Master of Science / Food Science Institute / Justin Kastner / Student success in today’s modern, technological world depends on a thorough understanding of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. The US has made efforts to promote STEM education in recent years which has raised the international ranking of the United States students in STEM disciplines; however, more work is needed to make the US a leader in STEM education. Many methods have been used to help increase student interest and success in STEM disciplines. An integrated curriculum is one such method to heighten STEM education by using multiple subjects to support the content being taught. Food Science can be used as a tool in integrated curricula to enhance STEM education. The universality, cultural importance, and scientific diversity of food make it a perfect fit to incorporate content from all STEM disciplines. Furthermore, exposing students to the complexity of the food chain, food safety, and food science at a young age sets them up to be informed and educated consumers throughout their lives. The curriculum prototype developed for this report demonstrates the continuing promise of food science to enhance STEM education. This food-centric, project-based integrated curriculum encompasses all the standards required in fifth-grade science and math in the state of Tennessee with the added benefits of incorporating knowledge of food safety and the realities of the food chain. This curriculum is based on the essential question of how to use a community garden to bring nutrition to the people of Southern Asia. Through dissecting this problem, students learn about geographic diversity, plant growing conditions, food harvesting and preservation techniques, and cost implications to complex problems. Furthermore, the content required in 5th grade math and science in Tennessee is incorporated so that students learn the required content while solving a complex, real-world issue. The use of food science in integrated curricula provides students with hands-on experience in STEM subjects in a way that encourages independent learning, student engagement in the content, and real-world learning experiences. For students to have success in the modern world, they need a clear understanding of how the material presented in STEM courses relates to their lives. Food science can be used to enhance STEM education in a way that engages students and highlights important learning principles in science, technology, engineering, and math. Food science can elevate STEM education, increase student interest in STEM, and cultivate an engaged and knowledgeable public.

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Circumscription and Compromise theory suggests self-concept and sex stereotype explain occupational preferences, including preferences for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Support exists for sex differences between males and females in both science degrees and science careers. The main thrust of observed sex differences in science lies in the development of occupational interest, as it has been suggested females are encouraged away from science due to stereotypes and social pressure. The present study evaluates high school juniors and seniors (n = 295) to explore their preference for science as indicated by science motivation, attitude, academic experience, and interest. Latent Profile Analysis was used to model profiles of preferences for science with a person-centered approach. Then, the impact of self-concept variables was explored and four profiles of science interest were identified. Sex differences were identified based on science interest, but were not always in favor of males. Covariate analysis indicates vocabulary ability and personality as significantly different for students in the high science interest profile. Implications of these results and future research directions are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to determine if students with special needs participating in an inclusive classroom can learn the skills related to a STEM career as compared to the general student population. The study involved seventh grade students from two rural middle schools in north central Texas and was framed through a constructivist lens using a quasi-experimental design with a convenience sample. The Solenoid Invention Kit Assessment and the STEM Semantics Survey used in this study were used from a previously large existing dataset from a grant funded by the National Science Foundation for Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers. Findings suggested that there were no significant differences between the general student population and students with special needs. However, STEM coursework in an inclusive classroom may impact students' decision to pursue STEM careers.

Field stations across the United States provide learning opportunities to the general public through their outreach programming. With approximately 78% and 98% of the US population living within 60 and 120 miles of a field station, respectively, stations have the potential to be key providers of informal STEM education. We surveyed a sample of US biological field stations and asked them to describe their outreach programming and goals. Our findings indicate that field stations prioritize outreach by dedicating personnel and fiscal resources, but such initiatives are highly variable in magnitude and scope. We propose an informal STEM education framework to guide outreach efforts by aligning place-based activities with outreach goals, strands of science learning, and learner engagement theories. Such intentional program design can help stations focus on meaningful learning outcomes for their outreach participants.

In order for the United States to regain its global standing in science and engineering, educational and governmental organizations have started to re-emphasize science, technology, engineering, and math content in k-12 classrooms.While some preliminary research has been conducted on student and teacher perceptions related to engineering, there has been little research conducted related to teachers beliefs about the importance of engineering content in their classrooms and relatively few studies have investigated elementary teachers teaching engineering self-efficacy. Current studies have investigated the impact of professional development on teachers teaching engineering self-efficacy but these studies were conducted with limited sample sizes, for relatively short professional development timeframes, with a restricted sample and these studies did not include the implementation component of professional development. Research is needed to not only determine elementary teachers beliefs about the importance of engineering content in their classrooms, but to also investigate if these teachers levels of confidence (teaching engineering self-efficacy) can be increased by exposure to STEM-related professional development and the implementation of engineering activities in their classrooms. The research question in this study was to determine if scored responses from a pre-survey taken by teachers participating in an engineering-related professional development would differ from scored responses on two subsequent post-surveys following the professional development and following implementation on the teachers beliefs about the importance of teaching engineering content at the elementary level and the teachers confidence in the ability to teach engineering concepts at the elementary school level.While the teachers in this study generally had positive beliefs about the importance of teaching engineering at the elementary level, an investigation of the individual nine beliefs items from the survey indicated that they are less likely to consider engineering part of the basics and that it should be taught more frequently. One of the major conclusions from this study was that teachers teaching engineering self-efficacy can be significantly strengthened through participation in a week-long professional development series. Furthermore, while not statistically significant, the implementation of these activities into their classroom can also help improve teachers confidence in their ability to teach engineering-related activities.

