STEM Education Research Articles

Characterizing full-time, non-tenure-track teaching faculty in biology.

Institutions of higher education play a major role in teaching undergraduate students. Historically, most courses have been taught by tenure-track (TT) faculty who may also be responsible for research or scholarly activities. However, a recent shift from "teaching-intensive" TT faculty to "teaching-only" contingent faculty off the tenure track has highlighted the importance of understanding the experiences of contingent faculty. While there have been an increasing number of studies examining the experiences of part-time contingent faculty, few studies have directly surveyed the increasing number of full-time, non-tenure-track (NTT) teaching faculty in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to capture their experiences, nor are we aware of any study that has examined the roles of NTT teaching faculty within one discipline to examine any potential disciplinary differences that may arise across STEM fields. Here, we focus on the experiences of full-time, non-tenure-track faculty in biology whose primary responsibility is teaching. We conducted a random stratified sampling of institutions using the Carnegie classifications to identify potential full-time NTT teaching faculty at over 10% of all institutions in the United States. Our results from surveying these faculty found both positive and negative themes, including (i) NTT teaching faculty being less diverse than the STEM professoriate at large; (ii) NTT teaching faculty reporting mixed feelings on institutional support, identifying a range of opportunities to better support NTT teaching faculty; (iii) NTT teaching faculty often having limited participation in voting for department and institutional matters and reporting mixed feelings of belonging and value; and (iv) NTT teaching faculty having high amounts of autonomy over their teaching but still struggling in key areas. We end with specific implications and recommendations for our field to better support NTT teaching faculty in biology.

Enhancing students’ comprehension of metaphoric terms in physics

This paper aims to dwell on students’ perceptions and attitudes towards metaphoric terms and some approaches that contribute to the comprehension and acquisition of basic physics metaphoric terminology for 1st-year undergraduate engineering students. Physics English terminology comprehension and acquisition is of great importance when it comes to these students. Being the lingua franca of today, mastering the basic terminology of the respective field of interest in English is demanding for everyone who aspires to have a deep understanding of their field of interest and a prosperous career in the future. To have an effective input and output in the teaching/learning process a collaboration among professionals of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and ESP (English for Specific Purposes) is necessitated. Physics is fundamentally dependent on abstract notions that frequently lack tangible counterparts, such as in these metaphoric terms "tunneling effect" or "black hole". Concepts expressed through such metaphoric terms assist students to envision, conceive, and acquire the latter, but can also hinder their understanding of concepts. To conduct this research, a semi–structured questionnaire was handed to 100 students of Polytechnic University of Tirana to investigate their beliefs towards these terms and to determine different approaches that will contribute to their understanding of the above-mentioned terms. The results concluded that students face challenges in comprehending a metaphoric unknown term. Nevertheless, the results indicated that the most used and preferred approaches to learning these terms are related to the professor’s assistance with explanation, analogy with everyday experiences, and visual aids, videos mainly. This study highlights the importance of collaboration between STEM and ESP in combining the linguistic-semantic nature of terms and their practical application in the function of students’ terminology acquisition.

A bibliometric analysis of Indonesian stem education research (2019–2023): Trends, contributors, and future directions

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is a global priority, but effective implementation faces challenges. This bibliometric study analyzed the results of Indonesian STEM education research to elucidate publication and contributor patterns. The Scopus database was searched for Indonesian STEM education publications from 2019–2023 and produced 52 documents from 23 sources. The analysis found a negative average growth rate of −5.43%, with a peak of 14 releases in 2020, possibly related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the output was relatively limited, the diversity of sources suggests wide-ranging interest. The leading authors were identified based on their productivity and impact on citation, with Wahono. emerging as the most influential worldwide. Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia was an institutional leader. The Journal of Physics Conference series dominated the contributions and emphasized the role of conference proceedings. Examination of the citations and text frequencies revealed key themes that include technology, engineering, pedagogy, and skills of the 21st century. Several widely cited works ensured international visibility. In general, this bibliometric analysis quantitatively mapped the landscape of Indonesian STEM education research, finding a decline in performance but a strong foundation of committed institutions and authors. The sustainability of production and impact requires targeted policies based on insight into existing strengths, productive scholars, and influential publications. The results provide an empirical basis for practices and policies for the effective development of STEM education in Indonesian schools.

