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Although the literature on veteran differences in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupational outcomes by gender is established and veteran/nonveteran differences in STEM outcomes are well studied, we fill a gap in the literature by examining the following two research questions in this study: (1) are rural veterans less likely than urban veterans to be employed in a STEM occupation and how does race/ethnicity modify this relationship; (2) among veterans in a STEM occupation, does total income vary by rural/urban location and race/ethnicity? We retrieved data on employed military veterans (n = 845,467) aged 18 to 65 years from the 2008–2020 American Community Survey. Results showed that rural-dwelling Black and Hispanic veterans were less likely than Whites to be employed in a STEM field. Among veterans employed in a STEM field, rural-dwelling Hispanics had lower annual incomes than Whites. As such, future STEM education programs should target rural-dwelling veterans of color. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Little is known about the relationship between environmental factors and school truancy, especially after controlling for socioeconomic factors. Therefore, we investigated associations between social, economic, and environmental factors and school truancy in Illinois. Methods: Independent variables in our analysis included these county-level factors (N = 102): poverty, Mississippi Delta Region designation, parental involvement, single-parent families, floods, tornadoes, pollution, temperatures, and earthquakes. The dependent variable was K-12 school truancy rates aggregated to the county level. We conducted robust linear regression analysis to model relationships among variables. We also conducted spatial analysis to determine hotspots of school truancy. Results: The model in which county-level school truancy rates were regressed on social, economic, and environmental factors was statistically significant (F = 9.10, p < .001). Poverty, parental involvement, and earthquake occurrence were independent predictors of school truancy rates. Spatial analysis revealed a statistically significant cluster of high-truancy rates in 2 economically distressed Illinois counties: Alexander (local Moran's I = 6.58, p < .001) and Pulaski (local Moran's I = 3.35, p < .001). Conclusions: Efforts to decrease K-12 school truancy are needed in Illinois counties with high poverty rates, low parental involvement rates, and a history of earthquakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving the goal of a scientifically literate society greatly depends on teachers. This study assesses preservice elementary teachers' conceptual understanding of scientific literacy. Study participants include 20 preservice elementary teachers registered in an advanced science methods course at a midsize university in the United States. A qualitative interview design with a semistructured interview format was used. The results of this study showed that preservice elementary teachers' scientific literacy and knowledge of the nature of science required improvement to comply with science education reforms; however, they showed adequate understanding of the relationship among science, technology, and society. • Preservice elementary teachers hold misconceptions of scientific literacy. • Promoting scientific literacy through argumentation discourse in science. • Including explicit nature of science courses in teacher education programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]