<p> This research evaluates the effectiveness of Project ReCharge, an energy efficiency, STEM curriculum designed for middle and high school students. The project includes a five-unit curriculum, and monthly professional development spanning a year. The project was implemented in ten schools over three years. Four areas were explored in the study including (1) changes to student content knowledge, (2) changes to student attitudes towards STEM subjects and careers, (3) changes to teacher self-efficacy and beliefs, and (4) changes to teacher content knowledge. A content test for teachers and students, the STEM Semantics Survey, and STEBI-A were used to collect data on 4123 students and 47 teachers. Data were collected in a quasi-experimental design utilizing parametric and nonparametric techniques. Analyses suggest student content knowledge increased significantly from pretest to posttest for all years (Pretest: <i>M</i> = 11.38, <i>SD</i> = 4.97, Posttest: <i>M</i> = 16.67, <i> SD</i> = 5.83, <i>t</i> = 45.05, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001, <i> d</i> = 0.98). Increases to student attitudes in STEM varied by year and grade, but overall increases were found in science (<i>N</i> = 2362, <i>z</i> = &ndash;2.618, <i>p</i> = 0.030, &eta;² = 0.002), and math attitudes (<i>N</i> = 2348, <i> z</i> = &ndash;2.280, <i>p</i> = 0.023, &eta;² = 0.002). High school students tended to show more increased attitudes in more subject areas than middle school students. No changes to teacher self-efficacy and beliefs were found, and increases to teacher content knowledge only occurred in the third year (<i>N</i> = 22, <i>x</i>² = 5.158; <i>p</i> = 0.076, &eta;² = 0.319).</p><p>

<p> Active learning, an engaging, student-centered, evidence-based pedagogy, has been shown to improve student satisfaction, engagement, and achievement in college classrooms. There have been numerous calls to reform teaching practices, especially in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); however, the utilization of active learning is still underwhelming. The lack of implementation points to a scarcity of effective professional development. While the majority of studies have focused on four-year colleges and universities, this study examined the impact of active learning professional development at a community college. Community colleges, which have open admissions policies, serve nearly 13 million students annually. Many community college students are first generation or underprepared students, many of whom have been shown to benefit from the use of active learning. </p><p> This study sought to determine the impact that active learning professional development has on the pedagogical values and practices of science faculty, and its subsequent impact on student perceptions and achievement at a community college. Through the use of faculty surveys, teaching practices and perceptions were analyzed pre-workshop and post-workshop. Student focus groups provided further insight. Student achievement was measured by means of test scores on common final exams pre-workshop and post-workshop. Faculty surveys showed that faculty do have a favorable opinion of active learning; however, lecture remained the dominant teaching method even after the training. Post-workshop, faculty felt active learning could increase student motivation and retention of material. Both faculty and students agreed that more class time should be devoted to active learning. The main barrier to active learning identified by faculty was the lack of time, both in terms of class time and time to develop materials. Students identified fearfulness, being accustomed to lecture, and lack of time as possible barriers. Students overwhelmingly agreed that active learning increased their engagement, interest, and achievement in the classroom. Two courses showed increased student achievement based on exam scores; however, other classes saw a decline in scores post-workshop. The findings suggest that a single professional development may not be enough to create a complete reform. However, faculty were interested in learning more, which could open the door to sustainable approaches.</p><p>

