and questions resulting from student misunderstandings. Connections between pPCK and core reflection are discussed.

ABSTRACT. Out of the 15 science teachers selected through purposive sampling at a high school in North - East of Thailand, this qualitative research aimed to investigate the following: 1) the level of self-efficacy of the in-service teachers in socio-scientific issue-based teaching, 2) the current teaching practices of the in-service science teachers in socio-scientific issue-based teaching, and 3) the relationship between self-efficacy and teaching practices in socio-scientific issue-based teaching. To achieve this, the study used the following instruments: questionnaires to assess the current situation of socio-scientific issue-based teaching practices and self-efficacy levels, and semi-structured interviews to evaluate the socio-scientific issue-based teaching practices and self-efficacy levels of the study group. The data obtained from the research was analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic inductive analysis. The results indicate that the self-efficacy level of the study group in socio-scientific issue-based teaching was moderate. While five out of the 15 science teachers claimed to use socio-scientific issue-based teaching in their science classrooms, their teaching practices failed to cover the entire socio-scientific issue-based teaching framework. The study also found a correlation between the self-efficacy level and teaching practice of the study group in socio-scientific issue-based teaching. The study concludes that it is critical to design a professional development program that focuses on enhancing self-efficacy and teaching practices in socio-scientific issue-based teaching.

ABSTRACT. The transition from classroom-based to online teaching during the pandemic has highlighted the issue of how equitable learning could be supported through digital platforms. What we found helpful in addressing this is the notion of translanguaging space as a site where learners can mobilize their linguistic and multimodal repertoires to make and communicate meaning. Only a few studies investigate the construction of translanguaging spaces in digital learning environments. This paper thus focuses on teachers’ pedagogical practices for creating such spaces in digital science learning materials for Grade 6 multilingual students from economically disadvantaged families. Our study is part of a larger design-based research project to develop curriculum materials suitable for remote learning via datacasting technology. Using multimodal analysis, we examined 10 lesson videos we produced to identify the linguistic and semiotic resources teachers draw as they perform different acts in the lesson. In other words, we examined how various modes, such as texts, audio, graphics, videos, and animations, were orchestrated as a multimodal ensemble for meaning-making. Some of the predominant translanguaging practices we discovered we employed across the development phase include bringing out everyday scenarios through images and animations to support knowledge construction; voicing characters in embedded narratives to animate learners’ identities and foster a sense of communal participation; using familiar images and relevant animations and videos when using English as the linguistic code; signaling shifts between “everyday experience” and “instructional” frames during the lesson flow; and thinking out loud in Filipino to model the disciplinary practice of crafting scientific explanations. The implications for developing science teaching and learning materials in digital platforms, especially for linguistically marginalized youth, will be discussed during the presentation.

ABSTRACT. This research has a One-Group Pretest-posttest experimental research design. This research aims to develop the ability to create scientific explanations through additional science courses that emphasize model-based learning. The study group consisted of 200 students studying 8th grade in a demonstration school under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation in Bangkok, Thailand. The study group was obtained from cluster sampling. The research tools consist of 1) Learning activity sets, including four learning units: 1) The nature of science, 2) Scientific models, 3) Human body System, and 4) Substances in daily life, totaling 40 hours as an experiment tool, and 2) scientific explanations ability test as a data collection tool—quantitative data analysis using descriptive statistics: mean, Standard deviation, percentage, and dependent t-test. The finding showed that students had a higher post-test score than pre-test score in every component of scientific exploration ability (p < 0.05). If each component is considered separately, the research results show that students have the most significant improvement in average scores for their ability to use supporting evidence. However, it was found that some students' average scores in scientific explanation ability were unchanged. The results of this research can be used as a guideline for teaching additional science subjects to develop students' science competency by taking them in parallel with basic science courses that aim to develop students' conceptual understanding.

ABSTRACT. Despite the emphasis on using a multidisciplinary STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Agri-Fisheries, and Mathematics) approach in teaching science in various countries, the Department of Education (DepEd) does not explicitly include engineering in Philippine basic education. This is even though there is an emerging argument in the community of science education researchers that emphasizes the need to engage learners in the engineering process. This study investigates non-STEM learners’ engagement in science and engineering practice and power relations in a design thinking-based instructional unit in physics. Engaging in design thinking collaboratively allows learners to participate in engineering practices within their sociocultural contexts, facilitated by interactions with peers. This research employed ethnography vis-à-vis discourse analysis to know how the learners engaged in the eight practices and how power is socially constructed inside the classroom through the multimodal interaction analysis (MIA). The research findings suggest that non-STEM did not manifest science and engineering skills as expected in the stipulations in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Interestingly, they used their sociocultural backgrounds as leverage to do their design solutions. The role of gender and academic status were seen as the main factors affecting the social interaction and power relations between the two groups.

