Articles

Evidence that communities of practice are associated with active learning in large STEM lectures

With the increased attention on the need to retain students within STEM majors, it is important for STEM instructors to adopt evidence-based instructional practices that are student-centric and employ active l...

Authors: Jonathan H. Tomkin, Shereen O. Beilstein, Jason W. Morphew and Geoffrey L. Herman

A logistic regression investigation of the relationship between the Learning Assistant model and failure rates in introductory STEM courses

Large introductory STEM courses historically have high failure rates, and failing such courses often leads students to change majors or even drop out of college. Instructional innovations such as the Learning ...

Authors: Jessica L. Alzen, Laurie S. Langdon and Valerie K. Otero

An outlook on self-assessment of homework assignments in higher mathematics education

We discuss first experiences with a new variant of self-assessment in higher mathematics education. In our setting, the students of the course have to mark a part of their homework assignments themselves and t...

Authors: Sarah Beumann and Sven-Ake Wegner

Four years of development as a gathering place for international researchers and readers in STEM education

Authors: Yeping Li

Examining ways to meaningfully support students in STEM

A strong, positive science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) identity is a predictor of future career choice in a STEM field. In this commentary, major concepts are explored within and among fou...

Authors: Lisa Martin-Hansen

Perception and adoption of competency-based training by academics in Ghana

With the rise in graduate unemployment and the poor linkage between university education and industry, competency-based training (CBT) is gaining popularity in Ghana’s universities as a way of producing busine...

Authors: Camillus Abawiera Wongnaa and Williams Kwasi Boachie

Science identity development: an interactionist approach

In this introduction for this Special Issue we discuss the need for the investigation of science identity with an emphasis on the environment. As such, we propose taking an interactionist approach; one that ex...

Authors: Ann Y. Kim and Gale M. Sinatra

The nature of science identity and its role as the driver of student choices

A major concern in science education involves the under-representation of many groups in science and technology fields, especially by gender (Brotman and Moore, J Res Sci Teach 45:971–1002, 2008; Clark Blicken...

Authors: Paulette Vincent-Ruz and Christian D. Schunn

Motivational factors in makerspaces: a mixed methods study of elementary school students’ situational interest, self-efficacy, and achievement emotions

Design-based learning and makerspace programs have been shown to be effective in increasing student motivation for STEM learning. Since these programs have largely been implemented for middle school and older ...

Authors: Vanessa W. Vongkulluksn, Ananya M. Matewos, Gale M. Sinatra and Julie A. Marsh

Research mentoring and scientist identity: insights from undergraduates and their mentors

Mentored research apprenticeships are a common feature of academic outreach programs that aim to promote diversity in science fields. The current study tests for links between three forms of mentoring (instrum...

Authors: Rachael D Robnett, Paul A Nelson, Eileen L Zurbriggen, Faye J Crosby and Martin M Chemers

The longitudinal effects of STEM identity and gender on flourishing and achievement in college physics

Drawing on social identity theory and positive psychology, this study investigated women’s responses to the social environment of physics classrooms. It also investigated STEM identity and gender disparities o...

Authors: Viviane Seyranian, Alex Madva, Nicole Duong, Nina Abramzon, Yoi Tibbetts and Judith M Harackiewicz

Compiling video cases to support PD facilitators in noticing productive teacher learning

Research studies on facilitating professional development describe the knowledge and skills facilitators need to effectively attend to teachers’ learning processes. In this context, some studies gave rise to t...

Authors: Sven Schueler and Bettina Roesken-Winter

Correction to: Is the undergraduate microbiology curriculum preparing students for careers in their field?: an assessment of biology majors’ conceptions of growth and control of microorganisms

Following publication of the original article (Sawant et al., 2018), a typesetting mistake was reported.

Authors: Aakanksha Purushottam Sawant, Swapnaja Arvind Patil, Jyotsna Vijapurkar, Needa Nasir Bagban and Deepti Bhushan Gupta

STEM education centers: catalyzing the improvement of undergraduate STEM education

With the remarkable attention being paid to STEM education nationally, with the growing engagement of universities and colleges in STEM education reform, and with the rise of STEM education centers, SECs, assi...

