This study examines college students' science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) choices as they relate to high school experiences, parent, teacher, and self-expectations, and mathematics and science efficacy. Participants were 2246 graduates of a STEM-focused public Harmony Public Schools in Texas, Harmony Public Schools (HPS).…

The science achievement of primary students, both in Australia and abroad, has been the subject of intensive research in recent decades. Consequently, much research has been conducted to investigate primary science education. Within this literature, there is a striking juxtaposition between tertiary science teaching preparation programs and the…

The purpose of this study is to investigate how students' high school experience, math and science efficacy, and student, parent, and teacher expectations affect their plans for college major choice after controlling for students' gender, ethnicity, and parental variables. Over 1500 9th grade students participated in the study. Using logistic…

Purpose: In an attempt to understand the postsecondary and occupational pathways of minorities who choose to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) pathways, what this paper offers is an examination of literature that focuses on identity. More specifically, this paper aims to present a research argument that highlights the…

The quantitative results of Sources of Self-Efficacy in Science Courses-Physics (SOSESC-P) are presented as a logistic regression predicting the passing of students in introductory Physics with Calculus I, overall as well as disaggregated by gender. Self-efficacy as a theory to explain human behavior change [Bandura [1977] "Psychological…

Language matters. What we say can have profound effects on an individual's sense of belonging, self-efficacy, and science identity. One of the ways that these biases can manifest is in our language, through the use of microaggressions. Here, the term "microaggressions" is used to describe brief, sometimes subtle, everyday exchanges that…

This study augments existing literature in understanding student perceptions about the geosciences; we examined the choice of major and science courses taken by 645 students at a large southeastern research university. Differences were examined between underrepresented minority (URM) and nonminority students. We compared responses regarding not…

Interviews and surveys using the Science Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Inventory of (n=120) preservice elementary teachers' science teaching self-efficacy before and after planning and teaching a cooperative elementary science lesson at a local public school found evidence that early cooperative field experience had a positive influence on the…

Adoption of Electronic Learning (eLearning) for the dissemination of higher education is rapidly increasing day by day. A large number of universities offering hundreds of course and a large number of the students are taking advantage from this type of learning paradigm. The purpose of this study is to investigate the delay factor in answering the…

Followed an elementary teacher during her transition from preservice to inservice teaching, examining influences on her science teaching efficacy beliefs. Data from teacher interviews, observations, and journal writings indicated that mastery experience and verbal and other forms of social persuasion were the major sources of influence for…

Conducted a study to examine the influence of grouping, by means of cooperative learning, on elementary preservice teachers' (n=84) science teaching efficacy. Confirms the relative superiority of heterogeneous cooperative learning. Concludes that a well-designed science teaching methods experience can enhance the development of science teaching…

Ascertains the impact of prior science course experience and achievement on the science teaching self-efficacy of preservice teachers. The Science Teaching Efficacy Belief (STEB) instrument-Form B was administered. Results suggest that prior science course experience and achievement have little impact on the belief systems of future teachers.…

The persistent gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is often attributed to differences in students' confidence in their own academic abilities (i.e. self-efficacy). Yet, the role of self-efficacy in mediating gender differences in STEM attrition is unclear. To address this issue, we analyse administrative register…

Finds that extended practicum experiences in elementary science teaching positively increases preservice science elementary teachers' (n=64) personal science-teaching-efficacy beliefs. Contains 17 references. (WRM)

The purpose of this study is to substantiate the construct of science teacher self-efficacy with qualitative data and further investigate the validity of the science teacher self-efficacy Likert instrument. Results suggest that self-efficacy is a feasible construct for examining student beliefs and behaviors in science education. (LZ)