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The emerging field of robotics education (RE) is a new and rapidly growing subject area worldwide. It may provide a playful and novel learning environment for children to engage with all aspects of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning. The purpose of this research is to examine how robotics learning activities may affect the cognitive abilities and cognitive processes of 6-8 years old children. The study adopted the mixed methods approach with a repeated measures design; three waves of data collection over 6 months, including quantitative data obtained from cognitive assessments and eye-tracking, and qualitative data from the interviews. A total of 31 children were recruited from an afterschool robotics program. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first RE research that used a combination of eye-tracking, cognitive assessments, and interviews for examining the effect of RE on children. Using linear growth models, the results of cognitive assessments showed that children's visuospatial working memory as well as logical and abstract reasoning skills improved over time. The interview data were analyzed by a thematic analysis. The results revealed that children perceived RE activities as game play, which made children more engaged in their study; parents found their children to be more focused on activities comparing to six months ago. Additionally, the visualization of the eye-tracking data suggested that children became more focused on RE activities and got faster to process the information across six months in general, which echoed the findings in assessments and interviews. Our findings may help educators and policymakers better understand the benefits of RE for young children.

This study examines future secondary physics teachers' knowledge related to the teaching of sound waves, and specifically the topics of sound level and sound intensity. The data is comprised of future teachers' responses to a task in which they had to compose a script for an imaginary dialogue between a teacher and a group of students and to provide a commentary elaborating on their instructional choices. The topics selected for the task were chosen intentionally as they provide authentic and rich opportunities to bridge mathematics and science concepts, while challenging future teachers to consider the logarithmic measurement scale and its role in science. The task provided the participants with the beginning of a dialogue that featured student confusion about the measurement of sound level using a decibel scale. Future physics teachers were asked to extend this dialogue through describing envisioned instructional interactions that could have ensued. The instructional interchange related to the relationship between sound intensity and sound level, and particular teachers' responses to the student ideas related to the meaning of a decibel sound level scale were analysed. These responses were categorized as featuring superficial or deep, and conceptual or procedural knowledge for teaching. We describe each category using illustrative excerpts from the participants' scripts. We conclude with highlighting the affordances of scriptwriting for teachers, teacher educators, and researchers.

We describe three major challenges that teachers of STEM subjects face in their preparation and practice. Then, we discuss how technology could become a vehicle for providing timely and content-related support. To this end, we suggest a theoretical framework, which builds on the works of Vygotsky, Shulman, and Mishra and Koehler. Specifically, we use the notion of zone of proximal development to accentuate educators' professional growth and ideas from the activity theory to put educators' deliberate actions and learning in the wider context of peer learning. Then, we use this framework to describe two professional learning models, each from a different STEM field. This paper will be of interest to STEM educators and facilitators of professional learning activities, as well as developers of education technology resources.

This mixed-methods case study examines parental motivation for participation in a Canadian university-based STEM outreach event. Parents responded to a post-event questionnaire that was followed by individual interviews. The quantitative part revealed how and why parents engaged with their children's STEM education. Surprisingly, neither university admission requirements nor STEM-related job opportunities were top motivating factors. The qualitative part indicated that some parents found it challenging to connect their children's learning experience in school with the government-mandated curriculum or with their own experiences. Most interviewees were satisfied with their children's STEM education and considered family support crucial in this process. [For "Parental Engagement in Children's STEM Education. Part I: Meta-Analysis of the Literature," see EJ1227628.]

This paper presents a meta-analysis of the literature on parental engagement with children's formal and informal science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. Five recurrent themes have emerged from the literature review: The challenges of supporting parents with children's STEM education; STEM education as a bridge between school and family; STEM education as a gateway for children's future economic success; STEM education as a vehicle for promoting student communication skills; and, the role of hands-on inquiry-based activities in enhancing student engagement. We also outline some international informal STEM education initiatives, their scope, challenges, and impact. [For "Parental Engagement in Children's STEM Education. Part II: Parental Attitudes and Motivation," see EJ1227641.]

