Science Education Research Research Articles

Creating a virtual space for collaborative project planning using the future creating workshop process: building the global climate change education initiative

ABSTRACT This article describes our use of an online Future Creating Workshop (FCW) as a planning strategy to support our Global Climate Change Education Initiative (GCCEI). The GCCEI is an Educational Action Research project designed to provide the opportunity for students to discover how climate change acts to affect weather, health, economy, politics, and culture in their own communities and around the world by bringing young people aged eleven to fourteen into the conversation and into relationships with an international group of peers, In order to move this project forward despite the challenges created by the pandemic, we initiated an online FCW, grounded in Critical Utopian Action Research. We provide a detailed description of this research process highlighting both the challenges we face in trying to launch this project as well as our visions for the future. We consider the implications of this research process in relation to problem-based and multimodal forms of learning. This article describes the virtual FCW that we hope can serve as a model to others as well as a reflection on the implications of the outcomes of this research process for researchers and educators interested in fostering meaningful dialogue among students regarding the climate crisis.

Mentoring across differences in science education: Applying a brokering framework

AbstractMentoring relationships in academia have traditionally been described as a dyad between a mentor and a mentee. The mentor provides the mentee with both technical and psychosocial support to move toward obtaining their Ph.D. or gaining tenure and promotion. While there is an embedded assumption that mentoring is best suited when people of common background support each other, scholars must consider the impact of mentoring across differences. Given the lack of diversity among senior faculty members in science education, and given the increasing diversity represented among graduate students and early career scholars in science education, inevitably mentoring relationships will be formed across differences in identities (race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, ability). In our essay, we focus on two focal points: we explore those aspects of mentoring relationships that research suggests are critical to the success of relationships built across differences, foregrounding lessons science education researchers can take from this literature and arguing that it is too much to expect one individual mentor to provide to any given mentee. Next, we propose a brokering framework, leveraging technological advances, to work toward more transformative mentoring outcomes at scale, particularly when mentoring across differences.

Science Education as a Human Right: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Basing school and university science education on an understanding of science education as a human right has been advocated by numerous authors. Broadly, the right to science education derives from the fundamental rights included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, namely the right to education and the right to science. The aim of the present study was to characterize the right to science education in greater detail and specify its conditions and barriers. To meet this aim, we conducted a systematic literature review entailing a bibliographic database search of the Web of Science and ProQuest and an article screening followed by a qualitative content analysis of the included publications. In doing so, we synthesized the findings of eight publications addressing the right to science education in various contexts. In this paper, we present the design and results of our analysis. The implications of our findings for future science education research are outlined at the end of this paper.

Self‐concept but not prior knowledge moderates effects of different implementations of computer‐assisted inquiry learning activities on students' learning

AbstractBackgroundEngaging students in computer‐assisted guided inquiry learning has great potential to scaffold their scientific understanding: Students are expected to improve their scientific problem‐solving skills, and at the same time gain a deep conceptual understanding of the subject‐matter. Additional generative activities such as creating video explanations subsequent to inquiry learning activities can also further deepen students' knowledge.ObjectivesIn this experiment, we therefore compared the effectiveness of computer‐based direct instruction (to mimic traditional classroom teaching) versus computer‐based inquiry learning.MethodsUniversity students (N = 118) either received video‐based direct instruction (direct instruction), including the demonstration of a virtual experiment, or conducted the virtual experiment themselves supported by prompts (inquiry learning). A third group of students additionally generated a video explanation as consolidation activity subsequent to conducting the virtual experiment (inquiry learning + generative activity).Results and ConclusionsContrarily to our hypotheses, the direct instruction condition outperformed the inquiry learning conditions. There were no significant differences between the inquiry learning and the inquiry learning + generative activity condition. Moderation analyses revealed that the effectiveness of direct instruction predominantly held true for students with low levels of domain‐specific self‐concept. All in all, our present study contributes to a better understanding of effects of direct instruction versus guided inquiry learning in computer‐based science education settings. Importantly, our findings show that the effectiveness of instructional approaches may depend on students' domain‐specific self‐concept as a motivational prerequisite. As such it is up for further research in science education to identify motivating instructional strategies to enhance students' learning.