Perspectives of Black female STEM majors: culturally responsive online teaching practices among higher education institutions

Purpose Culture is important and influential in how students learn STEM. This study aims to examine whether there is a pedagogical nexus between culturally successful teaching practices, i.e. culturally responsive teaching (CRT), online learning management systems (LMS) and STEM pedagogy among Black undergraduate women in STEM during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach Using descriptive data from a quantitative survey exploring the four domains of the CRT framework: care, communication, curriculum and instruction, this study examines the teaching practices experienced via online learning of 26 Black female STEM majors regarding learning management systems and methods utilized. Findings The analytic framework utilized in this study was Gay’s (2000, 2002) framework for CRT. Using data from a purposive sample of Black female STEM majors, researchers examined if students experienced culturally responsive teaching practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research team also explored the LMS and the method(s) of instruction. Originality/value Because of the limited publications on the culturally successful learning experiences of Black STEM majors in online learning spaces, this work offers the use of CRT as an analytic frame to examine the use of CRT practices with Black female STEM majors.

Identifying parameters impacting WASH STEM education across the globe

Abstract This study seeks to assess the parameters impacting successful water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) educational outreach. Previous studies have shown a correlation between underprivileged communities and significant impacts due to water related disasters, such as flooding or water related illnesses. As a result, for several decades the international development community has invested in WASH-related infrastructure. Lessons learned through these investments has shown the need for WASH educational outreach to build community awareness and encourage behavioral change, ultimately ensuring the sustainability and impact of the WASH infrastructure. Many WASH infrastructure programs have incorporated WASH education programs, particularly those led by the community. Often this occurs through primary and secondary schools. While WASH STEM education promotes local project ownership, leading to an increased understanding of water management and infrastructure resiliency, these educational programs are not always successful. There is a knowledge gap in understanding what makes WASH STEM education and outreach effective. This research project investigated some of the parameters influencing students’ performance on an assessment of WASH STEM curricula. This was done through deploying two water resource learning modules and assessments to secondary school students in Cambodia, India, Nicaragua, and the United States. The results revealed a correlation between how well the students comprehended the information according to the assessment and how relevant the students found the material to their own lives. The insight gained from this study can create more impactful WASH STEM education and outreach programs for water resource projects, and beyond.

Heartwheels! STEM Mobile Outreach Program.

Heartwheels! STEM Mobile Outreach is a scientist-led collaborative, innovative, and reproducible experiential educational program and mobile lab developed to engage people young and old in the cardiovascular sciences, improve health literacy and awareness of heart-healthy living, and spark curiosity in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Applied hands-on interactive activities at Heartwheels! events include heart dissection, cardiovascular physiology, and mock flow loops (science), medical devices (technology), instrumentation and sensors (engineering), and calibration and validation methods and models (math). These modules are complementary to school activities and are particularly successful from an educational standpoint because they are fun, interactive, engaging, voluntary, open-ended, not graded or assessed, and can lead participants and their families to develop STEM-positive identities. Primary learning objectives include a broad understanding of cardiovascular anatomy and physiology, advanced technologies and emerging medical devices, the benefits of a heart healthy lifestyle, and to stimulate interest, to build self-confidence, and to help participants envision themselves participating in and making potentially significant contributions to STEM fields. To date, 10,284 attendees of all ages and backgrounds have participated in 47 Heartwheels! events. Excellent programmatic ratings (1-5 scale; 1=poor, 5=excellent), including 91.7% participants self-reporting that it was a fun educational experience and 93.1% reporting that they learned new things, with complimentary verbal and open-ended written feedback, demonstrate the significant impact and value that Heartwheels! and hands-on experiential educational events contribute to our diverse, resource limited, and underserved communities.

