Coagulation is an important process in the context of water purification; and the seed protein of the moringa tree (Moringa oleifera) is a remarkably effective coagulant. The laboratory course described here is designed to provide high‐school students with a stepwise, hands‐on experience in investigating the protein‐rich coagulant found in Moringa seeds. First, the seed powder was applied to model polluted water containing fine clay, food dyes, copper sulfate, and bacteria. This treatment changed the polluted water into clear water via coagulation; all students were convinced that the coagulation‐inducing agent was a thermostable cationic protein. Finally, basic biochemical techniques (e.g., chromatographic separation and electrophoresis) were used to show that the target coagulant is a dimeric protein composed of 6.5 and 4.5 kDa subunits. Overall, this made it possible for the students to gain a deeper understanding (more comprehensive than the information taught in formal classes) of protein structure and its real‐world implications. This stepwise exercise can be applied to research‐based learning programs in high school, as it is an effective learning tool.
The Abilityto Interpret and Construct Scientific Secondary School Science Students
Graphs byKoichiMorimoto",Rie Ishikawa"', Tetsuya Fukuda"' Summary The ability to interpret and construct scientific graphs by secondary school science students in Japan was investigated and the results compared with student abilities in the UAE and Brunei. Based on this result, Japanese students were found to be a little weaker in describing interpretations of scientific graphs, However, Japanese students were found to have a higher ability in constructing scientific graphs. The correlation between this result and science evaluation in one term was investigated. The coeMcient correlation was O.40, showing a high correlation.
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