Moving beyond the boilerplate: Reflections on equity‐centered reviewing for granting organizations

AbstractThis essay centers on the voices of leading scholars in science and STEM education on how equity can and should be centered in reviewing proposals for granting organizations. As the decisions made as a result of the reviewing process significantly impact the future directions of the field, we recognize the urgency in considering how equity is considered in this process. Through their experiences, four researchers offer the science and STEM community a call to action. The scholars interviewed highlighted that equitable reviewing and funding research and professional development will require changes within the science education and STEM funding ecosystem. Three overarching themes include (1) changing the ideologies and culture of science and STEM education research funding will require centering the needs of the communities being served; (2) institutions and granting organizations should adopt equity‐focused and holistic rubrics and models; and 3) we each have an individual responsibility to employ equity during the review process. Thus, this essay has the potential to both inspire and provide explicit examples of how we can all center equity as we strive to transform the future of science and STEM education.

Explorations in cyber-physical systems education

Explorations in CPS education and related research projects over the past two decades unveil where CPS learning is headed.

Re-thinking music education partnerships through intra-actions

ABSTRACT Music education in England has been in a state of flux for a number of years due to the complexities and variability of its delivery. Many of the issues surrounding music education in England are associated with policy and practice in schools, and the complexities of funding and deployment of music activities. This creates contextual, structural and political boundaries, especially on partnership work that seeks to join up provision. This paper presents findings from a four-year longitudinal project that aimed to explore the role of partnership work between schools and out-of-school music providers. It also critiques structural issues and limitations of music education in England, offering new insight and resolutions. Methodologically there has been an emerging interest in diffractive approaches and the intra-actions they produce (Barad [2007] Meeting the Universe Halfway: Quantum Physics and the Entanglement of Matter and Meaning. Durham, NC: Duke University Press; Haraway [2008] When Species Meet. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press). An important part of the paper is to outline the importance of these novel methodologies that go beyond reflection and raise important questions regarding the role of diffractive and intra-active processes in education research projects. This is a novel consideration, which is pertinent for music education research internationally. The paper concludes with a reconceptualisation of partnership work, and new theoretical underpinnings for future partnerships.

How Can Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Be Effectively Implemented in Teaching and Learning? An Analysis of Educational Science Recommendations of Methods and Procedures to Promote ESD Goals

Education for sustainable development (ESD) has been a task assigned to schools and universities since the mid-1990s. This global movement spawned ESD research in numerous fields, including, among others, didactics and educational sciences, as well as sustainability sciences. In this article, we analyze the state of research on reliable recommendations of means (more precisely, teaching and learning methods and procedures) to promote the ESD goals. Within the framework of systematic literature analysis, we compared and evaluated 17 scientific publications from the field of ESD. Using qualitative content analysis, we scanned the 17 articles for recommendations of means of ESD and the cited evidence for their effectiveness. The findings show two groups of recommended means, differing particularly in the degree of learner autonomy and the quality of evidence for their effectiveness. We discuss possible tasks that can be derived from these findings for didactic research on ESD, and we make a suggestion for further teaching action.

Networks in Learning Analytics: Where Theory, Methodology, and Practice Intersect

Network analysis has contributed to the emergence of learning analytics. In this editorial, we briefly introduce network science as a field and situate it within learning analytics. Drawing on the Learning Analytics Cycle, we highlight that effective application of network science methods in learning analytics involves critical considerations of learning processes, data, methods and metrics, and interventions, as well as ethics and value systems surrounding these areas. Careful work must meaningfully situate network methods and interventions within the theoretical assumptions explaining learning, as well as within pedagogical and technological factors shaping learning processes. The five empirical papers in the special section demonstrate diverse applications of network analysis, and the invited commentaries from cognitive network science and physics education research further discuss potential synergies between learning analytics and other sister fields with a shared interest in leveraging network science. We conclude by discussing opportunities to strengthen the rigour of network-based learning analytics projects, expand current work into nascent areas, and achieve more impact by holistically addressing the full cycle of learning analytics.