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One of the historically marginalized populations in the United States (US) is the Black population. This marginalization extends into higher education, where Black students are underrepresented and continue to experience challenges, especially at Predominantly White Institutions (PWI) and in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs. However, the current constitution of the Black population, including Black students in the US, is inherently culturally and ethnically diverse. The Black student population includes domestic US students and various groups of foreign-born students such as Black Sub-Saharan African (BSSA) students whose educational trajectories, outcomes, and experiences are unique based on their cultural orientations. Given the within-group differences in this population, prior research has demonstrated the need to disaggregate the experiences in research among different groups for precise research outcomes. This dissertation contributes to that effort by explicitly focusing on the lived experiences of BSSA graduate students pursuing STEM degrees at a PWI through two studies from an assets-based approach: 1) the meaning BSSA graduate students in STEM make of their lived experience with the campus climate at a PWI, using community cultural wealth as a conceptual framework; and 2) the role of family and other funds of knowledge in the educational trajectories and persistence of BSSA doctoral students pursuing STEM degrees at a PWI. I used different qualitative methodologies across both studies, including a blended case study with tenets of participatory action research in the first study in the first study and narrative analysis in the second. The results of these studies revealed that BSSA graduate students in STEM and at PWIs possessed a variety of assets that enable them to resist challenges and persist in their education. Second, the educational environments were not holistically supportive of students. Finally, there was a lack of cultural awareness and validation of students' assets and ways of knowing. The results offered implications for the BSSA graduate students in STEM in the US, scholars, practitioners at PWIs and in STEM departments who work with them, especially in creating inclusive and supportive academic environments. / Doctor of Philosophy / One of the underrepresented populations in the United States (US) is the Black population. The underrepresentation of the Black population extends into universities and colleges. Black students are underrepresented and continue to experience challenges, especially at White populated institutions (PWIs) and in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs. However, the current body of the Black population, including Black students in the US, is made of many internal groups with different cultures and ethnicities. The Black student population includes domestic students from the US and other groups with international backgrounds who migrate to the US, such as Black students from Sub-Saharan Africa (BSSA), whose educational paths, performances, and experiences are different based on their cultural background. Given the internal group differences in this population, prior research has advanced the need to separately engage with the experiences among the different groups for specific research results and services for each group. This dissertation contributes to that effort by only focusing on the lived experiences of BSSA graduate students pursuing STEM degrees at a PWI through two studies on BSSA students' assets: 1) the meaning BSSA graduate students in STEM make of their lived experience with the campus climate at a PWI, using community cultural wealth as a conceptual approach; and 2) the role of family and other wealth of knowledge in the educational journeys and success of BSSA doctoral students pursuing STEM degrees at a PWI. I used different qualitative methodologies across both studies, including a blended case study with tenets of participatory action research in the first study and narrative analysis in the second. The results of these studies showed that BSSA graduate students in STEM and at PWIs possessed a variety of assets that enable them to resist challenges and persist in their education. Second, the educational environments were not entirely supportive of students. Finally, there was a lack of cultural awareness and support of students' assets and ways of learning. The results offered implications for the BSSA graduate students in STEM in the US, educators, administrators, and researchers at PWIs and in STEM departments who work with them, especially in creating inclusive and supportive academic environments.

Significant emphasis is currently placed on STEM education as a vehicle to encourage American youth to enter science, technology, engineering, and math-related professions. Gifted students are a natural resource of future innovators for these fields; however gifted programs are largely overlooked for program support. Since 1973, the Virginia Department of Education has sponsored a unique model of regional magnet programs for gifted and talented students called the Virginia Governor's Schools. These schools provide accelerated and differentiated curricula, often in the STEM subjects. As evaluation is a strong component to achieve more funding to meet the scientific and technological demands of these programs, the researcher explored the evaluation reports of five STEM-focused Virginia Governor's Schools. The purpose of the study was to collect consequential evidence of an untested rubric instrument used for the evaluations. A descriptive analysis of the instrument's criteria ratings, a content analysis of evaluation reports, and a thematic analysis of eight evaluator interviews were conducted. Results were triangulated to reveal that the five Governor's Schools met (n= 80.0%) or exceeded (n= 13.87%) evaluation metric standards, and shared similar strengths and areas of needed improvement. Triangulated evidence supported the argument that the instrument addresses gifted students as independent learners, faculty as education innovators, and promotes STEM-capable citizens through scientific research and civic service. Information collected during the study was intended to assist evaluation designers in determining rubric efficacy and provide recommendations for planned future revisions. / Ph. D.