<p> The 21st century has seen a pervasive theme in STEM continue from the 20^th century: women do not pursue and persist in STEM careers at anywhere near the rate of men. Furthermore, STEM education has fallen short in preparing its students to enter the workforce as entrepreneurial knowledge workers prepared to innovate. As STEM and entrepreneurship receive unprecedented attention in scholarly circles, the first purpose of this mixed methods study at an independent day school was to examine the impact of a <i> predominately female</i> STEEM (i.e., science, technology, engineering, entrepreneurship and mathematics) teaching staff on girls&rsquo; perceptions of STEEM. The second purpose of this study was to examine the impact of adding <i> entrepreneurship</i> to a STEM curriculum. The ultimate goals of this study were to inform local policy and practice. </p><p> Through teacher interviews, student focus groups, and a student survey, this study investigated the impact of female teachers and a recently established entrepreneurship-infused curriculum. The theory of action guiding this school is that female STEEM teachers and the inclusion of entrepreneurship skills and projects can improve girls&rsquo; perceptions of the STEM classroom, helping them to view STEM as less gender-oriented (i.e., male-oriented), and thereby make these classes feel more welcoming to girls. This is aimed at increasing their adoption of STEM majors in college and STEM careers after they graduate. </p><p> This study has four major findings. First, the predominantly female STEEM faculty appeared to build girls&rsquo; confidence in their STEEM classes. Second, the STEEM teachers use active learning and critical thinking to engage the girls in their classes. Third, the introduction of entrepreneurship appears to have helped increase girls&rsquo; interest in STEM. Last, even while discussing their efforts to increase girls&rsquo; engagement with STEM, many teachers celebrate gender blindness. </p><p> These findings raised a number issues that should be important educators and (especially) school leaders. These include the importance of high standards for girls in STEEM classes, the value of including real world experiences in STEEM lessons, the success of expanding STEM with a less traditionally academic area and the challenges that gender blindness can perpetuate for educators and their students.</p>

The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference in the achievement levels of second grade students when twenty-one students experienced instruction on the bio-ecosystems where the learning activities were primarily outdoors along a nature trail and a comparable group of twenty-three students experienced instruction on the same bio-ecosystems where the learning activities were located indoors. An emphasis on literature approach was utilized to teach a set of sixteen objectives centering around an environmental theme. Each group received instruction for-45 minutes daily for a period of three weeks and experienced equivalent "hands-on" learning activities.A gain score was determined by computing the difference between each student's pre-test and post-test achievement raw scores. A t test score of 1.31 resulted and it was concluded that there was no significant difference in achievement levels of a group of comparable students receiving instruction on bio-ecosystems outdoors and a group of students experiencing the same instructions indoors.

It would appear that examination of student and teacher perceptions of classroom practices might provide information useful in explaining the descrepancies among what teachers think they are doing and what the students see them doing, the achievement and attainment levels of the student, and the application of process oriented science and traditional textbook science. Therefore, the purpose of this project was to determine if a discrepancy exist between student and teacher perceptions of classroom practices in Duval County junior high schools. Specifically, this project attempted to answer the question: Do the perceptions of Advanced Ninth-Grade Biology students in Duval County parallel those of their teachers with respect to the strategies being used, the treatment of text and related materials, the laboratory assignments and the follow-up to them, and the level and kind of overall student and teacher participation in the classroom?

This study focused on the selection of programming languages in Computer Programming I classes (CS1) in four-year colleges and universities from North Carolina. The objectives were to identify differences in faculty and student views about the programming languages used in the first computer programming class and to see if demographic variables as well as type of school, job market in the region, quality and amount of experience with programming languages and/or computers correlated with the selection of the language. The study also solicited judgements about important factors for choosing a particular programming language and reasons which seemed to have influenced this selection. The study also determined how well the students and faculty in these first computer programming classes agreed on the selection of the languages and the factors which led to the selection. Three instruments were used to accomplish the above objectives. One was a survey questionnaire sent to twenty four-year colleges and universities in North Carolina in May 1993. Second was a survey questionnaire administered to 322 students from Computer Programming I from these schools in North Carolina during Spring and Fall semesters of 1993. Third was an open-ended interview of 20 faculty. Results of the student survey questionnaire showed that Pascal was the language respondents had the most experience with, and it was the most heavily used language among them, followed by BASIC, COBOL, and C/C++. The top three reasons for learning these languages were: job market demands, someone's advice, and popularity of the language. If the students were given a chance of learning a first programming language all over again, their number one choice would be Pascal followed by C/C++. The top three reasons for this selection were that the language was used in the other computer science courses, they wanted to learn the language, and it was an easy language to learn. Results of the faculty survey questionnaire showed that Pascal was the most widely taught first and second programming language, and C/C++ would be their number one choice for a new first programming language when and if they were going to make another selection. Job market requirements, design and structure of a language that implements modularity, concurrency, reusable code, and competition from other area schools were the top reasons in the selection process of a first programming language. Examination of some variables as possible predictors of these first programming languages revealed the following: (1) strong correlation between the selection of a first programming language and such factors as compiler cost, compiler availability, teaching staff knowledge, hardware availability, and cost of a language; (2) strong correlation between the type of a school and such factors as ability of a language to form good programming habits, availability of the language, modularity, parameters, ease of design and structure of the language, and a language which provides job related skills, and is usable in the real world. The follow-up interviews seemed to show that a significant number of faculty had been thinking about changing to a new first programming language. In other words, the Pascal era was going to end soon, and a replacement for Pascal was going to be either C or C++. It was also clear that most of the faculty were trying to follow the ACM guidelines whether or not they agreed with them.

