Science pedagogy and conceptual learning
How students build scientific understanding, where persistent misconceptions arise, and which teaching strategies actually shift conceptual understanding rather than only recall.
Our Research
Research Areas
Our work concentrates on questions that matter in African classrooms — how science is actually taught and learned, and what would make it better.
Laboratory practice and improvisation
Practical science teaching under real resource constraints, including the design and pedagogical value of improvised apparatus built from locally available materials.
Curriculum studies and reform
How curriculum policy translates — or fails to translate — into classroom practice, and what conditions determine whether reform reaches the learner.
Assessment and measurement
Teacher assessment literacy, the design of valid classroom instruments, and the influence of examination systems on what is taught and learned.
Educational technology
Instructional design and the use of digital simulation and learning tools, with attention to what works in low-bandwidth and low-device environments.
Equity and participation in STEM
Gender and regional patterns in science participation, the role of career guidance, and the structural factors shaping who continues in science.
Recent output
Research ArticleVol. 3, No. 2 (2025)
Effects of Inquiry-Based Laboratory Instruction on Senior Secondary Students' Achievement in Chemistry
Ngozi A. Eze, Chidiebere Nwachukwu
This quasi-experimental study examined the effect of inquiry-based laboratory instruction on the academic achievement of senior secondary school students in chemistry. A sample of 214 SS2 students drawn from six secondary schools in Enugu State was assigned to experimental and control groups. Students taught using the inquiry-based approach achieved significantly higher post-test scores than those taught by conventional demonstration methods, and the effect was more pronounced among female students. The findings support wider adoption of guided inquiry in Nigerian chemistry laboratories, even where equipment is limited.
JSER1 December 2025pp. 1–184171,284
Research ArticleVol. 3, No. 2 (2025)
Digital Simulations and Conceptual Understanding of Mechanics Among Pre-Service Physics Teachers
Emeka Okafor
Pre-service physics teachers frequently enter the classroom carrying the same misconceptions about mechanics as their future students. This study investigated whether interactive digital simulations could shift conceptual understanding more effectively than textbook-based tutorials. Using a pre-test/post-test control group design with 96 undergraduates, simulation-supported instruction produced significantly larger conceptual gains on the Force Concept Inventory. Implications for teacher education curricula in low-bandwidth environments are discussed.
JSER1 December 2025pp. 19–39288903
Research ArticleVol. 3, No. 2 (2025)
Assessment Literacy Among Secondary School Biology Teachers in Enugu State: A Mixed-Methods Study
Obinna Anyanwu, Amina Bello
Classroom assessment shapes what students ultimately learn, yet teacher assessment literacy remains under-examined in Nigerian secondary education. This mixed-methods study surveyed 178 biology teachers and conducted follow-up interviews with 22 of them. While teachers reported confidence in constructing objective tests, analysis of their instruments revealed heavy reliance on recall-level items and limited use of formative feedback. The paper proposes a school-based professional development model targeted at assessment design.
JSER1 December 2025pp. 40–62195641