Pre-enrollment tests to predict first-year academic achievement in open-admission higher STEM education

Pre-enrollment tests to predict first-year academic achievement in open-admission higher STEM education

Does training improve the action research skills of STEM teachers? Examining the mediating roles of attitude and knowledge

Professional development programs are essential for supporting STEM teachers in improving their teaching practices by creating engaging and effective learning experiences for students. One of the professional development programs referred to is their participation in action research training. However, while there is a growing number professional development program relating to it, there is no substantial amount of reports regarding its impact toward developing teachers' action research attitude, knowledge, and skills. In this regard, this study aims to empirically investigate the influence or impact of training programs on the development of STEM teachers' action research skills, knowledge, and attitude. Driven by Evans' (2014) concept of professionalism and professional development as a guiding framework, a structural model was proposed and validated using a quantitative cross-sectional survey design. There were 214 STEM teachers who participated in an online survey. Results revealed that from five hypotheses proposed in the structural model, four are supported except the causal path between training and action research skills. The paths between training to action research knowledge and attitude are supported as well as the paths between action research knowledge and attitude to skills. This indicates that teachers’ action research knowledge and attitude fully mediate the causal path between training and action research skills. The findings of this study imply that the focus of the training programs should go beyond the mechanical aspects or skills development of teachers but on developing their knowledge and shaping a positive attitude toward action research. Over time, both provide an enabling environment to practice and develop action research skills. The finding also offers a new perspective or guiding framework as to how teacher training programs particularly action research can be evaluated.

Examining the role of spatial and mathematical processes and gender in postsecondary precalculus

Passing the introductory calculus sequence is critical to undergraduate students’ retention in STEM programs. This study examines the relations between three interrelated processes found to influence mathematics learning and achievement: spatial skills, spatial anxiety, and math anxiety. Additionally, it examines the role of gender on these relations and if and how they help explain precalculus achievement. Findings revealed that spatial skills, spatial anxiety, and gender were linked to math anxiety. Furthermore, spatial anxiety and math anxiety were related to strong final exam performance, but spatial skills and gender were not related to achievement. The presented evidence is in accordance with prior research and corroborates the existence of these relational patterns in a postsecondary academic context in addition to the laboratory context. These findings have broad implications for the development and implementation of efforts aimed at improving postsecondary mathematics outcomes, and subsequent persistence, retention, and representation in STEM programs.

Exploring Interest in Informatics with a Focus on K-12 Students’ Preferences in the Context of a Robotics Workshop

Digital literacy is considered to be crucial for social and professional participation. Hence, several projects have been launched in school, as well as extracurricular activities to promote digital literacy in middle school. They aim, among other things, to increase interest in the so-called STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), which include computer science. Interest in a topic is described in the literature as a crucial factor for learning success and career choice. Still, there is a potential for current research on the expression and distribution of interest in computer science. Therefore, this study aims to address this research gap by examining interest in computer science. The exploration of interest is expanded to include gender aspects and pupils’ dispositions. Given the significantly lower number of women studying in STEM fields, there is a particular focus on an improved understanding of the interests of female pupils as early as middle school. Moreover, the literature suggests that pupils’ dispositions should also be considered in instructional design to achieve stable interest. In this context, the following two dispositions shine out in literature and are therefore focused on in this article: first, interest in contextual, people-related topics (mainly found among women), and second, interest in factual, object-related topics (mainly found among men). In summary, this study investigates how pupils’ interest in computer science is expressed before and after a programming intervention and how it is distributed across gender and dispositions. Therefore, the study surveyed 8th-grade pupils (N \(=\) 114) about their preferences and assessed their interest in computer science before and after an intervention with unplugged materials and playful robots. Results show that all groups of pupils find computer science interesting, and the intervention slightly increased interest. Girls show a marginally lower interest in computer science. Furthermore, the results indicate that interest in computer science did not correlate with interest in contextual or factual dispositions.

