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Research on pedagogy and learning spaces often assumes that active learning spaces enhance faculty's ability to implement student-centered practices; it also relies on student perspectives. In this study faculty completed surveys that assessed their self-efficacy for student-centered pedagogy, teaching experiences, and student engagement when teaching in active and traditional learning spaces. Self-efficacy positively predicted teaching experiences and student engagement within the same space, but negatively across spaces. Only self-efficacy in active learning spaces positively predicted student-centered strategy use. Findings challenge the assumption that skilled faculty will feel successful in any space necessitating the development of policies and trainings that consider pedagogy and space.

Background: Expanding opportunities to experience engaging STEM educational programs is an important pathway to increasing students' interest and competencies in STEM and, ultimately, motivation to pursue STEM careers. After-school programs offer one means to achieve this aim, but barriers such as a lack of transportation or available teachers may limit participation for some students in this context. Transitioning after-school STEM programs to in-school can provide opportunities to increase reach by removing these and other barriers. However, it is likely that this change in the learning context, from after-school to in-school, impacts student experiences and, ultimately, program efficacy by altering how students and teachers interact; as teachers and students adjust their behaviors and expectations to a more traditional learning context. To examine this potential effect, self-determination theory was used to frame how the learning context influences the social and motivational outcomes of a STEM program for underserved youth. In-school (N = 244; 39% girls, M[subscript age] = 13, 63% Caucasian, 18% African American, 6% Multiracial) and after-school (N = 70, 33% girls, M[subscript age] = 12, 55% Caucasian, 16% Multiracial, 13% Latino/a) program students completed surveys that assessed teacher-student interactions, and student psychological needs and motivation. In a structural equation model, student perceptions of teachers were entered as predictors of motivation for the program directly and mediated by psychological need satisfaction. Learning context (0 = in-school, 1 = after-school) was entered as a ubiquitous predictor. Results: Findings support the theorized model where perceptions of teachers positively predicted psychological need satisfaction (R[superscript 2] = 0.20), and both variables positively predicted more self-determined motivation (R[superscript 2] = 0.30-0.35). Findings also demonstrate an effect of learning context where learning context negatively predicted the less self-determined motivations only (R[superscript 2] = 0.06-0.10) (i.e., in-school contexts are associated with less desirable motivational outcomes). Conclusion: Findings reinforce the instrumental role of students' positive perceptions of teachers in fostering a more desirable self-determined motivation for STEM program participation. Additionally, in-school programs must consider and integrate novel approaches that mitigate the negative impact of established in-school structures and processes (e.g., grades and mandatory participation) on student motivation for these programs and, potentially, interest in STEM careers.

Cross‐sector partnerships (CSPs) are important for tackling development challenges across public, private, and non‐profit sectors. Despite their growing prevalence as partnership models of choice for grand challenge efforts, there is little evidence‐based understanding about the dominant features of these engagements. This makes it difficult to develop CSP engagement models that are useful across development problems and settings. We posit that CSPs are intrinsically cross‐disciplinary endeavors and require collaboration models that enable interdisciplinary problem orientation and solution casting. To facilitate sense‐making in partnership efforts, a CSP engagement model must therefore integrate perspectives on partnership from major disciplines and practitioner experiences. Using automated content analysis of peer‐reviewed publications and manual content analysis of practitioner interviews, we explored the robustness and relevance of partnership capacity theory (PCT), an interdisciplinary CSP engagement model, as an evidence‐based approach to CSP with best‐practice grounding. We found PCT comprehensively characterizes collaborative CSP dynamics and offers a foundational view of CSP best practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has demonstrated the importance of relatedness perceptions to self-determined motivation in physical education. Therefore, studies have begun to examine the social factors contributing to feelings of relatedness. The purpose of this study was to examine teacher (perceived emotional support) and peer (acceptance, friendship quality) relationship variables to feelings of relatedness, motivation, and affective responses in junior high physical education students (N = 411). Results revealed that perceived relatedness mediated the relationship between variables and self-determined motivation and related directly to the amount of enjoyment and worry students experienced. These findings demonstrate that relationships with both teachers and peers are important for students' relatedness perceptions, motivation, enjoyment, and worry in physical education. (Contains 3 tables, 2 figures, and 3 notes.)

This study used a randomized controlled design to test the pathways in basic psychological needs theory, where social relationships characterized by autonomy support, involvement, and structure foster psychological need satisfaction and well-being. Participants were recruited from a physical-activity-based youth program. A new staff training was implemented to manipulate the use of each interpersonal characteristic by program staff (N = 24 observed) and perceptions of each interpersonal characteristic, psychological needs, hope, and self-worth in youth (N = 379 surveyed pre- and postprogram). Staff in the intervention condition used greater overall observed autonomy support, involvement, and structure. Condition assignment did not lead to differences in youth perceptions, but observed staff behaviors positively predicted youth perceptions of staff and perceptions of staff positively predicted change in well-being. Findings indicate that the training manipulated how staff engaged youth, and autonomy support, involvement, and structure are useful strategies to foster well-being in youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes an approach to designing a scalable career development curriculum for elementary school students using minimal-cost and readily available resources. Content experts, veterinary medical students, university staff, teachers, community partners, evaluation experts, and a children's book illustrator developed a library of low-cost, culturally responsive, fun, and educationally engaging lessons to expose elementary school-aged students to scientific knowledge and careers in veterinary medicine. The home team piloted and evaluated the approach at a local community center. Teams in eight other states were provided materials to pilot and assess the program. Seven of those teams successfully piloted the program and provided evidence of child engagement. Although models, props, and other costly supplies enhance delivery of Science Technology Engineering and Math lessons, our experience with the delivery of this curriculum was proof of concept that a low-cost curricular model is one strategy to facilitate scaling and sustainability of an engaging veterinary science curriculum.