Positive student outcomes of undergraduate research experiences (UREs) have been well documented, however, many studies have neglected the logical relationship among outcomes, the processes through which they are achieved, and the contextual and participant factors at play in UREs. This study uses structural equation modeling to explore these issues in a URE program. The study tested a hypothesized model of the mediating effect of participant research self-efficacy on the relationship between their research skills and desire to persist in science. Results indicate that research skills and research self-efficacy predict student aspirations for research careers, and that the effects of research skills are partially mediated through self-efficacy beliefs. # 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 50: 940-951, 2013

Objective: The main objective of the present study was to develop and evaluate a nutrition education curriculum to enhance young children's dietary behaviours and nutrition and health knowledge. Design: A randomized controlled design was utilized. The intervention was designed to improve children's nutrition and health knowledge and preferences for fruits and vegetables through classroom lessons and activities, including direct instruction and tastings (implemented twice per week for 6 weeks). Setting: The study took place in elementary schools in a Midwestern US state. Subjects: One hundred and thirty-one 2nd grade children from ten classrooms (n 82 intervention, n 49 control) participated. Results: Multiple regression analyses that adjusted SE for clustering by classroom were used to test hypotheses. Children in the intervention condition demonstrated significantly higher scores on the nutrition and health survey ( β = 0·47, P = 0·001) and showed greater preferences for fruits and vegetables at post-test than the control group ( β = 0·19, P = 0·003). Conclusions: Findings suggest that a short, 6-week intervention that aligns with educational standards has the ability to significantly enhance children's outcomes and thus may be a more feasible option for teachers to incorporate into their classrooms than what is currently available.

Background U.S. children are failing to meet the recommended daily 4 cups of fruits and vegetables. New federal guidelines were implemented for healthier school lunches for the National School Lunch Programs (NSLP). Consequently, students waste large amounts of fruits and vegetables. Several organizations advocate implementation of classroom nutrition education programs as a school nutrition policy. OPEN ACCESSCitation: Serebrennikov D, Katare B, Kirkham L, Schmitt S (2020) Effect of classroom intervention on student food selection and plate waste: Evidence from a randomized control trial. PLoS ONE 15(1): e0226181. https://doi.org/10.

Engineering design problems are ill‐structured, and as a result, learners find it challenging to engage productively in relevant practices of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation for solving problems in the domain. Teachers find it particularly difficult to effectively support such engagement. Thus, there is a need to understand how teachers orchestrate their classrooms for maximizing opportunities for students to engage in these practices. In this paper, we use the case study methodology to investigate how teachers materialize and enact engineering design practices in a CAD simulation‐enhanced learning environment. Three teachers (cases) provide evidence for the following orchestration techniques—scaffolding development of students' expertise via teacher‐guided decomposition of problem space, apriori teacher‐led parameter determination, and student‐generated contrasting cases. These techniques scaffolded students' engagement in engineering design practices in all three cases. Common themes across the three cases—problem decomposition, modeling of expert practices, and facilitating students' active involvement—revealed a combination of pedagogical strategies that were interconnected and made evident through the cognitive apprenticeship model. The strategies suggest the integration of types of knowledge and engineering practices required for effective apprenticeships in similar contexts.

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