This paper describes how future physics teachers' involvement in annual Family Math and Science Day--a public outreach event at the University of British Columbia, Canada--has a potential to transform them as physics demonstration experts and amateur video producers. These science demonstration videos serve as teaching and learning resources not only for their own coursework, practicum, and post-graduation, but also as a useful resource for their peers and other educators. The production of demonstration videos was framed around studies that support physics and general science teacher-candidates' engagement in hands-on science, science communication, and deliberate use of technology to promote active learning.

This large-scale study (N=173,636) examines between-group differences in Israeli high school STEM enrolment and average grades between five groups of Israeli-born Jews. Four of them comprise second-generation immigrant students with high-skilled parents, from North America (NA), South America (SA), France, and the Former Soviet Union (FSU). The fifth group comprises non-immigrant students. The study's conceptual framework combines expanded Segmented Assimilation Theory and Bourdieu's concepts of habitus and cultural capital. NA students had the highest family educational and economic levels, while the FSU students had the highest percentage of high-skilled parents, albeit with the lowest economic background. We found that the non-immigrant students did not have an advantage in STEM enrolment in high school as compared to the second-generation immigrants. The FSU students had the highest STEM enrolment. The average STEM grades among the NA, SA, and French students were similar compared to the non-immigrant students, while the FSU students' average STEM grades were the lowest. Our findings suggest that both Segmented Assimilation Theory and Bourdieusian concepts of habitus and cultural capital should be considered to account for the educational STEM outcomes of immigrant children. These findings may inform educational policy and intervention programmes aimed at increasing high school STEM enrolment.

This paper describes the benefits and the challenges of using modern technology for designing and implementing in-class science demonstrations. We suggest that state-of-the-art instrumentation, such as a fast-speed video camera, can turn traditional lecture demonstrations from mere entertainment to the effective means for physics learning. We describe an experimental set-up--a slow-motion chamber, which we have used as a demonstration tool in large lectures. Finally, we provide examples of experiments used in introductory physics courses, which may greatly benefit from the analysis of a slow-motion playback, and suggest how instructors can help students experience physics in action during lectures. Key words: physics education, physics demonstrations, physics teaching, introductory physics, slow-motion videos. Nous decrivons ici les benefices et les defis d'utiliser la technologie moderne dans la conception et la realisation d'experiences dans une salle de classe de science. Nous suggerons que l'utilisation des instruments modernes, comme la camera video a haute vitesse, peuvent transformer les demonstrations dans les cours traditionnels, de simples spectacles en outils efficaces d'apprentissage de la physique. Nous decrivons un montage experimental, une chambre de mouvement au ralenti, que nous avons utilise comme outil de demonstration en classe. Finalement, nous donnons des exemples d'experiences utilisees dans des cours d'introduction a la physique, qui pourraient beneficier beaucoup d'une analyse au ralenti et nous suggerons comment les professeurs peuvent aider les etudiants a ressentir la physique en action dans ces experiences. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles : formation en physique, demonstrations en physique, video en mouvement au ralenti, introduction a la physique, enseignement de la physique., 1. Introduction Physics is an experimental science that, in the words of one of the most ingenious scientists of the 20th century, Richard Feynman, allows people curious about the natural [...]

This paper discusses the concept of scaling and its biological and engineering applications. Scaling, in a scientific context, means proportional adjustment of the dimensions of an object so that the adjusted and original objects have similar shapes yet different dimensions. The paper provides an example of a hands-on, minds-on activity on scaling that can be adapted to a middle school, high school, or even undergraduate science curriculum. The student activity is preceded by an introduction and followed by a summary discussion with possible suggestions on how a teacher might guide student exploration. (Contains 3 figures and 2 tables.)

