Background: A controversy over the distinction between curiosity and situational interest has recently resurfaced. Nonetheless, empirical research comparing the two is noticeably lacking. Aims: We attempted to fill this gap and provide much-needed evidence of the distinction between curiosity and situational interest by examining the antecedents…

Science learning takes place not only in the context of science class but also after class. Students' internal forms of motivation, such as curiosity and interest, affect the entire science learning process in both in-class and after-class contexts. In addition, both stable existing learner characteristics, such as science curiosity and interest…

To investigate students' interest in physics, this study explores the impact of a brief teaching intervention on the increase of interest. The intervention focused on modern physics, specifically exploring Einstein's theory of gravity and the dual nature of light. A total of 325 Greek students participated in the survey, comprising 83 students in…

A higher science self-concept may be required to stimulate state curiosity in incongruent situations, but there is limited research on the connection between science self-concept and state curiosity. The purpose of this study is to examine whether science self-concept moderates the process of arousing students' state curiosity when they encounter…

This study compares direct instruction to two constructivist approaches, namely experimentation and problem-based learning, in fifth-grade science learning in Hong Kong. Constructivist instructional approaches, contrary to direct instruction, stress on students' active role in constructing knowledge in learning. Experimentation and problem-based…

Background: Given the scarce but promising practice of educational interventions based on the creation of teaching materials by students, Bikos Project has been designed. Purpose: This article presents and assesses Bikos Project. Pairs of students cooperatively create video tutorials from questions that arise from their scientific curiosity. Four…

Inquiry-based learning has been widely applied in the classroom. Different inquiry learning models may have different orders of performing tasks and discussing. In this study, the Discuss-Do (D-DO) inquiry model and the Do-Discuss (DO-D) inquiry model were applied in the science learning of two groups of fifth-grade students. Group 1 (n = 41) used…

This study aimed to develop a specialized rule-based AI chatbot tailored for a sixth-grade optics unit and to evaluate the impact of the implementation of the chatbot on students' cognitive and affective outcomes related to science within the classroom setting. Specifically, this study explored how factors such as gender and achievement levels…

Researchers examined the outcomes of a year-long, after-school environmental club for Hispanic 4th and 5th grade students. Two instruments, the Student Attitudes toward STEM Survey and Draw a Scientist Test, were administered to students to assess their perceptions of science and scientists before and after club participation. After participation,…

Gender stereotypes about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are salient for children and adolescents and contribute to achievement-related disparities and inequalities in STEM participation. However, few studies have used a longitudinal design to examine changes in gender stereotypes across a range of STEM fields. In a large,…

Informal outreach programs can provide authentic science experiences for elementary school students, who may not have these experiences in formal school settings. Research indicates that students lose interest in science in middle school, so it's important to reach them early. To address this need, we designed a summer camp focused on exposing…

There is growing evidence that science capital (science-related forms of social and cultural capital) and family habitus (dispositions for science) influence STEM career decisions by youth. This study presents reliability and validity evidence for a survey of factors that influence career aspirations in science. Psychometric properties of the…

To better understand STEM interest development during adolescence in an urban community, we examined how "STEM Interested" youth differed from disinterested youth and how interest changed over time from age 11/12 to 12/13. We surveyed youth to measure interest in four components of STEM, used cluster analysis to categorize youth based on…

This study aimed to present a module related to the use of concept cartoons integrated into problem-based learning (PBL) method in science lessons. As part of the study, concept cartoons were developed based on scenarios dealing with daily life situations. A module was designed using these concept cartoons. The module focused on the topic…

This article reports findings from a study of an integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education program on student interest and awareness in science and engineering. The analysis features grade 3-5 students from a high-poverty, urban school system in the Mid-Atlantic region. Through the quantitative analysis of…