Science

STEM Teacher Characteristics and Mobility: Longitudinal Evidence from the American Midwest, 2010 Through 2023

This study examines the demographics, qualifications, and turnover of STEM teachers in Kansas and Missouri—two contiguous, predominantly rural states in the Midwestern region of the United States. The existing literature lacks detailed insights regarding U.S. STEM teachers, especially with recent economic and social changes over the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is particularly limited evidence regarding STEM teachers in the U.S. Midwest.

Author/Presenter

Chanh B. Lam

Yujia Liu

J. Cameron Anglum

Tuan D. Nguyen

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

This study examines the demographics, qualifications, and turnover of STEM teachers in Kansas and Missouri—two contiguous, predominantly rural states in the Midwestern region of the United States. The existing literature lacks detailed insights regarding U.S. STEM teachers, especially with recent economic and social changes over the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is particularly limited evidence regarding STEM teachers in the U.S. Midwest. Utilizing large-scale administrative longitudinal data, we filled part of this gap by documenting the characteristics and turnover patterns of STEM teachers in Kansas and Missouri over a 13-year period, from 2010 through 2023.

Implementing Grand Challenges: A Case Study of Implementing Innovative Curricula

In response to the growing emphasis on addressing global socio-scientific issues like climate change and viral pandemics in K-12 education, we designed three socio-scientific units for middle school science. We call this curriculum Grand Challenges (GC). The GC curriculum shifts from traditional methods to a focus on socio-scientific issues that resonate locally and globally and prepare students for future complexities.

Author/Presenter

Rebecca R. Lesnefsky

Troy D. Sadler

David Fortus

Year
2025
Short Description

In response to the growing emphasis on addressing global socio-scientific issues like climate change and viral pandemics in K-12 education, we designed three socio-scientific units for middle school science. We call this curriculum Grand Challenges (GC). The GC curriculum shifts from traditional methods to a focus on socio-scientific issues that resonate locally and globally and prepare students for future complexities. This study explores the implementation of the GC curriculum by two teachers, highlighting their choices and the impact on instruction.

Exploring the Attending and Interpretation of Three Science and Engineering Practices Among Secondary Science Teachers

This study explored secondary science teachers’ attending and interpretation of three science and engineering practices (SEPs) occurring in a classroom setting. This data were further examined to see if teaching experience and disciplinary area influenced the secondary science teachers attending and interpretation of the SEPs. The data collection process involved having teachers talk about the science instruction they viewed in short videos.

Author/Presenter

Yuxi Huang

Julie A. Luft

Hong H. Tran

Joseph J. Deluca

José M. Pavez

Brooke A. Whitworth

Year
2025
Short Description

This study explored secondary science teachers’ attending and interpretation of three science and engineering practices (SEPs) occurring in a classroom setting. This data were further examined to see if teaching experience and disciplinary area influenced the secondary science teachers attending and interpretation of the SEPs.

Socioscientific Issues: Promoting Science Teachers’ Pedagogy on Social Justice

Socioscientific issues (SSI) are problems involving the deliberate use of scientific topics that require students to engage in dialogue, discussion, and debate. The purpose of this project is to utilize issues that are personally meaningful and engaging to students, require the use of evidence-based reasoning, and provide a context for scientific information.

Author/Presenter

Augusto Z. Macalalag Jr.

Alan Kaufmann

Benjamin Van Meter

Aden Ricketts

Erica Liao

Gabrielle Ialacci

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2024
Short Description

Socioscientific issues (SSI) are problems involving the deliberate use of scientific topics that require students to engage in dialogue, discussion, and debate. The purpose of this project is to utilize issues that are personally meaningful and engaging to students, require the use of evidence-based reasoning, and provide a context for scientific information. This study highlights the value of integrating SSI in science education to engage students with social justice.

Facilitating Student Argumentation Around Socioscientific Issues Through Productive Discourse and Negotiation Toward Consensus

Controversial topics that arise in science classrooms, especially those of social relevance (e.g., the climate crisis), provide opportunities to help students learn about and discuss contradictory ideas they may encounter in their everyday experiences. Such topics may also be challenging to teach, but scaffolding may facilitate effective instruction. We describe one type of instructional scaffolding, the Model-Evidence Link (MEL) activity, that supports students’ reasoning when evaluating connections between lines of evidence and competing explanations about phenomena.

Author/Presenter

Donna Governor

Carla McAuliffe

Lorraine Ramirez Villarin

Timothy G. Klavon

Julianne E. van Meerten

Drea Rachel

Sanlyn Buxner

Janelle M. Bailey

Doug Lombardi

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

Controversial topics that arise in science classrooms, especially those of social relevance (e.g., the climate crisis), provide opportunities to help students learn about and discuss contradictory ideas they may encounter in their everyday experiences. Such topics may also be challenging to teach, but scaffolding may facilitate effective instruction. We describe one type of instructional scaffolding, the Model-Evidence Link (MEL) activity, that supports students’ reasoning when evaluating connections between lines of evidence and competing explanations about phenomena.

Facilitating Student Argumentation Around Socioscientific Issues Through Productive Discourse and Negotiation Toward Consensus

Controversial topics that arise in science classrooms, especially those of social relevance (e.g., the climate crisis), provide opportunities to help students learn about and discuss contradictory ideas they may encounter in their everyday experiences. Such topics may also be challenging to teach, but scaffolding may facilitate effective instruction. We describe one type of instructional scaffolding, the Model-Evidence Link (MEL) activity, that supports students’ reasoning when evaluating connections between lines of evidence and competing explanations about phenomena.