Effective physics teaching requires extensive knowledge of physics, relevant pedagogies, and modern educational technologies that can support student learning. Acquiring this knowledge is a challenging task, considering how fast modern technologies and expectations of student learning outcomes and of teaching practices are changing Therefore 21st-century physics teachers should be supported in developing a different way of thinking about technology-enhanced physics teaching and learning. We call it Deliberate Pedagogical Thinking with Technology, and base it on the original Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge frameworks. However, unlike the two aforementioned frameworks, the Deliberate Pedagogical Thinking with Technology emphasizes not only teachers' knowledge, but also their attitudes and dispositions about using digital tools in order to support student learning. This paper examines how an online system that allows an ongoing discussion of videos uploaded on it by the students can support reflection in physics teacher education. Examples of using such a system in physics teacher education and teacher-candidates' feedback on their experiences with it are also discussed.

Project-based learning can be used when creating simulated authentic cultural experiences via virtual trips on the World Wide Web. Project-based learning is a comprehensive, constructivist-based approach that engages students in the investigation of authentic problems. This paper focuses on the theoretical basis for project-based learning and describes an instructional model developed and employed by researchers at a large southwestern U.S. university. The model was put into practice with several Web-based Spanish language lessons for first-year Spanish students. Thousands of students engaged in virtual cultural experiences by taking a virtual vacation on the World Wide Web. Afterwards, students submitted enthusiastic comments (via student reflection forms) and described a variety of types of language and cultural learning experiences. Creative student products demonstrated their engagement in the lessons and their application of grammatical and lexical topics from the course. Extensive use of on-line language and cultural resources was also evident. Several challenges arose during the lessons (e.g., carrying out the constructivist-based elements, conducting formative assessment, and focusing on final products rather than processes). (Contains 34 references.) (SM)

Based on the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), the study aims to investigate factors that predict students' interest in pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in tertiary education both in general and in relation to their gender and socio-economic background. The results of the analysis of survey responses of 2,458 secondary public school students in the fifth-largest Israeli city indicate that STEM learning experience positively associates with students' interest in pursuing STEM fields in tertiary education as opposed to non-STEM fields. Moreover, studying advanced science courses at the secondary school level decreases (but does not eliminate) the gender gap and eliminates the effect of family background on students' interest in pursuing STEM fields in the future. Findings regarding outcome expectations and self-efficacy beliefs only partially support the SCCT model. Outcome expectations and self-efficacy beliefs positively correlate with students' entering tertiary education but did not differentiate between their interests in the fields of study.

This article discusses how modern technology, such as electronic response systems, PeerWise system, data collection and analysis tools, computer simulations, and modeling software can be used in physics methods courses to promote teacher-candidates' professional competencies and their positive attitudes about mathematics and science education. We show how modeling technology-enhanced deliberate pedagogical thinking in physics methods courses can improve teacher-candidates' subject-specific pedagogical knowledge and their positive attitudes about science learning. We also discuss potential challenges that must be addressed in order to help teacher-candidates successfully implement these pedagogies during the practicum and in their early years of teaching.

This paper describes the second year of a multi-year study on the implementation of Peer Instruction and PeerWise-inspired pedagogies in a physics methods course in a teacher education program at a large research university in Western Canada. In the first year of this study, Peer Instruction was implemented consistently in the physics methods course and teacher candidates were asked to submit five conceptual multiple-choice questions as a final assignment. In the second year of the study we incorporated PeerWise online tool to facilitate teacher candidates' design of conceptual questions by allowing them to provide and receive feedback from their peers, and consequently improve their questions. We have found that as a result of this collaboration teacher candidates improved their pedagogical content knowledge as measured by the rubric developed for the study.

Increasing student engagement through Electronic Response Systems (clickers) has been widely researched. Its success largely depends on the quality of multiple-choice questions used by instructors. This paper describes a pilot project that focused on the implementation of online collaborative multiple-choice question repository, PeerWise, in a Physics Methods course for secondary teachers at a large Canadian Teacher Education program. We investigated different facets of PeerWise implementation, teacher-candidates' engagement through the system, and how PeerWise can support teacher-candidates' collaboration on designing high quality conceptual multiple-choice questions. This study sheds light on the results of this implementation and suggests directions for future research.

