Umesh Ramnarain

• PhD Science Education
• Professor at University of Johannesburg

This research reports on science pre-service teachers' (PSTs) perceptions and attitudes towards a virtual reality classroom, with the rationale being to elaborate on the pedagogical affordances of technology in the micro-teaching practices of PSTs. A purposeful sample of eighty-three pre-service science teachers from a major South African universit...

This study examined teachers' perspectives on the influence of formative assessment on Physical Sciences learners' academic achievement, attitudes, and self-regulation skills. Drawing from qualitative data, the research aimed to understand how formative assessment practices, such as feedback, peer assessments, and self-assessment strategies, shaped...

This study examines the content complexity of Technical Sciences through the Depth-of-Knowledge (DOK) Level Scheme to provide a nuanced understanding of how cognitive demands influence student learning and instructional strategies. Using a quantitative research design and a systematic content analysis approach, the study evaluates the DOK levels em...

Learning interaction patterns is key to the explanation of learning outcomes. Different studies have reported the relationship between classroom process variables and learning outcomes in a traditional classroom setting. However, the advent of robotics and its attendant student–robot interaction moderated by students’ mathematical ability is yet to...

The acceptance of Fourth Industrial Revolution technology for teaching and learning during the pandemic lockdown suggests that a significant portion of educational interactions will shift online shortly. However, the suitability of this tech nology for inquiry-based learning requires further investiga tion. This study aimed to assess the effecti...

This systematic literature review seeks to investigate the pedagogical practices that can be used to encourage the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge in science classrooms. By adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guideline method, past studies on pedagogical practices in integrating Indigenous knowledge...

Fostering self-regulated learning (SRL) in the context of physical sciences is crucial for promoting twenty-first-century learning skills and establishing a solid foundation for academic achievement among science students. In South African schools, the physical sciences curriculum holds significant importance, serving as a cornerstone for students'...

This research investigated pre-service science teachers’ intention to use generative artificial intelligence (AI) in inquiry-based teaching using Azjen’s Theory of Planned Behavior. Quantitative data were collected by means of a survey that was administered to pre-service teachers enrolled for an undergraduate teacher education degree at a South Af...

Although immersive virtual reality (IVR) technology is becoming increasingly accessible, head-mounted displays with eye tracking capability are more costly and therefore rarely used in educational settings outside of research. This is unfortunate, since combining IVR with eye tracking can reveal crucial information about the learners' behavior and...

This study investigated how pre-service teachers perceive and plan to use a virtual reality classroom for science teaching during microteaching practices. The UTAUT 2 model was adopted as the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected through an online survey from eighty-three pre-service science teachers from a large metropolitan uni...

Inquiry-Based Teaching Practice (IBTP) is an essential component of science education, and promoting its implementation is at the heart of various reform efforts. Even though science teachers regard IBTP as an essential pedagogical method, they rarely use it for various reasons. This study utilizes Bronfenbrenner's ecological framework to examine p...

Although immersive virtual reality (IVR) technology is becoming increasingly accessible, head-mounted displays with eye tracking capability are more costly and therefore rarely used in educational settings outside of research. This is unfortunate, since combining IVR with eye tracking can reveal crucial information about the learners' behavior and...

This study explored the pedagogical beliefs held by South African physics teachers towards inquiry approaches. A significant curriculum goal of school science in most countries is for learning to happen through inquiry. A similar goal is expressed in the South African school science curriculum. The findings of a quantitative survey that was adminis...

This study investigated pre-service teachers' perceptions of engagement with virtual and augmented reality (VAR) technology, as well as their lived experiences with the technology. The main of the study was to establish the degree of engagement and willingness to integrate VAR technology into pre-service Natural Sciences teachers' learning and subs...

Mobile technologies have the potential to promote the use of innovative pedagogical strategies such as mobile technology-enhanced formative assessment in inquiry-based science classrooms. There is an urgency to adopt trending innovative mobile technology-enhanced pedagogical strategies. The study aims to provide a descriptive analysis of the scienc...

32nd Annual Conference of the Southern African Association for Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 16 –18 JANUARY 2024

Continuous enhancement of mobile devices such as smartphones offers new opportunities for using these technologies in inquiry-based learning environments. Inquiry-based learning has followed deductive and inductive forms of inquiry, while the abductive form of inquiry that targets the development of higher-order thinking skills such as critical thi...

The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the technological pedagogical content knowledge-practical (TPACK-Practical) proficiency of novice and experienced South African life sciences teachers. A quantitative design was followed and 155 life sciences teachers participated. A 17-item questionnaire was administered to establish the TPACK-P...

