This research aligned with protocols established by the Florida Board of Governors in 2016 to form a new funding model tied to the institution's performance. The literature review highlighted a disparity between students' expectations and the reality of college which could negatively impact persistence, and therefore funding to the institution.…

University commuter students are typically less engaged outside the classroom than their residential counterparts, being less likely to participate in extracurricular activities and university-sponsored events. This lack of engagement can lead to lower rates of persistence and retention. At the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, a small,…

There is substantial evidence that incorporating interactive environments for game-based instruction has a significant potential to support the development of computational thinking and programming skills in primary education students. However, it is not clear whether a simulation game (SG) with different user interface elements, created via…

The purpose of this study was to analyze international graduate students' study abroad experiences at a university in Japan. In this qualitative study, in-depth, semi-structured interviews (Seidman, I. (1998). "Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education and the social sciences" (2nd ed.). Teacher College…

Computational Thinking (CT) is an emerging topic in school curricula. Different tools exist to support the learning of CT, namely visual programming languages and tangible development platforms (TDP), which are widely used in extra-curricular activities. To date, few tools have been developed that consider both teachers' needs and the school…

Nowadays, discussing global environmental issues has become regularly included in STEM-based higher education, emphasizing the importance of the youth in finding "ad hoc" solutions for the climate crisis. One of the most commonly applied strategies is promoting sustainable choices among students, especially linked to their lifestyle…

Background: Individual and collective prosocial competence can be fostered through high-quality interactions with program staff in out-of-school time environments. Objective: We explored whether the social-emotional competencies of teachers working in an out-of-school STEM program infused with social emotional learning content were associated with…

Student socialisation into the norms and environment of their institution is a crucial process during their college experience. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these processes were disrupted, and little published research exists exploring comparisons of these student socialisation processes before and during the pandemic. Accordingly, we report on a…

Reduced formal civic education, a decrease in intergenerational closure, and a drop in participation in political institutions and civic organizations, voluntary associations, and community-focused entities in recent decades mean it is likely that young people are not getting adequate civic training and are therefore less able to contribute to the…

South Korea implemented many-pronged educational reforms, notably to transition from heavy reliance on a high-stakes standardised test to more diversified assessment for university admissions. Nonetheless, this effort created another arena of competition towards meritocratic credentials--such as academic publications. The South Korean government,…

This study aimed at investigating the impact of story-based extracurricular tasks on enhancing the speaking skills of EFL learners. The parameters of grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, and fluency were examined. A pre-test/post-test one shot case study design was adopted. A sample of 20 students, enrolled in the common first year program at Jouf…

The research project "LAKTAT -- Non-Professionals in German All-Day Schools: Qualifications, Orientations, Institutional Integration" examines the role and impact of nonprofessional staff in all-day schools, focusing on their pedagogical orientations and organizational integration. The study explores critical questions: How does a sense…

In the interest of building a larger and more diverse science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workforce, many K-12 STEM programs have proliferated in recent years, yet the long-term effects of participation in these programs remain underexplored. This mixed methods study focuses on an established program, Science Olympiad, and uses…

Public high school principals (n = 130) participated in a study comparing extracurricular activities available at high schools located in poverty areas with extracurricular activities available at high schools not located in poverty areas. Results indicated that high schools in poverty areas are, in general, characterized by fewer extracurricular…

The author recently delivered an online professional development session on running STEM clubs as part of a Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM, www.psqm.org.uk) Teaching and Learning Festival. It is a topic the author is often asked about, and she frequently provides training and advises teachers and external organisations on the what, why, how,…