Science AI Journal
Social Sciences · Research topic

Open research questions in Science Education and Pedagogy

1,620 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 16,073 Science Education and Pedagogy papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • The study identifies a need to investigate the cognitive and affective processes involved in preservice teachers' problem-posing activities in the context of vectors in space. There is a gap in understanding how prospective teachers interpret, construct, and justify mathematical problems within a specific conceptual domain.

    Problem posing on vectors in space: preservice teachers’ perspectives · 2026 · DOI

  • The study faced challenges in terms of ensuring student privacy and data protection. The researchers had to balance the need for in-depth interviews with the potential for student fatigue. The study had to navigate the complexities of science identity construction in a dynamic and relational context.

    Emerging Science Identities: A Study of Secondary School Students’ Positioning in Relation to Science · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of understanding of how students construct their emerging science identities. Prior work has focused on the decline of interest in science, but not on the construction of science identities.

    Emerging Science Identities: A Study of Secondary School Students’ Positioning in Relation to Science · 2026 · DOI

  • studying science-related motivational changes in different contexts, - examining the long-term effects of the modified curricular unit on students' attitudes and self-efficacy

    Attitudes Towards Chemistry among Low and High Achieving 9th Grade Students in Laboratory Investigations and Theoretical Explanations · 2026 · DOI

  • Conventional teaching approaches may not be effective for students with average and low achievements. The gap is that the study of the phenomenon and the theoretical explanation are intertwined in actual scientific research, but may be more challenging for students.

    Attitudes Towards Chemistry among Low and High Achieving 9th Grade Students in Laboratory Investigations and Theoretical Explanations · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies challenges in implementing integrated STEM instruction, including the need for effective pedagogical methodologies and the importance of considering attitudinal factors. The study also highlights challenges related to the enactment of engineering design in the classroom. The study notes that preservice primary teachers may face challenges in applying integrated STEM approaches in their teaching practice, including limited access to materials and digital resources.

    Preservice Primary Teachers’ Attitudes Towards STEM Education: a Study Developed Through an Integrated STEM Training Programme Using Inquiry- Based Approaches and Engineering Design Practices · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies a gap in the existing research on the impact of professional development programmes on preservice primary teachers' attitudes towards integrated STEM education. The study highlights the need for more research on the instructional factors that influence teachers' attitudes towards integrated STEM education.

    Preservice Primary Teachers’ Attitudes Towards STEM Education: a Study Developed Through an Integrated STEM Training Programme Using Inquiry- Based Approaches and Engineering Design Practices · 2026 · DOI

  • The study faces the challenge of capturing and analyzing afterclass interactions, which may be fleeting and informal. It must also navigate the complexity of emotions and their negotiation in social interactions. Additionally, the study needs to balance the focus on anxiety with the broader context of science education and teacher-pupil interactions.

    The Negotiation of Anxiety After Science Stance-taking in Teacher–pupil Afterclass Interactions · 2026 · DOI

  • Prior research focuses on in-class interactions, leaving a gap in understanding afterclass interactions. The study of emotions in science education has not fully explored the role of afterclass interactions in negotiating anxiety. This gap is significant, as afterclass interactions may play a crucial role in shaping pupils' emotional experiences.

    The Negotiation of Anxiety After Science Stance-taking in Teacher–pupil Afterclass Interactions · 2026 · DOI

  • Further research on text attribute manipulation for gifted readers, - Investigation of the effectiveness of the proposed analytical framework in different educational contexts

    A Practical Analytical Framework for Designing, Selecting and Examining Challenging Scientific Texts for Gifted Students · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of research on designing challenging scientific texts for gifted students. Most teachers lack resources to design such texts. Research on engaging gifted readers through text attribute manipulation is limited.

    A Practical Analytical Framework for Designing, Selecting and Examining Challenging Scientific Texts for Gifted Students · 2026 · DOI

  • Students may encounter many difficulties in learning about liquefaction. Most students' understanding of liquefaction remains superficial. There is a need for an effective approach to assess students' understanding of liquefaction.

    Assessment of Conceptual Understanding in Student Learning About Liquefaction · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of clear guidance on science education in early childhood has led to limited guidance for the integration of science in initial teacher education programs. Prior studies have not examined the integration of science in early childhood ITE programs in detail. The study aims to address this gap by analyzing how science is positioned within Australian early childhood ITE programs.

    Uncovering Science Education in Australian Early Childhood Teacher Qualifications · 2026 · DOI

  • Pre-service teachers have trouble deciding what needs to go into each cell of the PWEM. Pre-service teachers need support in understanding how to organise a practical task from a pedagogical standpoint. Pre-service teachers need help in articulating the scientific concepts they intend their students to learn.

    Creating a pedagogical framework to support pre-service teacher planning of practical work in science education · 2026 · DOI

  • The short duration of initial teacher education (ITE) and limited in-school practicum experiences

    Creating a pedagogical framework to support pre-service teacher planning of practical work in science education · 2026 · DOI

  • The prioritization of empirical evidence over model-based claims in scientific argumentation. The lack of consideration of how students use both evidence and models in their argumentation. The need to examine the interplay between evidence and models in student argumentation.

