Background: Numerous studies have been conducted to identify students' perceptions of science and scientists since the 1950s. Those studies have revealed that students have stereotypical perceptions, on which teachers may have a significant effect. It is, therefore, essential to determine both teachers' and students' perceptions. Purpose: The aim…

Background: STEM school achievement is related to various student, parent and family characteristics, and experiences in the school setting. Studies also acknowledge the role of informal learning in STEM achievement, mentioning the importance of student digital activities at home. However, the existing studies have not examined in detail the…

Background: A diverse range of opportunities for high school students to undertake Independent Research Projects (IRPs) in science and this is a beneficial aspect of high school science provision. In Higher Education, the importance of students undertaking research as part of their learning, including presenting at authentic, academic conferences,…

Background: Implementing Inquiry-Based Instruction (IBI) in science is a complex process demanding certain classroom conditions prepared with instructional materials to engage students in tasks, as well as adopting the social context that will shape the inquiry-based learning environment. Within this social context, teachers are the main agents…

Background: In response to reform recommendations calling for students' engagement in scientific practices and the lack of the enactment of such practices in science classrooms, we explored the implementation of scientific practices with special emphasis on model-based inquiry in a secondary science teacher preparation program. Sample: The…

Background: There is a shortage of people in the STEM sector, and it has been argued that more needs to be done, especially to attract girls. Furthermore, there is a need to develop twenty-first-century skills. No studies seem to have explored the combination of activities in makerspaces and the use of drama to stimulate interest in STEM and…

Background: Students' satisfaction with science education is one of the preconditions for the students' future interest in pursuing an academic career in science. However, to date it is still not clear what particular teaching strategies promote students' satisfaction with science and, specifically, what opportunities for promoting this…

STEM education has become a global priority as governments realise that there are important economic benefits if students engage in this interdisciplinary curriculum area. Less prominence has been given to the community benefits that STEM education can bring and even less attention has been given to the potential for children's learning of STEM to…

Background: Understanding students' preconceptions is an important initial step towards a successful and meaningful learning in physics. This is more relevant and important especially for concepts that are introduced formally as early as preschool including friction. Visual representation maybe often used as an aid to teaching, however,…

Background: STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education is attracting increasing public interest and policy attention and being promoted at different educational levels in Cambodia. Purpose: The study seeks to identify factors associated with Cambodian university freshmen's choice of STEM major and how significant associations…

Background: Previous studies have investigated effects of out-of-school STEM activities aimed at stimulating children's interest in science with positive results. However, research has not discussed the reasons why such activities are successful. Purpose: In this study, we address this gap by investigating which factors children themselves…

Background: To support a paradigm shift for 21st century learning, teacher design work is emphasized by conceptualizing teachers as designers. Despite the fact that teaching is increasingly referred to as a design science, both teacher educators and curriculum developers know little about how to enhance teacher design work in technology-enhanced…

Background: We adopted a theoretical framework that the acquisition of a scientific concept comprises the development of connections among conceptual elements associated with a scientific term within a mental semantic network. Given this framework, the hypothesis that the surrounding words connected with a scientific term are relevant to the…

Background: Inquiry pedagogy has been advocated as means to engage and motivate students to learn science. The development of teacher formative assessment practice in inquiry is key for a successful implementation of student-centred inquiry pedagogy in the classroom. Purpose: This study explores secondary science teachers' espoused beliefs about…

Background: Inquiry-based learning has been widely adopted in educational practice especially in science education. Scaffolding plays an important role in fostering learning in sophisticated inquiry. Meanwhile, it is important not to undermine the open-endedness of inquiry activities and the nature of student-centred learning. Purpose: This study…