ABSTRACT. Researchers and educators have stated that a primary objective of science education is to alter students' experiences outside of school, enabling them to have aesthetic experiences with the world that would otherwise be inaccessible to them. The goal of this study is to highlight the aesthetic experiences that students undergo as a result of participating in an educational program titled FAME, which incorporates out-of-school circumstances. Additionally, this study attempts to discuss the significance of these aesthetic experiences. FAME has four phases: 1) field introduction, 2) academy, 3) meet an expert, and 4) expand, with experiences utilizing out-of-school resources in phases 1 and 3. To accomplish these research goals, we conducted a qualitative research methodology. Classes were observed and video-recorded, and nine 10th graders were interviewed. Findings showed that students showed different kinds of emotion when they employed resources outside of school, met an expert, and anatomy experiments. These aesthetic experiences also changed how the students thought about biodiversity. We identified many contextual subjects that might give rise to aesthetic experiences in FAME classes. We propose that the transfer of scientific activity be facilitated in classrooms that integrate many contexts, where students utilize out-of-class factors in scientifically valuable and aesthetically relevant manners while developing and evaluating ideas.

ABSTRACT. In the context of biology education, misconceptions frequently originate from preconceived notions, incorrect analogies, oversimplified ideas from prior learning experiences or outdated information found in textbooks and media. The persistence of these misconceptions among students hampers the development and comprehension of accurate scientific concepts, but also presents a considerable challenge to educators, who may be unaware of their existence or origins. The research aims to identify and understand misconceptions in biology among high school students, and rectify these misconceptions through the implementation of interactive video lessons. The driving research question was “What is the impact of instructional interactive video on high school students' long-term retention and correction of misconceptions?”.

Constructivism has been used as the theoretical framework guiding the study. The study was conducted in five secondary level schools in Bhutan, employed a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental design, including pre-tests, interventions, post-tests, and post-retention tests. A 3-tier diagnostic test was employed to identify prevalent misconceptions, and the interactive video lessons are designed based on the pre-test results.

The findings indicate there is a statistical significance difference between the scores of pre-test and post-test (p<0.05) providing a positive impression of the interventions (interactive videos) in teaching abstract biological concepts such as photosynthesis, genes and chromosomes as a mean to minimize or eliminate the prevalence of high schools’ misconceptions in biology education. The study's implications extend beyond the classroom, potentially influencing curriculum development, teacher training, and educational policy. Successful integration of interactive videos as a corrective tool could revolutionize instructional strategies, contributing to a more solid foundation in biology education.

ABSTRACT. Although the term “inquiry” has several meanings in the context of science education, there are two major interpretations: “inquiry as ends,” which stands for instructional outcomes for parts of curricula, and “inquiry as means,” an instructional approach. In Japan, the term “process of inquiry” has been used in the Course of Study (CoS) for upper secondary school science since the 1960s. This study aims to clarify the meaning of “process of inquiry” in CoS for upper secondary school science. We analyzed two sets of data: i) CoS for upper secondary school science (1970-2018), and ii) literatures by science education researchers and curriculum developers in this period. First, “inquiry as ends” has been intended for students to learn doing inquiry in the context of science content (excluding epistemological understanding). We found that the “process of inquiry” was interpreted as “inquiry as means” and that its components would change to match the skills. There were three main emphases: acquiring 1) method(s) of science (1970-1990), 2) scientific thinking skills (1990-2010), and 3) competences (2018-). “Process of inquiry” was intended for students to learn science through: 1) method(s) of science based on the research process used by scientists, 2) research report writing and presentation, and 3) exchange of ideas and discussions along with collaboration with other students to validate ideas and solve problems. Second, in each of these emphases, Japanese science education researchers and curriculum developers have analyzed the “process of inquiry,” focusing on two aspects: a) the “process” that students used while doing inquiry, and b) scientific skills (1970-2010) and competencies (2018-) that students are expected to acquire. From a historical perspective, we argued that the “process of inquiry” has emphasized “process” as means when students focus on doing inquiry, and they mainly acquire skills and competencies. However, this “process” is not directly connected with acquiring scientific knowledge. This highlights the need to discuss what scientific knowledge should be taught by conducting the “process of inquiry” as means for achieving ends in Japan. The results of this study could help researchers and curriculum developers consider aspects of acquiring knowledge through inquiry as means.

ABSTRACT. As educators, we hold the expectation that our students will not only grasp but also retain the knowledge we impart. Yet, it is a common challenge to witness students easily forgetting even well-taught lessons. Why does this happen, and how can we mitigate the forgetfulness? Addressing these questions requires a deeper understanding of how students learn and the pivotal role memory plays in the learning process. Learning occurs when information moves from working memory to long-term memory, and when it can be retrieved from long-term memory when needed. However, this process is not automatic or easy. There are many factors that can affect how well information is encoded, stored, and retrieved in memory, such as prior knowledge, motivation, attention, emotion, and cognitive load. Over the course of approximately four years, we integrated frequent low-stakes retrieval quizzes (spaced retrieval practice) into our physics lessons. Students were given a quiz twice a month on average, which consisted of a varying number of multiple-choice questions between 10 to 30. The questions were selected from earlier topics systematically to ensure that concepts were spaced out and retrieval routes to and from the long-term memory were strengthened. We found out that students’ knowledge on previously learned material remained robust throughout (minimized forgetting), in-depth classroom discussions on conceptually difficult knowledge were abundant and students’ metacognition skills were enhanced. Students hailed this implementation at end-of-year feedbacks as successfully identifying their weak areas, which then helped them to strengthen those areas. In this presentation, we will share the crucial aspects of our implementation which resonated well with the findings from the science of learning. In addition to its effectiveness in students’ learning, we will also discuss challenges and limitations of this approach in STEM classrooms.

