There is widespread agreement that emotions play a critical role in informal science learning, yet little is known about the emotional experiences of children in informal science learning environments. This study aims to address this challenge by exploring the relationships among emotional, behavioral, and cognitive engagement in a science museum…

In this mixed methods study we examined students' science engagement in relation to classroom opportunities to participate in science practices in a sample of middle school (N = 1613) students from 28 socioeconomically diverse schools in the western region of the United States. Students from high socioeconomic status (SES) schools reported…

As new science standards increase emphasis on the teaching of science and engineering practices, research is needed on the implementation and outcomes of students' experiences with authentic inquiry-based activities. Using a framework on teacher support for inquiry, we examined results from a national survey of middle school science fairs. Three…

The tendency in urban schools is that teachers hold incomplete understandings about their students (by virtue of difference in cultural, race, language, and social class) is a lingering challenge since "Brown v. Board of Education" desegregated students in schools while also casting out large numbers of Black educators (Walker, 2013).…

This paper reports on the design and outcomes of a story-enhanced game intended to improve middle school age girls' understanding of data representation and their engagement in learning. Findings indicate the effectiveness of the game but raise further questions about the role of story in games to teach computer science concepts.

In 2013 the Vermont legislature enacted Act 77 mandating that students in grades 7-12 develop personalized learning plans (PLPs) to guide them toward high school graduation using proficiency based requirements. In a qualitative self-study the authors document the implementation of a personal learning framework integrating PLPs into a humanities…

This study investigated the effectiveness of reality pedagogy in terms of changes in students' perceptions of their learning environment and attitudes toward science. Reality pedagogy involves a shift in instructional practices to more greatly include students in the process of teaching and learning. Data were collected through a pretest and…

A growing body of research has indicated the importance of motivation and engagement in predicting academic achievement, particularly among Latino/a adolescents. The present study examined the role of cognitive and emotional engagement in a sample of Latino/a and European American junior high school students. Results indicated that while grades…

This study relied on motivational models derived from self-determination theory to explain how garden-based science activities can contribute to minority students' motivation and learning in science class and academic identity in science. Participants were 105 sixth-grade students from primarily low-SES families at two diverse urban schools.…

Studies have shown that people can learn valuable skills by playing games, and more teachers are using digital games in classrooms. While researchers understand the difficulties of using digital games, further inquiries are needed to see how teachers effectively use games to improve students' learning. This paper begins to address these issues by…

Against a backdrop of the broader conversation around the mathematical achievement disparities of urban, minority students, the author reviews salient literature pertaining to student engagement as a means of identifying effective mathematical practices in engaging traditionally marginalized groups of students in their study of mathematics. First,…

Classroom discourse is central to fostering mathematical practices, but we still have much to learn about how the detailed work of teaching can support students to engage in the range of mathematical practices set out in the Common Core. This study examined mathematics discussions in four inquiry based secondary mathematics classrooms to…

Engaging students in self-reflection about their learning performance is a potentially promising pedagogical approach for supporting math learning. However, it is unclear how models for math learning in regular classrooms translate in a virtual environment. The purpose of this paper is to (a) analyze rich assessment data from virtual schools to…

This paper examines the nature of academic classroom tasks middle school teachers are designing and using that integrate one-to-one technological devices/computers: technology integration (substitution/augmentation/modification/redefinition-SAMR); 21st century skill (4Cs) integration; task complexity (DOK); and student work aspects (work product,…

Early adolescents, particularly from underrepresented or marginalized communities, may feel disconnected from school science leading to a lack of engagement. The lack of connection between their out of school experiences and school science may lead them to devalue science. This study examines interviews with 56 middle school students and 12…