Search results
1 – 10 of 819Mohamed A. Shahat, Sulaiman M. Al-Balushi and Mohammed Al-Amri
The purpose of the current study is to assess Omani teachers’ performance on tasks related to the stages of engineering design. To achieve this, data from an engineering design…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the current study is to assess Omani teachers’ performance on tasks related to the stages of engineering design. To achieve this, data from an engineering design test was used, and demographic variables that are correlated with this performance were identified.
Design/methodology/approach
This descriptive study employed a cross-sectional design and the collection of quantitative data. A sample of preservice science teachers from Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) (n = 70) participated in this study.
Findings
Findings showed low and moderate levels of proficiency related to the stages of engineering design. Differences between males and females in terms of performance on engineering design tasks were found, with females scoring higher overall on the assessment. Biology preservice teachers scored higher than teachers from the other two majors (physics and chemistry) in two subscales. There were also differences between teachers studying in the Bachelor of Science (BSc) program and the teacher qualification diploma (TQD) program.
Originality/value
This study provides an overview, in an Arab setting, of preservice science teachers’ proficiency with engineering design process (EDP) tasks. It is hoped that the results may lead to improved instruction in science teacher training programs in similar contexts. Additionally, this research demonstrates how EDP competency relates to preservice teacher gender, major and preparation program. Findings from this study will contribute to the growing body of research investigating the strengths and shortcomings of teacher education programs in relation to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.
Details
Keywords
Bridget Flanagan, Mairéad Hourigan and Aisling Leavy
This research seeks to explore the potential of Lesson Study as a vehicle to support professional development (PD) in a rural, Irish primary school. Lesson Study was utilised to…
Abstract
Purpose
This research seeks to explore the potential of Lesson Study as a vehicle to support professional development (PD) in a rural, Irish primary school. Lesson Study was utilised to design and implement integrated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) lessons with young children (ages 4–7 years).
Design/methodology/approach
Three teachers were introduced to and participated in four cycles of Lesson Study over the course of one school year. Qualitative data were generated from interviews, collaborative weekly meetings and observation sheets.
Findings
Analysis suggests that Lesson Study supported the development of a culture of collaboration and provided an opportunity for teachers to share their knowledge. Findings also reveal that Lesson Study motivated teachers to reflect on their role within the classroom and enabled them to move away from teacher-led approaches. Although teachers perceived Lesson Study to be a beneficial form of PD, factors constrained their engagement, including practical, cultural and sustainability challenges.
Practical implications
The study explores the adaptability of Lesson Study in first level education in the context of STEM education. It reveals teachers’ first experience of Lesson Study, given its stark contrast to more “traditional” PD experiences they are accustomed to. This article will, therefore, be of interest to teachers, school leaders and policy makers.
Originality/value
This paper contributes initial findings to a currently under-researched area, Lesson Study in a rural context. This study also combines Lesson Study with STEM education, which has not been widely explored.
Details
Keywords
Mohamed A. Shahat, Sulaiman M. Al-Balushi, Shubair Abdullah and Mohammed Al-Amri
This study investigates a novel educational strategy in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teaching that integrates the engineering design process (EDP) as a…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates a novel educational strategy in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teaching that integrates the engineering design process (EDP) as a framework. The strategy aims to help teachers explain STEM concepts in a simplified way. We employed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology to enable a systematic review that evaluated the effectiveness of this approach in improving both teaching and learning in STEM subjects.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to fulfill the objectives of the review, key data were extracted from each of the 400 articles that were reviewed from three databases: Scopus, ProQuest Central and EBSCO. Two types of analysis were conducted, namely descriptive analysis and literature classification.
Findings
This systematic review analyzed 44 articles on the EDP, focusing on 18 detailed studies mainly from ProQuest, SCOPUS and EBSCO. It revealed a limited focus on gender’s impact on EDP and a trend toward interdisciplinary use and integrated research approaches. The study underscores the need for further exploration of demographic influences and preparation programs in EDP across various disciplines, aiming to inform future research and educational policies.
Originality/value
The study’s value lies in its comprehensive assessment of engineering design (ED) research over the past decade, serving as a key reference point. It highlights progress in the field, consolidates findings and provides insights into the field’s evolution, guiding future research directions in ED.
Details
Keywords
Ibrahim Oluwajoba Adisa, Danielle Herro, Oluwadara Abimbade and Golnaz Arastoopour Irgens
This study is part of a participatory design research project and aims to develop and study pedagogical frameworks and tools for integrating computational thinking (CT) concepts…
Abstract
Purpose
This study is part of a participatory design research project and aims to develop and study pedagogical frameworks and tools for integrating computational thinking (CT) concepts and data science practices into elementary school classrooms.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper describes a pedagogical approach that uses a data science framework the research team developed to assist teachers in providing data science instruction to elementary-aged students. Using phenomenological case study methodology, the authors use classroom observations, student focus groups, video recordings and artifacts to detail ways learners engage in data science practices and understand how they perceive their engagement during activities and learning.