Authors: Deborah L. Carlisle and Gabriela C. Weaver

The influences of group dialog on individual student understanding of science concepts

Cooperative and inquiry-based pedagogies provide a context for classroom discourse in which students develop joint understanding of subject matter knowledge. Using the symbolic interactionist perspective that ...

Authors: Abdi-Rizak M. Warfa, James Nyachwaya and Gillian Roehrig

The influence of STEM definitions for research on women’s college attainment

Prior research has inconsistently operationalized Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields, presenting an interpretation challenge. A content analysis of 51 quantitative, gender-focused, higher...

Authors: Catherine A. Manly, Ryan S. Wells and Suzan Kommers

The effects of different versions of a gateway STEM course on student attitudes and beliefs

Substantial research has been conducted focusing on student outcomes in mathematics courses in order to better understand the ways in which these outcomes depend on the underlying instructional methodologies f...

Authors: Xiangming Wu, Jessica Deshler and Edgar Fuller

Is the undergraduate microbiology curriculum preparing students for careers in their field?: an assessment of biology majors’ conceptions of growth and control of microorganisms

We present an analysis of students’ responses to application-based questions on the topic of growth and control of microorganisms, from a questionnaire administered to 348 second and third year students of an ...

Authors: Aakanksha Purushottam Sawant, Swapnaja Arvind Patil, Jyotsna Vijapurkar, Needa Nasir Bagban and Deepti Bhushan Gupta

Developing numeracy skills using interactive technology in a play-based learning environment

The purpose of this study was to measure the impact of interactive technology in the form of mathematical applications (apps) delivered using iPads on kindergarten children’s learning of number sense in a play...

Authors: Tess Miller

Socioeconomic gaps in science achievement

In contrast to the extensive research on socioeconomic gaps in reading and math achievement, little attention has been given to socioeconomic disparities in science skills, particularly during the early years ...

Authors: Laura Betancur, Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal and Christian Schunn

Seeding long-term, sustainable change in teacher preparation programs: the case of PhysTEC

The continuation of teacher preparation activities after a 3-year Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC) grant is used as a case study to examine multi-faceted aspects of sustainable change in higher ed...

Authors: Kathleen T. Foote and Alexis V. Knaub

Developing identities of STEM teachers at emerging STEM schools

With the expansion of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) schools all over the United States and the world, new roles for teachers are being created, and with these roles, identities are e...

Authors: Mohamed El Nagdi, Felicia Leammukda and Gillian Roehrig

Students’ perceptions of STEM learning after participating in a summer informal learning experience

Informal learning environments increase students’ interest in STEM (e.g., Mohr‐Schroeder et al. School Sci Math 114: 291–301, 2014) and increase the chances a student will pursue a STEM career (Kitchen et al. ...

Authors: Thomas Roberts, Christa Jackson, Margaret J. Mohr-Schroeder, Sarah B. Bush, Cathrine Maiorca, Maureen Cavalcanti, D. Craig Schroeder, Ashley Delaney, Lydia Putnam and Chaise Cremeans

Teachers’ roles and identities in student-centered classrooms

Students and teachers in twenty-first century STEM classrooms face significant challenges in preparing for post-secondary education, career, and citizenship. Educators have advocated for student-centered instr...

Authors: Leslie S. Keiler

Gendered differences in academic emotions and their implications for student success in STEM

Understanding student anxiety is an important factor for broadening the gender diversity of STEM majors due to its disproportionate and negative influence on women. To investigate how student anxiety is relate...

Authors: Michael Pelch

Making sense of “STEM education” in K-12 contexts

Despite increasing attention to STEM education worldwide, there is considerable uncertainty as to what constitutes STEM education and what it means in terms of curriculum and student outcomes. The purpose of t...

Authors: Tamara D. Holmlund, Kristin Lesseig and David Slavit

Student, instructor, and observer agreement regarding frequencies of scientific teaching practices using the Measurement Instrument for Scientific Teaching-Observable (MISTO)

The Scientific Teaching (ST) pedagogical framework encompasses many of the best practices recommended in the literature and highlighted in national reports. Understanding the growth and impact of ST requires i...

