Discover education最新文献

{"title":"Building the cancer research workforce through implementation of the <i>RACE21</i> undergraduate cancer research and education program.","authors":"Michelle S Johnson, Kathleen C Haynie, Lalita A Shevde, J Michael Wyss","doi":"10.1007/s44217-026-02251-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44217-026-02251-w","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background: &lt;/strong&gt;Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the state of Alabama and disproportionately affects communities that are rural, of lower socioeconomic status, and individuals with high-risk, predisposing conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, advanced age, and diabetes. One method to address the increased burden of cancer is to expand the cancer research and clinical workforce. The Roadmap for America's Cancer Explorers for the 21st Century (&lt;i&gt;RACE21)&lt;/i&gt; is a National Cancer Institute-funded Youth Enjoy Science program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center aimed to develop a pathway to excite and attract students to cancer research and clinical careers by expanding cancer-related educational and research opportunities for undergraduate students.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;This study evaluated the &lt;i&gt;RACE21&lt;/i&gt; undergraduate cancer research training program using a mixed-methods evaluation design. Participants included early-stage undergraduate students engaged in mentored cancer research for up to four years with funded UAB mentors. Evaluation data included pre- and post-surveys of cancer research attitudes, confidence, career interests, scholar reflections, and interviews examining research identity and persistence towards science careers; documentation of research presentations and publications; and program participation records. Quantitative data were analyzed using pre/post statistical comparisons, and qualitative responses were analyzed thematically to examine program outcomes related to research engagement, community outreach, and career development.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;During its initial 5 years, &lt;i&gt;RACE21&lt;/i&gt; recruited 78 undergraduate students, of whom 51 have already graduated, achieving a 98.5% graduation rate. Scholars participated extensively in mentored cancer research across 43 faculty-led laboratories and achieved over 100 presentations at local, national, and international scientific meetings, as well as 53 peer-reviewed publications. Evaluative results showed increased confidence and engagement in cancer biology research, with significant gains in attitudes towards research participation. Community outreach through BioBridge summer camp facilitation reached more than 170 rising high school students, strengthening &lt;i&gt;RACE21&lt;/i&gt; scholars' communication and mentoring skills. Approximately 80% of program alumni are continuing their education in graduate school, medical training, or positions in cancer or healthcare.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;These findings suggest that &lt;i&gt;RACE21&lt;/i&gt; is a scalable and successful model for engaging and preparing undergraduate students for high-level cancer research education, demonstrating that sustained participation in authentic cancer research experiences strengthens students' confidence, research identity, and engagement, and increases their potential commitment to ca","PeriodicalId":72825,"journal":{"name":"Discover education","volume":"5 1","pages":"1127"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13642509/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149129440","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Empowering precollege data science education with an innovative learning portal.","authors":"Mohammad Assadi Shalmani, Craig Berg, Michael J Carvan, Renee A Hesselbach, David Petering, Kevin Schiebenes, Rekha Shukla, Henry G Tomasiewicz, Daniel N Weber, Jake Luo","doi":"10.1007/s44217-026-01537-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44217-026-01537-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Data science education in K-12 settings often lacks authentic, hands-on experiences that allow students to meaningfully engage with data practices such as data collection, organization, visualization, and interpretation. Project-based learning provides a pedagogically grounded approach for developing these skills by situating data work within real scientific inquiry. The NIH SEPA-funded WInSTEP-SEPA (Wisconsin Inquiry-based Science Teacher Education Partnership-Science Education Partnership Award) portal was designed to operationalize this approach by embedding data science and data literacy instruction directly into environmental health research projects conducted by high school students.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A multidisciplinary team of scientists, educators, and developers co-designed a web-based portal that supports student-led experimental design, structured data entry, visualization, and cross-study data exploration. The portal explicitly scaffolds core data literacy and introductory data science practices, including data generation, data management aligned with FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles, descriptive statistics, and graphical analysis. Learning outcomes were evaluated using matched pre- and post-instruction student surveys focused on data literacy and FAIR principles, along with teacher feedback.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our portal successfully supported hands-on data science and data literacy learning for students. High school students used the portal to investigate the effects of environmental exposures such as nicotine, caffeine, and ethanol on zebrafish embryo development. Students actively engaged in collecting, organizing, visualizing, and interpreting their own experimental data and comparing results across studies. Moreover, our pre-post survey analysis showed statistically significant gains in students' understanding of foundational data literacy concepts, particularly related to the meaning of data and FAIR data practices.