PLOS ONE: [sortOrder=DATE_NEWEST_FIRST, sort=Date, newest first, q=subject:"Science education"]PLOShttps://journals.plos.org/plosone/webmaster@plos.orgaccelerating the publication of peer-reviewed sciencehttps://journals.plos.org/plosone/search/feed/atom?sortOrder=DATE_NEWEST_FIRST&unformattedQuery=subject:%22Science+education%22&sort=Date,+newest+firstAll PLOS articles are Open Access.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/resource/img/favicon.icohttps://journals.plos.org/plosone/resource/img/favicon.ico2024-03-28T12:32:30ZTesting the cultural-invariance hypothesis: A global analysis of the relationship between scientific knowledge and attitudes to sciencePatrick SturgisIan Brunton-SmithNick AllumSimon Fuglsang10.1371/journal.pone.02968602024-02-05T14:00:00Z2024-02-05T14:00:00Z<p>by Patrick Sturgis, Ian Brunton-Smith, Nick Allum, Simon Fuglsang</p>
A substantial body of research has demonstrated that science knowledge is correlated with attitudes towards science, with most studies finding a positive relationship between the two constructs; people who are more knowledgeable about science tend to be more positive about it. However, this evidence base has been almost exclusively confined to high and middle-income democracies, with poorer and less developed nations excluded from consideration. In this study, we conduct the first global investigation of the science knowledge-attitude relationship, using the 2018 Wellcome Global Monitor survey. Our results show a positive knowledge-attitude correlation in all but one of the 144 countries investigated. This robust cross-national relationship is consistent across both science literacy and self-assessed measures of science knowledge.Investigating student collaborative problem-solving competency and science achievement with multilevel modeling: Findings from PISA 2015Xuyan TangYan LiuMarina Milner-Bolotin10.1371/journal.pone.02956112023-12-08T14:00:00Z2023-12-08T14:00:00Z<p>by Xuyan Tang, Yan Liu, Marina Milner-Bolotin</p>
Collaborative problem-solving (CPS) competency is critical for 21<sup>st</sup> century students. However, reports from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 have revealed significant deficiencies in this competency among young students globally, indicating a critical need for the cultivation of CPS skills. Therefore, it is essential for educators and researchers to examine the factors that influence CPS competency and understand the potential role of CPS in secondary education. The present study aims to investigate the relationship between collaboration dispositions and students’ CPS competency as well as the relationships of CPS competency and inquiry-based science instruction (IBSI) with science achievement using the PISA 2015 data. A total of 408,148 students from 52 countries and economies (i.e., regions) were included in our analysis. Unlike most previous studies that only investigated one country at a time and neglected the multilevel data structure of PISA, this study provided a global view through adopting multilevel modeling to account for the cluster effect at the school and country levels. Our findings revealed that valuing relationship was positively associated with CPS, whereas valuing teamwork was negatively associated with CPS. Furthermore, CPS competency was found to be a dominant and positive predictor of science achievement among all study variables, underscoring the importance of integrating CPS into teaching practices to promote student success in science. Additionally, different IBSI activities show varying relationships with science achievement, indicating that caution should be taken when recommending any specific practices associated with IBSI to teachers.An international consensus on effective, inclusive, and career-spanning short-format training in the life sciences and beyondJason J. WilliamsRochelle E. TractenbergBérénice BatutErin A. BeckerAnne M. BrownMelissa L. BurkeBen BusbyNisha K. CoochAllissa A. DillmanSamuel S. DonovanMaria A. DoyleCelia W. G. van GelderChristina R. HallKate L. HertweckKari L. JordanJohn R. JungckAinsley R. LatourJessica M. LindvallMarta Lloret-LlinaresGary S. McDowellRana MorrisTeresa MouradAmy NissellePatricia OrdóñezLisanna PaladinPatricia M. PalagiMahadeo A. SukhaiTracy K. TealLouise Woodley10.1371/journal.pone.02938792023-11-09T14:00:00Z2023-11-09T14:00:00Z<p>by Jason J. Williams, Rochelle E. Tractenberg, Bérénice Batut, Erin A. Becker, Anne M. Brown, Melissa L. Burke, Ben Busby, Nisha K. Cooch, Allissa A. Dillman, Samuel S. Donovan, Maria A. Doyle, Celia W. G. van Gelder, Christina R. Hall, Kate L. Hertweck, Kari L. Jordan, John R. Jungck, Ainsley R. Latour, Jessica M. Lindvall, Marta Lloret-Llinares, Gary S. McDowell, Rana Morris, Teresa Mourad, Amy Nisselle, Patricia Ordóñez, Lisanna Paladin, Patricia M. Palagi, Mahadeo A. Sukhai, Tracy K. Teal, Louise Woodley</p>
