Youth often fail to see themselves in the role of a scientist or engineer and they may lack the confidence to believe they can be successful in STEM courses and careers. This study investigated students wearing lab coats as one strategy to build science academic self-concept and self-efficacy in science. Teachers in four elementary schools had…

Creating citizens interested in science and able to participate in science discourse and decisions is one of the goals of science education. Science hobbyists embody this goal through their life-long leisure interests and engagement in science. This study compared the motivations, perceived hobby benefits, and factors that influenced their hobby…

Through partnerships with scientists, students can now conduct research in science laboratories from a distance through remote access technologies. The purpose of this study was to explore factors that contribute to a remote learning environment by documenting high school students' perceptions of science motivation, science identity, and virtual…

Although policy makers have made gains in getting students to consider future careers in science, women and many minorities are still underrepresented in science fields. Here we describe research conducted with fifth grade students in a rural area of the southeastern U.S. that examined students' concepts of scientists' characteristics. The results…

Although there have been numerous studies that indicate the benefits of teachers and students working with scientists, there is little research that documents scientists' views of science education, science teacher preparation, and the goals of science education. Furthermore, little is known about how scientists' views of science education may…

This study compared students' investigations with an atomic force microscope and viruses in real-time synchronous and asynchronous learning environments. Student interactions with scientists (live videoconference versus email) were examined to see whether communication patterns were different for the different modes of instruction. Students'…

Although there have been numerous scientists-in-the-classroom initiatives in recent years, there is little research that documents whether or not these initiatives make an impact on students. This study examined 27 seventh-grade and 27 tenth-grade students' perceptions of scientists before and after a weeklong educational experience on…