Formal readings and lectures are effective at delivering explanations, but the information they impart can be so densely packed and de-contextualized that students may not make full sense of the content. Arena and Schwartz found that video games have the potential to unlock the expository content delivered by lectures, textbooks, and diagrams.
Dabney and colleagues examine the relationship between university students’ reported interest in STEM careers and their participation in out-of-school time science activities during middle and high school. The researchers examined the specific forms of OST science activities associated with STEM career interest and the correlations among those forms.
The impact of two science enrichment programs on the science attitudes of 330 gifted high school students was evaluated using a multimethod, multiperspective approach that provided a more comprehensive evaluation of program impact on science attitudes than did previous assessments of science programs. Although pre-post comparisons did not indicate positive impact on science attitudes, other measures provided strong evidence of program effectiveness. Program benefits were greater among girls, those who had more supportive families and teachers, and those who entered the programs with greater
The article discusses the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics: Information, Technology and Scientific Literacy (STEM-ALL) for ALl Learners project of Emporia State University, Kansas. The project is an interdisciplinary program for teaching information, technology and scientific-literacy that brings STEM content into Master of Library Science curriculum. It aims to create an Information, Technology and Scientific Literacy Certificate for educators to earn across degree programs.
This article is a response to Pike and Dunne's research. The focus of their analysis is on reflections of studying science post-16. Pike and Dunne draw attention to under enrollments in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, in particular, in the field of physics, chemistry and biology in the United Kingdom. We provide an analysis of how the authors conceptualize the problem of scientific career choices, the theoretical framework through which they study the problem, and the methodology they use to collect and analyze data. In addition, we examine the perspective they
In order to attract and retain underrepresented student groups (USGs) who aspire to major in STEM fields, educators recognize that science and math instruction must improve and also develop students’ non-cognitive and social-emotional skills. Foremost in that effort is Xavier University of Louisiana, a historically black and Catholic university located in the heart of New Orleans. Throughout the past thirty years, Xavier compiled an extraordinary record as a top producer of African Americans who receive bachelor’s degrees in biology, chemistry, and physics. Although Xavier enrolls only