Research Trends in STEM Education from 2011 to 2020: A Systematic Review of Publications in Selected Journals

Nowadays, STEM education plays an essential role in the economic growth and competitiveness of nations. This systematic review was aimed to reveal research trends in STEM education over the last 10 years. A total of 336 studies published in the Journal of Science Education and Technology, Research in Science Education, Journal of Science Teacher Education, International Journal of Science Education, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, and Science Education were selected for analysis. The time span was limited to the period between 2011 to late 2020. All sample papers were then examined to capture the latest research trends and status regarding STEM education that included the number of papers by year, research types, countries’ rank, and the number of authors. To collect data, the formula proposed by Howard et al. [1] was employed to determine the most productive countries in terms of STEM education scholarships. Findings revealed that STEM education has garnered greater attention and it grew rapidly within this period. The most frequent research type used in STEM education were quantitative studies. In addition, the US, Australia, and the Netherlands were the most productive countries in STEM education research. During these ten years, most papers published in selected journals were written by three authors. This indicates that STEM education is an attractive topic to explore collaboratively by researchers and educators around the world.

Partnership through placement: Scottish HEI-tutors views on collaboration with schools through the initial teacher education placement experience

ABSTRACT Placement, the part of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) involving Pre-Service Teachers (PSTs) working in school, is a marked feature of ITE programmes that involve Higher Education Institution (HEI) input. In Scotland, placement is a feature of ITE, forms a major plank of the assessment of teaching quality and occurs in partnership arrangements between HEIs, schools and other organisations. As part of the Measuring Quality in Initial Teacher Education (MQuITE) research project, HEI-staff at the nine Scottish institutions offering ITE were surveyed for their views on a range of ITE matters. This paper discusses 150 respondents’ answers regarding placement within current partnership arrangements. Using positioning theory (cf) as the frame for thematic analysis and data highlighted concerns, but significant desire for continuing development of partnership as a mechanism to develop PSTs. The paper has international implications for systems that utilise placement within a standards-based approach to ITE partnership.

What Triggers Teacher Research Engagement and Sustainability in a Higher Education Context in Turkey?

Despite its increasing popularity as a continuous professional development tool in ELT contexts, why teacher research remains as a minority activity and whether or how its impacts persist over time still require detailed exploration. In this mixed-methods case study of university instructors in Turkey, we address the questions of teacher research engagement and sustainability of its impacts. The study started with a relatively larger group (n=33), and then gradually narrowed into three sub-groups to gain an in-depth understanding of the case. Two questionnaires consisting of closed and open-ended questions and interviews carried out with semi-structured forms have been used as data collection tools. The qualitative data have been analyzed by content analysis, while frequency analysis has been carried out for the quantitative data. Findings reveal that expert support and colleagues with research experience trigger teacher research engagement, whereas limitations in institutional support and instructors’ awareness of teacher research and economic matters contribute to the most prevalent barrier to teacher research viz. lack of time. Moreover, instructors feel more motivated and confident, research-oriented four years after their teacher research projects. We argue that positive experience with context-related research projects and dissemination of research results in various forms facilitate the sustainability of those impacts and efforts to engage in new projects, while constraints in time and institutional support hinder these

Theorizing racism to advance science education research for people of African descent

Theorizing racism to advance science education research for people of African descent

Student Subjectivity in the Marketised University.