Authors: Mary F. Durham, Jennifer K. Knight, Emily K. Bremers, Jameson D. DeFreece, Alex R. Paine and Brian A. Couch

Improving science teachers’ nature of science views through an innovative continuing professional development program

This study describes how teachers’ nature of science (NOS) views changed throughout an innovative Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program that provided sustained support throughout the process in a c...

Authors: Eda Erdas Kartal, William W. Cobern, Nihal Dogan, Serhat Irez, Gultekin Cakmakci and Yalcin Yalaki

Incorporating industrial design pedagogy into a mechanical engineering graphics course: a discipline-based education research (DBER) approach

A redesigned curriculum for teaching engineering graphics was adopted in an introductory mechanical engineering course. The rollout of this curriculum was staggered, allowing for comparisons of student percept...

Authors: Sunni Newton, Meltem Alemdar, Ethan Hilton, Julie Linsey and Katherine Fu

Supporting instructional change in mathematics: using social network analysis to understand online support processes following professional development workshops

Studies continually show benefits of active learning in college classrooms, yet it is difficult to get faculty to adopt these methods. Particularly challenging is the final step of the instructional change pro...

Authors: Charles N. Hayward and Sandra L. Laursen

Learning progression toward a measurement concept of fractions

Fractions continue to pose a critical challenge for students and their teachers alike. Mathematics education research indicates that the challenge with fractions may stem from the limitations of part-whole con...

Authors: Jesse L. M. Wilkins and Anderson Norton

Finding the leaders: an examination of social network analysis and leadership identification in STEM education change

Social network analysis (SNA) literature suggests that leaders should be well connected and can be identified through network measurements. Other literature suggests that identifying leaders ideally involves m...

Authors: Alexis V. Knaub, Charles Henderson and Kathleen Quardokus Fisher

Connection between academic emotions in situ and retention in the physics track: applying experience sampling method

There is a lack of students enrolling in upper secondary school physics courses. In addition, many students discontinue the physics track, causing a lack of applicants for university-level science, technology,...

Authors: Sanna Lehtamo, Kalle Juuti, Janna Inkinen and Jari Lavonen

Development and validation of the Value-Expectancy STEM Assessment Scale for students in higher education

Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) jobs are expected to make up a significant portion of the U.S. workforce. Unfortunately, the trend in retaining students in STEM majors has been going down. If...

Authors: Joseph Appianing and Richard N. Van Eck

The influence of active learning practices on student anxiety in large-enrollment college science classrooms

Over the past decade, the prevalence of anxiety has increased among college-aged students and college counseling centers have become increasingly concerned about the negative impact of anxiety on students. Whi...

Authors: Katelyn M. Cooper, Virginia R. Downing and Sara E. Brownell

A study of the correlation between STEM career knowledge, mathematics self-efficacy, career interests, and career activities on the likelihood of pursuing a STEM career among middle school students

A sample of 1448 students in grades 7 and 9 was drawn from public schools in Atlantic Canada to explore students’ knowledge of science and mathematics requirements for science, technology, engineering, and mat...

Authors: Karen A. Blotnicky, Tamara Franz-Odendaal, Frederick French and Phillip Joy

Participation and performance on paper- and computer-based low-stakes assessments

High-stakes assessments, such the Graduate Records Examination, have transitioned from paper to computer administration. Low-stakes research-based assessments (RBAs), such as the Force Concept Inventory, have ...

Authors: Jayson M. Nissen, Manher Jariwala, Eleanor W. Close and Ben Van Dusen

Primetime learning: collaborative and technology-enhanced studying with genuine teacher presence

Productive learning processes and good learning outcomes can be attained by applying the basic elements of active learning. The basic elements include fostering discussions and disputations, facing alternative...

Authors: Pekka Koskinen, Joni Lämsä, Jussi Maunuksela, Raija Hämäläinen and Jouni Viiri

Comments and reflections on ITS and STEM education and training

This article provides brief comments and reflections on Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) and their use in providing STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education and training as describe...

Authors: J. D. Fletcher

ElectronixTutor: an intelligent tutoring system with multiple learning resources for electronics

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) organized a STEM Challenge initiative to explore how intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) can be developed in a reasonable amount of time to help students learn STEM topics. T...

