The inclusion of a British astronaut on the International Space Station will have caused many people in Britain to take interest in seeing it pass overhead. This article explains why it can only be seen for brief times and when conditions are suitable.

Nanotechnology is an emerging technology, and it is regarded as the basis for the next industrial revolution. In developing countries, nanotechnology promises to solve everyday challenges, such as the provision of potable water, reliable energy sources and effective medication. However, there are several challenges in the exploitation of…

Visitors to modern science museums are likely to encounter exhibitions presenting conflicting information, such as risks and benefits of new scientific developments. Such exhibitions encourage visitors to reflect upon different sides of a story and to form or adjust their attitudes toward the topic on display. However, there is very little…

Summer reading for children is a long standing and cherished tradition in public libraries across America, but today's kids need to master new skills and competencies. Today's summer programming needs to move beyond reading to engage children with hands-on activities, thus keeping their brains active even when school's out. Here, a team of…

This paper presents a meta-analysis of the literature on parental engagement with children's formal and informal science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. Five recurrent themes have emerged from the literature review: The challenges of supporting parents with children's STEM education; STEM education as a bridge between…

Expanding on recent advances in science education, cognitive and social psychology, and sociocultural studies, the paper explores a construct called "science learning activation" and a theoretical framework that describes the characteristics, function, and impact of this construct. Authors define "science learning activation"…

Purpose: Self-actualization is understood as an effort to develop a level to which one aspires. Gifted individuals are expected especially to be more likely to reach this level than normal individuals of the same age. The purpose of this study is to determine the self-actualization perception levels of students at BILSEM, which is within the…

This thematic report presents indicators about people's attitudes toward issues related to science and technology (S&T), awareness of basic S&T facts, and how people interact with science. It shows that most Americans hold positive beliefs about the benefits of S&T, have relatively high confidence in the scientific community compared…

Participation and engagement are important factors in students' academic achievement and in increasing interest and motivation in the learning process. This study evaluates participation and engagement in circle formations in both outdoor and indoor education settings. Over a four-week study period, four instructors collected data on different…

This research explores learning in science museums through the most common activity in a science museum--interaction with exhibits. The goal of this study was to characterize the learning behaviors exhibited by students as they engage with interactive exhibits in order to draw insight regarding the design of the exhibits. In order to do so, we…

The aim of this research is to discover what science teachers' opinions about outdoor education learning environments are. Outdoor education learning environments contribute to problem-solving, critical and creative thinking skills of students. For this reason, outdoor education learning environments are very important for students to learn by…

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the McWane Science Center have partnered for over 20 years to provide secondary students in Alabama opportunities to conduct inquiry-based, standards-aligned science labs. LabWorks (middle school) and GENEius (high school) programs offer multiple research laboratory experiences in which students…

This study aims to evaluate middle school students' views about science centers as out-of-school learning environments. The study surveyed 195 5th-, 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-grade students attending Hatice Salih Primary School and Ahmet Cabuk Middle School in Province Bursa. It used a qualitative cross-sectional and longitudinal research design. For…

This paper contributes to a nascent conversation in environmental education (EE) research by using ethnographic data and extant theory to develop a feminist posthumanist political ecology of education for theorizing human-animal relations/relationships. Specifically, I (1) engage feminist methodologies and theories; (2) give epistemological and…

Evidence suggests that content incorporated into science museum exhibits remains out of reach for many visitors who are deaf or hard of hearing and who communicate in sign language. The implementation research described in this article was conducted by TERC, Inc. at the Museum of Science (MoS), Boston. The purpose was to examine use of a mobile…