Search

Scientists in higher education institutions around the globe recognize the importance of engaging with public stakeholders to share their enthusiasm, explain their science, and to encourage public-school students to enter the sciences. However, without direct consideration of students' and teachers' perspectives and interests, scientists may design activities around their own goals, limiting the impact on public-school stakeholders. In this theoretical paper, we draw from both natural and social science research to describe how expanding the conception of place beyond the biophysical can engage public-school stakeholders in meaningful ways. We describe the multidimensional PLACE framework developed to integrate perspectives, knowledge, and values of all stakeholders in engagement programming. We recommend that scientists identify and use: i) Pedagogy that is inclusive ii) Language framed around dialogue; iii) Aims and motivations centered on engagement; iii) Cultural funds of knowledge of place; and iv) Evaluation of engagement using meaningful metrics. We present two illustrative case studies. Article Impact Statement: Environmental scientists should adopt a critical pedagogy of place when designing engagement and outreach programs with K-12 schools. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Quality STEM teacher education is predicated on teacher educators who are well-equipped to design learning experiences, provide feedback, guide the development of teachers across their career span, and conduct rigorous research to advance education theory and praxis. While numerous models and approaches to professional development for teachers exist, few parallels can be drawn between the professional development of teachers and teacher educators (Loughran, 2014). To support the multi-faceted identity (trans)formation of STEM teacher educators, self-directed learning opportunities can help bridge knowledge and practice, enhance productive collaboration, and support efforts to negotiate multiple and conflicting agendas (Goodwin & Kosnik, 2013). The purpose of this empirical study was to explore the identity (trans)formation of teacher educators participating in a long-term interdisciplinary STEM-based Community of Practice (CoP; Wenger, 1998), which began in 2012. An analysis of our experiences through the figured worlds lens informs how a CoP can impact curricular approaches and teacher PD, imploring members to move through their comfort zones into innovative spaces. We conclude with suggestions for our STEM teacher educator colleagues who seek opportunities to challenge their own positions and best support preservice and in-service STEM teachers in a way that allows them to model for their students the value of community.

Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) have been shown to facilitate students’ pursuit of graduate studies and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, includi...

Embedded within ongoing university-community partnerships, participatory action research experiences for undergraduates – or PAR-based UREs – are multi-disciplinary, action-oriented research opport...

The Problem The US is currently experiencing a shortage of K-12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers, especially in high-poverty communities. The shortage can be explained by both low teacher recruitment and high teacher turnover; however, the reasons why teachers leave the profession are complex. The Solution We argue that teacher professional development programs are often focused on how teachers can meet the needs of their students but ignore how teachers can build their own professional resilience. We draw from research in both teacher self-efficacy and ecological adaptive capacity to propose a revised Teacher-Centered Systemic Reform Model that identifies adaptive capacity as an outcome goal for individuals and school systems. School environments are dynamic (e.g., new policies, student needs, and changing administrators), and as a result, teachers need skills to adapt, enabling them to be resilient while still meeting students’ needs. The Stakeholders Professional development, teacher educators, human resource development (HRD) practitioners, K-12 STEM teachers.

Numerous national initiatives call for interdisciplinary mathematics and science education, but few empirical studies have examined practical considerations for integrated instruction in high school settings. The purpose of this qualitative study was twofold. First, the study sought to describe how and to what extent teachers integrate mathematics and science curricula in their classrooms after having participated in an intervention to promote and support mathematics and science integration. Second, the study was intended to expand our understanding of the barriers to and factors that enable integrated approaches in high school classrooms. The theoretical component of this study builds on and adapts previous models of science and mathematics integration to introduce the Intradisciplinary, Cross-disciplinary, Mutlidisciplinary, Interdisciplinary (ICMI) framework for identifying and defining classroom integration strategies. Findings include a description of several distinct practices high school teachers related to integrated instruction as well as the trade-offs teachers considered when making decisions related to integrated curricula. The implications of the findings for researchers and practitioners are discussed. Finally, we propose the conceptualization of “interdisciplinary pedagogical content knowledge” in mathematics and science as an area of focus that will enable teachers to successfully move toward interdisciplinary instruction.

Our diverse team of educators at Colorado State University are redefining what it means to teach and learn in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Supported by a five-year “RED” grant from the National Science Foundation, we are, in effect, throwing away courses to overcome the challenges of the current engineering educational system. Approaching the degree from a holistic perspective, we no longer view our program as a set of disparate courses taught by autonomous (and isolated) faculty, but as an integrated system that fosters collaboration among faculty and students. This paper describes our new organizational and pedagogical model, which emphasizes knowledge integration and interweaves thematic content threads throughout the curriculum. We also share our process for implementing the new approach, along with the successes and challenges that we have experienced along the way. Through this project, we strive to become a catalyst for change in engineering education.

Informal Science Education (ISE) programs have been increasing in popularity in recent years. The National Research Council has laid out six strands that ISE programs should try to address, including increasing interest, knowledge, and allowing participants to engage in scientific activities. Past research suggests that informal settings can increase interest in science and may lead to knowledge gains. This study examined the impact of a unique ISE program that resembles a traveling museum and offers small-scale, interactive experiences. Affective outcomes and self-reported learning outcomes of the students who participated in the program were examined. In general, students reported increases in science interest and some knowledge gains. Students also reported they thought the program allowed them to engage in science. There were differences in student responses based on grade level, with intermediate elementary students more likely to report greater knowledge gains and more likely to see the educational value of the experience. Interestingly, middle school students were more likely to value the social aspects of the experience, another important aspect of ISE. This study provides some insight into the connections between the different ISE strands of informal science education and offers suggestions for future research.