The Role of Women in Shaping the Future of Technology: Challenges and Opportunities

The role of women in shaping the future of technology has become a critical area of focus in recent years, with efforts aimed at addressing gender disparities and promoting inclusivity in tech fields. The research examines educational barriers, workplace gender biases, mentorship programs, and the impact of female entrepreneurship on innovation within the technology sector. A quantitative research design was employed, utilizing a survey with 120 participants from four faculties—Medical, Computer Science, Social Science, and Education—across different age groups. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to uncover patterns and insights. The results indicate that educational barriers, such as the lack of encouragement for women in STEM fields, remain a significant challenge. Gender biases in the workplace were also found to negatively affect career advancement opportunities for women in technology, with participants reporting substantial concerns regarding systemic discrimination. However, mentorship programs were seen as highly effective in encouraging women to pursue careers in technology, and female entrepreneurship was perceived as having a notable impact on innovation within the sector. The findings suggest that while challenges persist, there are emerging opportunities to enhance women’s contributions to technology, particularly through education, mentorship, and support for female entrepreneurs. In conclusion, the study emphasizes the need for continued efforts to address gender inequality in technology fields, with a focus on fostering supportive environments that enable women to thrive in the industry.

Investigating Determinants of STEM Major Choice Among Malaysian Undergraduates

STEM education plays a significant role in a country’s economy growth. Consequently, innovative and advanced careers in STEM domains are fast emerging because more people are employed in STEM related professions. Literature has identified various determinants of STEM career and STEM major choices including gender, self-efficacy, parental influence, outcome expectancy and aptitude towards science and mathematics. While extensive literature exists on STEM major choices, it is predominantly concentrated on Western countries. This study aims to fill the gap by providing empirical evidence of gender, ethnicity, and high school grades as determinants of STEM major choice among undergraduates in a developing country. The results expand the understanding of how demographic factors influence academic choices in non-Western settings. Practically, the findings can inform policy makers on strategies to encourage STEM enrolment among diverse student populations in Malaysia.

The World Smarts STEM Challenge: A promising approach to fostering STEM and global competence skills for adolescents in the US and Ghana.

Given the increasingly global nature of work, the global workforce needs STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) workers who have both STEM content knowledge and intercultural competence. This study reports on findings from a 10-week bi-national virtual STEM challenge, the World Smarts STEM Challenge, that brought adolescents in the United States and Ghana together to complete a STEM learning program. There were 114 participants from Ghana (female = 56%) and 95 from the US (female = 48%); Mage = 16.21 years, SD = 1.65. In Ghana 100% of participants identified as ethnically Ghanaian and in the US participants identified as Black/African-American (50%), Latino/a/x or Hispanic (23.9%), Asian/Asian-American (7.6%), White/European-American (7.6%), bi-racial or multi-racial (7.6%), and "other" (3.3%). After the Challenge, participants increased in awareness of global issues, and engagement with others, but also showed a small but significant decrease in respect for people from other cultural backgrounds. Girls demonstrated an increase in global-mindedness in both countries and Ghanaian participants reported an increase in self-efficacy for global issues and demonstrated significant growth in both STEM ability self-concept and STEM activism orientation. Findings suggest the value of virtual STEM Challenges for building both STEM and global competence skills.

Bibliometric Analysis of Artificial Intelligence in STEM Education

This study conducts a bibliometric analysis of artificial intelligence (AI) in STEM education research from 2020 to 2024. The study uses citation analysis to examine publication trends, country contributions, top authors, cited journals, and influential articles in this field. Data was collected from the Dimensions database using the keywords "artificial intelligence" AND "stem education." The analysis reveals a significant increase in publications and citations in 2024 compared to previous years. The United States emerges as the leading country in the number of documents (9) and citations (103). China follows with five documents but no citations. The most cited authors include Nesra Yannier, Kenneth R. Koedinger, and Scott E. Hudson, each with 55 citations. The International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education is the most cited journal, with 55 citations. The most influential article, "Active Learning is About More Than Hands-On: A Mixed-Reality AI System to Support STEM Education," received 55 citations. Carnegie Mellon University stands out as the most cited institution, with 55 citations. The findings highlight the growing importance of AI in STEM education research, focusing on personalized learning, advanced analytics, and instructional automation, inspiring us all with the potential of AI to transform the future of education. This bibliometric analysis provides valuable insights for researchers, educators, and policymakers interested in the intersection of AI and STEM.