    Argumentation about Energy in Elementary School, from Evidence and from Models · 2026 · DOI

  • The challenge of designing integrated STEM learning experiences that foster students' collaborative deliberation. The challenge of developing a framework that addresses the gap in existing frameworks for guiding integrated STEM learning design. The challenge of supporting students' cognitive engagement during problem-based learning.

    Productive Transdisciplinary Engagement: A Framework for Integrated STEM Learning Design · 2026 · DOI

  • limited sample size (n = 20) - conclusions should be interpreted as tentative - absence of problematising-engagement correlation

    Productive Transdisciplinary Engagement: A Framework for Integrated STEM Learning Design · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies the challenge of declining student interest and engagement in science education. It highlights the challenge of implementing guided inquiry in different school contexts, including conservative and risk-averse schools. The study also notes the challenge of supporting teachers in adapting guided inquiry approaches to their students' needs.

    Teaching Bioethics in Senior Secondary Using Guided Inquiry: Supporting Teachers to Address Contextual Challenges with Actionable Possibilities · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a gap in the literature on how to effectively teach bioethics to senior secondary students using guided inquiry. The paper identifies a need for innovative pedagogies that can engage students and support learning of complex concepts. There is a lack of research on how to support teachers in adapting guided inquiry approaches to their students' needs.

    Teaching Bioethics in Senior Secondary Using Guided Inquiry: Supporting Teachers to Address Contextual Challenges with Actionable Possibilities · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies a gap in understanding how students develop mechanistic reasoning in science education. Prior work highlights the challenges students face in constructing explanations about underlying mechanisms. The research aims to address this gap by investigating how students use sequential diagrams and written explanations to explain sugar dissolving.

    Investigating Mechanistic Reasoning Through Student-Generated Sequential Diagrams and Written Explanations: How Lower Secondary Students Explain Sugar Dissolving · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies a gap in the literature regarding the impact of AE on high school students' ability to construct scientific explanations in chemistry. Prior work has focused predominantly on computational thinking, rather than the use of algorithmic thinking to support scientific reasoning.

    Algorithmic Explanations as a Scaffold for Scientific Explanation: A Quasi-Experimental and Time-Series Study in High School Chemistry · 2026 · DOI

  • Geographical isolation and resource disparities are challenges faced by non-metropolitan STEM education. The study also identifies the need for more collective approaches, such as community engagement and localized learning opportunities, to overcome these challenges.

    Integrate or Separate? A Survey of Non-Metropolitan Teachers’, Parents’ and STEM Professionals’ Beliefs about Integration in STEM Education · 2026 · DOI

  • The study used non-probabilistic, convenience sampling, - The study only represented two Australian states, - The sample size was limited to 110 educators, 206 parents/guardians, and 83 STEM professionals

    Integrate or Separate? A Survey of Non-Metropolitan Teachers’, Parents’ and STEM Professionals’ Beliefs about Integration in STEM Education · 2026 · DOI

  • The study faces methodological constraints, such as a small sample size (N = 22) and ceiling effects observed in students' responses. The research encounters challenges in interpreting the results due to the limited sample size and ceiling effects. The study also faces challenges in generalizing the findings to a larger population.

    Investigating the Evolution of CVS Sub-Skills on High School Students Through the Implementation of Inquiry-Based Learning Experimental Activities in Physics · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Science Education and Pedagogy

Most recent work

Find a gap in your own Science Education and Pedagogy sub-topic

This page shows what the Science Education and Pedagogy literature already flags as unresolved. To narrow it to your specific question, run the guided finder — it searches the gap library on demand and checks candidates against 250M+ OpenAlex works.

Open the Research Gap Finder →

Related topics in Social Sciences

Legal Issues in Turkey
2,430 open questions
Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis
2,108 open questions
Higher Education Research Studies
1,907 open questions
Global Educational Policies and Reforms
1,881 open questions
Teacher Education and Leadership Studies
1,849 open questions
Social Work Education and Practice
1,735 open questions
Electoral Systems and Political Participation
1,568 open questions
Media Studies and Communication
1,385 open questions
1,620 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 16,073 Science Education and Pedagogy papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

Tools for your next paper

Gaps & Literature SearchFind open questions in any field — 120,000+ open gaps mined from our own library.Pre-CheckIs your paper ready? A Tier 1–5 acceptance probability in seconds.Journal FinderA ranked shortlist of target journals from a 17,500-venue index.Duplicate Publication CheckerCheck prior-publication & salami-slicing risk across 8 sources.Citation GeneratorFreeA DOI or title → APA, MLA, Vancouver, Chicago, BibTeX, RIS. No signup.Graphical Abstract MakerFreeTurn your findings into a colorblind-safe graphical abstract.

Compare the category — Honest roundups of the AI research tools, ours listed alongside the alternatives.

Command palette

Jump anywhere, run any action.