Local problems in the surrounding environment can be developed in school learning according to independent curriculum policies so that students are responsive and can play an active role in solving problems, such as those related to viruses and their role. This study aims to determine the symptoms of viral infections in various food and…

Scientific inquiry is an inquiry-based learning approach that emphasizes student investigation of research questions and the utilization of scientific methods to address those research questions. One such method is experimentation, which is viewed as an open-ended problem-solving process that is mostly perceived by students as a complex procedure.…

This study focuses on how two school districts managed and changed the "instructional core"--student learning goals, instructional resources and strategies, and assessments--in their required high school biology course as they responded to new state science standards based on the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS).…

Students often experience science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses as competitive, weed-out spaces. Learning Assistants (LAs) have potential to improve students' experiences in these courses. Previously, we elucidated themes describing the impact of LAs on students' sense of STEM belonging and science-related confidence in…

Blended learning has become the new norm post the pandemic. It aims to combine the advantages of online and face-to-face learning. However, the online aspect comes with unique challenges, some of which might be a spillover from the pandemic. This study explores the challenges nursing students face in adopting online learning within a blended…

Teacher job burnout is a prevalent issue, typically examined through latent variable theory. This study employs psychometric network analysis to investigate job burnout's structure and its association with protective factors (career satisfaction--CS, perceived organizational support--POS, perceived social support--PSS) among 945 Chinese primary…

Drawing on insights from the transdisciplinary project 'SENSE: Sensory Explorations of Nature in School Environments', this paper articulates a novel approach that addresses current calls for meaningful participation of children in citizen science activities in schools. We scaffolded more typical data collection activities within diverse digital…

Undergraduate biology students describe fear of negative evaluation (FNE), defined as a sense of dread associated with being unfavorably evaluated in a social situation, as negatively affecting their experiences in active learning courses. Yet, few studies have examined who is prone to experiencing FNE, the severity and duration of FNE, and…

Disparate grade outcomes across various axes of student identities are prevalent in introductory science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses, including in the biological sciences, yet few studies have examined outcome disparities in upper-division courses. Those that have present mixed findings. Rooted in a critical approach…

Maintaining the teacher workforce in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has been a perpetual challenge in US public schools' teaching rosters. Prior reports show the supply of new STEM teachers into the profession has declined over time while demand for instruction in STEM fields continues to grow. This paper seeks to…

Learning Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects in an online medium can be difficult and tedious. Lengthy facts with technical terms, complex images, and explanations are among the reasons that make STEM subjects less desirable among the current generation and degrade the students' learning experience. Students can be…

To increase participation of students of color in science graduate programs, research has focused on illuminating student experiences to inform ways to improve them. In biology, Black students are vastly underrepresented, and while religion has been shown to be a particularly important form of cultural wealth for Black students, Christianity is…

Despite critical thinking supporting a deeper understanding of the scientific process, university activities prioritize lower cognitive processes, such as remembering skills. Also, it is unclear whether gender biases in interest toward science exist in university science degrees. These hinder students from achieving their goals effectively since…

Background: There are two major types of pictures that have been the focus of multimedia learning research, namely, seductive and interpretational pictures. Despite an increasing body of literature documenting the effects of either seductive or interpretational pictures added to text-based materials, there is a paucity of research explicitly…

This paper explores the extent to which Biology syllabi are open to students' engagement with and acquisition of critical thinking skills in Tanzania's developing country context. It focuses on the Biology syllabus of Ordinary-level secondary education and that of Advanced-level secondary education. The paper reports the findings of a study whose…