ABSTRACT. Many phenomena that are not fully perceptible to the human senses are explored experimentally and theoretically in physics classes. Digital technologies can help teachers teach physics and students learn by bridging the perception gap between the physical world and human experience. However, to effectively and didactically utilize digital technologies in the classroom, physics teachers must possess the digital competencies, encompassing knowledge, skills, and a positive attitude toward utilizing digital technology for instructional purposes. This research examined the current digital competencies of physics teachers. The lesson plans and video recordings of classroom instruction from three physics teachers in different schools are used for the analysis. The results indicate that teachers use digital technology in the classroom, including the use of virtual and augmented reality to teach physics. However, there is still a lack of utilization of digital technology as a tool for study physics processes, using applications to solve physics problems, employing virtual experiments for physics laboratories, and creating digital environments to model physics processes. This due to the fact teachers still lack the subject matter knowledge and technological proficiency to effectively integrate digital technology into physic instruction. It is necessary to develop or receive training in particular digital competencies in order to teach physics.

ABSTRACT. Secondary students’ perceptions of teachers’ questioning have not been clarified in the literature, but these perspectives are invaluable as they help to make sense of what students notice about teachers’ questioning and enhance teachers’ questioning skills. In this study, eight students from three schools in Xi’an City, aged 12 to 16, were interviewed individually with teaching episodes and student drawings used to elicit in-depth perspectives during those interviews. The findings indicated that students demonstrated sophisticated and thoughtful reflections on open and closed questions, on how teachers used questions differently in two types of classes, on scenario-based questions that asked them to think from the perspective of a scientist, and on other aspects of teacher questioning. The students expressed a preference for scenario-based questions and valued questioning that demonstrated teacher power and authority less and supported student engagement in knowledge construction. These findings have several important implications for teaching and learning and teachers’ professional development: for example, using students’ views to encourage teachers to think about scenario-based questions.

ABSTRACT. The deluge of misinformation, disinformation, and fake news online poses a direct threat to progress in STEM education, particularly in environmental science. In several regions of the world, this erosion of trust in scientists and their findings hinders crucial policy changes needed to combat climate change and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. To equip learners with critical thinking skills, an activity based on the Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy and Purpose (CRAAP) Test was designed for third- and fourth-year undergraduates at the National University of Singapore (NUS). This interactive workshop aimed to introduce a reliable framework for students to critically evaluate diverse online information sources, fostering their ability to select accurate and unbiased articles for their research needs. Through a three-stage activity involving evaluating actual environmental chemistry-related articles, responding to CRAAP-based questions, and hands-on practice, students demonstrated an improvement in their ability to assess information reliability. They scored higher on CRAAP evaluation tasks and showed improvement in choosing appropriate sources for specific research purposes. This activity suggests that the CRAAP Test can effectively equip students with crucial information literacy skills, not only for environmental science analysis but also for navigating the discerning information in other fields. Further research could explore adapting and implementing similar frameworks across diverse STEM disciplines to empower future generations of researchers and informed citizens in the era of information overload.

ABSTRACT. The revised 2023 Primary Science Syllabus in Singapore offers teachers and students a chance to reinvent science teaching and learning through carefully curated set of integrated resources. This set of resources include textbooks (TB), activity books (AB), teaching and learning guide (TLG), SPARKLE kits (SPK), students’ learning space (SLS), and young scientist badge (YSB) aims to enable students to be inspired to inquire so that they can innovate. While each resource has specific and static intrinsic characteristics and intended purposes, these characteristics and purposes take on different meanings when different teachers and students interact with the resources. Studies on curriculum adoption and impact of curriculum resources on teacher and students’ outcomes have been carried out in other education settings and in different disciplines. Findings from earlier research review that teachers value resources differently. Consequently, to better understand the relationship between use of resources, teachers’ practices, and students’ learning, the speakers in this symposium share their journey and insights from their involvement in designing, producing, and enacting, the 2023 primary science syllabus. In the first presentation, the team from CPDD/MOE shares the planning process involved in the 2023 primary science syllabus from a curriculum planning and implementation perspective. This is followed by a sharing by Dr Tan Poh Hiang and Dr Goh Su Fen (MOE/AST) on how primary science teachers can be empowered through professional development to embrace the changes in the 2023 syllabus. The third and fourth speakers, Mdm Jennifer Long and her team (Westwood Primary) and Mrs Elena Tan (Northshore Primary) will share how their science teams connect their familiar science teaching experiences to the revised 2023 syllabus.