We present data from an exploratory qualitative interview-based pedagogical research project on the development of student agency in higher education. Our aim was to respond to Nick Zepke’s claim that what is often missing from the current neoliberal discourse of higher education ‘is students having a voice in what and how they learn and how they can action their voice in the wider community as agentic citizens.’ Informed by Lacanian discourse analysis, our project investigated the opportunities and threats facing some of our undergraduate students as they struggled to exercise agency and develop autonomy in the marketised university. Repeat interviews (n = 15) with final year students focussed on the psychosocial categories of power, affect, intersubjectivity and desire. The analysis was guided by Lacan’s theory of the four discourses, an account of the vicissitudes of agency. We found that students can move between discourses depending on the extent to which their agency (operationalised here as Lacan’s ‘object cause of desire,’ the objet petit a) was enabled or thwarted. Our critique of the metaphor of the ‘student journey’ addresses the implications for learning and teaching and the university’s mission to develop its students in light of perceived commercial pressures.

Two Cognitive Dimensions of Students’ Mental Models in Science: Fidelity of Gestalt and Functional Fidelity

A poorly elaborated learner’s understanding of models has been reported to be one of the major sources for learning difficulties in the quantum domain. To be able to provide physics education in schools with evidence as to how this problem can be tackled, a deeper theoretical understanding of the structure of learners’ mental models in quantum physics seems essential. In this respect, previous research has proposed two dimensions in learners’ mental models in the atomic hull context, labelled Fidelity of Gestalt and Functional Fidelity. In this article, we investigate whether this proposed two-factorial structure can be transferred to quantum concepts beyond the atomic hull context. To approach this, we surveyed the structure of students’ mental models in the context of photons’ properties and behavior. We conducted a questionnaire study: 170 secondary school students completed a survey instrument adapted from the literature. Using exploratory factor analysis, the two factors Fidelity of Gestalt and Functional Fidelity to describe the students’ mental models could be replicated for the photon context. We provide a selection of results from physics education literature to reveal that our two-factor framework to describe the students’ mental models seems to be a promising endeavor in the landscape of science education research in general.

The role of affect in science literacy for all

ABSTRACT The goal of science literacy for all underlies much of today’s K-12 science education (National Academies of Sciences [2016]. Science literacy: Concepts, contexts, and consequences. National Academies Press; Roberts, [2007]. Scientific literacy/science literacy. In S. K. Abell, & N. G. Lederman (Eds.), Handbook of research on science education (pp. 729–780). Lawrence Erlbaum). This goal assumes that the citizens of contemporary societies must be able to appreciate the relevance of and draw upon scientific knowledge and practices in a broad range of personal and social issues. Many national science education standards, which aim to promote science literacy for all, focus almost entirely on prescribing the conceptual knowledge and practices that underlie science literacy, with only little, if any, reference to the affective characteristics that need to be fostered in parallel to conceptual knowledge and skills. This position paper highlights why affect is so important for the development of science literacy by critiquing the arguments that underlie many national standards documents and by considering the crucial role affect plays in becoming and remaining a lifelong learner of science. We argue that there is a discrepancy between the science education research literature and many national science education standards in terms of the latter not acknowledging the affective domain as an important education outcome, and that this discrepancy is an obstacle to the attainment of science literacy for all.

Theoretical diversity and inclusivity in science and environmental education research: A way forward

AbstractAs distinct communities of practice (COP), science education research (SER) and environmental education research (EER) have both matured a great deal in recent decades, coming to include a greater diversity of theoretical perspectives, worldviews, and researcher and participant voices. In this paper, we present a view of theoretical inclusivity that promises a rich, robust research landscape for both EER and SER through the deliberate inclusion of non‐Western theories. This view has several components: it requires researchers to be explicit and clear about their theoretical stances and to use critical reflection to evaluate their research; and it encourages the field to expansively explore phenomena and issues using multiple epistemologies and continue to deepen their focus on developing praxis. EER's interdisciplinary and cross‐disciplinary nature make it uniquely positioned to model such inclusivity and move forward together with SER to create knowledge that is more robust and more just. We identify and discuss three key imperatives for the two fields to embrace this theoretical inclusivity now and the paths forward to support scholars doing work in both EER and SER and for the productive future of these fields.

