The representation of women among recipients of chemistry Ph.D. degrees has increased in recent years, but their representation among the faculty in academic departments is still below what would be expected given the proportion of degrees received. Articles published in the "Journal of Chemical Education" in 2010 documented a hostile…

The internationally acknowledged gender gap in science continues to be an unrelenting concern to science educators; aggregate data in the UK show that both recruitment and retention of women in academic science remain relatively low. Most published research focuses on women in the broad field of science, generates correlations or predictions, or…

The purpose of this research is to comparatively investigate the efficacy levels of pre-service science (Science, Biology, Physics, and Chemistry) teachers enrolled at the Undergraduate Program of Science Teacher Education and Pedagogical Formation Program. A total of 275 pre-service teachers who were studying in different programmes in the…

In chemistry, lack of academic preparation and math ability have been offered as explanations as to why women seem to enroll, perform, and graduate at lower levels than men. In this paper, we explore the alternative possibility that the gender gap in chemistry instead originates from differential gender effects of academic factors on students'…

This study seeks to develop a better understanding of the underrepresentation of women in science and engineering by analyzing the gender gaps (a) in the interest in pursuing a science degree and (b) on science achievement. We use national-level college admissions data to examine gender differences and to explore the association between these…

This article describes two cohort programs that were used to support students from groups underrepresented in STEM fields at Carleton College. These programs were designed to support three aspects of student development: students' drive to succeed in STEM fields; students' sense of belonging in their student cohorts, in the college, in the STEM…

This action research project describes the methods an African-American female instructor used when introducing biology-related video clips with a multicultural component to predominantly white pre-service elementary students. Studies show that introducing multiculturalism into classrooms is crucial for students and teachers. Multicultural…

This article contributes to a critical dialogue about what is currently called "knowledge integration" in environmental research and related educational programming. Indigenous understandings in particular are seen as offering (re)new(ed) ways of thinking that have and will lead to innovative practices for addressing complex environmental issues.…

With funding from the United States National Science Foundation, 30 historical short stories designed to teach science content and draw students' attention to the nature of science (NOS) have been created for post-secondary introductory astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, and physics courses. The project rationale, story development and…

Women are underrepresented in most scientific disciplines, with achievement gaps expanding throughout the career trajectory. Gender differences in perceptions of scientific competence are evident at an early age. We examined the extent to which college-level instructor gender affects the confidence of males and females in their scientific…

This paper reports the findings of an Economic and Social Research Council-funded study investigating patterns of participation in UK higher education science programmes across two decades. Using data on applications and acceptances to university, the paper describes trends in the proportions of candidates who choose to study science and…

American universities today serve as economic engines, performing the scientific research that will create new industries, drive economic growth, and keep the United States globally competitive. But only a few decades ago, these same universities self-consciously held themselves apart from the world of commerce. "Creating the Market University" is…

This paper reports the findings from an ESRC funded study which examined patterns of participation in higher education science programmes. Using data on applications and acceptances to university, the paper describes trends in the numbers of candidates who choose to study science and science-related degree programmes in the UK over the last two…

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest among educational researchers in exploring the relationships between learners' epistemological beliefs and their conceptions of learning. This study was conducted to investigate these relationships particularly in the domain of science. The participants in this study included 407 Taiwanese…

In recent years, significant numbers of academics from the science and health disciplines at our institution have found that their students lack the appropriate "mathematical" background to cope with first-year science subjects. Consequently, failure rates are on the increase in these subjects. The mathematical background of students…