ABSTRACT. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, our science literacy and technology course was administered within the online learning environment. Science literacy is an essential skill that requires students to obtain critical thinking toward the incorrect information such as the infodemics, a social phenomena during the pandemic situation. Studying the students' interaction without face-to-face communication always challenges our educators. Undoubtedly, the big amount of data can be harvested by the learning management system (LMS) as the main features of the past COVID-19 learning. In this study, students' ideas of infodemics were recorded and qualitative thematic analysis using the network analysis paradigm (thematic network analysis, TNA) was employed. The goal of the study was intended to extract the emerging topic of students' textual data about the infodemics and to distinguish those students' ideas among their respective majors. Textual data on a midterm week was gathered using an open-ended survey item from Fall Semester 2021 to Fall Semester 2022. A size of 279 students' written answers from four non-science departments (accounting, marketing, dance, and fashion) was analyzed using TNA through the Gephi software. Our TNA identified five unique topics of students' perspectives related to the infodemics phenomena. They encompassed information validity, scientific attitude, the characteristics of the infodemics, the importance of literacy competence, and social responsibility. It was evident that students' majors could be a potential factor influencing the extracted students' ideas. Based on the qualitative tradition, thematic analysis illuminates the latent entity of the participants' ideas based on the analyzed interaction between the coded data (verbatim). If our data is in textual form, our TNA thus can be approached to unpack this textual pattern without disregarding the nature of qualitative investigation. TNA protocol presented by this paper offers analytical alternatives of qualitative research methodology in a more robust, reliable, and reproducible way.

ABSTRACT. Goal and significance Previous studies (e.g., Nakano & Yamada, 2003) have pointed out that one of the reasons for the difficulty in understanding physical quantities is the difficulty in recognizing intensive quantities such as density and speed. Although previous studies have focused on the reasoning based on intensive quantities and their development (e.g., Fassoulopoulos et al., 2003; Howe et al., 2010), the details of the computational process and students' perceptions of intensive quantities have not been clarified. The purpose of this study was to clarify middle school students' conceptual understanding of intensive quantities. Methodology This study was based on a quantitative design. The questionnaire consisted of two short text questions (speed [km/h], and egg-laying frequency of birds [Pcs/day]) that required the calculation of two different values of intensities and the comparison of their magnitudes. The intention was to assess the conceptual understanding of intensive quantities by measuring the structural understanding of the unit, including the egg-laying frequency defined in the question, rather than just the speed often used in science. In the answers, we asked not only for simple calculations, but also for calculations in which the numerator and denominator were reversed, and for explanations of what was calculated. Responses to this questionnaire were received from 231 ninth graders. Findings and implication The percentage of correct answers to simple calculations was 90.1% for speed and 83.1% for egg-laying frequency. On the other hand, 45.9% of respondents were able to give an adequate explanation of what they had calculated in the speed and 51.1% in the egg-laying frequency. In addition, the percentage of correct answers to questions where the numerator and denominator were intentionally reversed was 89.2% for the speed and 53.7% for the egg-laying frequency. These results suggest that many students lack a structural understanding of units and have difficulty understanding the meaning even when they can do the calculations. It is difficult to generalise the results of this study. However, further research is called for, as it is suggestive to analyse the conceptual understanding of intensive quantities from the point of view of the structural understanding of the units.

ABSTRACT. Since 2013, The Chinese University of Hong Kong requires all undergraduate students to take a core-curriculum course, "In Dialogue with Nature", aimed at reflecting and learning on the human endeavour to understand and deal with nature through the reading and discussion of excerpts from classics of natural philosophy and science. The concepts and issues addressed during the discussion-based lessons naturally lead students to reflect on the various approaches to knowledge, with their scopes and limitations.

In this talk I present an ongoing investigation, based on a newly developed entry-exit questionnaire, aimed at probing and assessing changes in students' understanding of concepts and issues central to the Nature of Science. The questionnaire consists of 23 Likert-scale statements, each with a corresponding text box for explaining the Likert-scale choice, and 8 multiple choice questions. It is administered at the beginning and at the end of the term in order to track changes for each individual student.

The questionnaire has been designed on the basis of the Nature-Knowledge-Values framework (NKV). Such a framework is based on the reasonable heuristic assumption that all problems can be analysed comprehensively from the point of view of three fundamental aspects and their interplay: (1) people's beliefs or assumptions about nature (Nature), (2) human knowledge (Knowledge), and (3) human values (Values). The NKV framework has been used in order to avoid an arbitrary choice of NoS concepts and issues to be investigated and to increase comprehensiveness. The questionnaire, formulated and trialled by the author in the past two years, has currently evolved and has been adopted for a programme-wide assessment project.

Preliminary findings will be presented and their relevance for students' ability to more confidently and rationally navigate the challenges of "post-truth" situations will be discussed.

