While technology advancement and scientific innovation have created new topics and fields of inquiry in STEM education, external content experts such as university scientists/researchers have been increasingly involved to enhance K-12 teachers' disciplinary understandings and professional development (PD). However, few studies have scrutinized…

Given the potential impact of introductory science laboratories on postsecondary students' science learning, careful thinking is needed about how to support teaching assistants (TAs) to create opportunities for their students to reason about science. Research suggests that teachers are best positioned to improve their teaching practices when they…

According to the Next Generation Science Standards, three-dimensional teaching challenges educators to adopt an inquiry approach through science and engineering practices aligned with disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts. Few teachers today feel confident in their ability to orchestrate such lessons. Teaching inquiry science takes…

Background/purpose: The current trend of training Chemistry teachers focuses on innovating pedagogical methods and developing students' holistic competencies, particularly their chemistry experimentation competencies (CEC). The CDIO (Conceive - Design - Implement - Operate) framework effectively combines theoretical knowledge with practice and…

In this randomized control study, we evaluated science teachers' pedagogical practices via classroom observations following ongoing, intensive, and structured instructional support sessions. These sessions included virtual professional development (VPD) and virtual mentoring and coaching (VMC) that accompanied a literacy-infused science…

Policy documents in many nations, as well as international policies indicate that the goal of improved student science learning requires teachers to learn to use knowledge generation environments for teaching science. This is a particular challenge for early childhood teachers (kindergarten through grade two), who have historically valued…

This is a study of teachers transition after a professional development (PD). The purpose was to document and characterize the teachers' experiences as they transitioned toward use of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and more learner-centered teacher practices. The teachers participated in a PD workshop that provided information on the…

Researchers and policymakers call for the integration of Computational Thinking (CT) into K-12 education to prepare students to participate in a society and workforce increasingly influenced by computational devices, algorithms, and methods. One avenue to meet this goal is to prepare teachers to integrate CT into elementary science education,…

The first of Ofsted's research reviews focused on science education. It is broad in scope, including content on school systems, the science curriculum, teaching, learning, assessment and materials -- with implications for practice. However, the review's scope does not provide much detail of the research on which it is based. I agree with many of…

Efforts to improve student learning in K-12 education in the US are not new; however, educational research has traditionally focused on individual components of schools (e.g., teacher professional development, leadership, social relationships, programs, curricula) targeting teachers to improve student learning. While these innovations provide hope…

This paper reports the findings from a cross-sector research project designed to question how the development of university-school partnerships can influence university academics' pedagogic practice in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Findings from this research are offered at time when, in parallel with countries around…

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) is the most recent reform in science education across the United States. The NGSS demands a shift in both teaching and learning. Yet there is no direction on how teachers are to implement this shift in their classrooms. This mixed-methods study examined 12 middle school teachers' perceptions and the…

This study investigated if student placement in a primary grade 1-3 classroom with a teacher who had been trained in a U.S. science Framework-aligned [National Research Council. (2012). "A framework for K-12 science education: Practices, crosscutting concepts and core ideas." The National Academies Press] professional development science…

In this article, we report on a mixed method study conducted through a previously validated bilingual instrument. The purpose was to understand elementary bilingual and dual language (BDL) teachers' perspectives of science and engineering (S&E) teaching in Massachusetts and Puerto Rico with the goal of developing situated professional…

Making is an iterative process of designing, building, tinkering, and problem-solving, resulting in the creation of personally meaningful artifacts. Fueled by recent developments in affordable, safe, and easy to use digital fabrication technologies, making has been embraced by educators the world over. While educational scholarship is developing…