“It is what it is”: Using Storied‐Identity and intersectionality lenses to understand the trajectory of a young Black woman's science and math identities

AbstractScience, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) identity has become a popular lens in science education research. However, few studies have looked at how using the interpersonal, structural, cultural, and disciplinary domains of power sheds light on how women of color differently navigate the various cultures of formal and informal schooling as well as college science and math departments. This paper uses narrative inquiry methodology to examine how a young Black woman constructs science and math identities through stories about her previous experiences becoming a science and math person. By also framing it within intersectionality and employing a storied‐identity lens, this study provides insight into how stories that shape identities inform her science and math identities. Specifically, this study looked at how she navigated the emotions and social experiences that fostered an interwoven storied science, math, and racial identity across different times, spaces, and settings. It highlights how a strong sense of belonging in her science and math trajectories was positively influenced through various sources and moments of recognition from community influences (e.g., family, peers, and faculty) and structural disruptions (e.g., the HBCU she attended and STEM camp). Despite negative emotions of self‐doubt and frustration were present when her science, math, racial, and smart student identities came into conflict, she leveraged the positive emotions of joy and pride in her interwoven science and math storylines, which strengthened not only her science and math identities but also her racial identity. The study underscores the importance of leveraging counter‐narratives of resilience as a resilience strategy but also practicing acceptance and self‐compassion when navigating tensions between racial, science, math, and smart‐student identities for women of color in STEM. The study's conclusions add to the call for structural changes within K‐12 and higher education that are crucial for equity goals within STEM education.

Appreciating situations of breakdown for researcher reflexivity

Responding to the identified need for reflection, critique, and evaluations of appreciative inquiry (AI), a form of action research, this article presents a critical reflection on an application of AI in a cross-cultural music education research project. AI was selected as it appeared to both have potential for addressing the complexities related to power imbalances, ethnocentrism, and coloniality inherent in a project aiming to co-develop music teacher education in Finland and Nepal, and because its 4D model supported the co-constructing of visions, which was central to the project. The critical reflection presented in this article focused on three situations of breakdown that occurred during the research process. Analysis of these breakdowns highlighted the need for researchers to engage responsibly in research as participants, account for dreaming as an unevenly distributed capacity when working with visions or aspirations, and develop skills facilitating collaborative spaces that cultivate listening for and appreciating difference. The article concludes by recognising the limitations of undertaking this reflection independently rather than collaboratively and by cautioning against the instrumentalization of appreciation, calling instead for sincere appreciation. Overall, the article contends that the process of identifying and generating new understandings of breakdowns is a powerful approach for stimulating researcher reflexivity.

Students’ conceptions about animal ethics: the benefit of moral metaphors for fostering decision-making competence

ABSTRACT The analysis of students’ conceptions is a crucial element in modern science education research. Based on a large number of studies, we know that learning environments should build upon students’ existing knowledge to initiate conceptual change towards an adequate scientific understanding. This also holds true when it comes to moral reasoning. In this case, the implementation of educational standards, such as decision-making competence, strongly relies on students’ conceptions about ethical issues. In this study the Conceptual Metaphor Theory is used empirically in order to analyse students’ language in regard to conceptual metaphors. To date, little educational research exists on the effects of moral metaphors in science education. For this reason, we conducted a two-part qualitative interview study (n = 9 + 6 and 6) in order to identify German high-school students’ moral conceptions about animal ethics. The conceptions were identified and analysed by means of qualitative content analysis. A key finding can be seen in the underlying embodied conceptions and image schemas that are in particular linked to human well-being. Apparently, students use these metaphorical thinking patterns and are therefore capable of conceiving abstract conceptions about animal ethics. As a consequence, we propose an alternative approach in order to foster decision-making competence.