ABSTRACT. Understanding the nature of science (NOS) is crucial for achieving scientific literacy. Along with teachers, textbooks play a vital role in communicating NOS to students. A study was conducted to analyze how NOS aspects are represented in Thai high school biology textbooks and teacher manuals, using recommendations from the Consensus View and the Family Resemblance Approach (FRA). The study examined topics, content, illustrations, and learning activities to understand how NOS aspects are depicted and concurrently to make some judgements about the two approaches. The investigation of 11 books and research articles showed that elements from the Consensus view were included more frequently than those from the FRA view. Ultimately, the textbooks and instructor manuals reviewed mainly focused on the presentation of traditional science content not NOS nor are narratives regarding scientific discoveries presented. Additionally, there was no material in the teacher manuals explaining how to teach NOS. Most of the learning activities emphasized structured inquiry. Optimistically, many learning activities presented could be used to highlight different aspects of NOS, but teachers must make the NOS connections explicitly if students are to see the NOS elements. We found that areas like the subjectivity of science, limitations of its ability to answer all questions, and scientific ethos were generally underrepresented in the published materials. The study concludes that if NOS is to be communicated in Thai science classrooms, curriculum designers and textbook authors must explicitly include and address NOS elements. This is the first review of texts using both the Consensus and FRA recommendations, providing insights into the utility of each. We find that the FRA view seems less comprehensive than Consensus, as it fails to address some crucial aspects, such as the belief in a step-by-step scientific method, the significance of creativity in scientific research, the presence of subjectivity in science, the limitations of scientific inquiry, the provisional yet long-lasting nature of scientific knowledge, and the connection between science, technology, and engineering. Conversely, the Consensus view overlooks some social elements of science such as social utility, respecting the environment, freedom, decentralizing power, human needs, and equality of intellectual authority.

ABSTRACT. Understanding the nature of science (NOS) is a fundamental aspect of science reform standards and help guide topics on truth in science education. However, learning and teaching NOS remains challenging as teachers need more experience and training to facilitate NOS instruction. Research shows that learning about scientists can promote NOS understanding. Therefore, this ongoing phenomenological study explores the NOS views of seven (7) scientists with (dis)abilities(ScWDs)to enhance students’ NOS understanding. Also, this study aims to offer empowering perspectives about science, particularly for students with (dis)abilities(StWDs),and contribute to the limited scholarships on ScWDs. Understanding the ScWDs NOS views will challenge the belief of ableism in science through their stories. This study is guided by the research question: What are the NOS views of scientists with (dis)abilities? NOS tenants provide a conceptual framework that structures the study's methods, findings, and discussion. Participants have been engaging in three interviews. The first interview focuses on the life history of each participant as it pertains to their NOS views. Then, the second interview focuses on the descriptive experiences of participants as professionals. Finally, the third interview gains reflections on what participants shared about their views of NOS. Data analysis has been conducted to develop thick descriptions of participants’ views of NOS. The initial findings of this study suggest that the experiences of participants challenge the existing “figured worlds” of scientists and offer an empowering “truth” about science. For example, two ScWDs (i.e., one blind and one deaf) emphasize the importance of knowing what you do not know through science. Jacobs reiterated his mentor's words, “There’s no sin in being ignorant; the sin is to remain ignorant,” while Dennehy explained, “Science is always questioning what we know, and when we come up with better explanations because we have better tools… we revise our knowledge, and with a continual process, it never stops.” Findings draw students' attention to understanding that science aims to generate scientific knowledge that is tentative by considering new evidence. Implications for advancing NOS understanding within a post-truth era will be shared with conference attendees.

ABSTRACT. The goals of experiments in science education often include imparting content knowledge as well as procedural knowledge of working techniques. In addition, it is relevant for an overarching and authentic understanding of science to convey aspects of epistemic knowledge according to Kind and Osborne (2017). This combination of experimental work and the promotion of an understanding of NOS has so far only rarely or implicitly taken place in scientific learning environments. In this study, 7 pre-service science teachers in an university learning environment developed chemical experiments in which students are asked to explicitly reflect on various aspects of NOS and thus develop a deeper understanding of NOS. The pre-service science teachers used the two approaches Scientific Inquiry and History of Science and designed the chemical experiments based on reasoned decisions. These concepts as well as two test tasks, which evaluate the work process of the participants, were evaluated and analyzed in this study. Likewise, the learning process during the implementation was analyzed in a teaching-learning laboratory with pupils and this practical implementation was reflected on three different levels. The study was accompanied by three interviews of the pre-service science teachers, which show the development of the NOS understanding during the learning environment, as well as the decisions in the didactic conception and the problems and difficulties encountered. The results show that the participants succeed in explicitly-reflectively instructing NOS aspects in experiments. However, the epistemic NOS aspects are often confused with content knowledge and the focus on promoting NOS only succeeds in an extensive work and reflection process. In addition, it was possible to analyze which NOS aspects are preferred in a scientific inquiry and which in a history of science approach. The results of the students also show how the understanding of NOS changes during the practical implementation of the learning environments and whether the objectives of the pre-service science teachers have been achieved.

