This study explores the astronomical misconceptions of 10 South African science teachers, focusing on core concepts like earth’s rotation, tilt, eclipses, seasonal shifts, day-night cycles, and planetary revolution. In-depth case studies reveal significant gaps in teachers’ subject matter knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge, affecting their instructional delivery. The findings show teachers struggle with abstract concepts, often using informal language and lacking scientific precision. Many demonstrated incomplete or inaccurate understanding, highlighting the need for targeted professional development to boost conceptual mastery and instructional confidence. Limited teacher knowledge can hinder learners’ opportunities to develop accurate scientific understandings, emphasizing the importance of ongoing support. This research contributes to the growing evidence on the critical role of teacher knowledge in science education, particularly in complex topics like astronomy. The study’s findings have implications for teacher education, professional development, and science curriculum design, underscoring the need for sustained investment in teacher support. The research highlights the importance of addressing teacher knowledge gaps to improve science education in South Africa.
This study examines how a large language model (LLM) can support lower secondary mathematics education, not by measuring performance, but by analysing how complete and didactically useful its solution processes are. The focus is on whether the model explicitly verifies results, which is an important but often neglected phase of mathematical problem solving. Two exploratory experiments were conducted with Gemini 2.5 Pro using 24 lower secondary mathematics tasks presented in Czech. In Experiment 1, the model solved all tasks in a baseline condition and then again using a structured prompt inspired by Pólya’s four phases of problem solving. In Experiment 2, the model was asked to simulate solution attempts of three contrasting student profiles. The results show that verification is a fragile step. In the baseline condition, the model often produced correct answers but did not check them. When guided by the structured prompt, verification appeared in every task. In student simulation, the model produced plausible mistakes and omissions in routine tasks, but often became unrealistically advanced in non-routine and construction problems, reducing profile fidelity. Overall, LLM outputs can support a priori didactic analysis, but they require careful interpretation, especially when used to simulate student thinking in demanding tasks.
This longitudinal multiple-case study investigates the development of formative assessment among five Czech pre-service primary mathematics teachers across university preparation and their first year of teaching after graduation. Using repeated interviews, lesson plan analysis, and video observations, the study examines how novices’ understanding and classroom enactment of a five-strategy formative assessment (FA) framework develop over time. Findings indicate that while initial teacher education successfully initiates a conceptual shift toward process-oriented assessment, classroom enactment remains highly uneven. Practices supporting discussion and peer learning were most visible, while structured routines for eliciting evidence strengthened over time but remained uneven; explicit work with learning goals, success criteria, and criteria-linked feedback remained weak across phases. Key facilitators included collegial and leadership support, observation of concrete practices, and structured reflection; major constraints included time pressure, grading demands, parental expectations, and the demands of interpreting pupils’ mathematical thinking in real time.
Definitions are of critical importance in both mathematics and mathematics learning. Online dictionaries have become a commonly used resource for students and teachers seeking mathematical definitions. In this context, it is important to examine how mathematical concepts are defined and presented in such publicly accessible platforms. Given its longstanding presence and widespread use, the U.S.-based Merriam Webster Dictionary was selected for the current study. We examined the definitions of quadrilaterals provided in both the default (Primary) section and the Student Dictionary for Kids. The results indicated that the definitions in the “Kids Definition” section were generally longer and often included superfluous information compared to those in the “Primary” section. Among the special quadrilaterals presented, most were defined in relation to one another, supporting a structure that allows for the identification of subsets within broader quadrilateral types.
The inquiry-based approach is the fundamental way of acquiring new knowledge in science. It is therefore essential to incorporate it into science education. A key principle is bridging the gap between asking questions and final answers, which requires an appropriate inquiry procedure. This study examined the planning skills of lower secondary school students when solving biology tasks based on an inquiry-based approach. Sets of solutions to six tasks from 51 Czech students were analysed. Closed and open coding based on research design aspects derived from the EDAT framework was used. The results show that most students recognized the need for an empirical approach and frequently identified observed variables and instruments. However, aspects of the inquiry process, such as controlling variables, replication, data analysis, and reducing uncertainty, were rarely included or were omitted. Differences were also found between tasks with descriptive and causal problems and across task contexts. The results suggest that inquiry-based learning needs more explicit support for the development of planning skills, with a focus on the complexity of research procedures. It also appears necessary to address these skills across various thematic units.
