Dear Colleagues,

Project-based learning (PBL) is a pedagogical approach that encourages the incorporation of various disciplines, aiming to foster a profound comprehension of how knowledge is developed and employed. STEM education has become a prominent focus in K-16 curricula, emphasizing the interconnectedness of these fields in preparing students for a dynamic future. To address these important topics, the forthcoming Special Issue of Education Sciences intends to provide relevant, interesting, and challenging articles demonstrating research, analysis, and promising practice related to all aspects of implementing project-based learning in K-16 classrooms.  

Contributions encompassing a wide range of themes related to this topic are welcome, including but not limited to:

• Emphasis on mathematics in STEM PBL education research, particularly pedagogical strategies that facilitate the integration of mathematics into STEM education;
• Exploration of effective PBL strategies within STEM contexts;
• Examination of the impact of PBL on students' conceptual understanding and achievement;
• Evaluation of the challenges and benefits of incorporating PBL in K-16 STEM education;
• Laying the foundation for the effective use of PBL through theoretical and conceptual frameworks in STEM education;
• Integrating social justice and culturally relevant pedagogy in PBL for STEM education;
• Supporting special populations in STEM education;
• Assessing student outcomes of PBL in STEM education.

This Special Issue aims to advance our understanding of PBL in promoting interdisciplinary education and its integration into STEM education. Researchers and practitioners are encouraged to submit papers delving into these themes, thereby contributing to the development of effective PBL pedagogical practices in STEM education environments.

Dr. Mi Yeon Lee
Dr. Jean S. Lee
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• project-based learning
• STEM education
• mathematics education
• research-based practices

Title: From Seeds to Harvest in Seven Weeks: Project-Based Learning with Latina Girls and their Parents

Abstract: The overarching objective of our project, funded by the NSF, is to promote greater involvement in STEM fields among women and Latiné communities, exploring methods to decrease their underrepresentation in numerous STEM majors and professions (National Science Foundation, 2021). The curriculum titled "Our Plot of Sunshine" has been developed to actively engage fifth and sixth-grade Latina students and their parents in a seven-week project-based gardening initiative. Our strategy for collaborating with Latiné families is firmly rooted in the recognition of their inherent strengths within educational settings, with the incorporation of Yosso's (2005) concept of Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) as a guiding principle throughout our endeavors. CCW delineates six types of capital that families possess: aspirational, linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistant. Over the last ten years, the notion of science capital has undergone a transformation from being viewed as a standalone form of capital. It has evolved into a holistic framework that integrates diverse forms of capital, each with the capacity to generate and amplify value, thereby enriching the engagement, involvement, and accomplishments of individuals or groups in the realm of science (Archer, DeWitt, & Willis, 2014). The specific objectives of this project encompass enhancing the interest of Latina girls in science, equipping parents with the tools to support their Latina daughters in their scientific pursuits, and fostering greater family involvement in science-related activities. The project commences with a challenge for families: to plan, execute, and ultimately harvest foods cultivated from seeds within a seven-week timeframe, culminating in a tostada party. In this endeavor, the girls and their parents collaborate closely, jointly devising their garden plots, sowing seeds, and proceeding through the stages of nurturing, monitoring, measuring, and graphing plant growth. This initiative adopts a Family Project-Based Learning (FPBL) model, which has evolved from our Problem-Based Enhanced Language Learning model. Throughout this journey, we integrate problem-based science activities, covering a range of topics such as plant anatomy, plant requirements, soil composition, interactions with other garden organisms, and the concept of surface area to volume ratio. These activities are intentionally crafted to promote interaction, facilitate language utilization, and stimulate scientific learning. To assist participants in documenting their progress, each of them is equipped with science notebooks, each featuring a Concept Clavis. These tools aid in the recording of notes, observations, reflections, and data collection, ultimately nurturing the development of scientific concepts. Importantly, the Saturday program is conducted in both English and Spanish, ensuring accessibility and inclusivity for all participants. This article will address the following five of the eight themes for contributions: • Exploration of effective PBL strategies within STEM contexts; • Evaluation of the challenges and benefits of incorporating PBL in K-16 STEM education; • Laying the foundation for the effective use of PBL through theoretical and conceptual frameworks in STEM education; • Integrating social justice and culturally relevant pedagogy in PBL for STEM education; and • Supporting special populations in STEM education. To achieve this the article will describe how CCW and the goals of cultural relevance shaped the curriculum; the evolution of Problem-Based Learning into Problem-Based-Enhanced Language Learning (PBELL) into FPBL; describe the overall project-based designed and give details on selected problem-based sub-activities, explain how language and bilingualism is cultivated in the program, and present data that show the impact of the project on the participants.

Title: Conceptualizing a framework to support discipline-rich STEM projects in project-based learning

Abstract: Project-Based Learning (PBL) is positioned as a pedagogical approach to support authentic, discipline-rich STEM curricula. However, much of the research has focused on the effectiveness of researcher-created curricula rather than teacher-created curricula. In this manuscript, we seek to illuminate the ways in which teachers create discipline-rich STEM projects. Drawing on the theory of the curriculum enactment process, we analyzed the curriculum we created as secondary STEM teachers who designed and enacted project-based learning. From the analysis, we propose a framework to support teachers in creating discipline-rich STEM projects by attending to (1) the elements of PBL, (2) content storyline, and (3) disciplinary practices.