ABSTRACT. Over the past decade, there has been a shift in science, technology, engineering and math education, towards a competency-based learning. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) also includes a section on competency which shows the level of competency of students in different countries. The difficulty lies in the fact that teachers must adopt new perspectives. The objective of this research was to investigate the problems of proactive competency-based science instruction among teachers in 3 central provinces in Thailand. Questionnaires was administered to 310 primary and lower secondary teachers. Descriptive statistic and content analysis was used. The results indicated that the teachers had a moderate level of problems. The curriculum did not mention clearly about competency-based learning management. They were confused in determining learning objectives. Some teachers responded that their understanding of the science competency-based learning was not enough. In addition, the various educational contexts, the inability to engage students' attention through instruction, and the limitations of the current instruction system are some of the root causes of instruction issues. Ultimately, when teachers lack a clear understanding of how to construct learning management based on competency, they end up creating assessment and tools that are not accurate with the competencies of their students. Furthermore, measurement tools lack variation caused teachers worry about the PISA as a result. Therefore, it was not possible to determine which indicators are consistent with scientific competency. The research finding also suggested for developing understanding and competency-based instruction for science teachers. In order to attain long-term effectiveness, science educators ought to design appropriate guidelines for teacher development.

ABSTRACT. This paper reports the findings of a customized online Professional Development (PD) course to grow teacher professionals in a post-C19 world using the MCE Teaching and Learning Framework, informed by educational neuroscience research for a new generation of learners.

Entitled “Designing Quality Differentiated Learning Experiences for Every Student”, the aim of this customized MCE online PD course via Zoom platform is to challenge science and non-science teachers from an international school with campuses within and beyond Singapore to reflect and refine ways of designing quality differentiated learning experiences for every student in their respective subjects and classroom contexts.

To foster active collaboration among these 62 teacher participants with a focus on the big ideas of Differentiated Instruction (DI) and application of the principles of DI in lesson planning, the course was conducted on a sustained basis from 29 September to 10 November 2023 in three sequential learning segments: •Learning segment 1: An online Pre-PD session for 8 Team Leaders to equip them as discussion leaders in the zoom breakout-rooms during the Actual-PD session. •Learning segment 2: An online Actual-PD session for all 62 teacher participants on the why, what and how of DI for all subjects with a science exemplar based on the adapted 5E Instructional Model. •Learning segment 3: An online Post-PD session for 8 Team Leaders as a follow-on to the actual PD session to share key takeaways and identify common challenges.

Using an online course evaluation, qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analyzed. Results of the analysis showed promising gains by the teacher participants in both affective and cognitive domains after undergoing this customized online PD course. The sharing by the Team Leaders on common challenges will serve as useful inputs to design future follow-up PD course on Lesson Study as a collaborative action research PLC tool in strengthening the teachers’ DI practices for instructional excellence.

ABSTRACT. Preservice science teachers are required to participate in early field experiences, which are taken alongside the science methods course. The main objective of these early field experiences is to provide preservice science teachers with a practical understanding of inquiry teaching and learning and the school community. These early field experiences allow them to integrate educational theories with practical experience by observing the experienced science teachers in schools. This study examines how preservice science teachers observe and reflect on inquiry-based teaching and learning during their early field experiences. The study involves 21 preservice science teachers who visited schools as a team of three to observe experienced science teachers. Data collection methods included reflective journals, individual interviews, and group discussions, which were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that most preservice science teachers reflected on teaching strategies related to inquiry and science classroom management, respectively. The preservice science teachers learned to notice and interpret science teaching phenomena with their teams and group discussions, which included experienced teachers, science educators, and peers. These results indicate that collaboration among experienced teachers and science educators in early field experiences and a science methods course is advantageous for developing preservice science teachers' noticing and reflection on science teaching and learning, especially regarding inquiry. Furthermore, the collaborative discussions within the group, including experienced teachers, science educators, and peers, played a pivotal role in enhancing the preservice teachers' reflective practices. Through these interactions, preservice teachers observed and identified effective teaching strategies and actively engaged in dialogue to interpret and contextualize the underlying educational theories.

ABSTRACT. COVID-19 and climate change controversies highlight the need for a scientific literate public who can determine misinformation from information and use critical thinking skills to evaluate data driven claims. These skills need to be developed from an early age; this is reflected in recent changes to the Australian primary school science curriculums which has a greater focus on critical thinking, data usage and evaluation of information from a variety of sources. Thus, primary school science education represents an opportunity to begin to develop these critical capabilities. Drawing on the Grasp of Evidence Framework, this research aims to assess primary teachers’ understanding of evidentiary practices and scientific reasoning. Within the context of scientific inquiry, evidentiary practices involve the systematic examination, analysis, and interpretation of evidence to determine its quality, reliability, and relevance to claims. More specifically, our research examines how teachers currently use scientific evidence to teach evidentiary practices to their students within the different phases of the science inquiry approach. The proposed research has significant implications for the development of primary teachers’ instructional expertise in science.

