Previous research demonstrates that social and interpersonal factors, more than academic preparation, affect decisions by under-represented students to stay in or to leave STEM fields. Yet, much of the theorizing about STEM learning in higher education begins with conceptual and epistemological dimensions. We make the case for a new theoretical…

This article examines the pedagogical practices of two science inquiry teachers and their students using a Web-based system called Web of Inquiry (WOI). There is a need to build a collective repertoire of pedagogical practices that can assist elementary and middle school teachers as they support students to develop a complex model of inquiry based…

Changes in participant structures in classroom environments are often examined in terms of their effects on student learning. In this study, we proposed a way of examining participant structures in terms of power. According to Wertsch (1998) "the emergence of new cultural tools transforms power and authority" (p. 65). When researchers or teachers…

Examined the complex interactions among student engagement, scientific-thinking practices, and student role taking and social interaction in the context of school-based science lessons. Found that students in an intellectual-roles plus audience-roles condition were more active in initiating engagement episodes than those in intellectual roles only…