In spite of efforts to increase gender diversity across many science fields, women continue to encounter beliefs that they lack ability and talent. Undergraduate education is a critical time when peer influence may alter choice of majors and careers for women interested in science. Even in life science courses, in which women outnumber men, gender biases that emerge in peer-to-peer interactions during coursework may detract from women's interest and progress. This is the first study of which we are aware to document that women are outperforming men in both physical and life science undergraduate courses at the same institution, while simultaneously continuing to be perceived as less-able students. This is problematic because undergraduate women may not be able to escape gender-ability stereotypes even when they are outperforming men, which has important implications for 1) the recognition of women's achievements among their peers in undergraduate education and 2) retention of women in STEM disciplines and careers.

To meet the sustainability challenges of the future, we need leaders who are trained to work well in diverse, multidisciplinary teams and a populace that understands the biophysical and socioeconomic challenges facing humanity and how to meet the needs of its diverse stakeholders. With a goal of increasing climate literacy amongst college students, we developed a cooperative jigsaw activity to encourage students to explore the complexities of joint decision making when taking into account multiple perspectives. We found that undergraduate science (natural science and natural resources) students were engaged, drew on a variety of types of evidence to support claims about managing rangelands impacted by climate change, and referenced both complex social and natural systems in their postassessment. 2014 National Association of Geoscience Teachers. [DOI: 10.5408/13-070.1]

The effect of a 15- to 24-month in-service professional development (PD) program on state accountability mathematics test scores for middle school students was examined using a quasi-experimental design. Middle level mathematics teachers (n = 128) from 7 school districts and 64 middle schools volunteered for a PD sequence of content-oriented summer courses and pedagogy-oriented structured follow-up experiences during the subsequent academic year. Student effects of the PD program were measured using Colorado's state mathematics test results for 2 cohorts of students: 1 that received mathematics instruction from participant teachers in the year prior to the PD and another cohort that received mathematics instruction in the year following the PD. The odds of a student achieving a Proficient or Advanced score on the state test were then compared between cohorts. Results showed that students' odds of achieving a score of Proficient or better increased with teacher participation in the PD program.

This paper introduces a variation on the post-test only cohort control design and addresses questions concerning both the methodological credibility and the practical utility of employing this design variation in evaluations of large-scale complex professional development programmes in mathematics education. The original design and design variation, which adds a pre-test measure and gain scores for both pre-treatment and post-treatment conditions, are compared theoretically for their respective controls on threats to internal validity, and practically for their comparative ease of implementation in field settings. We conclude that the design variation adds important controls to selection bias that the original design cannot. From a utility perspective, however, there are trade-offs, because this design variation requires more data collection observations, more complex data management and certain psychometric characteristics for the outcome measure.

PAR-based UREs are undergraduate research experiences (UREs)&mdash, built into university-community partnerships&mdash, that apply principles of participatory action research (PAR) towards addressing community-defined challenges. In this paper, we advance PAR-based UREs as an action-oriented framework through which higher education institutions can simultaneously enact and advance the United Nations sustainable development agenda, while cultivating student development. We draw upon interdisciplinary scholarship on sustainable development and PAR, as well as empirical findings from a pilot program, to accomplish dual goals. First, through the lens of six Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) clusters, we explore the synergies between undergraduate PAR engagement and sustainable development, explaining how PAR-based UREs can prefigure and facilitate SDG achievement by promoting cross-sector collaboration and supporting diverse stakeholder engagement through community-driven research and action. Second, within each SDG cluster, we offer complementary reflections and recommendations around the design and implementation of PAR-based UREs towards advancing students&rsquo, skills and abilities as: (1) Community Collaborators (and Learners), (2) Community-Engaged Researchers, (3) (Interdisciplinary) Scholars, (4) Agents of Change, (5) (Sustainable) Co-Innovators, and (6) Institutional Representatives. Finally, we discuss the critical role of higher education institutions in minimizing structural barriers to PAR-based URE implementation, given their prefigurative and practical potential for both SDG achievement and student development.

Theory-based evaluation (TBE) is an evaluation method that shows how a program will work under certain conditions and has been supported as a viable, evidence-based option in cases where randomized trials or high-quality quasi-experiments are not feasible. Despite the model's widely accepted theoretical appeal there are few examples of its well-implemented use, probably due to time and money limitations necessary for planning and a confusion over the definitions between research and evaluation functions and roles. In this paper, we describe the development of a theory-based evaluation design in a Math and Science Partnership (MSP) research project funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). Through this work we developed an organizational model distinguishing between and integrating evaluation and research functions, explicating personnel roles and responsibilities, and highlighting connections between research and evaluation work. Although the research and evaluation components operated on independent budgeting, staffing, and implementation activities, we were able to combine datasets across activities to allow us to assess the integrity of the program theory, not just the hypothesized connections within it. This model has since been used for proposal development and has been invaluable as it creates a research and evaluation plan that is seamless from the beginning.