Concerns are being raised about the increasing demand for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduates exceeding supply. Early adolescence is an especially critical time when our youth are forming beliefs about themselves as learners, along with establishing career related goals. In this qualitative research, we considered the…

Our study used a natural experiment to compare a project-based cornerstone course with the traditionally-taught introductory course in civil engineering. During the study, two sections of the course were organized around an overarching project, the design of an event center, and the remaining sections used guest lectures, a textbook, and…

The student population throughout the United States has shifted; thus, it is essential to consider ways to address the needs of culturally, linguistically diverse (CLD) students. Prior research found that culturally relevant teaching (CRT) improves academic performance. However, little quantitative research examines the relationship between CRT…

In this exploratory study, self-rated measures from two co-teachers who taught mathematics to a group of students with and without disabilities were gathered to determine perspectives about their co-teaching experiences. Students also completed three measures. Students and co-teachers agreed that the "one-teach, one observe or drift"…

The instrument of mathematics enrolment choice motivation (MECM) is designed to measure factors that influence students' decisions to keep or drop mathematics in Year 11. Using survey responses from 289 Year 11 students, this paper presents the initial form of the instrument, examines its factor structure, internal consistency and discriminant…

Research skills, especially in experimental design, are essential for success in bioscience doctoral training. While there is a growing body of literature on the development of research skills among science, technology, engineering, and mathematics doctoral students, very little is specific to biosciences. We seek to address this gap by…

Many current curricula, in going beyond traditional goals, increasingly foster creativity in science classrooms, declaring creativity a core skill of the 21st century. For enhancing creativity in science classrooms, the subject Arts is considered to offer a potential way from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) to STEAM (STEM with…

A profound need currently exists in the United States for increased student interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) -based careers. Our study focused on how students conceptualized their motivation to learn contextualized science via agricultural science while viewed through the lens of both social cognitive theory…

Recently adopted state standards for middle grades and high school mathematics content have an increased emphasis on statistical topics. With this change, teacher education programs may need to adapt how they prepare preservice secondary mathematics teachers (PSMTs) to teach statistics and require measures related to statistics teaching to assess…

Through a social constructivist lens, this study looked at how paraprofessionals understand mathematics instructional content and associated pedagogical skills and explore an organization's current involvement of support staff in schools' mathematical classrooms. The setting for this bounded case study was two elementary schools contained in one…

This study explored how a scenario-based (SB), one-semester professional development program influenced the instructional practices of preservice early childhood mathematics teachers. The participants completed a 15-week program in which they engaged with modeled in-class teaching experience and subsequently answered a number of questions that…

Sound mathematical knowledge is an essential ingredient for student success in many disciplines, and quality mathematics support is crucial to that success. How that support is delivered is often the key to student engagement, satisfaction and positive outcomes. Many students require sound mathematical knowledge to engage in their discipline…

Little research has been done to examine the impact of informal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning on middle school students' career aspirations. Participants included 507 incoming fifth through eighth graders from underrepresented populations in STEM fields, which were recruited at three sites. Data collected…

Many children experience challenges with school mathematics during the transition from primary to secondary education, with several studies documenting a decline of performance, motivation, and self-efficacy. In order to understand how early adolescents construct their mathematical identities during this transition, this study explores, along the…

Authentic practice in pedagogical approaches is essential for preparing teachers to design effective learning experiences that foster student engagement during this digital era. There is an opportunity to explore novel and effective designs of virtual experiences that may augment or better prepare preservice teachers for field placements in…