This study was conducted to investigate eighth-grade science teachers' self-efficacy during the implementation of a new, problem-based science curriculum. The curriculum included applications of LEGO® robotics, a new technology for these teachers. Teachers' responded to structured journaling activities designed to collect information about their…

A major goal of graduate education is the development of students as "stewards of the discipline," scholars who can create and preserve knowledge and responsibly translate it through writing, teaching, and practical applications. These qualities are consistent with the American Physiological Society's list of professional skills for…

Previous qualitative research on educational practices designed to improve critical thinking has relied on anecdotal or student self-reports of gains in critical thinking. Unfortunately, student self-report data have been found to be unreliable proxies for measuring critical thinking gains. Therefore, in the current interpretivist study, five…

Terms to be familiar with before you start to solve the test: transcription, pre-mRNA, RNA processing, RNA transport, RNA polymerase II, direct and indirect immunofluorescence staining, cell fractionation by centrifugation, oligo(dT)-cellulose chromatography, washing and elution of the column, ribonuclease, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis,…

In this study, a problem-based capstone course was designed to assess the University of Wyoming Microbiology Program's skill-based and process-based student learning objectives. Students partnered with a local farm, a community garden, and a free downtown clinic in order to conceptualize, propose, perform, and present studies addressing problems…

This embedded mixed method study used a randomised controlled? trial design to examine two cohorts of upper (grades 4-6) elementary teachers' classroom implementation of nature of science (NOS) instruction following their participation in a statewide professional development (PD). The treatment group (n = 145) was compared to a control group (n =…

Problem-based learning is an innovative educational approach that is gaining prominence in higher education using "real world" problems or situations as a context for learning. The present study explored the use of problem-based learning with teacher trainees of the University of Belize. Using a concurrent mixed method design with 74…

Problem-based learning can be an effective educational approach for students entering the health care field. While broadly used in graduate and professional education in the health sciences, it is less widely used in undergraduate programs. We discuss the use of problem-based learning as part of an approach to address failure rates in select…

In this paper we discuss an activity through which students learn basic concepts in genetics by taking part in a police investigation game. The activity, which we have called Recal, immerses students in a scientific-based scenario in which they play a role of a scientific assessor. Players have to develop and use scientific reasoning and…

Designing learning environments to incorporate active learning pedagogies is difficult as definitions are often contested and intertwined. This article seeks to determine whether classification of active learning pedagogies (i.e., project-based, problem-based, inquiry-based, case-based, and discovery-based), through theoretical and practical…

It is now widely accepted, and indeed emphasized in the Next Generation Science Standards, that science education should encompass scientific practice as well as science content. By participating in an intellectual community engaged in the broad range of activities that constitute scientific inquiry, rather than simply mastering isolated science…

This study follows two groups of students (67 in all) through the 3 years of their high school biology education and examines the development of their systems thinking--specifically their models of the human body as a system. Both groups were composed of biology majors, but the students in one group also participated in a PBLbased extension…

We investigated changes in district science coordinators' understandings and practices following their participation in a statewide professional development (PD). Participants included 13 male and 34 female science coordinators from 42 different school districts in Virginia. Data included presurvey, postsurvey, and delayed postsurvey responses;…

Higher education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) faces a number of challenges. There are many calls for STEM education to make significant changes moving forward, including calls for competency-based learning and greater integration of the humanities. These efforts require systemic change. Systemic change has significant…

In this article we examine the use and misuse of the term "Freirean" with respect to student-centered classrooms, flipped classrooms and problem-based learning. In doing so, we unpack teaching methods which are contrary to dialogism and yet subsumed and reported as Freirean.