Science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) fields change rapidly and are increasingly interdisciplinary. Commonly, STEMM practitioners use short-format training (SFT) such as workshops and short courses for upskilling and reskilling, but unaddressed challenges limit SFT’s effectiveness and inclusiveness. Education researchers, students in SFT courses, and organizations have called for research and strategies that can strengthen SFT in terms of effectiveness, inclusiveness, and accessibility across multiple dimensions. This paper describes the project that resulted in a consensus set of 14 actionable recommendations to systematically strengthen SFT. A diverse international group of 30 experts in education, accessibility, and life sciences came together from 10 countries to develop recommendations that can help strengthen SFT globally. Participants, including representation from some of the largest life science training programs globally, assembled findings in the educational sciences and encompassed the experiences of several of the largest life science SFT programs. The 14 recommendations were derived through a Delphi method, where consensus was achieved in real time as the group completed a series of meetings and tasks designed to elicit specific recommendations. Recommendations cover the breadth of SFT contexts and stakeholder groups and include actions for instructors (e.g., make equity and inclusion an ethical obligation), programs (e.g., centralize infrastructure for assessment and evaluation), as well as organizations and funders (e.g., professionalize training SFT instructors; deploy SFT to counter inequity). Recommendations are aligned with a purpose-built framework—“The Bicycle Principles”—that prioritizes evidenced-based teaching, inclusiveness, and equity, as well as the ability to scale, share, and sustain SFT. We also describe how the Bicycle Principles and recommendations are consistent with educational change theories and can overcome systemic barriers to delivering consistently effective, inclusive, and career-spanning SFT.Identifying key features of digital resources used during online science practicalsVanda JanštováPetr NovotnýIrena ChlebounováFina GuitartEster ForneMontserrat Tortosa10.1371/journal.pone.02830542023-10-24T14:00:00Z2023-10-24T14:00:00Z<p>by Vanda Janštová, Petr Novotný, Irena Chlebounová, Fina Guitart, Ester Forne, Montserrat Tortosa</p>
As in our everyday lives, we use digital elements as part of formal and informal education. To serve their educational purpose well, systematic research is desirable to identify and measure their characteristics. This study focuses on science practicals, which are complex and vary in organizational settings and specific arrangements, including usage of digital elements. We describe the digital resources on which the online instruction of science practicals during the COVID-19 forced lockdowns was built, and their key characteristics were identified. Data were collected from science teachers in Slovakia, Czechia, Slovenia, France, and Spain. The teachers shared the web resources they used and that they would recommend, together with a description of the resources. We recorded 89 inputs representing 50 unique resources. Teachers preferred free resources, mostly for knowledge revision, and newly discovered 36% of them due to forced distant teaching. The best evaluated resources were those supporting interaction (especially among peers), focused on teaching subjects and/or ICT, ready to use, and with a clear structure. The resource most frequently mentioned and used in more than half of the countries was PhET (Interactive Simulations for Science and Math) which provides free simulations of scientific principles. Other characteristics mentioned in the literature (e.g., supporting creativity and independent solving, connecting different levels of organization, authenticity, flexibility) were not that important for the overall rating.Preparing future STEM faculty through flexible teaching professional developmentBennett B. GoldbergDerek O. BruffRobin McC. GreenlerKatherine BarnicleNoah H. GreenLauren E. P. CampbellSandra L. LaursenMatthew J. FordAmy SerafiniClaude MackTamara L. CarleyChristina MaimoneHenry (Rique) Campa III10.1371/journal.pone.02763492023-10-12T14:00:00Z2023-10-12T14:00:00Z<p>by Bennett B. Goldberg, Derek O. Bruff, Robin McC. Greenler, Katherine Barnicle, Noah H. Green, Lauren E. P. Campbell, Sandra L. Laursen, Matthew J. Ford, Amy Serafini, Claude Mack, Tamara L. Carley, Christina Maimone, Henry (Rique) Campa III</p>
