In efforts to increase scientific literacy and enhance the preparation of learners to pursue careers in science, there are growing opportunities for students and teachers to engage in scientific research experiences, including course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), undergraduate research experiences (UREs), and teacher research experiences (TREs). Prior literature reviews detail a variety of models, benefits, and challenges and call for the continued examination of program elements and associated impacts. This paper reports a comprehensive review of 307 papers published between 2007 and 2017 that include CURE, URE, and TRE programs, with a special focus on research experiences for K–12 teachers. A research-supported conceptual model of science research experiences was used to develop a coding scheme, including participant demographics, theoretical frameworks, methodology, and reported outcomes. We summarize recent reports on program impacts and identify gaps or misalignments between goals and measured outcomes. The field of biology was the predominant scientific disciplinary focus. Findings suggest a lack of studies explicitly targeting 1) participation and outcomes related to learners from underrepresented populations, 2) a theoretical framework that guides program design and analysis, and, for TREs, 3) methods for translation of research experiences into K–12 instructional practices, and 4) measurement of impact on K–12 instructional practices.

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The authors designed and taught an introductory molecular and cell biology course integrating math and biology throughout the course, and designed a pre/postcourse assessment to measure student gains on biology and bio-math concepts. Students in the experimental section made greater gains on bio-math and comparable gains on biology assessment items than did students in other sections.

In this work we investigate the peer grading assignments which were an integral part of the astronomy Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) "Astronomy: Exploring Time and Space" provided through Coursera from March to May 2015. Our general goal is to assess the role of peer graded assignments in such courses and how they contribute to students' learning and motivation. In order to achieve this broad goal we look at the peer grading process from multiple perspectives. We present an analysis of demographics for peer grading participants and show how they are different from the general course population. We also look at different aspects of peer grading assignments such as lengths of essays, time spent grading, number of gradings performed, final grades and percentage of relevant videos watched. We compare these distributions for different assignments and also their correlations on a level of individual learners. We show that participation in the first peer graded assignment is the best predictor of completion for the course as a whole. Moreover, learners who did well on the first peer graded assignment show better engagement and do better in the course overall. Finally, we report on validity and reliability of peer graders as compared to instructor graders and trained undergraduate graders.

The 2-MEV model is a widely used tool to monitor children's environmental perception by scoring individual values. Although the scale's validity has been confirmed repeatedly and independently as well as the scale is in usage within more than two dozen language units all over the world, longitudinal properties still need clarification. The purpose of the present study therefore was to validate the 2-MEV scale based on a large data basis of 10,676 children collected over an eightyear period. Cohorts of three different US states contributed to the sample by responding to a paper-and-pencil questionnaire within their pre-test initiatives in the context of field center programs. Since we used only the pre-program 2-MEV scale results (which is before participation in education programs), the data were clearly unspoiled by any follow-up interventions. The purpose of analysis was fourfold: First, to test and confirm the hypothesized factorized structure for the large data set and for the subsample of each of the three states. Second, to analyze the scoring pattern across the eight years' time range for both preservation and utilitarian preferences. Third, to investigate any age effects in the extracted factors. Finally, to extract suitable recommendations for educational implementation efforts.