The intersecting issues that this study addresses are the lack of engagement in civic opportunities for underserved youth and the environmental injustices that disproportionately impact marginalized populations. To address these issues, the purpose of this youth participatory action research (YPAR) investigated how a high school science teacher…

This study synthesized impacts of integrated literacy and content-area instruction (i.e., science, social studies) on vocabulary and comprehension outcomes in the elementary years (i.e., kindergarten through fifth grade). A systematic search of the extant literature identified 35 (quasi)experimental studies. Random-effects models were used to…

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of incorporating distance learning for long periods. However, few studies have addressed strategies to overcome the limitations caused by the lockdown. In this study, we report an active learning experience on the topic of chemical kinetics, using two "flipped class" approaches,…

The goal of this dissertation project is to use embodied learning--an emerging approach to supporting student engagement--as a focal point to demonstrate how a multidimensional engagement framework can help us understand, evaluate, and design for new ways of learning. The project is situated in the context of third-grade students learning about…

To address the need for physics courses that stimulate non- STEM majors' interest in, and appreciation of, science, the Department of Applied Physics has developed a popular course for Yale College undergraduates, The Technological World, that explains the physics behind technologies that students use every day. The course provides an in-depth…

Fluorescence spectra excited by laser pointers have been the subject of several papers in "TPT". These papers all describe a fluorescence phenomenon in which the reflected laser light undergoes a change in color: this color change results from the combination of some partially reflected laser light and additional colors generated by…

Values for physical constants are commonly given as abstractions without building strong intuition, and are too often utilized solely in the pursuit of more easily conceptualized properties. The goal of this experiment is to remove the obscurity behind Young's modulus by exploring the phenomena associated with it--namely, the frequency of a…

We suggest an activity for measuring the speed of a bicycle going in circular motion by measuring the bicycle's lean angle. In this activity students will be able to feel the strength that is being activated on their bodies while they are moving in circular motion. They will also understand that it is impossible to ride in a circle without the…

Sky appears to our students as a vast volume surrounding the Earth. The most striking astronomical events that they can witness in the sky are lunar phases and eclipses. However, eclipses do not occur as often as full and new phases of the Moon. This difference is due to the fact that the orbital planes of the Moon and the Earth do not overlap.…

For many reasons, physiological aspects of anatomy and physiology laboratories are often presented as simulations. While simulations effectively convey concepts, hands-on activities promote more active student engagement. Recycled soda bottles, supplemented with other inexpensive readily available supplies, can be used to create working models…

In this article, we draw upon the Conceptual Profile Theory to discuss the negotiation of meanings related to the energy concept in an 11th grade physics classroom. This theory is based on the heterogeneity of verbal thinking, that is, on the idea that any individual or society does not represent concepts in a single way. According to this…

Engaged questioning and focused listening are requisite tools in developing and enhancing students' thinking skills. For educators, the ability to ask the right question at the right time is an essential instructional skill. Thought-provoking questions trigger an array of responses which reveal who learners are experientially, where learners are…

The Hardy-Weinberg principle (HWP) is a fundamental model upon which much of the discipline of population genetics is based. Despite its significance, students often leave introductory biology courses with only a shallow understanding of the use and implications of the HWP. I contend that this deficiency in student comprehension is too-often a…

A concern about students' conceptual difficulties in organic chemistry prompted this study. It was found that prior knowledge from general chemistry was critical in organic chemistry, but what were some of the concepts that comprised that prior knowledge? Therefore an analysis of four years of organic chemistry quiz data was undertaken. Multiple…

Data literacy has become an important part of STEM literacy and informed citizenship in our society. However, data literacy initiatives in secondary schools predominantly focus on narrow issues of developing students' ability to work with quantitative data and fail to address students' broader understanding both as producers and consumers of data.…