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Scientific imagination plays an important role in learning science. The ways students interact with the learning activities in different classroom contexts can reflect their learning abilities. This research aimed to promote scientific imagination of lower secondary school students using a science learning activities package. The participants were four science teachers and 153 lower secondary school students with five different classroom contexts in Bangkok, Chaiyaphum, Phayao, and Lop Buri provinces of Thailand. The data were analyzed quantitatively using mean, standard deviation and Cohen's d effect size and qualitatively using content analysis considering the contexts of each classroom.

The classroom-friendly ABO blood type kit was developed by combining advantages of modelling and a simulation laboratory to teach the topics of ABO blood types and blood transfusion. Teachers can easily simulate the agglutination reaction on a blood type testing plate in the classroom, and show the students how this reaction occurs by using the models. Simple materials are used to help teachers prepare for daily teaching. The kit can be used to engage students in hands-on and minds-on activities. There were some positive preliminary results reported after using the kit with Thai high-school students. (Contains 2 tables and 6 figures.)

The literature is replete with studies about the importance of context in relation to teaching and learning. Major international studies such as PISA, among others, attempt to develop an understanding of achievement in science learning in a variety of educational contexts. Here we explore the influence of educational context itself on science learning as measured by PISA. Comparison is made between two countries: one developed or "western" nation, New Zealand, and one non-western developing nation from southeast Asia, Thailand. In this work the authors seek to establish links between the nature of the educational context (based on Lave's notion of situated cognition) and achievement in the PISA science evaluation exercise. (Contains 1 figure.)

The research reported in this case study explores the understanding of stoichiometry and related concepts of Thai science students in grades 10 and 11 after major national curriculum reforms. Students' conceptions and alternative conceptions were investigated using a questionnaire--the "Stoichiometry Concept Questionnaire" (SCQ) (N = 97), which consists of 16 multiple-choice items, the choices for which respondents are required to provide reasons. The findings suggest that less than half of the students surveyed hold what is considered by a panel of experts to be a scientifically acceptable understanding for the conceptions investigated. The main student alternative conceptions are that one mole of all substances has a volume of 22.4 L at STP, that a solution that contains a greater mass of solute has the higher molar concentration, and that the limiting reagent is the reagent for which the lowest mass of reactant is present. Examination of students' reasons suggests that they resort to the use of algorithms with little understanding of the underlying concepts. It thus seems the national educational reforms have not resulted in a sound understanding of some science concepts. It is recommended that curriculum developers should specify a need for conceptual understanding along with capability in numerical problem-solving in their learning objectives, and link this to assessment regimes that reward conceptual understanding. A need for on-going professional development seems essential if the intentions of the Thai curriculum reforms are to be realized.

Stoichiometry and related concepts are an important part of student learning in chemistry. In this interpretive-based inquiry, we investigated Thai Grade 10 and 11 students' conceptual understanding and ability to solve numerical problems for stoichiometry-related concepts. Ninety-seven participants completed a purpose-designed survey instrument consisting of open-ended questions about stoichiometry-related concepts. Detailed analysis of the research findings suggest that most of the student participants held alternative conceptions similar to and different from those reported in the Western educational contexts. The alternative conceptions related to using a mole ratio as a mass ratio; identifying a limiting reagent as the least amount reactant; using 1:1 mole ratio for all substances in the equation; thinking that one mole of water was of 22.4 dm[superscript 3] in volume, and that the units mol/dm[superscript 3] represent the mole of solute per kilogram of solution. The students' ability to solve numerical problems seems to be related to their conceptual understanding of stoichiometry; students with alternative conceptions found it difficult to solve the problems relating to the concepts.

Quantitative chemistry has a considerable importance in chemistry curricula both in the high school and university levels. Research suggested that students faced difficulty in learning quantitative chemistry and that the concepts were difficult to teach. This study was designed to indicate how students learn and how teacher teach quantitative chemistry in Thai high schools, and explore Thai high school students' attitudes toward quantitative chemistry learning. There were 603 students and 53 teachers that participated in the study. The Quantitative Chemistry Learning Questionnaires (QCLQ) were used as a data collection instrument, one for teachers, and another for students. The results indicated that both students and teachers agreed that the curriculum focused more on conceptual understanding rather than problem solving. However , in teaching quantitative chemistry, the teachers focused more on teaching how to solve algorithmic problems rather than teaching the concepts, and they did not often let students do experiments which students like the most. When solving algorithmic problems, students preferred to the use of formulae method rather than using proportional method that most teachers taught. Students thought that quantitative chemistry was difficult to learn and only about a quarter of the students liked to study it. The three topics that students felt most difficult were stoichiometry, acid-base, and rate of the reactions. The possible effective strategies for teaching quantitative chemistry from students' views were also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature is replete with studies about the importance of context in relation to teaching and learning. Major international studies such as PISA, among others, attempt to develop an understanding of achievement in science learning in a variety of educational contexts. Here we explore the influence of educational context itself on science learning as measured by PISA. Comparison is made between two countries: one developed or 'western' nation, New Zealand, and one non-western developing nation from southeast Asia, Thailand. In this work the authors seek to establish links between the nature of the educational context (based on Lave's notion of situated cognition) and achievement in the PISA science evaluation exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research reported in this case study explores the understanding of stoichiometry and related concepts of Thai science students in grades 10 and 11 after major national curriculum reforms. Students' conceptions and alternative conceptions were investigated using a questionnaire - the Stoichiometry Concept Questionnaire (SCQ) (N 97), which consists of 16 multiple-choice items, the choices for which respondents are required to provide reasons. The findings suggest that less than half of the students surveyed hold what is considered by a panel of experts to be a scientifically acceptable understanding for the conceptions investigated. The main student alternative conceptions are that one mole of all substances has a volume of 22.4 L at STP, that a solution that contains a greater mass of solute has the higher molar concentration, and that the limiting reagent is the reagent for which the lowest mass of reactant is present. Examination of students' reasons suggests that they resort to the use of algorithms with little understanding of the underlying concepts. It thus seems the national educational reforms have not resulted in a sound understanding of some science concepts. It is recommended that curriculum developers should specify a need for conceptual understanding along with capability in numerical problem-solving in their learning objectives, and link this to assessment regimes that reward conceptual understanding. A need for on-going professional development seems essential if the intentions of the Thai curriculum reforms are to be realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The international literature suggests students frequently resort to the use of formulae when solving stoichiometry problems without understanding the concepts. In prior work we identified Thai student alternative conceptions and ability to solve numerical problem for stoichiometry. The results indicate that many Thai students also hold alternative conceptions and that their ability to solve numerical problems is related to their understanding of the concepts. In the present work we describe an intervention consisting of the development of a series of stoichiometry learning units (SLUs) based on a conceptual change approach. The units involve five steps: express ideas, share ideas, challenge ideas, accommodate ideas, and apply ideas. The SLUs were implemented by three volunteer teachers in three Grade 10 science classrooms from three different schools. The findings suggest that the conceptual change approach can be useful in addressing student alternative conceptions, developing student conceptual understanding, and enhancing students' ability to solve numerical problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]