Expanding Teacher's technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge with funds of knowledge: An exploratory STEM professional development model using video creation workshops

AbstractRecent initiatives in the Philippines have underscored the significance of 21st‐century approaches to preparing K‐12 STEM public teachers to embrace technology‐enhanced pedagogies. This case study, part of a larger investigation, employed portraiture methodology to examine one science teacher's growth in technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) while integrating students' funds of knowledge (FoK) in a 4‐week science video creation workshop. The workshop trained the teacher as a learning doctor to diagnose teaching and learning impediments during pre‐ to post‐video production. Data included the teacher's pre‐ to post‐production video creation experience, reflections, and individual interviews. Findings indicated: (a) a gradual growth from a self‐assessed detached TPACK to an expanded TPACK, (b) concrete FoK integration, which served as a bridge to widen the teacher's TPACK, and (c) effective science video creation workshop, viewed through the lens of a science teacher as a learning doctor, offered explicit scaffolding to address teaching and learning impediments during video creation. The findings suggest that science video creation workshops represent an exploratory and innovative model for deliberate professional development (PD) in STEM education, particularly for teachers in rural areas. This model highlights the relevance of research integrating FoK and TPACK and offers a new approach to enhancing teachers' TPACK. The findings have potential implications for advancing PD for rural science teachers in the Philippines and STEM educators in rural areas globally, emphasizing the value of rural schools as centers for relevant pedagogical innovation in STEM education.

Influential Factors in the Decision to Pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Engineering and Artificial Intelligence at the School of Engineering and Technology, Walailak University

Background and Objectives: University education is essential for empowering individuals and fostering economic, social, and intellectual growth. In Thailand, fair and competitive university admissions are ensured across 75 institutions by the Thai University Center Admission System (TCAS). At the same time, each individual’s decision to pursue higher education is influenced by the quality of program’s curriculum and academic reputation, along with geographical considerations and parental guidance. This study investigates factors influencing the decision to pursue a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering and Artificial Intelligence (CEAI) at Walailak University, focusing in particular on their revised curriculum. Insights gained aim to enhance curriculum alignment, boost recruitment, and meet the diverse needs of students. Methodology: This study employed an exploratory approach, using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. The population consisted of 126 students enrolled in the CEAI program at Walailak University in 2022. A sample of 96 participants were randomly selected and voluntarily completed an online questionnaire. The questionnaire, distributed via academic platforms and social media, elicited demographic information and explored factors influencing participants’ decision to pursue this degree. Main Results: The results showed that curriculum factors had the greatest impact on the decision to pursue the program, followed by financial factors, educational institution factors, and personal reasons. The t-test results indicated that gender impacted decision regarding course enrollment and the total monthly income of the family affected the decision as to whether or not to enroll at a particular institution. Discussions: This study revealed key factors influencing enrollment decisions for CEAI students at Walailak University. Curriculum relevance, faculty expertise, and financial considerations emerged as their primary concerns. Notably, female students valued curriculum aspects more highly than their male counterparts, yet they remain underrepresented, highlighting persistent gender stereotypes in engineering. Income-related differences significantly impacted perceptions of financial factors. To address these findings, we recommend: (1) curriculum-focused marketing emphasizing industry relevance, (2) targeted outreach to female students, (3) expanded financial support and transparency, and (4) enhanced public relations leveraging social media and outreach programs. These strategies aim to create a more diverse and inclusive program, aligning with global trends in STEM education and workforce development. Conclusions: The study reveals that curriculum factors, particularly job market relevance and faculty expertise, are most important to students in Walailak University's CEAI program. Gender and income related differences significantly influence student perspectives. These insights can help improve program quality, develop targeted admission strategies, and better serve diverse student needs.

Investigating gender stereotypes in nursing/midwifery and engineering students in Ireland

