Browse Publications
Discover and manage thousands of titles across multiple genres, scientific journals, and classic literature.
A Theoretical Model for Measuring Upper Primary School Learners’ Scientific Reasoning Abilities in Science
By Tsedeke Abate
One agenda of science instruction in primary schools is to develop learners’ scientific reasoning abilities and to equip them with the necessary twenty-first-century skills. Few studies have been conducted to develop measurement tools that aspire to assess primary school learners’ scientific reasoning. Most of these studies lack a theoretical model backing the development of these assessment tools. This paper introduces the model for measuring scientific reasoning (MMSR) as a theoretical model for guiding the development of assessment tools in the context of measuring upper primary school learners’ scientific reasoning. We first conceptualise scientific reasoning using a review of the literature and then present evidence to justify and validate this model for use in measuring primary school learners’ scientific reasoning abilities. Furthermore, using research in history and philosophy of science and science education, the MMSR model supports the development of assessment tools measuring learners’ patterns of scientific reasoning and also considering the nature of science across different contextual settings. © 2024 Southern African Association for Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (SAARMSTE).
Improving secondary school students' epistemic beliefs about physics through dialogic practical work
By Ewonetu Bantie Belay
This study aimed to determine whether dialogic-practical work could improve students' epistemic beliefs about physics. A quasi-experimental pretest and post-test research design was applied on 91 secondary school students. Data was collected using a 30-item epistemic beliefs questionnaire. A statistically significant difference in epistemic beliefs was observed between dialogic-and recipe-based practical workgroups,t (76) = 5.83, p = .001, d = 1.32. This suggests that students who engage in dialogic-practical work develop better knowledge about physics than students who simply follow given recipes. The implementation of dialogic-practical work contributes to the development of students’ epistemic beliefs about physics. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd
Improving secondary school students physics achievement using reciprocal peer tutoring: A multi-level quasi-experimental study
By Mekbib Alemu
The purpose of this study was to test the best mix of reciprocal peer tutoring with direct teaching methods to improve students' achievement in secondary school physics teaching in content-focused and high-stake examination-oriented curriculum. Data was gathered from three equivalent grade-9 sections and assigned to three different intervention groups in pre-test post-test multi-level quasi-experimental design. The three groups used reciprocal peer tutoring once a week (N=46), twice a week (N=46) and three lessons in a week (N=51) for 9 weeks in two physics units. Results were that reciprocal peer tutoring helped in improving physics achievement of secondary school students (R2=0.316) in favour of low achieving (P=0.001) and female students (P=0.038) when it is used as a unilateral pedagogy. The conclusion is that reciprocal peer tutoring used as a unitary classroom pedagogy helped all students and differentially less able and female secondary school students to enhance their physics achievement to some extent without negatively impacting their learning. Further replication research with a comparison group was recommended to find a conclusive evidence if the observed failure of mixing pedagogy persists. © 2020 by the authors.
© 2026 AERD Database System. All Rights Reserved. Developed by Strategic Technologies.