Findings
Findings suggest student engagement in data science is enhanced when data problems are contextualized and connected to students’ lived experiences; data analysis and data-based decision-making is practiced in multiple ways; and students are given choices to communicate patterns, interpret graphs and tell data stories. The authors note challenges students experienced with data practices including conflict between inconsistencies in data patterns and lived experiences and focusing on data visualization appearances versus relationships between variables.
Originality/value
Data science instruction in elementary schools is an understudied, emerging and important area of data science education. Most elementary schools offer limited data science instruction; few elementary schools offer data science curriculum with embedded CT practices integrated across disciplines. This research assists elementary educators in fostering children's data science engagement and agency while developing their ability to reason, visualize and make decisions with data.
Details
Keywords
Zamira Hyseni Duraku, Linda Hoxha, Jon Konjufca, Artë Blakaj, Blerinë Bytyqi, Erona Mjekiqi and Shkurtë Bajgora
This pilot study aims to examine the prevalence of test anxiety and its interplay with attitudes, confidence, efficacy, academic performance and socio-demographic factors within…
Abstract
Purpose
This pilot study aims to examine the prevalence of test anxiety and its interplay with attitudes, confidence, efficacy, academic performance and socio-demographic factors within the domain of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors employed a quantitative, cross-sectional design with 549 sixth-grade students from public lower secondary schools in Prishtina, Kosovo, using the Student Attitudes Toward STEM Survey (S-STEM) for middle/high schools and the test anxiety questionnaire.
Findings
Over 70% of Kosovo's sixth-grade students reported moderate to severe test anxiety. The age of students was found to be inversely related to academic performance in STEM. The father's employment was associated with favorable STEM attitudes, confidence, efficacy and academic performance. Having a personal study environment was connected with favorable STEM attitudes, confidence and efficacy in STEM, whereas access to technology was associated with positive academic performance. Test anxiety, academic performance and personal study space predicted students' attitudes, confidence and efficacy in STEM and 21st-century learning.
Practical implications
Educational institutions should prioritize student well-being. By addressing test anxiety, these institutions can create supportive learning environments that improve attitudes, confidence and efficacy in STEM fields. These efforts are crucial for STEM career development and student success in the 21st-century workforce.
Originality/value
The current study findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the factors influencing STEM student engagement and performance, highlighting the importance of addressing test anxiety for positive learning outcomes while emphasizing the need to consider socio-economic and contextual factors in education.
Details
Keywords
Chris Brown, Ruth Luzmore, Richard O’Donovan, Grace Ji and Susmita Patnaik
Educators need to engage in continuous learning to ensure that their knowledge and practice responds to the changing needs of society and students. Collaborative approaches, in…
Abstract
Purpose
Educators need to engage in continuous learning to ensure that their knowledge and practice responds to the changing needs of society and students. Collaborative approaches, in which social capital resource is exchanged, can serve as an effective way of facilitating such learning. With this systematic review, the authors identify the opportunities and benefits inter-school social capital networks might bring by exploring: (1) what inter-school networks are available internationally for primary and secondary schools, (2) the features and activities present within inter-school networks and (3) evidence of impact of inter-school network activities.
Design/methodology/approach
For this study, the authors employed a systematic review methodology. The review comprised the five stages of the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: PRISMA, 2021) protocol. The study findings derived from 111 research outputs (from a total of 1,221 originally identified).
Findings
The review highlights a number of different inter-school networks and their diverse purposes as well as key network features, such as the actors present in networks and the activities network participants engage with. At the same time, however, the authors only identify limited reliable evidence of the impact of inter-school networks.
Originality/value
The study fills a knowledge gap by exploring, for the first time, the presence, features of inter-school social capital networks available to school leaders as well as investigating the impact of these networks.
Details
Keywords
Nazir Ahmed Jogezai and Fozia Ahmed Baloch
The COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to posing challenges, has also created opportunities for greater digital integration than ever. However, the scale and efficacy of digital…
Abstract
Purpose
The COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to posing challenges, has also created opportunities for greater digital integration than ever. However, the scale and efficacy of digital integration are contingent on the digital competence (DC) of teachers. In the same way, how well teachers learn and teach online may depend on how willing they are to try new ways of digitizing learning or being innovative. This study aimed to ascertain if teachers' digital nativeness, digital addiction and innovative work behavior had an impact on their DC.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used a quantitative research method, whereby data were collected from 276 schools, colleges and university teachers. The researchers employed structural equation modeling (SEM) using SmartPLS to analyze the data.
Findings
The results illuminate the literature regarding DC and the predictive capability of teachers' digital nativeness, digital addiction and innovative work behavior, which can contribute to paving the way for digitizing teaching and learning in the post-COVID-19 era.
Research limitations/implications
The study has significant implications for meaningful learner engagement by explaining the importance of teachers' digital competencies and how they could be approached conceptually to better understand the factors associated with teachers' DC. The differences in DC between digital natives and digital emigrants remain one of the limitations that future research may address.