Stereotypical behaviour in higher education has been linked with inequality with relevant negative output. This project's aim is to replicate the design of a previous study by expanding further into exploring the gender stereotypes’ relationships for two traditionally gendered polarised areas of study: Engineering and Nursing/Midwifery and assessing participants’ earlier experiences in their secondary education. Survey participants were Engineering and Nursing/Midwifery students (N = 161) of a university in Ireland. Results came positive for stereotypical biases in favour to men in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and specifically for Mathematics. Stereotypes emerged stronger among the female participants. While comparing the two genders within each of the two study areas, significant differences emerge among the female Nursing/Midwifery and female Engineering participants. Female Engineering participants appear with stronger preference, attitude and importance towards STEM than their Nursing/Midwifery counterparts. Nevertheless, Mathematics is an indicator subject for success in higher education and the need to strengthen critical thinking, evidenced based practice and quality of quantitative research in female dominated areas such as Nursing/Midwifery has been recognised. In addition to identified stereotypes, differences in respondents’ views/elements of their interaction with STEM were associated with the type of secondary school they attended. Further research is recommended on traits that could contribute to the formation of gender biased stereotypes in single and mixed gender education systems with an aim to reverse them.

Examining How Student Identities Interact with an Immersive Field Ecology Course and its Implications for Graduate School Education.

One of the central issues in ecology is the underrepresentation of individuals from diverse backgrounds. This underrepresentation starts at the undergraduate level and continues into graduate programs, contributing to a need for more diversity in the discipline. We hypothesize that the interplay of students' identities and contextual factors influence how students perceive their sense of belonging in a field-based discipline. We present findings from a 2-yr evaluation of a pregraduate school field program, FIRED UP (Field-Intensive Research Emphasizing Diversity UP in the alpine), where students interacted with a curriculum focused on building field skills and cohort bonding. Students provided feedback through surveys and interviews conducted at various phases throughout the program. Using the Phenomenological Variant Ecological Systems Theory, we present our interview results in three cases describing differing student outcomes regarding belonging which allows us to give voice and weight to students with more critical and constructive perspectives. Thus, the results of this study can be used to critically examine field-based educational program design to maximize the ability of programs to respond to diverse student needs. The broader implications of this work address how to approach pregraduate school training and cohort building that supports students marginalized in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines as they enter graduate school.

A systematic review of afterschool STEM literature in education

In this study, the literature on Afterschool STEM education was reviewed from the Proquest database. Within the scope of the research, 25 theses and dissertations that met the criteria were examined. The year, type, a method used, data collection tools, study group and number, and keywords of the theses were systematically analyzed. The systematic review method, one of the qualitative research methods, was used to examine the graduate theses on Afterschool STEM. As a result of the findings obtained by examining the theses related to Afterschool STEM; it was found that the first thesis study was a doctoral dissertation in 2003, there was a great increase in the number of theses published in 2015, and no thesis was published between 2004-2013, and most of the published theses were in the doctoral thesis type. In addition, in the distribution of theses according to the fields selected in the Proquest database, it was determined that most theses were published in the field of Science Education, qualitative and mixed research methods were used equally and mostly as research methods, and survey, interviews, and observation were mostly used as data collection tools. In the analyzed theses, data were collected mostly from Middle school students. When the number of participants in the theses was examined, the participants between 31-100 were mostly preferred in the studies. According to the keywords used in the theses, the words "education", "out of school time", "afterschool", "STEM" and "STEM education" were preferred.

AI in STEM Education: The Relationship between Teacher Perceptions and ChatGPT Use

The rapid development of AI in the recent years has triggered numerous discussions in the education sector since it offers numerous opportunities, but also challenges. This study addresses one context in which AI might become a relevant tool for different purposes: German secondary education. This study therefore examines the extent to which STEM teachers in German secondary education assess the benefits but also the risks of ChatGPT and how this influences the future use of AI in an educational context. As part of a questionnaire study, 102 STEM teachers were investigated. The current and future use of ChatGPT and various teacher variables were recorded with questionnaires based on classifications of researchers as well as political institutions. Relationships between the variables were explored using a path model investigating hypotheses regarding the affect heuristic, perceived risks and benefits as well as effects on teaching quality. In general, AI is still used relatively rarely, but future usage expectations are high compared to current usage. Results further revealed that perceived competence and benefits of ChatGPT have a positive influence on the use and intention to use it. Perceived risks and concerns have no significant influence on the usefulness of ChatGPT in the classroom, indicating that STEM teachers use AI in the classroom despite potential concerns and perceived risks. Additionally, perceived benefits and risks are negatively associated with each other, indicating that teachers rely on an affect heuristic when judging the usefulness of AI technology in the classroom.