Studies have shown that various factors (the role of formal education, informal education, and community) contribute to the lack of participation in STEM and STEM careers. This research aimed to understand the multi pathways of factors contributing to the interest in STEM careers (STEM careers in physical sciences and STEM careers in life…

Objective: Research suggests that women experience more barriers to physical exercise than men do. Advocating for increased physical exercise is a primary responsibility of professionals who have specialised in the field of physical activity and sports sciences. This study aimed to examine differences in barriers to the practise of physical…

The aim of the paper is to explore the knowledge base of high school physical science teachers, from selected high schools in Lesotho, regarding the integration of information and communication technologies (ICTs) into the curriculum. The new physical science curriculum in Lesotho requires the use of ICTs for teaching. The teachers' use of ICTs…

The paper examined gender difference in the Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) among senior secondary school adolescents using the physical science of physics in three (3) separate papers. The paper attempted to ascertain whether gender difference accounts for the score differential observed in the Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT). The study…

Recently, Greta Thunberg has strongly increased environmental awareness with the climate strikes and the resulting Fridays for Future movement. But what does environmentally friendly behavior look like? In today's society, it is a sort of common sense that one should recycle. From an early age, we are taught in school that recycling conserves…

Teaching physical science has been challenging for educators for quite some time, and with the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation has even worsened which made the adoption of blended learning in the different cycles of education only a matter of time. This paradigm requires nevertheless a certain command when it comes to using some specific tools…

This is a theoretical paper in which we describe the motivation for and the design of a novel primary physics course for student teachers at kindergarten and primary school levels that uses cognitive tools such as metaphor, analogy, and narrative. The course has been taught in the master's program in teacher education at three Universities over…

The Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) reforms in the South African school system came with an increased emphasis on laboratory practicals for the physical sciences. While reform implementation is known to be fraught with a myriad of challenges, for science teachers such significant changes in the practical components magnified the…

This study investigated how an intervention consisting of a series of physical science lessons embedded within the elementary science methods course impacted elementary preservice teachers' (N = 473) science content knowledge as evidenced in their scaled scores for the science content component of a standardized subject certification examinations…

Researchers have reported the funds of knowledge (FK) pedagogical approach effective in engaging minority students in learning. However, there are a lack of studies connecting FK to introductory college physics or physical science classes. By using examples from regional Mexican-American lived experiences at an Hispanic-serving institution located…

Between 2002 and 2012, the number of bachelor's degrees earned in the physical sciences grew by 47%; in engineering, the number increased by 33%. The number of Hispanics earning degrees in these disciplines grew even faster: 78% in the physical sciences and 64% in engineering. Though the growth in the physical sciences was larger, about five times…

The decision to integrate Nature of Science into classroom practice is no longer a debate among science educators and curriculum experts. There exists empirical evidence to substantiate its effectiveness, judging by both the academic performance and ability of students to conceptualize abstract yet teachable areas in science. Curriculum and…

We evaluated STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) coursework selection by women and men (representative longitudinal sample, 10,370 Australians) in senior high school and university, controlling achievement and expectancy-value variables. A near-zero total effect of gender on high school STEM enrollment reflected pathways…

The topic of women in graduate education has been central to many calls for action in increasing diversity and inclusion in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The field of physics has been particularly resistant to change in the significant overrepresentation of men, while also being similar to the field of astronomy which has a…

Investigations on the help-seeking behavior of academic library patrons have to date primarily focused on the undergraduate experience, most often in the context of reference interactions. This study seeks to explore the help-seeking behaviors of a different audience - faculty in the natural and physical sciences at an R2 land-grant university.…