Science teachers can find lesson ideas almost anywhere. For example, during a recent visit to a local dollar store, the author stumbled upon a flower vase filled with water pearls, also known as water beads and jelly beans. She bought several of the bags (search the web to find numerous online sources), and soon began experimenting. Water pearls are a great resource. This easy-to-obtain, inexpensive, versatile, and reusable material instills a sense of wonder in students of different ages and backgrounds who invariably start to ask "I wonder if..." science questions. This article describes three science investigations students can conduct using a single bag of superabsorbent water pearls. (Contains 4 figures.)

Interactivity and inquiry-based learning science are effective ways of helping students overcome their perception of chemistry as an alien and abstract topic and instead approach the subject as a creative way of understanding ideas and applying mastered concepts to new contexts. Data acquisition systems are an extremely useful form of educational technology that can be used alone or in conjunction with other technologies to bring about active learning and enable students to move beyond memorization to the verification strategies and knowledge base they need to successfully master chemistry concepts. This article describes the use of data acquisition systems and analysis software in combination with other technologies such as electronic response systems and online video. The technologies were used for laboratory activities, online learning, and lecture hall demonstrations and allowed for cross-disciplinary experiments. They also brought an element of interactivity to each instructional setting that proved to be an excellent avenue for engaging student interest and ensuring comprehension of chemistry topics.

This paper examines the results of the repeated administration of the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) in a large introductory physics course at a midsize, metropolitan Canadian university. We compare the results to those obtained previously in comparable courses at the University of British Columbia (Canada) and the University of Colorado (U.S.). Atypically, students in this study exhibited a positive shift in their attitudes about science over the semester. The change in students' attitudes across the term appears to be moderated by their educational background--specifically, whether they had taken grade 12 physics or not. The correlation between students' attitudes and their conceptual knowledge also appears to be influenced by students' educational background. The results have pedagogical implications for instructors of introductory college and university physics and potentially for other science courses. (Contains 1 figure, 3 footnotes, and 4 tables.)

This case study's primary objective is to describe the implementation of the electronic response system (clickers) in a small (N = 25) second-year physics course at a large public university and to draw attention of the science faculty who teach upper-level science courses to the potential benefits of this pedagogy. This pilot study discusses the impact of the clicker-enhanced pedagogy on students' cognitive and affective outcomes and their attitudes toward using clickers. The authors also outline challenges faced by the students and the instructors on the way of successful clicker implementation beyond the first year and suggest a few possible ways of addressing them. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)

In the past few decades, the physics teaching community has witnessed a surge in creative and often effective ways of using technology to improve physics instruction. Most of these findings suggest how technology can help instructors create interactive learning environments and how interactivity influences the effectiveness of physics learning. However, every physics teacher knows that in order for any teaching method to be effective, the exams have to test the skills and concepts addressed by the teacher. Exam content and style sends the clearest message to students about what skills and content are valued by instructors. The mismatch between what we intend to teach and what we effectively test in exams is of great concern to many science teachers. These were our motives for creating data-rich questions to be used in the exams in a large undergraduate first-year physics course at the University of British Columbia. These data-rich questions were developed to support the use of an innovative teaching pedagogy called Interactive Lecture Experiments.

In this article we describe a case study of interactive lecture experiments in a large introductory physics course. The impact of this pedagogy on student learning and motivation is also discussed. (Contains 1 table and 3 figures.)

Describes a case study of creating a teaching community among the graduate teaching assistants in a physics department at a major research university. Shows that graduate teaching assistants themselves can start a change in the culture of teaching, contributing to their satisfaction from teaching as well as to undergraduate education. (EV)