New qualitative research methods continue to emerge in response to factors such as renewed interest in mixed methods, better understanding of the importance of a researcher’s philosophical stance, as well as the increased use of technology in data collection and analysis, to name a few. As a result, those facilitating research methods courses must revisit content and instructional strategies in order to prepare well-informed researchers. Approaches range from paradigm to pragmatic emphasis. This descriptive case study of a doctoral seminar for novice qualitative researchers describes the intricacies of the syllabus of a pragmatic approach in a constructivist/social constructionist learning environment. The purpose was to document the delivery and faculty/student interactions and reactions. Noteworthy were the contradictions and frustrations in the delivery as well as in student experiences. In the end, student input led to seminal learning experiences. The confirmation of the effectiveness of a constructivist/social constructivist learning environment is applicable to higher education pedagogy in general.

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An Earth science professional-development program for in-service middle-and high school teachers increased participants' content knowledge about weather, climate, and climate change in addition to increasing their confidence in their assessment and teaching skills. The curriculum and funding gave them time, funding, and the help of content and pedagogic experts to build and test new lesson plans on these topics. During the summer workshop, the teachers participated in field trips, hands-on lab experiences, and cooperative inquiry projects. They studied weather and mechanisms that determine climate during the first week. The second week focused on geologic time and changes in the Earth system that drive climate changes on long timescales. The major topic for the third week was anthropogenic climate change. During the workshop, the teachers designed lesson plans for multi-day units on workshop topics. The teachers took a content pre-test at the start of the summer workshop and a posttest at the end. Their average score increased from 38.1% to 75.6%. The follow-up program included three meetings and two classroom visits by a veteran teacher during the subsequent school year. The participants taught their lesson plans and administered to their own students pre-and post-tests that they had designed. Their class scores showed normalized gains ranging from 16% to 88%. Surveys taken at the beginning of the summer workshop and the end of the follow-up program indicated an average increase in their confidence of their ability to teach science and in their willingness to employ hands-on, cooperative, and inquiry learning techniques in their classrooms.

En el presente artículo, se ha investigado la relación existente entre el rendimiento académico y la satisfacción con la institución educativa en alumnos universitarios. Nuestra hipótesis de partida era que se hallaría una correlación positiva entre ambas variables. Para ello, se utilizó una muestra de 101 estudiantes de Licenciatura en Psicología de la Universidad de Granada. El instrumento de evaluación que se ha utilizado es el SEUE (Satisfacción de los Estudiantes Universitarios con su Educación) de Gento y Vivas (2003). Este instrumento incluye una serie de subdimensiones acerca del constructo estudiado que hemos tenido en cuenta en el análisis estadístico. Tras el análisis de los resultados hemos comprobado que no se ha confirmado la hipótesis, ya que no se observa una correlación significativa entre las variables estudiadas. Junto con la discusión de los resultados, incluimos una serie de limitaciones a tener en cuenta para futuras investigaciones.

The current collaborative National Science Foundation Research Experience for Teachers (NSF-RET) site placed seventeen in-service and pre-service teachers with research mentors at one of the three regional universities WSU, CSU, and UD to work on engineering research projects. These research projects were chosen in such a way so that they were relevant to regional strengths in advanced manufacturing and materials. In addition to research, the RET teachers participated in various professional development (PD) activities such as “boot camp” facilitated by ASM Materials Education Foundation prior to the start of their research experience, field trips, seminars given by guest speakers and group work that produced K-12 curriculum related to the teams’ research experience. The teacher groups also presented the developed STEM curriculum and the final laboratory project results, and provided regular guided reflections regarding their efforts during the six-week program. This paper presents a brief overview of the collaborative RET project and details the achievement during the first project year. Emphasis is given to the collaborative PD activities of all seventeen teachers and the research projects performed by the two WSU RET groups comprised of four in-service and two pre-service teachers.