Knowledge of scientific inquiry (SI) is considered essential to the development of an individual's Scientific Literacy (SL) and therefore, SI is included in many international science education reform documents. Two previous large scale international studies assessed the SI understandings of students entering middle school and secondary students at...

Evidence suggests that learners actively construct knowledge and improve digital literacy when Information Communication and Technologies (ICTs) are used effectively. However, ICTs have not been exploited adequately in a science classroom. Early research argues that teachers’ pedagogical beliefs are potential barriers to delaying effective ICT inte...

Curriculum reform worldwide has often reflected changing perspectives on the teaching and learning of science. Such perspectives underline the notion that not only the teaching of science content knowledge is relevant but also the aims and methods scientists use to further their knowledge and the social context in which science is applied. We call...

The recent development of applications for virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) in education has stimulated interest in how these technologies can support teaching and learning at the school level. Of particular interest, is what pedagogies could be applied such that the affordances of these technologies are optimally...

The purpose of this research study was to investigate and determine the impact of teacher’s attitudes and beliefs on their behavioral intentions to integrate ICT into their science lessons and to establish the impact of a professional development program underpinned by the principles of empowerment evaluation (EE) on their attitudes and beliefs. Th...

Textbooks play a prominent role in the teaching and learning of chemistry. It is the major organiser and the intended curriculum teachers adapt for their instructional practices. Although chemistry is abstract in nature, the use of visuals or images in textbooks to depict chemical phenomena at different levels remains a meaningful approach to help...

Education, technology, and economic growth are not only linked but synchronised to achieve holistic global development. An instance is the adoption of online platforms for learning and promoting economic activities during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. However, the lingering question among education stakeholders in Nigeria borders on what constitu...

Scientific inquiry abilities and the nature of scientific inquiry (NOSI) are critical in building a scientifically literate citizenry. However, little information is available regarding the inquiry abilities of young learners between the ages of 5-7 years, though it is widely agreed that children are born inquirers. Among the reasons why inquiry ab...

Inquiry-based teaching and learning has been promoted in school curricula all over the world and it is described as an efficient method of teaching science in terms of understanding of the content and improving student attitudes towards the subject matter (NRC, 2012). Quintana et al (2004) defined inquiry as a process of raising questions and analy...

such as rituals and togetherness. The results show that short-term use of the VR prototype enables novice participants to learn essential aspects of community ICH and the beer-brewing practice. Furthermore, we emphasise the importance of evaluating the dissemination potential of safeguarding solutions by assessing their transfer back to everyday li...

This article reports on the effect of textbook analysis as a tool of teacher professional development on nature of science (NOS) understanding of 10 science teachers in South Africa. The teacher professional development program (TPDP) was based on an explicit reflective methodology of textbook analysis and conducted online due to the Covid-induced...

Given the importance of inquiry in science education, various computational tools and emerging 4IR technologies have been embraced in recent years to improve how inquiry is carried out across science disciplines. However, there is growing concern about how schools can better guide students and teachers in leveraging the technological affordances of...

Today, virtual learning environments (VLEs) are increasingly valuable for mediating teaching and learning in higher education. This chapter reports the affordances of VLEs in remote chemistry learning. The effects of VLEs versus remote lectures on students' achievement scores in chemistry content tests were compared, and the affordances of VLEs for...

Inquiry-based science education has been advocated as a goal in the South African school science curriculum. Despite this goal, the implementation of inquiry in this country has been largely fragmented due to contextual factors that exert an influence on its traction in the classroom. This phenomenologically orientated study reports on the experien...

Linking assessment and curriculum in science education, particularly within the topic of matter and its changes, is often taken for granted. Some of the fundamental elements of the assessment, such as the choice of wording and visual representations , as well as its relation to the curricular sequence, remain understudied. In addition, very few ass...

This study explored five Life Sciences teachers’ practices of formative assessment when enacting an inquiry-based pedagogy. The ESRU cycle (teacher Elicits a response; the Student responds; the teacher Recognises the student’s response; and then Uses the information collected to support student learning) was used as a coding system in the analysis...

This study reports the findings of a qualitative case study on the role of embodiment and gesture in immersive virtual reality (IVR)-enhanced Natural Sciences (NS) learning. 32 NS pre-service teachers (PSTs) participated in the study, and qualitative data were gathered through observations and follow-up focus group semi-structured interviews. From...

The advocacy for writing in science and STEM‐related fields through reasoning‐based writing, critical thinking and argumentation has been accentuated as a core competence in curriculum documents. In South Africa, the CAPS document for Physical Sciences acknowledged the importance of writing and consequently, call on teachers to engage in teaching l...

