Astronomy education is essential for STEM education in primary schools, and integrating engineering design-based science education enhances student engagement and achievement in the field of space science. Integrating engineering design into science education is essential for students to excel in astronomy and to meet the requirements of…

In this design case, we describe our experience of designing and creating a teacher's dashboard as an accompanying tool to support sixth-grade teachers who implement a technology-supported problem-based learning program on sixth-grade space science in their classrooms. We describe in detail the background of this design case, our motivation to…

The number of women and underrepresented individuals working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields does not reflect the diversity of our societies. Even if children have an interest in STEM, they may not consider choosing a study or career in that direction if their perception is that they would not belong in science.…

Motivational hands-on workshops for grade-school level future scientists are needed to inspire young and receptive minds. Described here is an educational event, titled "Inspiring Future Rocket Chemists", with hands-on laboratory exercises demonstrating the fundamentals of rocket flight and live chemistry demonstrations illustrating the…

As part of a multiyear research project investigating the affordances of online citizen science (OCS) projects for enhancing school students' learning in relation to science and digital technology, teacher-researchers have designed and implemented classroom interventions incorporating one or more OCS projects. The project is situated in New…

Space exploration is intrinsically interesting to young learners. Children gaze at the stars and marvel at what it might be like to live "out there!" With the July 2020 launch of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover mission, and its landing in 2021, there is no better time to capitalize on engineering and science in the news. This mission is…

The main purpose of this study is to examine the views of seventh grade students on the relationship between space research and technological developments. The mixed method was used in the research. The true-false test was used to collect quantitative data. Qualitative data were collected through a fully structured interview form. Homogeneous…

The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge of fifth-grade students about the sun, earth, and moon and to examine the fact that this information can be reflected with different measurement tools. A mixed method was used in the research. Quantitative data were collected using a 3-point Likert-type questionnaire and a true-false test; and…

Literature has documented the benefits of problem-based learning (PBL), but also shown significant barriers to using PBL in K-12 education. Yet, the research describing why and how K-12 teachers implement PBL is insufficient. In this qualitative study, using semi-structured interviews, we investigate why 25 middle school teachers chose to…

This mixed-method study introduced an adaptive scaffolding system to support middle school science problem-based learning (PBL) activities. 298 6th-graders were grouped into three conditions, which are the adaptive scaffolding group, the non-adaptive scaffolding group, and a control group that did not receive any scaffoldings. Results showed that…

Fall 2020 presented myriad challenges for teachers trying to plan curricula to meet students' social-emotional and learning needs following an unprecedented spring and summer of isolation and loss due to the pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 (Rivera and Wallace 2020). The result of creative planning and adjusting of curricula for remote instruction…

When people were forced to isolate themselves physically during the pandemic, many new connections sprung up through the Internet. In order to promote this newfound global oneness and to facilitate global education, this article examines a STEAM activity that promotes a holistic approach to education and make way for a global citizenry as students…

Formulating questions is an integral part of pupils' learning process and scientific inquiry. Investigating pupil-generated questions in a collaborative science learning setting, combining self-regulation theory and phases of inquiry, can extend the previous research into pupils' questions.This study considered questions from pupils (n = 24, aged…

The field of STEM education is an educational framework that has surged in application over the past decade. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) is infused in nearly every facet of our society. Filling the gap of current research in middle school career and technical education (CTE) and STEM programs is important as traditional CTE…

This paper describes the design principles and implementation of a novel approach for a K--12 teacher professional development (PD) program. The approach integrates training focused on development of model eliciting activities (MEAs) within authentic engineering design tasks, collaborative 3D model design and fabrication, and inspirational site…