Marcelo Dumas Hahn

In the context of the growing integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education, it is essential to understand how these technologies are incorporated into teaching practices and how they influence the development of transversal skills. Despite the rapid dissemination of generative AI (GenAI) tools, there remains a lack of applied research at the lower secondary education level. This qualitative and exploratory study was conducted with a 7th-grade class in the subject of Physics in Portugal. Its main goal was to analyse the effects of using GenAI in school research tasks, exploring how it influences students’ access to information, peer collaboration, and critical thinking. The findings reveal that although GenAI facilitates access to and organisation of information, it also promotes uncritical use and reduce peer interaction. Conversely, tasks carried out without GenAI were characterised by greater collaboration, source verification, and cognitive engagement. The study concludes that the integration of GenAI in teaching should be both critical and pedagogically guided, promoting students’ autonomy, digital literacy, and reflective thinking. The research indicates the importance of preparing teachers and students for the ethical and informed use of these tools in educational contexts.

Equity in science education remains a pressing global challenge, as persistent gender disparities continue to shape students’ participation, motivation, and career aspirations in STEM fields. This study examines whether a curriculum-integrated STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) subject, implemented in a Portuguese private school with 82 lower secondary students (seventh and eighth grade), is associated with equitable engagement among boys and girls. A mixed-methods design was adopted, combining Likert-scale questionnaires with classroom observations. While qualitative data provided contextual insight into students’ overall participation and engagement in hands-on and creative activities, gender-related comparisons were based exclusively on quantitative questionnaire responses. Inferential analyses revealed no significant differences between boys and girls in their perceptions of the STEAM subject, their engagement with the activities, or their perceived skill development. These findings suggest that the design of practical, student-centred STEAM experiences may support comparable participation and engagement among involvement of both boys and girls. The results highlight the importance of curriculum design and pedagogical approaches as key factors in promoting more inclusive science education, with implications for policy and practice aimed at engaging all learners in science.

Linear air tracks are essential experimental tools used in undergraduate laboratory courses. They facilitate the exploration of kinematic and dynamic topics in a frictionless environment. While commercial air track systems require significant investment, affordable alternatives are valuable for making such apparatuses accessible to high schools and universities. We test and compare a low-cost air track made from medium density fibreboard (MDF) wood as a possible alternative. In this manuscript, we performed new experiments on the uniformly accelerated motion of a glider in an inclined plane to compare the friction of the MDF air track with that of a commercial one. We tested the built and commercial gliders and air tracks for angles of 1, 2, and 5 degrees. Our findings revealed that the friction was about 10 − 4 for all setups analysed. We also observed the influence of air drag on the glider’s movement and attempted to quantify it using the quadratic velocity air drag model. Overall, the results indicate only a slight difference between the MDF air track and the commercial version, suggesting that the MDF air track is a viable and cost-effective alternative to commercial systems.

This study presents an accessible experimental setup using an Arduino to model a real battery. It addresses the challenge of limited resources in physics education by providing an analogous representational model for investigating the relationship between a battery’s terminal voltage and current. Our methodology uses the Arduino as a voltage source, with a resistor simulating the battery’s internal resistance and a potentiometer acting as the variable load. The setup also includes a buzzer to provide auditory feedback, making the activity inclusive for visually impaired students. The results confirm the setup’s accuracy, with linear regression yielding minimal errors when compared to multimeter readings and attest that maximum electrical power transfer occurs when the load resistance matches the battery’s internal resistance. This approach not only provides a solution for schools with limited equipment but also promotes hands-on learning and essential skills in experimental design and data analysis.

The ammeter–voltmeter method is a classic approach for determining electrical resistance, widely used in educational and laboratory contexts. However, it may be presented under idealized assumptions that disregard the internal resistance of measuring instruments. This simplification, frequently found in both textbooks and circuit simulators, can lead to inaccurate measurements and overlook important experimental considerations. To address this gap, this study investigates how the internal resistance of voltmeters and ammeters affects resistance measurement accuracy and how virtual instruments can be adapted to more realistically emulate physical laboratory conditions. Using Tinkercad, we characterized the internal resistance of the simulator’s default virtual multimeters and implemented modifications to simulate quasi-real multimeters with internal resistance. These modified instruments were applied in several configurations of the ammeter–voltmeter method to evaluate their influence on the measurement of resistors of varying magnitudes. Results show that measurement accuracy is highly sensitive to the configuration used and to the relationship between the internal resistances of the instruments and the unknown resistor. Conditions were identified under which each setup provides accurate or distorted results, including cases where either current division or additional voltage drops lead to systematic errors. This work indicates the importance of modeling instrument limitations, even in virtual environments, to better represent the complexity of real-world measurements. The proposed simulation approach may be particularly useful in scenarios with limited laboratory access or as a tool to prepare for or reflect upon physical experiments.

This work presents a pedagogical proposal that employs the Circuit Construction Kit: DC computer simulation from the PhET platform to address Millman’s theorem and facilitate the understanding of the principles involved in the electrical equilibrium of biological cells. The study models the cell membrane potential as a simplified electrical circuit, considering ion channels (Na⁺, K⁺, and Cl⁻) as resistors and concentration gradients as voltage sources. Through simulation, the effects of varying ionic conductances on the resting potential are analysed, highlighting how the inactivation of the Cl⁻ channel or changes in the conductances of Na⁺ and K⁺, aimed at restoring equilibrium, affect cellular homeostasis and excitability. We argue that the proposed approach promotes intuitive learning by reducing reliance on mathematical formalism and encouraging the application of physical concepts to real physiological contexts. The simulation has proven to be an effective teaching tool in health-related courses, fostering virtual experimentation and the qualitative interpretation of complex phenomena.

It is known that blind and visually impaired (VI) students avoid choosing the Sciences and Technologies track in Secondary Education due to the inclusion challenges they faced in Basic Education, particularly the lack of adapted materials. To overcome this situation, investment in the development of tailored science materials is essential. This paper presents a study on the use of inclusive educational resources for sighted, blind, and VI students in a Portuguese middle school. The school integrates students with multiple disabilities alongside sighted students. The research focused on evaluating how 8th-grade students perceive the contents of sound waves using three inclusive educational resources. These resources were based on multisensory didactics—a tactile model, a slinky spring model, and a Swell paper model—and developed with inputs from VI students, blind students and teachers. These resources were tested with sighted students to assess their effectiveness in an inclusive setting. A questionnaire was administered to sighted students to analyse their perceptions of the inclusion of these materials in the classroom. The results revealed a high level of satisfaction, demonstrating that the multisensory approach enhanced students’ understanding of their own learning. Based on the findings, the study suggests expanding the research to include more blind and VI students and additional Physics resources.

This article presents a proposal for a didactic sequence aimed at secondary school students. It proposes the exploration of natural acid-base indicators to characterize different aqueous solutions. Then, the students face a challenging and investigative scenario in which the addition of bleach to a cola drink results in a chemical reaction that involves color changes. Based on the developed protocol, the students will conduct experimental tests to determine if the cola drink can act as an acid-base indicator. To explain the results obtained, the students will conduct research, and their conclusions will lead to the introduction of the topic of oxidation-reduction reactions. This proposal aims to encourage the active participation of students in constructing their learning through practical and experimental activities, using everyday materials to promote their autonomy and, at the same time, stimulate scientific curiosity and the development of essential skills for 21st-century education. Additionally, the knowledge that this didactic approach contributes to a deeper understanding of fundamental Chemistry concepts, promoting more profound reflections on their relevance today.