The aim of this study was to investigate the pedagogical actions of Physical Sciences teachers when enacting simulations in 5E inquiry-based science teaching for current electricity. Three grade 10 teachers from three high schools who were teaching at schools where ICT resources are available participated in this study. Data was collected by means...

This paper describes an interactive embodied learning-based simulation in Virtual Reality that has been designed to disseminate the Intangible Cultural Heritage behind Umqombothi, a traditional South African beer-brewing practice, by instructing both the cultural process and underlying chemistry. The VR simulation includes an authentic beer-making...

Although there is a lot of interest in the development of computational thinking (CT) and the benefits it could have for every student, integrating it into science classrooms may be more difficult than traditional teaching. This can be very challenging for South African science teachers. Thus, there is an increasing need to prepare teachers and sys...

Developing students’ understanding of and about science is an important educational goal. Learning the nature of science (NOS) has been recognized as a critical component of science literacy, affecting how students (our future citizens) make informed decisions. Textbooks can be useful teaching materials if the content presented aligns with curricul...

Learning progressions (LPs) are novel models for the development of assessments in science education, that often use a scale to categorize students’ levels of reasoning. Pictorial representations are important in chemistry teaching and learning, and also in LPs, but the differences between pictorial and verbal items in chemistry LPs – is unclear. I...

inScience Press is delighted to publish this book entitled Education Applications & Developments VII as part of the Advances in Education and Educational Trends series. These series of books comprise authors’ and editors’ work to address global research, although focused in specific sections, in the Education area. In this 7th volume, a dedicated s...

inScience Press is delighted to publish this book entitled Education Applications & Developments VII as part of the Advances in Education and Educational Trends series. These series of books comprise authors’ and editors’ work to address global research, although focused in specific sections, in the Education area. In this 7th volume, a dedicated s...

As the world transitions to hybrid ways of working it is increasingly important that education is not left behind. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated the need for teaching and learning to transition from face-to-face contact mode to remote, blended or hybrid modes of teaching and learning. In this study, a group of 32 pre-service Natural Sci...

"The study describes the development of a lesson observation schedule, to document Science teacher pedagogical content knowledge for nature of science (PCKNOS) and a subsequent pilot study to test the instrument. The objective of the study was to develop an observation schedule that could document enacted PCKNOS. NOS refers to the epistemology and...

"The proliferation and use of mobile technologies in and outside the classroom has contributed to the rapid extensive implementation of mobile-based teaching and learning practices across the globe. In the 21st century, using mobile devices for assessment purposes has become the new and important phenomenon for researchers and teachers. This paper...

The ability to do inquiry does not necessarily translate to understandings about scientific inquiry or the processes by which scientific knowledge is generated. The study reported in this paper focuses on what students know about scientific inquiry and what impact school science may have on this knowledge. We investigated grade 12 physical and life...

This is an extension of the 2012 literature review on professional development for inquiry science teaching.

Learning progressions (LPs) are descriptions of successively more sophisticated ways of thinking about an idea over an extended period of time. The growing interest of researchers in learning progressions is grounded in the potential it holds to align curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Previous review of research on LPs by Duschl et al. (Stud...

The research reported here examined the outcome of using interactive simulation technology (IST) as a guided-inquiry approach to enhance learners' conceptual knowledge of electrostatics in physics. Participants were Grade 11 physical sciences learners (n = 60) and a teacher from a rural school in South Africa. Learners were randomly assigned to an...

Textbooks remain an important resource in the hands of science teachers in ensuring that curricular aims and educational reforms are realised in school science. In a publication of the National Research Council (NRC) entitled “A Framework for K-12 Science Education,” emphasis is placed on students experiencing inquiry-based practices and not merely...

The development of 21st century competencies and skills in science teaching and learning is a key strategic imperative. Game-based learning platforms can be used to promote pedagogic innovation in various educational settings. Game-based applications such as Kahoot! have been increasingly used in education to facilitate meaningful enactment of form...

The use of virtual learning technologies has become of great interest in twenty-first century science education research. Simulations and other virtual learning technologies have been shown to enhance conceptual understandings of abstract scientific concepts and foster motivation and interest in science learning. This book chapter reports on resear...

Computational thinking (CT) has been described as an essential skill that should be learned by everyone and can, therefore, be included in their skill set. Computational thinking uses essential principles in computer science for solving problems, understanding complex systems, and human behaviour. This way of thinking has significant consequences f...

The study describes the development of an instrument, to measure NOS understandings of science teachers and a subsequent pilot study to test the instrument. The pilot measured NOS understanding of two teachers using a questionnaire that had been developed by the researcher. The objective of the study was to construct a questionnaire that could meas...

