STEM Education for All: Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "STEM Education".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2024) | Viewed by 4587

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-3027, USA
Interests: underserved students’ pathways into STEM studies and careers

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Guest Editor
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-3027, USA
Interests: engineering identity; idiographic experiences of engineering and K-12 students and their families with an emphasis on Black men

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Guest Editor
Engineering Undergraduate Programs, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-3027, USA
Interests: belonging, mentoring, and professional development of engineering undergraduate students; underrepresented and underserved student transitions into and out of engineering degrees

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The purpose of this Special Issue is to bring together scholarship that investigate the critical transitions that students experience as they move through secondary school into postsecondary education and into a STEM career. We draw on research from both STEM education and higher education to define critical transitions as the changes students make from one phase of the educational process to the next as they progress toward their goal (Chang, Buonora, Stevens, & Kwon, 2016; Yosso & Solórzano, 2006). Etzkowitz and colleagues (2000) describe these moves as points when young people either may be drawn into a STEM pathway or may fall or be pushed out (e.g., introductory-level college courses that seek to ‘weed out’ certain students).

We invite high-quality original research that addresses timely issues relating to the critical transitions students go through in their pathway into STEM studies and careers, with a focus on broadening participation in STEM studies and careers. We are interested in research relating to P-20 STEM in the following areas:

  1. Policies that hinder or enhance student pathways into STEM (e.g., financial aid policies; university transfer policies; course requirements);
  2. Informal supports for underserved students (e.g., bridge programs, mentoring, summer camps);
  3. Instructor development (e.g., pre-service teacher education, professional development);
  4. Student motivational beliefs (e.g., student identity, self-efficacy).

We welcome quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods designs and research from across the globe.

Dr. Virginia Snodgrass Rangel
Dr. Jerrod A. Henderson
Dr. Daniel Burleson
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • STEM pathways
  • broadening participation
  • STEM education

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 1074 KiB  
Article
Unveiling Potential: Fostering Students’ Self-Concepts in Science Education by Designing Inclusive Educational Settings
by Martina Graichen, Silke Mikelskis-Seifert, Linda Hinderer, Katja Scharenberg and Wolfram Rollett
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(6), 632; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14060632 - 12 Jun 2024
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Abstract
The relevance of experimentation in natural sciences and the importance of inclusion of all students are widely acknowledged. Successful scientific experimentation in the classroom is based on higher levels of science self-concept and appropriate instructions for completing the experiment. To facilitate the experimentation [...] Read more.
The relevance of experimentation in natural sciences and the importance of inclusion of all students are widely acknowledged. Successful scientific experimentation in the classroom is based on higher levels of science self-concept and appropriate instructions for completing the experiment. To facilitate the experimentation process, we developed a learning environment for magnetism with minimal barriers, aimed at fostering experimentation and self-concept development in dimensions such as language, visibility, and action. In a study involving 348 students from Grades 5 and 6 from German secondary schools, we investigated how students perceived the learning environment in terms of accessibility, how their self-concept in engaging with experimental instructions developed, and how these two concepts, accessibility and self-concept, are related. The results indicated that the students found the instructions of the digital learning environment to be accessible and showed a significant increase in self-concept when utilizing experimental instructions. It was also shown that the more accessible the students perceived the experimental instructions, the greater the increase in their self-concept with experimental instructions. However, only a small amount of variance was explained. This shows that such a digital learning environment can have positive effects on students, although the remaining open aspects (e.g., the specific support of low-achieving students) are being addressed and should be investigated in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue STEM Education for All: Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges)
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18 pages, 1364 KiB  
Article
Science Identity in Undergraduates: A Comparison of First-Year Biology Majors, Senior Biology Majors, and Non-STEM Majors
by Krista L. Lucas and Thomas L. Vandergon
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(6), 624; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14060624 - 10 Jun 2024
Viewed by 457
Abstract
We argue it is important for everyone to possess basic scientific literacy for multiple reasons. Viewing oneself as a science person or not can impact one’s confidence and willingness to engage with science content thereby improving science literacy. Identifying as a science person [...] Read more.
We argue it is important for everyone to possess basic scientific literacy for multiple reasons. Viewing oneself as a science person or not can impact one’s confidence and willingness to engage with science content thereby improving science literacy. Identifying as a science person may develop early but is not fixed and may shift through science identity work. We investigated science identity views between STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and non-STEM majors and assessed whether these views may be influenced by science identity work. Our questions were as follows: (1) How does science identity perception differ between non-STEM and STEM majors? (2) How do non-STEM and STEM students’ perceptions of their science identity change over time? (3) How do non-STEM majors describe a science person compared to STEM majors? We surveyed first-year biology majors, senior biology majors, and non-STEM majors to address our research questions. We found significant shifts in science identity in non-STEM majors taking a general education lab science class pre-course and post-course, differences in agreement regarding science identity between groups, and differences in how a science person is defined among the groups. Our data suggest that instructors can scaffold and support students’ science identity work to increase confidence, STEM retention, and ultimately can improve overall scientific literacy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue STEM Education for All: Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges)
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17 pages, 270 KiB  
Article
Transitioning to Success: The Link between E-CTE and College Preparation for Students with Learning Disabilities in the United States
by Jay S. Plasman, Filiz Oskay and Michael Gottfried
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(2), 116; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14020116 - 23 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1112
Abstract
In recent years, there has been a specific call to not only increase the number of engineering-trained individuals but also to address the lack of diversity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, including individuals with disabilities. In particular, students with learning [...] Read more.
In recent years, there has been a specific call to not only increase the number of engineering-trained individuals but also to address the lack of diversity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, including individuals with disabilities. In particular, students with learning disabilities (SWLDs) make up a large portion of all students and are, therefore, a crucial population on which to focus educational and career progression efforts. One potential means of promoting persistence along the STEM pipeline—engineering specifically—is through engineering career and technical education (E-CTE) coursework in high school. Using a nationally representative dataset, we explore how E-CTE participation links to college preparation and transition activities for SWLDs, including math SAT performance, dual credit course participation, college application, and FAFSA completion. Under our more rigorous school fixed-effects models, we find that E-CTE participation is associated with beneficial results across each of our outcomes. The implications are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue STEM Education for All: Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges)

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23 pages, 1225 KiB  
Case Report
Enhancing Rural Science Education through School District–University Partnership
by Venicia A. Ferrell and Alexis S. Tharpe
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(7), 712; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14070712 - 30 Jun 2024
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Abstract
This instrumental case study describes the steps taken to establish and implement a university–school partnership to improve rural science teachers’ content knowledge and teaching practices and students’ achievement in elementary science and high school biology courses. Our research questions explored the impact of [...] Read more.
This instrumental case study describes the steps taken to establish and implement a university–school partnership to improve rural science teachers’ content knowledge and teaching practices and students’ achievement in elementary science and high school biology courses. Our research questions explored the impact of professional development and place-based learning on student outcomes, with the study’s methodology involving needs assessments, teacher training, and continuous support through modeling and coaching. The findings include gains in achievement and substantial gains in science education. The findings have implications for the design, implementation, and evaluation of university–school partnerships designed to build teachers’ capacity to deliver high-quality science education and improve student success in rural school districts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue STEM Education for All: Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges)
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