Using a mixed methods approach, in-service teachers were recruited from ten Australian regional Catholic schools that represent a range of socio-economic backgrounds. Most participants were female and included upper and lower primary teachers. Teachers completed a survey which assessed participants’ evidentiary practices using Likert-scale items and short open-ended questions. The questions were aligned with the dimensions of the Grasp of Evidence Framework; the first section assessed teachers’ knowledge and understanding of how to critically evaluate scientific evidence; the second section examined how teachers teach primary students to critically evaluate evidence; in the third section we collected demographic data. The findings of this research will be presented and provide an overview of the results, including similarities and differences across the participants. This research will reveal an understanding of how primary science teachers use scientific evidence in the classroom, allowing in the second phase of this project, the development of professional learning materials to support teachers. Hence, this research will provide a contribution to science education theory.

ABSTRACT. This research compares the perceptions and teaching practices regarding active learning between expert and novice teachers. While varied in terms of conceptual understanding and skills for organizing active learning, common threads exist across different teaching dimensions. Active learning encompasses four key areas: physical, cognitive, emotional, and social engagement. A notable aspect is the diverse interpretation and application of active learning by teachers, influenced by their amalgamation of knowledge and pedagogical strategies. Data were collected from post-teaching logs, and lesson plan analyses. This was supplemented by semi-structured interviews with ten science teachers, divided into experts (n = 5) and novices (n = 5). Our analysis highlights a divergence in the observational focus between these groups. Experts prioritize thoughtful activity design, student accountability, addressing student challenges, and topic specificity, also providing a logical dissection of learned lessons. Conversely, novices tend to integrate technology more extensively in teaching methods than experts. This research establishes a foundation for future instructional design and support mechanisms for teachers in active learning. Enhancing teacher knowledge can improve the implementation of active learning, unlocking the full potential of experiential learning in science and other educational disciplines.

ABSTRACT. In university teacher education, the most critical aspect is introducing pre-service teachers to different methods of teaching science for learner conceptual understanding. Furthermore, universities in South Africa are still facing challenges in their science methodology modules, which hinders pre-service teachers’ exposure to diverse teaching methods to teach science topics. Successful science instruction requires teachers not only to possess solid content knowledge but also the ability to translate that knowledge into appropriate teaching approaches for specific topics. Thus, this study investigates the pedagogical orientations of Natural Sciences pre-service teachers at two South African universities. The term 'orientation' here denotes teachers' knowledge and beliefs regarding the teaching of science. Existing literature indicates that there are various classifications of pedagogical orientations, and there are two primary approaches: direct approaches (Direct Didactic and Direct Active modes) and an inquiry approach (Guided Inquiry and Open Discovery). A quantitative method was used to determine the pedagogical orientations of Natural Sciences pre-service teachers and a questionnaire was administered to one hundred and fourteen final-year undergraduate Natural Sciences pre-service teachers in the two universities to achieve the aim of the study. The questionnaire comprised ten items, and these items are referred to as the ‘Pedagogy of Science Teaching Test (POSTT). Each POSTT item portrays an authentic teaching scenario for a particular Natural Sciences topic. The POSTT scenarios presented four alternative teaching methods, and the pre-service teachers were expected to select the most appropriate choice. The findings of this study indicate that the Natural Sciences pre-service teachers’ most selected pedagogical orientation was Inquiry pedagogical orientation, aligning with Guided Inquiry and Open Discovery. A minority of pre-service teachers opted for a teacher-centred pedagogical orientation aligning with Direct Didactic and Direct Active.

ABSTRACT. It is critically important to use, interpret and construct representations appropriately in scientific practices as these enable us to develop and communicate scientific ideas. This ability, known as representational competence, has been discussed more than in the past two decades. However, research has yet to offer a detailed description of the observable features that may be of help to educators when assessing and developing representational competence in practice-related contexts in science education. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the features of representational competence from undergraduates’ constructed representations as they engaged in the epistemic practice of proposing, evaluating, legitimizing, and communicating new knowledge claims. Using an instrumental case study approach, 14 undergraduate physics students were recruited to investigate a physics phenomenon that explicitly required them to propose and test their claims of the phenomenon, and then present them to a scientifically literate audience. We conducted a multimodal analysis to analyse the disciplinary meanings from students constructed sequence of representations, and utterances to identify meanings that were critical in the development of their claims. The results showed that as students engaged in epistemic practices, representational competence was appropriately demonstrated when students constructed representations (availability) that provided access to critical meanings (accessibility), and then utilised them to construct new meanings that adequately fulfils the epistemic task (congruency). The representations constructed fulfilled relevant epistemic functions depending on the stage of epistemic practice. Based on the findings, we discussed that the availability, recognition, and utilisation of these critical meanings and the realisation of its epistemic function are important features of students’ demonstration of representational competence. The implication for educators is that these features can be treated as points of evaluation and guidance of students' use of representations towards constructing meanings that adequately fulfil the task.

