This study explored views held by pre-service and in-service science teachers regarding the nature of science and technology particularly: (a) the characteristics of science and technology; (b) the aim of science and scienti c research; (c) the characteristics of scienti c knowledge and scienti c theories; and (d) the relationship between science and technology. The views held by science teachers at pre-service and in-service levels were assessed using a questionnaire. The ndings revealed that generally science teachers at both pre-service and in-service levels showed similar views in relation to the nature of science and technology. While the participants displayed mix views regarding science as content oriented or process oriented, technology was viewed as an application of science. Implications of these views for classroom teaching and learning are presented.

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Mathematics teachers’ perceptions and awareness of different kinds of assessments (e.g., diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments) may affect their classroom practices. In this context, the current study explored mathematics teachers’ perceptions and self-reported practices teaching mathematics for Trends of International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in Abu Dhabi schools in the United Arab Emirates. A teacher perception questionnaire was designed, then was administered to 522 mathematics teachers in Abu Dhabi schools in the academic year 2020–2021. A One-Sample t-test, Independent Sample t-test, and ANOVA tests were performed for the four-component variables of teacher perceptions, namely, teachers’ perceptions of TIMSS, their instructional practices in relation to TIMSS, the readiness of students for TIMSS, and the school and classroom environment for TIMSS. The results showed no statistically significant difference between male and female teachers in mathematics teaching practices with a focus on TIMSS or their perceptions of student readiness for TIMSS; however, there were differences in their perceptions of the school and classroom environment that were statistically significantly. In addition, there was no statistically significant difference between public and private schools in the practice of mathematics teachers for TIMSS, while the difference was statistically significant on views regarding student readiness for the TIMSS as well as on the school and classroom environment. The findings of the present study have both pedagogical and policy implications, which are discussed at the end of this paper.

<p class="apa">Research studies that deal with student ability to investigate and carry out inquiry oriented investigations often call for educational practitioners to pay particular attention to incorporating the skills of scientific inquiry in the process of teaching and learning. This has the aim of helping learners acquire the skills needed to become problem solvers and independent thinkers. One aspect of the inquiry practice that is directly related to student ability to carry out scientific investigations is the ability to handle and control experimental variables. This skill is commonly known as ‘control of variables ability’. Control of variables, as a process skill, has been widely regarded as an important ability in scientific investigations. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to assess how well students across educational grade levels develop this important process skill. Specifically, this study was designed to assess the understanding of the control of variables of selected sample of science students from grades 8, 10, and 12 and to compare these students in relation to the development of this ability across grade levels. Using an assessment framework developed and used by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 128 science students were tested to assess their understanding of ideas pertaining to control of variables as a fundamental integrated process skill. The findings revealed that students across grade levels exhibited alternative conceptions of key ideas related to control of variables as a fundamental ability such as testing hypotheses, selecting the appropriate experimental setup, handling more than two variables, and providing valid explanations to the expected outcomes of an experimental setup. These findings suggested that much work is needed to improve student ability to handle and control experimental variables particularly in the context of UAE Curriculum and recent educational reforms that stress the need for better preparation of students to meet the challenges of today’s changing societies. The findings have also highlighted that such a need for better preparation of students for the future scientific inquiries requires new curricula and teaching approaches that respond to and focus on not only learning essential scientific content but also on acquiring advanced transferable abilities related to scientific inquiry and logical reasoning skills that can be used to solve societal problems.</p>