This paper highlights the design process and implementation for an "all majors" undergraduate course that allows students a chance to reconnect with the natural world. During this course students explore a wide range of biological and physical science based topics that seek to highlight human intervention and our impacts on the planet.…

A conceptual framework for empirical research on the impact of NASA Space Science Education Consortium (NSSEC) activities is presented in this paper, along with a cross-referencing system between the NSF-based NSSEC evaluation framework and historical definitions of comparable psychometric constructs in the literature. A selected set of findings…

Science education has experienced a significant transition over the last decade, catalyzed by a re-envisioning of what students should know and be able to do in science. That re-envisioning culminated in the release of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in 2013. The new standards set off a chain reaction of standards adoption and…

Gender imbalance in the physical sciences and engineering is a longstanding and well-documented concern within science education, industry, and policy. The current study is motivated by this issue and focuses on space science in particular, which has been promoted as a physical science with the capacity to inspire both boys and girls. A survey of…

Many large-lecture introductory science courses for nonscience majors do not have a lab component and hence do not provide much opportunity for students to engage in the practice of science. I have developed a new instructional activity called Dorm Room Labs that enables students to conduct hands-on activities as homework (or dorm room work) to…

Since 2017 the Italian Space Agency (ASI) participates to so-called 'Alternanza Scuola-Lavoro' (i.e. 'school-work synergy') outreach projects promoted by the Italian government, and the ASI Space Science Data Center (SSDC) actively contributes to them, with the primary aim of bringing students closer to space-related activities before choosing…

This mixed-method study introduced an adaptive scaffolding system to support middle school science problem-based learning (PBL) activities. 298 6th-graders were grouped into three conditions, which are the adaptive scaffolding group, the non-adaptive scaffolding group, and a control group that did not receive any scaffoldings. Results showed that…

Involving students in state-of-the-art research from an early age eliminates the idea that science is only for the scientists and empowers young people to explore STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects. It is also a great opportunity to dispel harmful stereotypes about who is suitable for STEM careers, while leaving students…

In this article, we present the results of research conducted to investigate the perception of VR educational materials for space technology courses being developed at a technological university in Europe. Our aim was to identify potential barriers faced by men and women when entering and continuing this form of education. As both VR and space…

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Astronomy Education Research.] One goal for a scientifically literate citizenry would be for learners to appreciate when the Earth came to be and where it resides in the Universe. Understanding the Earth's formation in time in both a sociohistorical and scientific sense allows us to place humanity…

The number of women and underrepresented individuals working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields does not reflect the diversity of our societies. Even if children have an interest in STEM, they may not consider choosing a study or career in that direction if their perception is that they would not belong in science.…

Since the Apollo missions, human spaceflight has been advocated as a means of promoting positive attitudes towards science. In 2015, Principia launched Britain's first government-funded astronaut to the International Space Station, a core objective being education and inspiring young people. In this study, we examined how spaceflight education…

Background: Incorporating student voice into the science classroom has the potential to positively impact science teaching and learning. However, students are rarely consulted on school and classroom matters. This literature review examines the effects of including student voice in the science classroom. Purpose: The purpose of this literature…

In this study, I conduct a quantitative analysis to assess the attitudes of Black male high school sophomores towards STEM content through a unique informal STEM learning program called ESTEAM offered by the non-profit organization Class Matters Inc. The students participated in a pre- and post-survey based on Mark Mahoney's Attitudes towards STEM…

The main purpose of this study is to examine the views of seventh grade students on the relationship between space research and technological developments. The mixed method was used in the research. The true-false test was used to collect quantitative data. Qualitative data were collected through a fully structured interview form. Homogeneous…