Taiwan's Indigenous tribes mainly reside in remote mountainous areas, where transportation and educational resources are limited. This study developed and evaluated an immersive virtual drone and Cardboard VR system for Indigenous cultural and science education in elementary schools and examined its potential to enhance learning and reduce the digital divide in remote communities. A teaching experiment was conducted to compare the learning outcomes of Indigenous students and their non-Indigenous peers using the VR learning system. The results showed that VR-based instruction significantly improved learning outcomes for students from both ethnic groups. For non-Indigenous students, learning outcomes were also compared with those of conventional instruction using PowerPoint presentations and videos. Non-Indigenous students in the VR-based teaching group outperformed those receiving conventional teaching in learning achievement, and they also reported higher learning motivation and experienced lower cognitive load. Compared with Indigenous students, non-Indigenous students receiving VR-based teaching showed higher learning achievement and technology acceptance, particularly with respect to perceived ease of use, suggesting that prior technological familiarity may affect system usability and learning outcomes. These findings demonstrate that VR technology has the potential to enhance science education and reduce the digital divide between students from diverse ethnic backgrounds. The results also provide valuable insights into broader VR applications in cultural and science educational contexts.
The periodic table is a foundational framework in science and chemistry education globally; however, its pedagogical presentation varies across educational and cultural contexts. Addressing this variation, the present study compares how the periodic table is represented in secondary-level science and chemistry textbooks from Ethiopia, T & uuml;rkiye, and India. Using a comparative qualitative textbook analysis, the study examines five dimensions: curricular structure, conceptual depth, nature of science, pedagogical tools, and nature of activities. The findings show that, in all three contexts, the periodic table develops across grade levels rather than appearing as a single isolated unit, though the textbooks differ in how this development is organized. Differences appear in the continuity of topic progression, the timing and density of conceptual abstraction, the visibility of the nature of science, the use of analogies and visual supports, and the cognitive engagement promoted through activities. Ethiopia progresses from observable properties toward explanatory treatment of periodic trends, T & uuml;rkiye from classificatory logic toward quantum-based interpretation, and India from early atomic-theoretical grounding toward specialized chemistry content. Rather than ranking textbook systems, the study interprets these representations as pedagogical structures that organize abstraction, representation, and learner engagement differently across national contexts.
STEM-integrated project-based learning (STEM-PjBL) can supportscience learning, but evidence from under-resourced rural schools in P. R. China remains limited. This study developed a low-cost STEM-integrated project-based learning module on electricity (STEM-E-PjBL, where "E"denotes electricity) and examined its effects on Grade 9 students' electricity achievement, critical thinking skills, and science learning interest. A pragmatist mixed-methods approach was used, combining a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest nonequivalent control-group design with semi-structured interviews. One hundred students from two intact classes in one rural middle school participated. The experimental group (n = 50) completed the six-week STEM-E-PjBL module, whereas the control group (n = 50) received conventional physics lessons. Quantitative data were collected using an electricity achievement test, a critical thinking scale, and a science learning interest questionnaire. Thirty experimental-group students were interviewed and classified as high-, medium-, or low-gain students according to theirpretest-posttest gains on the electricity achievement test, enabling differentiated analysis of students' learning experiences. ANCOVAshowed significant experimental-group advantages in all three outcomes, with large effect sizes. Interviews indicated that hands-on activities, authentic contexts, and collaborative inquirysupported understanding, reasoning, motivation, and engagement, with different gain groups emphasizing different forms of support and learning value. The STEM-E-PjBL module offers a feasible approach forimproving rural students' electricity learning and supporting equitable STEM education.
Developing scientific literacy and critical thinking is fundamental to contemporary science education. This study explored whether integrating guided inquiry learning with peer scaffolding could improve the scientific literacy and critical thinking of pre-service elementary school teachers. A total of 226 pre-service elementary school teachers enrolled in the Basic Concepts of Elementary Science course participated in this quasi-experimental study using a pretest-posttest control group design. Students in the experimental group engaged in guided inquiry integrated with peer scaffolding, whereas the control group received conventional teaching. Peer scaffolding was systematically incorporated throughoutall phases of guided inquiry and was preceded by a pre-peer scaffolding phase involving briefing and concept reinforcement. Scientific literacy and critical thinking were assessed using validated instruments developed from the OECD/ PISA framework and Ennis'critical thinking indicators (Cronbach's alpha = .835). Data were examined using the Mann-Whitney U test, N-gain analysis, and effect size. The experimental group demonstrated significantly higher scientific literacy and critical thinking than the control group (p < .001), with N-gain scores of .676 and .773, respectively. The findings indicate that integrating peerscaffolding into guided inquiry is an effective approach for enhancing the scientific literacy and critical thinking of pre-service elementary school teachers.
Pre-service teachers are increasingly responsible for guiding students through AI-related ethical challenges in science classrooms, yet little is known about how they perceive these challenges. In this study, 165 pre-service teachers completed a 19-item perception scale spanning five AI ethics domains and an engagement measure, and responded to eight open-ended dilemma scenarios set in science classrooms. Participants showed strong agreement on non-maleficence (M = 4.57) and privacy protection (M = 4.51) but lower and more varied responses on accountability (M = 3.73) and fairness (M = 3.94). Female participants scored significantly higher than male participants in overall perception, while no differences were found by major field orAI coursework experience. Scenario responses revealed that ethical concerns shifted depending on teaching context: learning integrity dominated in student assignment scenarios, verification responsibility in teacher use scenarios, and privacy-public interest tension in social application scenarios. Across scenarios, proposed solutions remained largely at the level of general prescriptions, such as ethics education and prior consent procedures, with few implementation-ready alternatives. These results point to the need for scenario-embedded AI ethics education within science teacher preparation programs.
