The problem of the study was to determine if the use of a reflective writing assessment at the beginning, middle, and end of a college semester indicated an industrial technology student's knowledge and skills related to technological and engineering literacy. Experiences gained during project-based learning activities were used as the basis for…

Pre-service science teachers need to be aware of eco-literacy and biotechnology as they will teach science subjects to students from the perspectives of 21st-century skills. This study aimed to develop a web-based module on biotechnology and examine preservice science teachers' eco-literacy skills after using the developed module. The study used a…

A survey of 722 physics faculty conducted in 2008 found that many physics instructors had knowledge of research-based instructional strategies (RBISs), were interested in using more, but often discontinued use after trying. Considerable effort has been made during the decade following 2008 to develop and disseminate RBISs in physics as well as…

The core purpose of integrating inquiry-based learning strategies into STEM activities is to create a challenging learning environment that stimulates students' active learning, thereby effectively enhancing their interest in learning, thinking skills, and practical application abilities. To achieve these goals, developing more technology-assisted…

This study explores the relationship between the self-confidence and content knowledge of undergraduate students in a large enrollment geoscience course following an active-learning think-pair-share (TPS) activity, and whether high confidence necessarily leads to overconfidence. We used a pre-experimental, one group pre-test -- post-test design,…

Climate change is a major concern to undergraduate students. Understanding climate change relies on an understanding of polar regions. However, courses on polar regions are rare at undergraduate institutions. Polar ENgagement through GUided INquiry (PENGUIN) modules were designed to give students experience with polar research in a variety of…

Popular films afford a creative and effective teaching method to stimulate robust student interaction and engagement of concepts in ways that enhance learning outcomes. This paper describes a study of the effective use of a purposefully selected, fact-based film as an instructional case analysis to identify and examine the critical aspects of a…

This paper reflects the results from a 3-year quantitative study in higher education on inquiry-based learning (IBL). Utilizing primary data collection in a quasi-experimental survey, we examined the impact of IBL on six cohorts of undergraduate students. We aimed to answer our main research question: Can IBL be an effective pedagogy that helps…

This study examined the preferences for professional development (PD) in primary (elementary) science among pre-service teachers (PSTs) and in-service teachers (ISTs). The contribution of the study is its focus on quantifying the relative importance of factors that were significant for teachers by using best-worst scaling methodology. Rather than…

An active learning approach to the study of US national security decision making decision making can be achieved through the use of an in-class role-playing simulation. This article considers the importance of solid foundations for simulation design: (1) simulation preparation should be linked to class materials and learning outcomes, but also…

Background: Understanding the properties of sound is difficult for students across all grade levels and even preservice elementary teachers (PSETs). Because of their abstract nature, there are challenges interpreting common features of sound waves. Purpose: The goal of this study is to understand pre-service elementary teachers' (PSETs)…

In construction technology education (CTE), construction site tours play an essential role for undergraduate students to obtain familiarity with construction environments, combine content knowledge with practice, and develop their competencies to embrace construction innovations before entering the industry. Implementing real construction site…

Previous research has shown that in prehigher education stages, inquiry-based teaching is not sufficient for forming a mature understanding of the nature of science (NOS). However, there is relatively little research conducted on colleges. Inquiry-based teaching should not overlook cognitive frameworks, as students' limited scientific reasoning…

Bioadhesives are an important class of biomaterials for wound healing, hemostasis, and tissue repair. To develop the next generation of bioadhesives, there is a societal need to teach trainees about their design, engineering, and testing. This study designed, implemented, and evaluated a hands-on, inquiry-based learning (IBL) module to teach…

In 2003, Bailey and Slater [A review of astronomy education research, Astron. Educ. Rev. 2, 20 (2003)] published a review of astronomy education research (AER) to survey the field, identify areas of robust coverage, and uncover gaps in the research to help guide future researchers. While our review is not intended as a direct comparison to their…