Undergraduate learning assistant (ULA) programs are widely recognized for their positive impact on student engagement, academic performance, and classroom inclusion in large-enrollment STEM courses. However, far less attention has been given to the professional development of the ULAs themselves. This perspective paper accompanies the article…

Graduate students in the United States are experiencing increased levels of anxiety, affecting their mental health and attrition from graduate programs. Yet, we are only beginning to understand how anxiety about specific aspects of graduate study, such as teaching or research, might contribute to this overall anxiety related to graduate study.…

The next generations of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workers are being trained in college and university classrooms by a workforce of instructors who learn pedagogical practice largely on the job. While inclusive instructional practices and their impacts are increasingly well-studied, this training is difficult to instill…

The Institute for Future PUI Faculty (IFPF) is a new two-week professional development experience for chemistry graduate students and postdoctoral scholars interested in pursuing an academic career at a Primarily Undergraduate Institution (PUI). With the traditional graduate and postdoctoral chemistry experience being devoid of preparation for…

Practitioners of the mentor mindset in academic settings maintain high standards while providing strong support in and outside the classroom. They encourage the growth mindset by being motivating and transparent, reducing stress, and providing feedback that can help intellectual growth. The mentor mindset is the foundation of the professional…

The study explored science and science education professors' nature of science (NOS) understandings and perceptions on NOS instruction before (T1), during (T2), and after (T3) a professional development (PD) series. Using repeated measures design, findings showed an increasing trend across NOS aspects. Summary scores were used to classify…

More than a decade ago, the K-12 Framework for Education and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) shifted states' notions of what constitutes the core of science skills and knowledge that students need to thrive in school and beyond. The majority of states adopted standards based on the framework as well as the NGSS. Yet because of the…

An important facet of inclusive, student-centered science teaching is for college instructors to reveal and respond to student thinking. Professional development (PD) provides formal settings for instructors to develop skills attending and responding to student ideas in their teaching. Using the lens of sociocultural theory, the purpose of this…

This longitudinal study examines elementary teachers' self-efficacy for science teaching in the years after professional development (PD) ended and during a subsequent 3-year period of follow-up support. Self-efficacy is important because teachers make decisions about classroom activities based, in part, on how confident they are in their…

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are an integral part of the instructional personnel in undergraduate general chemistry courses. Professional development programs for GTAs are well-established across STEM disciplines ranging from two-day to week-long sessions, covering a wide variety of topics, ranging from pedagogy and safety standards to…

In the landscape of U.S. education, the widespread adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) offers a unique vantage point for researchers to better understand teacher-, school- and classroom-level factors that advance reform initiatives in science classrooms. Addressing a gap in current knowledge, our study probes how secondary…

The study investigated how schoolteachers and administrators perceive innovative and engaging teaching practices in Southeastern U.S. high schools. Perceptual data was collected from high school teachers to determine whether they believe their professional development adequately prepares them to use innovative and engaging instructional practices…

Physics graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are tasked with multifaceted teaching assignments, such as leading tutorials and inquiry-based laboratories, yet their professional development rarely includes opportunities to rehearse complex pedagogical skills or receive feedback on their teaching. In this study, physics GTAs practiced specific…

Collaborative design (co-design) involving practitioners and researchers is emerging as a productive context for addressing theoretical as well as practical issues of teaching and learning. Co-design affords learning opportunities for "all" participants, although the focus has typically been on teachers. In this study, the Interconnected…

 Today's elementary teachers are expected to teach the engineering practices included in the National Research Council's Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards. Recent studies have indicated that teachers are less self-efficacious in teaching engineering than in other subject areas. Project Lead the…