We have prepared thousands of future STEM faculty around the world to adopt evidence-based instructional practices through their participation in two massive open online courses (MOOCs) and facilitated in-person learning communities. Our novel combination of asynchronous online and coordinated, structured face-to-face learning community experiences provides flexible options for STEM graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to pursue teaching professional development. A total of 14,977 participants enrolled in seven offerings of the introductory course held 2014–2018, with 1,725 participants (11.5% of enrolled) completing the course. Our results of high levels of engagement and learning suggest that leveraging the affordances of educational technologies and the geographically clustered nature of this learner demographic in combination with online flexible learning could be a sustainable model for large scale professional development in higher education. The preparation of future STEM faculty makes an important difference in establishing high-quality instruction that meets the diverse needs of all undergraduate students, and the initiative described here can serve as a model for increasing access to such preparation.Cultivating a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) community for two-year college student success and persistenceDeann LeoniTom FlemingJenny L. McFarland10.1371/journal.pone.02909582023-09-08T14:00:00Z2023-09-08T14:00:00Z<p>by Deann Leoni, Tom Fleming, Jenny L. McFarland</p>
Undergraduate students studying Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) often fail to persist in critical “gateway” courses, resulting in students leaving the STEM pathway. Community college students leave STEM pathways at higher rates than students at universities. Implementation of a program designed to engage community college STEM students and faculty in a community of support was associated with increased persistence in STEM gateway courses and associate degree completion. Program elements included support staff, a STEM study room with peer tutors, faculty advisors, and transfer assistance. Over seven years, 415 students joined this opt-in support program. The majority of students in this program were economically disadvantaged and many were nontraditional college students. Using institutional data we tested the hypothesis that participation in this program was associated with increased student success and persistence in STEM courses and at the college. The mean GPA for students in the program in the ten courses with the highest STEM enrollments was higher (2.89) than that for other students (2.76). Quarter-to-quarter persistence was 87% for program students compared to 67% for non-program students in a matched student population. In STEM gateway courses, program students had between 1.2x to 3.5x greater likelihood than non-program students of progressing to precalculus-2 controlling for first-attempt GPA in precalculus-1. Similar persistence patterns were observed for other gateway STEM courses. Observed persistence for students in the program was higher than comparable groups of students, including persistence for those who experienced early failure in STEM courses. These data suggest students should be supported through early failure to enable persistence in critical STEM sequences, especially in gateway Math and Chemistry courses.Secondary teachers’ competencies and attitude: A mediated multigroup model based on usefulness and enjoyment to examine the differences between key dimensions of STEM teaching practiceFabiola Sanda ChiriacescuBogdan ChiriacescuAlina Elena GrecuCristina MironIon Ovidiu PanisoaraIuliana Mihaela Lazar10.1371/journal.pone.02799862023-01-26T14:00:00Z2023-01-26T14:00:00Z<p>by Fabiola Sanda Chiriacescu, Bogdan Chiriacescu, Alina Elena Grecu, Cristina Miron, Ion Ovidiu Panisoara, Iuliana Mihaela Lazar</p>
This research explores the mediating role of perceived usefulness and enjoyment of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teaching practice between secondary teachers’ competencies and attitudes in the formal educational context. Also, the research aimed to examine if the relationships between model constructs differ by STEM teaching practice dimension (e.g., Inquiry-based learning (IBL) and Integration of STEM content (INT)). We synthesized the will, skill, tool model (WST), technology acceptance model (TAM) and flow theory (FLT) to develop a theoretical model predicting teacher attitude under the influence of Competencies, Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Enjoyment. Therefore, a mediated multigroup model with validated data from three hundred Romanian secondary teachers who completed questionnaires related to their competencies, perceived usefulness, enjoyment, and attitude toward STEM teaching practices was used. Two comparative teacher survey studies were carried out: one for IBL and one for INT. There are direct and positive relationships between Competencies and Attitude, Competencies and Enjoyment, Competencies and Usefulness, and Enjoyment and Attitude for both IBL and INT teaching practices. The partial least squares path modeling (PLS-SEM) results showed that the