Following the example of physics education research (PER), CER tends to take the theories and methods developed in pre-college science education research, which generally takes place in Schools of Education, and applies them to understanding comparable problems in post-secondary settings (in addition to pre-college settings).
Mengikuti contoh penelitian pendidikan fisika (PER), CER cenderung untuk mengambil teori dan metode yang dikembangkan dalam pra-kuliah penelitian pendidikan sains, yang umumnya berlangsung di Sekolah Pendidikan, dan berlaku mereka untuk memahami masalah yang sebanding dalam pengaturan pasca-sekunder (selain pengaturan pra-perguruan tinggi).