This paper draws on a multi-phase project that sought to understand and increase young children's engagement with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) objects. The paper presents findings from one aspect of this project that involved using storytelling to support young children's agency with STEM objects in a UK science museum.…

This edited volume is an invitation to redesign STEM higher education. It shows the way to active learning in diverse scenarios and provides educators, leaders and policymakers with a visionary approach to active learning and hands-on examples of how education can help students navigate complexity and unpredictability--the challenges of…

Background: Active learning, on average, increases student performance in STEM courses. Yet, there is also large variation in the effectiveness of these implementations. A consistent goal of active learning is moving students towards becoming active constructors of their knowledge. This emphasis means student engagement is of central importance.…

According to NSF (2017), even though the number of minority students in America's college-age population has been on the rise, those who choose Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as their majors are significantly fewer. There is an urgent need for African Americans, being the underrepresented minorities in STEM-related…

This bibliometric analysis investigates the impact of Project-Based Assessments (PBAs) on conceptual understanding in STEM education from 2019 to 2024. By examining a dataset of 996 publications, the study highlights significant fluctuations in research outputs and the evolving focus on educational methodologies, particularly noting an…

The needs of the digital revolution and the knowledge-based economy impose a transformation of traditional education to improve technical and scientific knowledge and include alternative abilities. This work presents a service-learning initiative with multiple goals: to improve scientific, technical, engineering, and mathematic (STEM) knowledge at…

This paper advances in the understanding of motivation in terms of flow in groups from a physiological perspective. We use wearable devices to monitor the heart rate variation during a set of sessions of face-to-face STEAM project-based learning. By using Action Research with mixed-methods design, we observed a set of 28 students in real-world…

Over the last decade, there has been a national effort to prepare a more diverse student population for success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. While there are a variety of best teaching practices in undergraduate STEM education, student engagement has been widely used to improve student learning. Specifically,…

This article introduces this special issue by addressing the types of assessment practices that are possible within STEM inquiry classrooms, where the focus is on noticing, developing, and improving inquiry competencies. Three domains are explored: informal formative assessment occurring in classroom interactions; structured formative assessment…

The evolution of geographic information systems (GIS) based on the internet (Web GIS) created new opportunities for the use of GIS technology in education. In the present study a learning environment was developed which incorporates the project-based learning (PBL) methodology based on Web GIS technology. In this context, 3 research projects (GIS…

The goal of the study is to overcome two main drawbacks of traditional science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) pedagogical strategies using PBL - lack of student engagement and students who are not prepared for more complex problems. PBL teaching strategies practiced in an introductory class are assessed. Classroom observations and…

The water station in The Pond Room had always been a popular option especially since in this region the summer heat is extremely intense. The Master Teacher noticed that Zach, a 3-year-old with special needs and an IEP from the local school district, returned to the water station over and over again and was very focused on his activities. His…

This study explored science and mathematics teachers' knowledge and beliefs about project-based instruction (PBL). Data included two focus groups, and a 12-item questionnaire administered to 138 teachers. The response rate was 70% (n=96). Results show strong teacher knowledge of PBL Gold Standard Design Elements/Teaching Practices, but low usage…

Background: Despite well-documented benefits, instructor adoption of active learning has been limited in engineering education. Studies have identified barriers to instructors' adoption of active learning, but there is no well-tested instrument to measure instructors perceptions of these barriers. Purpose: We developed and tested an instrument to…

Although the crucial role of the diaspora in scientific research and postgraduate training in Africa has been well documented, much less is known about their role in undergraduate STEM education. In this case study, we reflect on our experiences of i) adapting the content of training in order to complement local expertise and needs; and ii)…