control variables had no significant impact on attitude. This research supports evidence for the belief that teachers’ competency is a key predictor of attitude. Precisely, the positive strong direct effect of Competencies on Attitude is similar for IBL (β = 0.49, t = 7.46, p < 0.001; <i>f</i> <sup>2</sup> (Effect size) = 0.29) with for INT teaching practice (β = 0.46, t = 6.46, p < 0.001; <i>f</i><sup>2</sup> (Effect size) = 0.22). Interestingly, this research showed that the perceived Usefulness and Enjoyment partially mediated the association between Competencies and Attitude in both case studies. Understanding the mediating role of perceived usefulness and enjoyment for each STEM practice would help teachers successfully implement STEM education.Ten simple rules for empowering women in STEMPatricia Guevara-RamírezViviana A. Ruiz-PozoSantiago Cadena-UllauriGabriela Salazar-NavasAna Acosta BedónJ. Faustino V-VázquezAna Karina Zambrano10.1371/journal.pcbi.10107312022-12-22T14:00:00Z2022-12-22T14:00:00Z<p>by Patricia Guevara-Ramírez, Viviana A. Ruiz-Pozo, Santiago Cadena-Ullauri, Gabriela Salazar-Navas, Ana Acosta Bedón, J. Faustino V-Vázquez, Ana Karina Zambrano</p>Empowering faculty to initiate STEM education transformation: Efficacy of a systems thinking approachStasinos StavrianeasGita BangeraClaire BronsonSteven ByersWilliam DavisAlyce DeMaraisGinger FitzhughNalani LinderCarrie ListonJenny McFarlandJoann OttoPamela Pape-LindstromCarol PollockC. Gary ReinessErika G. Offerdahl10.1371/journal.pone.02711232022-07-25T14:00:00Z2022-07-25T14:00:00Z<p>by Stasinos Stavrianeas, Gita Bangera, Claire Bronson, Steven Byers, William Davis, Alyce DeMarais, Ginger Fitzhugh, Nalani Linder, Carrie Liston, Jenny McFarland, Joann Otto, Pamela Pape-Lindstrom, Carol Pollock, C. Gary Reiness, Erika G. Offerdahl</p>
Just a decade ago <i>Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education</i>: <i>A Call to Action</i> was released, catalyzing several initiatives to transform undergraduate life sciences education. Among these was the Partnership for Undergraduate Life Sciences Education (PULSE), a national organization commissioned to increase the adoption of <i>Vision and Change</i> recommendations within academic life sciences departments. PULSE activities have been designed based on the recognition that life sciences departments and faculty are embedded within institutions of higher education which, similar to other large organizations, are complex systems composed of multiple, interconnected subsystems. The organizational change research suggests that effecting large-scale changes (e.g., undergraduate STEM education transformation) may be facilitated by applying systems thinking to change efforts. In this paper we introduce the approach of systems thinking as a professional development tool to empower individual STEM faculty to effect department-level transformation. We briefly describe a professional development experience designed to increase life sciences faculty members’ understanding of systems thinking, present evidence that faculty applied a systems thinking approach to initiate department-level change, and discuss the degree to which transformation efforts were perceived to be successful. Though focused on faculty in the life sciences, our findings are broadly transferable to other efforts seeking to effect change in undergraduate STEM education.Designing instrument to measure STEM teaching practices of Malaysian teachersMageswary KarpudewanPavitra KrishnanMohd Norawi AliLay Yoon Fah10.1371/journal.pone.02685092022-05-20T14:00:00Z2022-05-20T14:00:00Z<p>by Mageswary Karpudewan, Pavitra Krishnan, Mohd Norawi Ali, Lay Yoon Fah</p>
The remarkable upsurge in the attention for STEM education globally has inspired many countries including Malaysia to formulate STEM education policies to reform the existing segmented teaching of the four STEM subjects towards integrated teaching. One of the Malaysian government’s initiatives include establishing a framework as a guide for teachers to practise STEM teaching. This exploratory, mixed methods study aimed to explore Malaysian science and mathematics teachers’ perceptions to practise STEM teaching and develop a questionnaire to measure factors that explain their teaching practices. The interview findings identified teachers’ knowledge of interdisciplinary and related pedagogical strategies, challenges encountered in STEM teaching practices, and teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs to perform STEM teaching as factors that explain STEM teaching practices. Following that, a 33-item questionnaire was developed based on the qualitative findings. The results of exploratory factor analysis produced four distinct factors echoing the qualitative findings with 29 items, which were then validated using confirmatory composite analysis (CCA). CCA results in retaining all four factors and removing six items with lower loading values. Thus, the final version of the questionnaire consists of 23 items. The findings of this study were expected to benefit STEM advocates and educators globally. Additionally, the developed questionnaire would allow collective measurement of the factors that explain STEM teaching practices.Examining lecture and inquiry-based laboratory performance for language minority students in science gateway coursesChristian FischerHa NguyenGabriel EstrellaPenelope Collins10.1371/journal.pone.02671882022-04-28T14:00:00Z2022-04-28T14:00:00Z<p>by Christian Fischer, Ha Nguyen, Gabriel Estrella, Penelope Collins</p>
