Blog posts

Connecting Informal and Formal STEM Learning

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In this video conversation, listen to Dr. Rabiah Mayas and Dennis Schatz discuss the benefits and critical elements of programs that connect formal STEM education to the teaching and learning that happens in homes, communities, and informal institutions. They also consider the opportunities for the field, especially in the context of social justice movements and the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Conceptual Replications in STEM Education Research

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Despite the abundant and frequent calls for replication studies from research communities (e.g., Shavelson & Towne, 2002) and funding agencies (e.g., IES & NSF, 2013), the number of such studies remains stubbornly small. For example, in an analysis of all articles published since 1900 in the top 10 psychological journals, Makel, Plucker, and Hegarty (2012) found that less than 1% were replication studies.

Reporting Findings to Decision-Makers and Project Participants

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As DRK-12 researchers conducting empirical studies of interventions in science education, the findings from our studies are important to multiple audiences. While the dissemination plan might be one of the last sections we write in our proposals, and one of the last pieces we consider during the timeline of a project, it is probably the most important activity we engage in.

Subject Matter Knowledge is Important!

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Any educator knows that content knowledge is important in teaching. In our work, we have been thinking about content knowledge as subject matter knowledge. For us, we see subject matter knowledge as knowledge in the discipline taught by a teacher. It often includes an understanding about how the discipline advances, along with what is known within the discipline.