Authors: Arthur C. Graesser, Xiangen Hu, Benjamin D. Nye, Kurt VanLehn, Rohit Kumar, Cristina Heffernan, Neil Heffernan, Beverly Woolf, Andrew M. Olney, Vasile Rus, Frank Andrasik, Philip Pavlik, Zhiqiang Cai, Jon Wetzel, Brent Morgan, Andrew J. Hampton…

Development and application of a multi-modal task analysis to support intelligent tutoring of complex skills

Contemporary work in the design and development of intelligent training systems employs task analysis (TA) methods for gathering knowledge that is subsequently encoded into task models. These task models form ...

Authors: Anna Skinner, David Diller, Rohit Kumar, Jan Cannon-Bowers, Roger Smith, Alyssa Tanaka, Danielle Julian and Ray Perez

Contextual factors affecting hint utility

Interactive learning environments often provide help strategies to facilitate learning. Hints, for example, help students recall relevant concepts, identify mistakes, and make inferences. However, several stud...

Authors: Paul Salvador Inventado, Peter Scupelli, Korinn Ostrow, Neil Heffernan III, Jaclyn Ocumpaugh, Victoria Almeda and Stefan Slater

SKOPE-IT (Shareable Knowledge Objects as Portable Intelligent Tutors): overlaying natural language tutoring on an adaptive learning system for mathematics

This study investigated learning outcomes and user perceptions from interactions with a hybrid intelligent tutoring system created by combining the AutoTutor conversational tutoring system with the Assessment ...

Authors: Benjamin D. Nye, Philip I. Pavlik Jr., Alistair Windsor, Andrew M. Olney, Mustafa Hajeer and Xiangen Hu

Pedagogical knowledge for active-learning instruction in large undergraduate biology courses: a large-scale qualitative investigation of instructor thinking

Though active-learning instruction has the potential to positively impact the preparation and diversity of STEM graduates, not all instructors are able to achieve this potential. One important factor is the te...

Authors: Anna Jo J. Auerbach and Tessa C. Andrews

Advances from the Office of Naval Research STEM Grand Challenge: expanding the boundaries of intelligent tutoring systems

This special issue presents evaluations of four intelligent tutoring systems. These systems were funded under the Office of Naval Research’s STEM Grand Challenge for intelligent tutoring systems. The systems e...

Authors: Scotty D. Craig, Arthur C. Graesser and Ray S. Perez

The role of pedagogical tools in active learning: a case for sense-making

Evidence from the research literature indicates that both audience response systems (ARS) and guided inquiry worksheets (GIW) can lead to greater student engagement, learning, and equity in the STEM classroom....

Authors: Milo Koretsky, Jessie Keeler, John Ivanovitch and Ying Cao

Cultural taboos as a factor in the participation rate of Native Americans in STEM

Native Americans are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). We investigated whether having to violate cultural taboos might be a factor in the decisions of some Native Am...

Authors: Deborah H. Williams and Gerhard P. Shipley

Race and gender differences in how sense of belonging influences decisions to major in STEM

Women and students of color are widely underrepresented in most STEM fields. In order to investigate this underrepresentation, we interviewed 201 college seniors, primarily women and people of color, who eithe...

Authors: Katherine Rainey, Melissa Dancy, Roslyn Mickelson, Elizabeth Stearns and Stephanie Moller

Undergraduate research experiences: mentoring, awareness, and perceptions—a case study at a Hispanic-serving institution

Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) have been proposed as means to increase the retention and engagement of minority—and more specifically Hispanic—college students in science, technology, engineering, a...

Authors: Laura Rodríguez Amaya, Tania Betancourt, Kristina Henry Collins, Orlando Hinojosa and Carlos Corona

Science in the Learning Gardens (SciLG): a study of students’ motivation, achievement, and science identity in low-income middle schools

Science in the Learning Gardens (henceforth, SciLG) program was designed to address two well-documented, inter-related educational problems: under-representation in science of students from racial and ethnic m...

Authors: Dilafruz R. Williams, Heather Brule, Sybil S. Kelley and Ellen A. Skinner