This study examined the effectiveness of lectures and inquiry-based instruction in supporting learning for language minority (LM) students in science gateway courses at a large public research university. Utilizing institutional data from 6,911 students across nine years, we fitted cross–lagged panel designs to model associations between lecture courses and inquiry-based laboratory courses for both LM and non-LM students in two-course sequences of introductory college Physics and Chemistry. We found that initial performance in lectures and laboratory sessions can be a predictor of subsequent course performance across disciplines and independent of LM status. Notably, while LM students performed worse in the initial lecture course, LM status resulted in neither worse performance in inquiry-based laboratory courses nor in worse performance in subsequent courses in the science gateway course sequence. Thus, this study suggests that interventions intended to support LM students in college science should target the initial courses in the corresponding science gateway course sequences.Challenges facing interdisciplinary researchers: Findings from a professional development workshopKristy L. DanielMyra McConnellAnita SchuchardtMelanie E. Peffer10.1371/journal.pone.02672342022-04-19T14:00:00Z2022-04-19T14:00:00Z<p>by Kristy L. Daniel, Myra McConnell, Anita Schuchardt, Melanie E. Peffer</p>
Interdisciplinary research is the synergistic combination of two or more disciplines to achieve one research objective. Current research highlights the importance of interdisciplinary research in science education, particularly between educational experts within a particular science discipline (discipline-based education researchers) and those who study human learning in a more general sense (learning scientists). However, this type of interdisciplinary research is not common and little empirical evidence exists that identifies barriers and possible solutions. We hosted a pre-conference workshop for Discipline-Based Educational Researchers and Learning Scientists designed to support interdisciplinary collaborations. We collected evidence during our workshop regarding barriers to interdisciplinary collaborations in science education, perceptions of perceived cohesion in participants’ home university departments and professional communities, and the impact of our workshop on fostering new connections. Based on participants’ responses, we identified three categories of barriers, <i>Disciplinary Differences</i>, <i>Professional Integration</i>, and <i>Collaborative Practice</i>. Using a post-conference survey, we found an inverse pattern in perceived cohesion to home departments compared to self-identified professional communities. Additionally, we found that after the workshop participants reported increased connections across disciplines. Our results provide empirical evidence regarding challenges to interdisciplinary research in science education and suggest that small professional development workshops have the potential for facilitating durable interdisciplinary networks where participants feel a sense of belonging not always available in their home departments.Cannabis use and suicidal ideation among youth: Can we democratize school policies using digital citizen science?Tarun Reddy Katapally10.1371/journal.pone.02635332022-02-14T14:00:00Z2022-02-14T14:00:00Z<p>by Tarun Reddy Katapally</p>
Background <p>School policies and programs are important in preventing Cannabis use among youth. This study uses an innovative digital citizen science approach to determine the association between Cannabis use and suicidal ideation among youth while investigating how school health policies mediate this association.</p> Methods <p>The study engaged 818 youth (aged 13–18 years) and 27 educators as citizen scientists via their own smartphones. Youths responded to time-triggered validated surveys and ecological momentary assessments to report on a complex set of health behaviours and outcomes. Similarly, educators’ reported on substance misuse and mental health school policies and programs. Multivariable logistic regression modeling and mediation analyses were employed.