Author/Presenter

Donna Governor

Carla McAuliffe

Lorraine Ramirez Villarin

Timothy G. Klavon

Julianne E. van Meerten

Drea Rachel

Sanlyn Buxner

Janelle M. Bailey

Doug Lombardi

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

Controversial topics that arise in science classrooms, especially those of social relevance (e.g., the climate crisis), provide opportunities to help students learn about and discuss contradictory ideas they may encounter in their everyday experiences. Such topics may also be challenging to teach, but scaffolding may facilitate effective instruction. We describe one type of instructional scaffolding, the Model-Evidence Link (MEL) activity, that supports students’ reasoning when evaluating connections between lines of evidence and competing explanations about phenomena.

Facilitating Student Argumentation Around Socioscientific Issues Through Productive Discourse and Negotiation Toward Consensus

Controversial topics that arise in science classrooms, especially those of social relevance (e.g., the climate crisis), provide opportunities to help students learn about and discuss contradictory ideas they may encounter in their everyday experiences. Such topics may also be challenging to teach, but scaffolding may facilitate effective instruction. We describe one type of instructional scaffolding, the Model-Evidence Link (MEL) activity, that supports students’ reasoning when evaluating connections between lines of evidence and competing explanations about phenomena.

Author/Presenter

Donna Governor

Carla McAuliffe

Lorraine Ramirez Villarin

Timothy G. Klavon

Julianne E. van Meerten

Drea Rachel

Sanlyn Buxner

Janelle M. Bailey

Doug Lombardi

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

Controversial topics that arise in science classrooms, especially those of social relevance (e.g., the climate crisis), provide opportunities to help students learn about and discuss contradictory ideas they may encounter in their everyday experiences. Such topics may also be challenging to teach, but scaffolding may facilitate effective instruction. We describe one type of instructional scaffolding, the Model-Evidence Link (MEL) activity, that supports students’ reasoning when evaluating connections between lines of evidence and competing explanations about phenomena.

Facilitating Student Argumentation Around Socioscientific Issues Through Productive Discourse and Negotiation Toward Consensus

Controversial topics that arise in science classrooms, especially those of social relevance (e.g., the climate crisis), provide opportunities to help students learn about and discuss contradictory ideas they may encounter in their everyday experiences. Such topics may also be challenging to teach, but scaffolding may facilitate effective instruction. We describe one type of instructional scaffolding, the Model-Evidence Link (MEL) activity, that supports students’ reasoning when evaluating connections between lines of evidence and competing explanations about phenomena.

Author/Presenter

Donna Governor

Carla McAuliffe

Lorraine Ramirez Villarin

Timothy G. Klavon

Julianne E. van Meerten

Drea Rachel

Sanlyn Buxner

Janelle M. Bailey

Doug Lombardi

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

Controversial topics that arise in science classrooms, especially those of social relevance (e.g., the climate crisis), provide opportunities to help students learn about and discuss contradictory ideas they may encounter in their everyday experiences. Such topics may also be challenging to teach, but scaffolding may facilitate effective instruction. We describe one type of instructional scaffolding, the Model-Evidence Link (MEL) activity, that supports students’ reasoning when evaluating connections between lines of evidence and competing explanations about phenomena.

Facilitating Student Argumentation Around Socioscientific Issues Through Productive Discourse and Negotiation Toward Consensus

Controversial topics that arise in science classrooms, especially those of social relevance (e.g., the climate crisis), provide opportunities to help students learn about and discuss contradictory ideas they may encounter in their everyday experiences. Such topics may also be challenging to teach, but scaffolding may facilitate effective instruction. We describe one type of instructional scaffolding, the Model-Evidence Link (MEL) activity, that supports students’ reasoning when evaluating connections between lines of evidence and competing explanations about phenomena.

Author/Presenter

Donna Governor

Carla McAuliffe

Lorraine Ramirez Villarin

Timothy G. Klavon

Julianne E. van Meerten

Drea Rachel

Sanlyn Buxner

Janelle M. Bailey

Doug Lombardi

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

Controversial topics that arise in science classrooms, especially those of social relevance (e.g., the climate crisis), provide opportunities to help students learn about and discuss contradictory ideas they may encounter in their everyday experiences. Such topics may also be challenging to teach, but scaffolding may facilitate effective instruction. We describe one type of instructional scaffolding, the Model-Evidence Link (MEL) activity, that supports students’ reasoning when evaluating connections between lines of evidence and competing explanations about phenomena.

Exploring Resources and Reasoning Practices in Socioscientific System Modeling for Justice-Centered Science Education

Integrating science education with social justice is vital for preparing students to critically address significant societal issues like climate change and pandemics. This study examines the effectiveness of socioscientific system modeling as a tool within Justice-Centered Science Pedagogy (JCSP) to enhance middle school students’ understanding of social justice science issues. It focuses on how system modeling can scaffold students’ reasoning about complex social systems, informed by their lived experiences, cultural backgrounds, and social identities.

Author/Presenter

Rebecca R. Lesnefsky

Jamie Elsner

Eric A. Kirk

Jasmyne Yeldell

Li Ke

Troy D. Sadler

Year
2025
Short Description

Integrating science education with social justice is vital for preparing students to critically address significant societal issues like climate change and pandemics. This study examines the effectiveness of socioscientific system modeling as a tool within Justice-Centered Science Pedagogy (JCSP) to enhance middle school students’ understanding of social justice science issues.