This book addresses the point of intersection between cognition, metacognition, and culture in learning and teaching Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). We explore theoretical background and cutting-edge research about how various forms of cognitive and metacognitive instruction may enhance learning and thinking in STEM classrooms from K-12 to university and in different cultures and countries. Over the past several years, STEM education research has witnessed rapid growth, attracting considerable interest among scholars and educators. The book provides an updated collection of studies about cognition, metacognition and culture in the four STEM domains. The field of research, cognition and metacognition in STEM education still suffers from ambiguity in meanings of key concepts that various researchers use. This book is organized according to a unique manner: Each chapter features one of the four STEM domains and one of the three themes—cognition, metacognition, and culture—and defines key concepts. This matrix-type organization opens a new path to knowledge in STEM education and facilitates its understanding. The discussion at the end of the book integrates these definitions for analyzing and mapping the STEM education research. Chapter 4 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com

This book takes the reader on a journey of metacognitive learning. You are invited to explore mental processes to understand and learn key concepts. The authors help readers discover their learning potential by informing them about how thought processes work, while also offering practical strategies and techniques. This book not only offers a deep understanding of the learning process but also offers readers practical steps to improve their cognitive abilities. If you want to discover and develop your learning potential, this book will be an indispensable guide for you.

This edited volume focuses on challenges facing science education across three areas: curriculum, teacher education, and pedagogy. Integrating a diverse range of perspectives from both emerging and established scholars in the field, chapters consider the need for measured responses to issues in society that have become pronounced in recent years, including lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, the environment, and persisting challenges in STEM teaching and learning. In doing so, the editors and their authors chart a potential course for existing and future possibilities and probabilities for science education.

This edited volume brings forth intriguing, novel and innovative research in the field of science education. The chapters in the book deal with a wide variety of topics and research approaches, conducted in various contexts and settings, all adding a strong contribution to knowledge on science teaching and learning. The book is comprised of selected high-quality studies that were presented at the 11th European Science Education Research Association (ESERA) Conference, held in Helsinki, Finland from 31 August to 4 September, 2015. The ESERA science education research community consists of professionals with diverse disciplinary backgrounds from natural sciences to social sciences. This diversity provides a rich understanding of cognitive and affective aspects of science teaching and learning in this volume. The studies in this book will invoke discussion and ignite further interest in finding new ways of doing and researching science education for the future and looking fo r international partners for both science education and science education research. The twenty-five chapters showcase current orientations of research in science education and are of interest to science teachers, teacher educators and science education researchers around the world with a commitment to evidence-based and forward-looking science teaching and learning.

This book reports on a study on physics problem solving in real classrooms situations. Problem solving plays a pivotal role in the physics curriculum at all levels. However, physics students’ performance in problem solving all too often remains limited to basic routine problems, with evidence of poor performance in solving problems that go beyond equation retrieval and substitution. Adopting an action research methodology, the study bridges the `research-practical divide ́ by explicitly teaching physics problem-solving strategies through collaborative group problem-solving sessions embedded within the curriculum. Data were collected using external assessments and video recordings of individual and collaborative group problem-solving sessions by 16-18 year-olds. The analysis revealed a positive shift in the students’ problem-solving patterns, both at group and individual level. Students demonstrated a deliberate, well-planned deployment of the taught strategies. The marked positive shifts in collaborative competences, cognitive competences, metacognitive processing and increased self-efficacy are positively correlated with attainment in problem solving in physics. However, this shift proved to be due to different mechanisms triggered in the different students.

Pupils often make poor choices when it comes to independent learning because they don’t intuitively understand how to learn. In the classroom too, they typically misjudge how well they understand new concepts, overestimate the accuracy of their own examples and underestimate how much they forget. This book reveals how a metacognitive approach to teaching can help overcome these challenges and support pupils in their learning. This approach can help them in developing the skills to become successful, self-regulated learners. Drawing on key research from cognitive science, this book explores how metacognition works in practice and argues that it is a complex skill best developed over months and years at school. It provides a blueprint for how ‘learning to learn’ alongside ‘quick wins’ that teachers can implement straight away. Chapters cover: • The metacognitive processes that underpin effective learning • Myths about learning, and how pupils’ memory really works • Quick-to-apply classroom strategies for before, during, and after tasks • Different independent study techniques and how to embed them • Developing a culture of metacognition Full of practical strategies and case studies, this is essential reading for all teachers who want to help their pupils become successful learners in school as well as independent learners for their exam revision and beyond.