Research Questions and Hypotheses

Book Chapter | December 2000

This first section guides students to ask testable questions, and formulate hypotheses and null hypotheses. Students also become familiar with the parts of a science research report. This structure reinforces the…

Theories, Laws, and Hypotheses

Journal Article | September 2013

Teaching overarching science concepts through gas laws and kinetic molecular theory.

Formative Assessment Probes: To Hypothesize or Not

Journal Article | November 2010

Formative assessment probes are used not only to uncover the ideas students bring to their learning, they can also be used to reveal teachers’ common misconceptions. Consider a process widely used in inquiry science—…

Idea Bank - Education and Research: Testing Hypotheses (EARTH)

Journal Article | August 2005

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and the Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA) have created an educational outreach program titled "Education and Research: Testing Hypotheses (EARTH)," which will serve as a…

Tried and True: Helicopter seeds and hypotheses … that’s funny!

Journal Article | August 2008

Investigating maple samaras, or helicopter seeds, can give students a “that’s funny” experience and catalyze the development of inquiry skills. In this article, the authors describe how to use maple helicopter seeds (…

Light on Trial: Using a Courtroom Drama to Compare Scientific Hypotheses

Journal Article | February 2006

A narrative in the form of a courtroom trial is used to compare evidence on the nature of light as part of an introductory college physics course. Prosecuting and defense attorneys present evidence for and against…

Authentic Science Investigation in the Classroom: Tools for Creating Original, Testable Questions and Graphical Hypotheses

Journal Article | November 2015

Use these tools to help students ask better questions and define problems with more confidence.

SCST: Hypotheses, Theories, and Laws—A Look at Textbooks’ Treatment of an Issue from the CASE Standards

Journal Article | October 1998

In this column the leadership of the Society for College Science Teaching (SCST) shares its views with JCST readers. This month's issue features an introduction to a document entitled "CASE Standards for Science Teacher…

Constructing Hypotheses

Collection | November 2017

Statistics and Hypothesis Testing in Biology: Teaching Students the Relationship Between Statistical Tests and Scientific Hypotheses

Journal Article | January 1997

The typical biometry course emphasizes statistical theory and methods, with little opportunity for students to apply statistics in testing scientific hypotheses. Early in education, students should be taught to use…

Theories, Hypotheses & Laws

Collection | February 2020

Making Connections with Digital Data: Digital camera technology helps students draw connections between their hypotheses, data, and inferences

Journal Article | December 2003

Digital cameras can provide added value to classroom data collection allowing the students to make visual connections between their hypotheses, data, and inferences. Digital data appears more concrete and "real" to…

Making Connections to Common Core

Page | March 2020

Making Connections to Common Core Evidence-based reasoning is the foundation of good scientific practice. The Next Generation Science Standards incorporate reasoning skills used in language arts and mathematics to help students improve mastery and understanding in all three disciplines. The Next Generation Science…

Evidence of Molecular Motion

Journal Article | October 2019

A Hands-on Activity to Understand the Nature of Science and Authentic Scientific Inquiry in Large Laboratory Courses

Journal Article | May 2023

Integrating authentic research practices into introductory laboratory courses to prepare tomorrow’s scientists has become increasingly prevalent over the past decade. However, an incomplete understanding of the nature…