The aim of the study was to shed light on preschool teachers', primary school teachers', and after-school practitioners' views on and experiences with collaboration among these three parties. With reference to Boyle and colleagues' (2018) conceptualization of transition as a continuity practice, individual and group interviews were conducted for…

Based on different geosocial contexts - rural and centre -- the current study was aimed at exploring the experiences of teachers who performed internal migration to a rural region, focusing on their considerations regarding the migration process, and the challenges they confronted. Using the phenomenological qualitative approach, eighteen teachers…

This paper highlights the year-one (pilot) findings of a three-year project on emerging technologies where students engaged in computer modeling, 3D printing, flight simulation, and drones during summer camps and afterschool programs in rural and urban districts. The pilot was iterative as different interventions were field-tested in specific…

Research has demonstrated the importance of the learning support roles adults play to help youth navigate into areas of interest and career pathways. This study focuses on brokering which involves connecting youth to people, resources, programs, and other learning opportunities. We examined mentor practices in a 10-week out-of-school STEM program…

This longitudinal phenomenological study centers on an after-school writing club at an elementary school started by two high school English teachers and their students. Over the course of a school year, the writing club addressed local and systemic issues of inequality and facilitated the voice, agency and creative expression of the third to fifth…

A central concern for teacher educators is preparing future teachers who are not just equity-oriented but are able to teach equitably. Focusing on core practices of effective teaching is a step in this direction, but not enough. The relational and cultural nature of learning requires a disposition towards inclusion and practices that disrupt…

In low-income communities, schools often lack the resources to provide children with robust, hands-on science experiences, especially those that utilize green spaces and natural phenomena outside their doors. Out-of-school-time programs are well-positioned to fill this gap, but to do so must address constraints that prevent educators and parents…

Without equal educational opportunities to engage with technology, students who lack such opportunities are put at a disadvantage. In response to this inequality and the need for STEM enrichment opportunities, a research team from a Learning Technologies Division in a College of Education and Human Development at a local university partners with…

Recent trends in education have emphasized the importance of customizing education for learners (Collins and Halverson, 2009). The current paper aims to explore the effects of one factor that can play an important role in customizing education: curiosity (Luce and Hsi, 2015). We explore how students express curiosity within design learning…

This research presents two case studies on how human-centered design process can help the students find their purpose in making and designing in a constructionist learning-environment. Human-centered design guides students to deeper understanding of others' needs and encourages them to think and act collaboratively and creatively. When the…

Despite the increasing attention to afterschool science programs, little is known about the conditions under which children likely engage in meaningful scientific practices, such as argumentation and scientific explanation in those settings. This analysis draws on X hours of video data collected of elementary-aged children (n = 4) during a 14-day…

Background: Activist approaches engage learners in order to create spaces in which youth will actively participate in their education and feel responsible for their own and others' learning [Cochran-Smith, M., and S.L. Lytle. 2009. "Teacher research as stance". In "The sage handbook of educational action research," edited by…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a 16-week program of community-engaged teacher preparation on preservice teachers' perceived efficacy in enacting culturally responsive teaching as well as their beliefs in the outcomes associated with such practice. Results of the examination revealed involvement in the community-engaged…

This explanatory mixed methods study investigates the experiences of approximately 280 rural, underrepresented middle school student members of STEM Career Clubs over 3 semesters (19 meetings). Data sources included surveys about STEM interests and career intentions (STEM-CIS), STEM club perceptions, and content questions. A subset of 101 students…

Previous research has suggested that culturally relevant teaching is central to teaching African American students. This study explores relationship building and use of students' funds of knowledge during a field placements practicum as tools to help predominantly White, preservice teachers achieve intended outcomes of culturally relevant teaching…