The following study examined the use of inclusive pedagogy by science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty at three community colleges. The study was developed in response to a gap in existing knowledge about inclusive instruction in two-year colleges. The purpose was to identify barriers to the adoption of inclusive teaching methods for diverse learners and students with disabilities, and to propose ways to break down these barriers. Three research questions designed for the study asked about (a) the current teaching styles and methods of curriculum delivery used by community college STEM faculty, (b) the levels of awareness and knowledge of community college STEM faculty about inclusive teaching practices, and (c) the personal, attitudinal, and environmental factors that inhibit community college STEM faculty from using inclusive pedagogical practices to better serve students with disabilities and other diverse students. A sequential method was used to obtain both quantitative and qualitative data regarding instructional practices, pedagogical knowledge, and beliefs about teaching and learning. Two hundred and eleven STEM faculty members responded to a questionnaire that was administered electronically and 11 faculty members were interviewed, 9 of whom were observed in the classroom. Findings revealed that a significant number of these community college faculty members have an inclusive mindset and believe in adapting their instruction in order to accommodate learner differences. These faculty members also appear more knowledgeable about pedagogical practices than what has been reported in previous literature about four-year faculty. Many of the faculty members are using multimodal instructional methods. However, a significant gap still exists between what they believe and know and what is actually put into instructional practice. A number of barriers that prohibit the use and development of inclusive practices were identified in this study. The most significant among the barriers reported were the lack of an inclusive mindset, lack of knowledge about pedagogy, high teaching loads, and lack of time for instructional development. Implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed.

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No description available.

Transactional Analysis, or TA, has been used for more than four decades to enhance interpersonal relationships and promote personal growth through counselling and psychotherapy. It has been used to advantage in organisations, principally in the business world. It was thought at the outset of this study that TA could also be of benefit to schools.The aim of this study was to find out whether TA methods could be used in schools to improve student outcomes in science and mathematics, to enhance interpersonal relationships and to promote positive behaviour. The study trialled TA by using it with a group of at-risk students to discover whether its use would bring about positive change.A group of ten at-risk students became part of a mentoring programme, using TA. This programme focussed on the behaviour and academic progress of the students, and sought to empower them to make positive changes. This group referred to as the sample group, was compared with a control group. The Adult ego-state (thinking) was promoted in the students in order to shift their 'locus of control' from their Negative Adapted Child ego-state, the source of much non-productive, inappropriate and rebellious behaviour.The study upheld the reliability and validity of the questionnaires used, namely the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction, the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (School Form) and the Mooney Problem Checklist. The study prompted the construction of an informal test, the Ego-State Questionnaire, which proved to be informative.Poor attendance and school behaviour records were good indicators of a student's 'at-risk' status. At-risk students were found to be already achieving below their potential in science and mathematics at entry to secondary school.The mentoring programme ran for six months, and at the end of this the sample group had improved behavioural records and increased self ++ / esteem. Their number of perceived problems had dropped dramatically, and their academic results were improved.Interpersonal relationships between the sample group and their science teachers were better than the interpersonal relationships with their mathematics teachers, indicating a continued difficulty with abstract ideas at the end of the programme and a need to run such programmes over a longer time span. Interpersonal relationships did improve out of school with parents and peers. Clear preferences were indicated for what students preferred in the behaviours of their ideal teacher: understanding, helping/friendly, leadership and strict behaviours.Encouragement of Adult ego-state was shown to be an appropriate and productive approach to the improvement of academic and behavioural outcomes for at-risk students in science and mathematics. The study also showed that at-risk young people had a lower than average Nurturing Parent ego-state available to them.Teachers rated their TA101 course highly, and found that it gave them a fresh perspective on classroom difficulties. Both teachers and students benefited from the use of TA in this study.