This study used nationally representative data from the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (8th-grade Science) and the 2018 National Survey of Science and Mathematics Education toward two primary purposes: (1) to examine the association between teachers' formal (university) content preparation in science and student outcomes in…

In the University Classroom Observation Program (UCOP), middle and high school teachers spend time on campus observing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classes and engaging in discussions with colleagues and college instructors. The program provides a unique and reciprocal professional learning opportunity. Middle and high…

Multiplication and division are vital topics in upper level elementary school. A teacher's pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) influences both instruction and students' learning. However, there is currently little research examining teachers' PCK within this domain, particularly regarding professional education of future teachers. To help address…

Generalization is a critical component of mathematical reasoning, with researchers recommending that it be central to education at all grade levels. However, research on students' generalizing reveals pervasive difficulties in creating and expressing general statements, which underscores the need to better understand the processes that can support…

Emergency remote and hybrid instructional approaches during the COVID-19 pandemic presented new challenges to science teachers, including how to incorporate authentic, hands-on, and collaborative learning experiences via Zoom™ instruction. Through a school-university partnership, a first-year middle school science teacher, an assistant professor,…

The teaching of mathematical modeling is limited in P-12 classrooms. Little is known in regards to how to support teachers to successfully enact modeling activities. Teachers do not always appreciate the value of modeling activities in mathematics learning and often feel unprepared to implement modeling in their classrooms. Teachers often struggle…

This article presents a case in point of an inquiry community in a professional development school (PDS). The community (supported by an "Inquiry in the PDS" graduate seminar) spanned institutional boundaries and involved a range of PDS partners who collaboratively studied their own practices. The article describes the community and…

As social and academic forces begin to collide for young adolescents at the beginning of the middle level experience, students experience an unfortunate drop in their creativity. Appropriately trained middle level teachers have the potential to lessen this problem through the use of carefully selected open-ended learning activities that increase…

Scholars have encouraged universities to more effectively engage with surrounding communities. One example of community engagement is the service-learning partnership between the Plan II Honors Program and the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) public charter school in Austin, through which college students enroll in a class to mentor local middle…

Learning and teaching function transformation has a significant place since it provides new opportunities for learners to use, reflect and discover knowledge related to the concept of function. This study's main goals related to the importance of learning function transformation are to examine pre-service mathematics teachers' (PMTs) mental…

Sport education (SE) is considered to be an excellent medium through which to develop students' concepts of moral and sporting behavior. Previous research, however, indicates that teachers interpret SE differently, depending on their occupational socialization, which may hinder their fostering of these constructs. The purpose of this study was to…

The development of students' higher order learning is a critical component of education. For decades, educators and scientists have engaged in an ongoing debate about whether higher order learning can only be enhanced by building a base of factual knowledge (analogous to Bloom's taxonomy) or whether higher order learning can be enhanced directly…

In this paper, we demonstrate how atypical visual representations of a triangle, square or a parallelogram may hinder students' understanding of a median and altitude. We analyze responses and reasoning given by 16 preservice middle school teachers in a Geometry Connection class. Particularly, the data were garnered from three specific questions…

Rates of e-cigarette use are high among youth, and there is little known about the long-term health effects of e-cigarettes. Since peer influence is a powerful determinant of tobacco use, we aimed to identify message themes about e-cigarettes that youth would use to encourage or discourage peers from using e-cigarettes. We conducted 10 focus…

Scientific concepts are the building blocks of scientific thought and science communication. Therefore, to achieve scientific literacy it is necessary to construct and define the concepts accurately. In this study, the concept of friction force, which is frequently encountered in science textbooks, is discussed. The explanations of the concept in…