The Building Blocks of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Act was put in place to direct the National Science Foundation to support STEM education research focused on early childhood. The Act includes the following sections: (1) Short Title; (2) Findings; (3) Supporting Early Childhood and Elementary STEM Education Research;…

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of internationalizing a curricular component of the class on preservice teachers. By realigning course objectives and including a content specific Albany State University internationalization initiative framework, the project evaluated the impact on preservice teacher knowledge of culturally…

While Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education is increasingly valued in China, there is little research to understand how science, technology, engineering, and math are best integrated into early childhood education. This study aims to examine Chinese educators' views and perspectives on early technology education -- 'the…

Research shows that that children learn science and engineering subjects best by engaging from an early age in the kinds of practices used by real scientists and engineers. By doing science and engineering, children not only develop and refine their understanding of the core ideas and crosscutting concepts of these disciplines, but can also be…

In early care and education, a multitiered system of support (MTSS) framework is a way to provide high-quality teaching and responsive caregiving through the delivery of differentiated support for all young children. In an early childhood MTSS framework, the needs of every child, regardless of ability, eligibility status, cultural and linguistic…

The Research Experiences in Marine Science (REMS) Program is a Hawai'i place-based CURE (course-based undergraduate research experience) for late high school and early undergraduate students wherein students conduct independent research that draws upon the history, culture, and ecosystem of their local communities. In addition to providing…

Background: Preschool teachers play a key role in early scientific education, and their understanding and ability to communicate scientific concepts are crucial. Researchers have extensively studied their grasp of basic scientific concepts, but their understanding of important concepts related to buoyancy, such as floating and sinking, remains…

A predicted rapid growth in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers demands a vast and talented workforce, but students most commonly abandon STEM majors within the first 2 years of college. Performance in introductory courses, scientific literacy, and the ability to critically reason are main predictors of retention in STEM,…

The purpose of this research is to describe the development of a STEM-based learning environment for early childhood teacher candidates that is valid, practical, and has potential effects. The research sample consisted of 25 pre-service early childhood teachers and 19 students Kindergarten. The research method used was design research with the…

The critical and persistent impact of violence, abuse, and social injustice on the overall development of young children has necessitated a global discourse on the importance of cultivating compassion during children's formative years. This article links the defining elements of compassion to the discipline of early childhood education and calls…

Education in Japan has drawn attention widely from overseas, including a quantity of research pointing out that the context of Japan's modernization and its present-day advanced science and technology can be found in the high literacy rates and prevalent education of Japanese society. However, there has been insufficient examination of the effect…

This classroom-based study aims to contribute knowledge about children's opportunities to make use of drawing to make meaning in science. Employing a social semiotic approach to drawing, we examine what ways of representing science content that are: (1) made available by the teacher; and (2) adopted in children's drawings. We analysed observation…

This paper introduces a partnership between researchers in Education Sciences and high school students and discusses the students' perceptions of the effects of taking on the role of researchers in Education Sciences. These partnerships were established to develop a project in which high school students researched their school's everyday life in…

Background: One of the most important, albeit ignored, issues in the process of curriculum implementation is teachers' beliefs; indeed, this is a vital issue since their beliefs about teaching and learning will in part govern their actions in the classroom. There is a substantial body of the literature that highlights how teachers' beliefs are…

This paper introduces the term "explorative mathematical argumentation" (EMA), signifying a concept for describing and analysing learners' mathematical argumentation processes. Despite multiple recent empirical evidence for argumentation promoting learning in science education, still little is known about the development of early…