Teacher awareness of STEM careers impacts students as they consider career choices. Researchers examined the effects of teacher professional development and lesson implementation in integrated science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) on teacher awareness of STEM careers. Study subjects included high school science and…

The growth of English Language Learners (ELLs) in the K-12 education system has sparked discussions regarding STEM teachers' ability to meet the needs of these learners. STEM teachers have reported that they do not feel prepared and often lack professional development opportunities to develop the necessary skills to meet these needs. (August &…

Increasing persistence and graduation of post-secondary STEM students is a topic of significant focus and research, as are strategies for identifying barriers to success and intervening to bridge related gaps. In the case of underrepresented students, there are many challenges that may impact persistence in STEM majors, many of which, while…

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is well known throughout the academe. Several studies have been done focusing on various aspects of students majoring in these disciplines, who they are, how they function, and the need to diversify the student and professional population. The authors realized that fewer studies are…

Nearly one half of students planning to earn a STEM degree either change majors or leave college without a degree. The completion percentage is much lower for underrepresented minorities, of whom less than one third complete their STEM degree within six years. At the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, the STEM Boot Camp program was designed to…

Recruiting students in STEM majors to fill the gap in STEM workforce is a continued challenge, which can be addressed by introducing scientific principles through hand-on activities to the students at an early stage. This paper presents the design, implementation and assessment of a chemistry-related workshop for sixth grade students that were…

This study extends current research by organizing information about students' expectancy-value achievement motivation, in a way that helps parents and teachers identify specific entry points to encourage and support students' science aspirations. This study uses latent class analysis to describe underlying differences in ability beliefs, task…

This study investigated the role of a new paradigm in teaching large introductory, fundamental engineering mechanics (IFEM) courses that combined student-centered learning pedagogies and supplemental learning resources. Demographic characteristics in this study included a total of 405 students, of whom 347 (85.7%) are males and 58 are (14.3%)…

The Enrichment Experiences in Engineering (E[superscript 3] ) summer teacher program is hosted by the Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University and is designed to provide engineering research experiences for Texas high school science and mathematics teachers. The mission of the E[superscript 3] program is to educate and excite…

Educational institutions are consistently looking for ways to prepare students for the competitive workforce. Various methods have been utilized to interpret human differences, such as learning preferences and motivation, in order to make the curriculum more valuable. The objective of this research was to determine the impact of new teaching…

Non research-intensive institutions of higher education are effective at narrowing STEM gender gaps in major selection and persistence to degree completion, yet the decision to attend such a setting is likely seen as counterintuitive when such institutions typically have lower levels of research, financial resources, and total student enrollments…

A community of practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it as they interact regularly. Higher education leaders are attracted to CoPs because they are a peer-based model of learning with colleagues, which works well for professionals such as faculty. These authors identified…

BASE (Broadening Access to Science Education) Camp is a hands-on, two-week residential summer science experience on the Fairfield University campus in Fairfield CT, USA. The annual program targets 24 young women who attend high school in the neighboring city of Bridgeport, CT, the most economically depressed city in CT. The camp, which is free to…

The integrity of a structural system depends on the strength of materials, shape of the individual member and the elements used to hold the members together. In most undergraduate civil engineering curricula, a structural steel and/or reinforced concrete design course is required. Usually, the main focus of these courses is on member selection…

Men outnumber women in the enrollment of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduate majors. Course syllabi are distributed to students during open enrollment and provide key insights into the courses. A critical discourse analysis of introductory engineering syllabi at a 4-year public university revealed limited to no…