Middle school students in Nova Scotia, Canada, are perceived to have low self-efficacy for achieving learning outcomes. While strong self-efficacy beliefs, developed through effective curricula, have been linked to improved academic performance, there is a need for formal evaluation of such curricula. The purpose of this study was to investigate a…

Computational thinking (CT) is believed to be a critical factor to facilitate STEM learning, and a vital learning objective itself. Therefore, researchers are continuing to explore effective ways to improve and assess it. Makerspaces feature various hands-on activities, which can attract students with diverse interests from different backgrounds.…

Lego has been a popular toy since 1932. "LEGO" is an abbreviation of two Danish words "leg godt" which means "play well." In today's LEGO-based learning and teaching environments, it has been revealed in studies that students working to solve problems presented to them were often unaware of how much time has passed.…

Physical activity is essential for youth's health, growth, and development; however, only 42% of children in the United States meet physical activity recommendations. Piloted in spring 2016, "WeCook: Fun with Food and Fitness" engaged at-risk youth in physical activity, food preparation, and nutrition education. The objective was to…

This study was conducted for the purpose of determining the impacts of out-of-school learning environments on 6th-grade students' attitudes towards science course. In the study, the quasi-experimental model and pretest-posttest control grouped experimental design was employed. The experimental process step of the study was carried out on 6th-grade…

Teaching programming and coding skills in K-12 classrooms is becoming a part of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs across the United States. Often, these opportunities are available through extra-curricular activities such as Robotics club, math club, STEM club, etc. Increasing STEM opportunities for students who are…

This study examined what factors might have a positive impact on students' learning outcomes in mathematical understanding and computational thinking skills. Specifically, whether the proposed instructional design combining computational perspectives and an embodied approach in mathematics learning improves (a) mathematics learning, (b)…

Afterschool interventions in STEM are linked to learning gains during the school day. These opportunities engage and excite students about STEM concepts since they observe a more hands-on, project-oriented approach. Often these opportunities for afterschool interventions are infrequent in nature and leave gaps for students in their maturation and…

Service-learning has increasingly been implemented to enhance teacher education coursework in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Service-learning engages preservice teachers in activities or projects that benefit a particular community of stakeholders with ties to English as an additional language learning while…

This research aimed at preparing an out-of-school Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education program for secondary school students and investigating the effects of the program on students' interest in STEM fields. As part of this investigation, this study sought the students' awareness of a career in these fields as well as…

Objective: Existing research shows that sociodemographic factors are associated with dietary patterns among adolescents; however, little is known about when these relationships begin in children. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between dietary self-efficacy (SE) and dietary intake among children over time and by…

As part of the Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program, we investigated how early morning physical activity affects elementary school students' physical fitness and sociality. Seventy-five boys in 6th grade of one elementary school located in G Metropolitan City, Korea comprised the experimental group that participated in early morning…

Science learning is most often examined within formal education contexts, even though students spend more of their lives outside of the classroom. Students may interact with scientific phenomena during these out-of-school experiences, providing additional opportunities for learning to take place. Prior studies have found that optional science…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the experimental system design related to plasma state on the gifted students' understanding on the subject of the plasma state. To test the research hypothesis, one group pretest-posttest research model was carried out with 18 eighth-grade (4 girls and 14 boys) gifted students in…

The need for and importance of bringing evidence-based interventions into school settings has been firmly established. Adapting and adjusting intervention programs to meet the unique needs of a school district requires personnel to use a data-based approach to implementation. This pilot study is the first to report on after-school care providers'…