</p> Results <p>412 youth provided data on substance misuse and suicidal ideation. Cannabis use and other factors such as bullying, other illicit drug use, and youth who identified as females or other gender were associated with increased suicidal ideation. However, school policies and programs for substance misuse prevention did not mediate the association between Cannabis use and suicidal ideation.</p> Conclusions <p>In the digital age, it is critical to reimagine the role of schools in health policy interventions. Digital citizen science not only provides an opportunity to democratize school policymaking and implementation processes, but also provides a voice to vulnerable youth.</p>Teasing apart the impacts of curriculum and professional development on teaching assistants’ teaching practicesJenna HicksJessica DeweyMichael AbebeMaxwell KramerAnita Schuchardt10.1371/journal.pone.02628412022-02-09T14:00:00Z2022-02-09T14:00:00Z<p>by Jenna Hicks, Jessica Dewey, Michael Abebe, Maxwell Kramer, Anita Schuchardt</p>
Teaching assistants (TAs) often lead courses using curricula they did not design. Therefore, examining how curriculum and professional development (PD) interact to influence TAs’ teaching practices is critical. This study describes the effects of a curriculum and PD intervention in two contexts: when TAs are teaching curriculum that is explicitly linked to PD, and when teaching curriculum that is not linked to PD. The Intervention curriculum featured structured opportunities for reform-oriented teaching practices. The Intervention PD was situated in the context of these specific curriculum activities and modelled the desired teaching practices. TAs that participated in the intervention implemented more student-centered teaching practices than TAs that did not participate in the intervention, even when teaching curriculum that was not designed to be student-centered and was not linked to PD. A linear model of TAs’ teaching practices that included PD type, task cognitive demand and curriculum type indicates that cognitive demand has the largest relationship with teaching practices, followed by PD type. These results have implications for policy. They suggest that investment in curriculum-linked TA PD can be effective even when teaching curricula that is not linked to PD. Additionally, investment in development of higher-cognitive-demand tasks may be an effective strategy to support implementation of student-centered practices.Exploring the relationships between socio-economic indicators and student enrollment in higher education institutions of PakistanSyeda Mubashira BatoolZhimin Liu10.1371/journal.pone.02615772021-12-22T14:00:00Z2021-12-22T14:00:00Z<p>by Syeda Mubashira Batool, Zhimin Liu</p>
Higher education is considered as the engine of the economic development of a country due to its role in cultivating human capital. The provision of higher education is regarded as a productive investment in human capital for improving nation’s productive capacity. However, there is a large gap in enrollment between students of different socioeconomic statuses. The ever-widening socio-economic inequalities between individuals from disadvantaged and advantaged backgrounds make the government’s efforts to enroll a higher number of students to pursue higher education challenging in developing countries, as the students’ socioeconomic status plays a decisive role in their priority to attain higher education. This study anticipated quantifying the impact of socio-economic indicators and underlying situations on students’ enrollment in higher education in Pakistan. A descriptive study, involving correlation, principal component analysis (PCA), clustering, and stepwise regression using 15-years data of enrollment and socio-economic indicators was conducted. The correlation between different socio-economic indicators and students’ enrollment was positive and highly significant (0.73 to 0.99), except for the unemployment rate (- 0.39 to -0.57). PCA showed that the first two components were the most influential with 93.85% of the total variation. Enrollment (total and male) showed significant relationships with general government expenditure and unemployment rate, while female enrollment showed a significant relationship with general government expenditure. Findings revealed that socio-economic factors can serve as a significant predictor of students’ enrollment in higher education. The minimum values of correlation coefficient (R) and adjusted R<sup>2</sup> for enrollment were ranged from 0.875 to 0.748 (female enrollment), while maximum values (0.987 to 0.993 and 0.973 to 0.983), respectively were observed for total enrollment. The findings will assist educationists, social scientists, and policymakers to better understand the association between socio-economic indicators and student enrollment in higher education for formulating future education policies for enhancing enrollment in higher education.