ABSTRACT. Figures in science textbooks convey crucial information, examples, or explanations through visual and written modes of representation. While numerous studies have explored the types and distribution of representations in science textbooks, there remains a gap in understanding how each mode complements the other. In this research, we examined the roles of visual (e.g., images, and graphs) and written (e.g., captions and labels) representations in figures using an analytical framework we devised. Using this framework 355 figures from lower secondary school (Years 7-8) science textbooks from Singapore and South Korea, focusing on physics topics, were analysed. We found that in Singaporean textbooks, figures predominantly displayed realistic phenomena or examples. In contrast, Korean textbooks primarily juxtaposed phenomena with their visual models. However, in both regions, the most common role of written representation in figures in textbooks was to connect scientific phenomena and their relevant terms/concepts while another important role was to explain phenomena using captions/labels. Based on the findings, we discuss how visual and written representations in textbook figures complement one another, offering vital teaching and learning resources.

ABSTRACT. Particulate nature of matter is one of the most challenging models students encounter in secondary science and numerous studies have reported student learning difficulties in understanding and applying the particle nature of matter to explain phenomena such as thermal expansion and phase changes. While science concepts can be difficult and abstract for students, what may be overlooked is that the representations used to teach these concepts, in themselves, can also be abstract and difficult for students to understand. Thus, students may face learning difficulties from both the concepts in science as well as the representations used in science texts and during lessons to teach these concepts. This paper will illustrate how some common representations that students encounter in science texts and during lessons can inadvertently constrain understanding of the particulate nature of matter, and offers suggestions on how students can be better supported in understanding these representations. These include the use of transitional representations and the Image-to-Writing approach for students to engage with meaningful contexts for the construction of representations to develop a deeper understanding of the nature and use of models, the practices of science, as well as the concepts/phenomena involved.

ABSTRACT. The relationship between school resources and students’ achievements has been of interest to policy makers, educators, and parents alike. Traditional school resources include books, teachers’ expertise, physical environment, and class sizes. Despite the typical belief of a causal relationship between the availability of school resources and students’ achievements, Jencks et al. (1972) showed that conventional resources are weakly related to students’ performances. Deliberately adding more resources does not significantly improve students’ learning. Research findings have shown that curriculum materials and teachers’ knowledge, when used meaningfully during instructional actions will improve students’ learning (Leinhardt, Zigmond, & Cooley, 1981). Teaching should hence be understood as “activities that enable students to use materials, tasks, and other resources” well (Cohen, Raudenbush, & Ball, 2003). As such, Cohen, Raudenbush, and Ball (2003) argued for a need to probe teachers; and students’ interactions over specific content to offer finer clues to the role resources play in instruction. Building on the belief that curriculum resources are not self-acting, this symposium presents insights from research examining how teachers interact with the resources during instruction to enable students to understand the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are valued in primary science in schools. We view instruction as interactions between teachers-content, teachers-students, students-students, students-content, teachers-environment, and students-environment. The first presentation presents the primary science teachers’ perceptions of the usefulness and meaningfulness of the new integrated suite of resources related to the 2023 primary science syllabus. This first presentation sets the context for the second presentation which focuses on teachers’ design considerations in primary science. Five case studies of five teachers teaching primary 3 science are presented to illustrate the similarities and differences in pedagogical considerations and enactment of lessons. The third paper focuses on students’ perceptions as they reflect on their science learning experiences that are linked to the use of the integrated suite of resources. We draw parallels between what is valued by teachers and what is appreciated by students in primary science learning.

ABSTRACT. Microscale experiments provide an eco-friendly approach in addressing contemporary concerns surrounding environmental impact and the high expenses associated with traditional laboratory setup. By minimising chemical usage and waste production, these experiments offer a sustainable solution while providing a conducive learning environment for students to develop science process skills and conceptual understanding.

With an increased emphasis in the Science Curriculum Framework (MOE Curriculum Planning and Development Division, 2019) on cultivating students as inquirers, it becomes imperative for Chemistry education to foster the spirit of scientific inquiry among students. Employing an inquiry-based approach, these lessons provide invaluable opportunities for students to cultivate curiosity, ask probing questions, interpret information, and construct new understanding of Chemistry concepts. Scientific inquiry skills provide the structures and processes that can significantly enhance the learning and comprehension of Chemistry content. As students engage in more inquiry-driven learning experiences, they develop the capacity to refine questions, plan investigations, interpret gathered data, formulate cogent explanations and communicate scientific arguments.

At this symposium, educators from three secondary schools in Singapore will present their approaches using microscale experiments to enhance learners’ inquiry skills. The first presentation will demonstrate the integration of questioning pedagogy, employing the Predict-Explain-Observe-Explain (PEOE) strategy within microscale experiments to cultivate inquiry skills. In the second presentation, emphasis will be on nurturing inquiry skills through two levels of inquiry-based learning using microscale experiments. Lastly, the third presentation will explore developing inquiry skills through a guided-inquiry approach in authentic learning settings. Each presentation will cover experiment specifics, classroom implementation insights and classroom evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of these microscale experiments in meeting educational objectives.