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Education Sciences
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STEM Practices in Informal Education Spaces
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STEM Practices in Informal Education Spaces

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "STEM Education".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 5397

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Seamus Delaney

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Education, Deakin University, Melbourne, VIC 3125, Australia
Interests: chemistry education; informal science education (out-of-school contexts, outreach); teacher education; augmented and virtual reality; sustainability
Dr. Linda Hobbs

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Education, Deakin University, Melbourne, VIC 3125, Australia
Interests: science education; STEM education; teacher education; teacher professional learning; out-of-field teaching; teacher identity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The STEM-based education of the 21st century strives to find a balance between student skills and competency development in the classroom, as well as engaging students with the breadth of informal and out-of-school contexts available today. However, rising to the challenge of complex and ‘wicked’ problems, both in local and global contexts, requires proactive steps across all sectors of education, including in informal education.

Teachers are often specialised in particular subjects or disciplines, although by exploring informal STEM contexts, STEM can refer to individual STEM disciplines or integrated approaches to STEM.

For this Special Issue of the Education Sciences journal, we invite submissions aiming to present recent advances in research, theory, policy and practice relating to the relevance of informal STEM education. We welcome interdisciplinary or subject-specific approaches to science, technology, engineering or mathematics and encourage submissions incorporating action research, evaluations, case studies, mixed methods, as well as qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis.

Key questions that could be addressed include, but are not limited to:

  • What education values and contributions occur outside of the formal education setting?
  • How can teachers engage with STEM practice, learning and teaching in ways that occur outside of their formal classrooms?
  • How can teaching and learning be incorporated into nonschool settings, such as science, maths and technology learning centres and museums, or into outreach and extracurricular programs based inside or outside the university or industrial sector settings?
  • How can policy influence education in informal STEM settings? What is needed to capture the regulatory requirements around how teachers approach teaching science, maths and technology?
  • What practices can encourage the engagement of teachers with citizen science initiatives, socioscientific issues and activism, such as in energy technology, climate change and sustainable development?

Dr. Seamus Delaney
Dr. Linda Hobbs
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.

Keywords

  • STEM education

  • informal education
  • out-of-school contexts
  • outreach
  • interdisciplinary
  • extracurricular programs
  • education policy
  • socioscientific issues

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1347 KiB  
Article
Makerspaces and Making Data: Learning from Pre-Service Teachers’ STEM Experiences in a Community Makerspace
by Helen Douglass
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(6), 538; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13060538 - 24 May 2023
Viewed by 1174
Abstract
As the student population in the United States (US) is becoming more diverse, educator preparation programs are seeking ways to make the teacher workforce more diverse, which involves diversification of training experiences. Informal spaces, which can include integrated science, mathematics, engineering and technology [...] Read more.
As the student population in the United States (US) is becoming more diverse, educator preparation programs are seeking ways to make the teacher workforce more diverse, which involves diversification of training experiences. Informal spaces, which can include integrated science, mathematics, engineering and technology (STEM) opportunities, are not traditionally part of teacher preparation, although teachers are being asked to occupy these STEM spaces with more frequency. Including informal experiences in a community STEM makerspace, which highlights digital fabrication, creativity, and problem solving, diversifies teacher preparation by extending beyond both the university setting and the elementary classroom. This exploratory case study with elementary (primary) pre-service teachers in a science and math methods (vis a vis STEM) class examines experiences they have in a community makerspace in a qualitative study, which uses Data Engagement (DE) as a methodological framework. DE draws upon intersectional feminist, critical, and materialist theories. Assembled and made data from observations in the makerspace, pre- and post-maker reflections, and responses to a modified in-person interview protocol reveal that, despite more open-ended and complex challenges than those experienced in class, participants reported positive future-thinking, less content dread, and more agency in perceived efficacy. These results invite further study and conversation about including informal STEM maker experiences in US teacher preparation as a step to increasing diversity in the teacher workforce. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue STEM Practices in Informal Education Spaces)
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18 pages, 6422 KiB  
Article
Extracurricular Program for Girls to Improve Competencies and Self-Concept in Science and Technology
by Erica Ruiz-Bartolomé and Ileana M. Greca
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(1), 70; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13010070 - 10 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1612
Abstract
The gender gap in STEM areas is still a reality that constitutes a global concern. Many initiatives have sought to strengthen the scientific-technological aspirations of girls, among them extracurricular programs such as the one we present here. Its design is based on the [...] Read more.
The gender gap in STEM areas is still a reality that constitutes a global concern. Many initiatives have sought to strengthen the scientific-technological aspirations of girls, among them extracurricular programs such as the one we present here. Its design is based on the available scientific evidence to promote female interest and self-concept in those areas. In this study, we analyze the impact of the extracurricular activities on the development of competencies and perceptive self-evaluation skills among eight girls aged between 8 and 11 years old regarding science and technology. The results showed the effectiveness of the extracurricular activities both for the development of skills and for the improvement of levels of self-concept, interest, and participation, which leads us to highlight the need to promote initiatives of this sort in order to overcome gender stereotypes and to achieve equality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue STEM Practices in Informal Education Spaces)
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16 pages, 408 KiB  
Article
Inquiry in a Science Museum: Science Museum Educators’ Views and Practices
by Maria Karnezou and Petros Kariotoglou
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(12), 865; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12120865 - 25 Nov 2022
Viewed by 1550
Abstract
Our study looks into science museum educators’ views and their practices about inquiry in non-formal venues, such as NOESIS, Greece. On this ground, we developed an interview protocol to use as a basis in the semi-structured interviews conducted with four science museum educators [...] Read more.
Our study looks into science museum educators’ views and their practices about inquiry in non-formal venues, such as NOESIS, Greece. On this ground, we developed an interview protocol to use as a basis in the semi-structured interviews conducted with four science museum educators to cast light on their views about inquiry. In addition, an observation protocol was modified in order to observe their practices when implementing educational programs for school groups. Data analysis showed that in regard to the museum educators’ views, they all expressed a slightly different view about inquiry, which was either empirically or intuitively based. They all agreed that inquiry is easier adopted in non-formal settings and argued that students’ main gain when they get engaged in inquiry-based activities is the actual involvement they experience. As regards the museum educators’ practices, a repertoire of teaching approaches was observed, ranging from a traditional teacher-centered approach to open inquiry. Building on our data, we suggest the development and implementation of a professional development course that will enrich science museum educators’ inquiry views and practices and empower them to integrate inquiry-based practices into their own. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue STEM Practices in Informal Education Spaces)
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