Almost all pre-service teachers enter the profession of education with a strong belief that their efforts will make a positive contribution to society and the lives of individual learners. The statement above can be achieved or not achieved depending on different factors influencing pre-service teachers’ pedagogies. The purpose of this study was to...

Understandings of the nature of scientific inquiry (NO) is included in science education reform documents around theworld. However, little is known about what students have learnedabout NOSI during their pre-college school years. The purpose of this large-scale follow-up international project (i.e. 32 countries and regions, spanning six continents...

Understandings of the nature of scientific inquiry (NOSI), as opposed to engaging students in inquiry learning experiences, are included in science education reform documents around the world. However, little is known about what students have learned about NOSI during their pre-college school years. The purpose of this large-scale follow-up interna...

The purpose of this study was to investigate preservice science teachers' proficiency levels regarding their practical knowledge of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK-P). A sample of 103 third- and fourth-year participants from a South African university were surveyed on their TPACK-P proficiency levels using a 17-item questionnaire...

This study investigated grade 4 learners’ understandings about the Nature of Scientific Inquiry (NOSI) in primary schools within the South African context. A qualitative methodology was employed using a framework of five knowledge aspects about the NOSI in assessing learners’ understandings about the ways scientists investigate the natural world. F...

In an effort to pursue and achieve quality and equity in science education, the South African National Curriculum Statement stipulates that learners should be accorded an opportunity to acquire and apply knowledge and skills in meaningful ways. Accordingly, the curriculum promotes knowledge in both local and global contexts. The study investigated...

This study investigated the effect of interactive computer simulation-supported inquiry on South African grade 8 learners’ comprehension of atoms and molecular structures. Two sample groups of 34 learners per sample group were used, one acting as a control group who were exposed to a teacher-directed pedagogy while the experimental group used simul...

The development of science education in many countries is varied and diverse. However, one common goal of science education in the different contexts is the focus on scientific literacy. To promote scientific literacy, the Nature of Science (NoS) is one of the vital components for raising scientifically literate citizens. In view of this, the Natio...

Scientific inquiry has been advocated as a common curriculum goal in school science education in South Africa, and also throughout the world. In South Africa, the introduction of inquiry-based instruction in a reformed science curriculum has met with serious challenges, such as the under-preparedness of in-service teachers. The purpose of this stud...

This chapter explores the role of empowerment evaluation in supporting practicing high school science teachers shift their practice towards an inquiry-based pedagogy. Science teachers have struggled to implement inquiry-based learning that forms the cornerstone of national curriculum reforms in South Africa. In-service professional development effo...

To come up with ways on how teacher training institutions should train pre-service teachers is one of the most discussed topics among teacher educators and researchers. Some of the reasons for this change is to integrate new teaching methods such as inquiry-based learning and problem-solving instructions to mention few. However, it is discovered th...

Open-ended problem-solving skills have been identified as employable skills, which undergraduate students will need to have in order to cope with real-life problems in their workplaces after graduation. However, the development and assessment of these skills have been inconsistent across courses offered in universities. This research examined under...

Laboratory experimentation in the context of school science is a widely advocated teaching strategy for the simplification of several abstract scientific concepts. Laboratory-based learning activities have proven to enhance learners’ conceptual and procedural understandings of micro chemical phenomena, thus boosting achievement in chemistry content...

In the advent of industry 4.0, the use of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) has become increasingly valuable for mediating the teaching and learning of science concepts. These VLEs embedded with simulations of real scientific systems, processes and accompanying learning activities, have been used to simplify concepts and enhance visualisation fo...

Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) has driven curriculum reforms in science education globally, with many educators teaching science as inquiry, in the hope of improving learners' understandings of scientific concepts and improving achievements in standardised tests. The curiosity of whether learners' engagements and understandings of the Nature of Scien...

The most essential aspect of teacher education is to attain different ways of conceptual understanding. However, in most South African universities, science methodology modules do not fully expose pre-service teachers to different science teaching approaches. In these modules, pre-service teachers often are exposed to readings materials, observing...

This chapter examines the historical development of science education in India, beginning with the policy context in pre-independence India to the present day, with a specific focus on school science education and teacher education. Specifically, this study examines the pedagogical orientation of pre-service science teachers, who had been a part of...

This article draws from an exploratory study of science teachers’ experiences when utilising learners’ home languages in teaching grade 9 learners in three South African high schools. This research investigated teacher use of learners’ home languages in science instruction, with a particular focus on the affordances and challenges of using learners...