Practical implications
The results have policy level and practical implications for organizations to consider the value of young teachers in the integration of digital resources. It is also critical to encourage teachers' innovative behavior in the digitization of teaching by creating a supportive organizational environment.
Originality/value
The study remains valuable in the post-COVID-19 era, where educational institutes are revisiting the prospect of online learning as a parallel to in-person teaching. The results remain innovative and genuine and have not been explored in previous research, in particular in the post-COVID-19 era. The involvement of teachers from schools, colleges and universities makes the results more general, which all of them can equally benefit from.
Details
Keywords
Xin Feng, Yue Zhang, Linjie Tong and Huan Yu
This paper aims to straighten out the research progress in the field of maker education, summarize the research hotspots and frontiers of maker education at home and abroad and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to straighten out the research progress in the field of maker education, summarize the research hotspots and frontiers of maker education at home and abroad and provide path optimization suggestions for the research and development of this field.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 751 pieces of domestic and the foreign maker education research literature from 2014 to 2021 are retrieved and screened, and literature analysis methods such as keyword analysis and clustering map analysis are used to quantitatively analyze the quantity distribution, published journals, core authors, research institutions and subject keywords of the maker education literature.
Findings
It is found that research in this field is still in the development stage, but the pandemic has severely inhibited maker education and related research. Frontiers at home and abroad have begun to pay attention to the impact of humanistic care on maker education. Strengthening the dialog between multidisciplinary theories requires cross-disciplinary research. Regional and cross-field cooperation and fully grasping the actual situation and constraints of the development of maker education are the cornerstones of bold innovation in maker education research.
Originality/value
This paper uses bibliometric analysis to reveal the severe challenges to the development of maker education due to the normalization of the epidemic. By excavating the research hotspots and research frontiers in this field, it fills the gap that the current research in the field of maker education has not yet formed a complete theoretical framework and evaluation system.
Details
Keywords
There is some evidence to suggest that the historical challenge associated with recruiting and retaining Black and Brown Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM…
Abstract
Purpose
There is some evidence to suggest that the historical challenge associated with recruiting and retaining Black and Brown Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) collegians is tied to early their teaching and learning experiences in Mathematics. This paper describes an National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project (NSF #2151043) whose goal is to attract, prepare and retain math teachers of color in high need school districts ensure that those teachers remain in the field long enough to make a meaningful impact on the minds and hearts of BIPOC students who are often, extrinsically, and intrinsically, discouraged from pursuing careers in STEM professions.
Design/methodology/approach
This mixed-methods study, which began in the summer of 2023, seeks to recruit, prepare, support and retain nineteen (19) Black and Brown math teachers for two (2) high need urban school districts. The expectancy value theory will be used to explain the performance, persistence, and choices of the teachers, while grounded theory will be utilized to understand the impact of the intensive mentorship and wellness coaching that applied over the first year of their preservice preparation and subsequent in-service years.
Findings
Measures of project efficacy won’t begin until 2025 and as such there are no findings or implications to draw from for the study at this time.
Originality/value
The intention of this paper is to augment the body of knowledge on recruiting and retaining Black and Brown math teachers for urban schools where the need for quality STEM teachers is critical.
Details
Keywords
The article discusses the development and growth of a newly established Noyce Scholarship Program at a Hispanic Serving Institution and the collaborative efforts of the School of…
Abstract
Purpose
The article discusses the development and growth of a newly established Noyce Scholarship Program at a Hispanic Serving Institution and the collaborative efforts of the School of Education (SOE) and its partners during the recruitment and retention process.
Design/methodology/approach
The author will explore and answer questions: (1) What were the articulated agreements implemented during the recruitment and application process? (2) In what ways did the scholar’s professional growth benefit from the dedicated and shared resources of the SOE’s partners? (3) How did the process of mentoring transform into a collaborative research effort resulting in presentation experiences?
Findings
The balance of triumphs, challenges and success in the program allows room for growth and reflection. Once scholars were admitted and accepted into the program, various supports were implemented to ensure scholars would be given tools needed to become highly effective educators in high-needs schools. In an informal discussion with scholars, they indicated the program taught them the necessary tools and dispositions needed to effectively teach the curriculum in STEM-based classrooms. However, they believed the issues of the program could be solved through constant communication and consideration of scholar input. Scholars also expressed appreciation for experiences encountered for scholar success.
Originality/value
The Noyce Scholars Program has provided opportunities for STEM majors to demonstrate hope and vision regarding the teacher shortage, particularly in STEM areas. The story of a professional development school’s unpredictable journey in addressing the teacher pipeline will hopefully be a source of valuable information for other Professional Development School (PDS) partnerships. Recruitment, clinical preparation and continuous support of partners will continue to be integral factors in shaping future efforts to address the STEM teacher shortage creating a better world, locally and globally.
Details