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>By integrating hands-on experimentation with structured data workflows, the WInSTEP-SEPA portal connects project-based learning to concrete data science and data literacy practices in K-12 education. The evaluation demonstrates measurable improvements in students' data literacy and supports the portal's effectiveness as a scalable model for introducing authentic, data-driven scientific inquiry in secondary classrooms.</p>","PeriodicalId":72825,"journal":{"name":"Discover education","volume":"5 1","pages":"528"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13272206/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148280154","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How to create thinking environments in doctoral and research supervision.","authors":"Peter Hopkins, Elaine Lopez, Sally Waite, Rosalind Beaumont, Emily Jayne Knights, Renzo Szkwarok, Jen Bagelman","doi":"10.1007/s44217-026-01776-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-026-01776-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Higher education environments are often celebrated as contexts that generate high quality thinking. In this paper, we raise questions about this assumption with a specific focus on doctoral supervision. Most of the approaches or models available for doctoral supervision tend to focus on the nature of the relationships between supervisor(s) and supervisee, on issues of hierarchy, on the nature and quality of the relationship, or on concerns about pastoral support. While important, these approaches say relatively little about the ways in which doctoral students might be empowered and enabled to do their best thinking, for themselves. In this paper, we critically reflect on our employment of the Thinking Environment approach in doctoral supervision. Inspired by Nancy Kline's focus on creating 'time to think' in leadership and coaching contexts, we critically reflect on our use of this approach in doctoral supervision and the multiple benefits of this approach. As an interdisciplinary group of arts, humanities, and social science academics and doctoral researchers, we advocate for the increasing use of this model in doctoral and research supervision. We contend this approach - which centres mutual appreciation and witnessing - can generate significant benefits for doctoral students to enhance their independent thinking and improve their confidence in owning their own ideas thereby contributing to critical and creative approaches to doctoral education. Moreover, this model has the potential to transform the supervision experience for supervisors themselves, to enhance their practice and enjoyment of it.</p>","PeriodicalId":72825,"journal":{"name":"Discover education","volume":"5 1","pages":"722"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13481413/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148802355","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Adolescents' knowledge of and confidence in vaccines improves with board game play.","authors":"Brinley Kantorski, Kelly Bruzdewicz, Kara Fedje, Kristin M Bass, John A Pollock","doi":"10.1007/s44217-025-00683-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44217-025-00683-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A long history of misinformation has led to anti-vaccine sentiment, risking everyone's health. Despite public health campaigns, vaccine hesitancy rates have not declined. In response, we created an educational board game to address the fundamental science of vaccine development. The cooperative game guides players through identifying a novel pathogen, developing a vaccine, conducting animal testing, running clinical trials, and distributing doses to the public before the virulence takes over. Players need to work cooperatively, sharing resources in order to win the game; everyone wins or loses together. Developed in consultation with vaccine development researchers, the game retains many of the real world scientific and clinical challenges that face vaccine developers. Assessing students in six different communities in four different mid-west and eastern states in the United States provided access to a diverse demographic. We find that through a pre- post-assessment, students (grades 7-11, <i>n</i> = <i>304</i>) show significant gains in vaccine knowledge and confidence, demonstrating that fun, gamified learning can improve health literacy. After gameplay, students recognize that the soft skills of being a good communicator, being creative, and sharing resources are important for being a scientist.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s44217-025-00683-4.</p>","PeriodicalId":72825,"journal":{"name":"Discover education","volume":"4 1","pages":"245"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12276101/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144683726","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cards, cubes, and collaboration: a case study of the development of an educational board game.","authors":"Brinley Kantorski, Kelly Bruzdewicz, Sarah Will, John A Pollock","doi":"10.1007/s44217-025-00472-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44217-025-00472-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Games are a powerful tool for learning, offering unique benefits for student engagement, particularly when addressing complex or challenging topics. The general public's understanding of how vaccines are made is limited and the general public is unaware of the comprehensive research, development, and safety measures that are inherent in vaccine development. As such, we created a new educational game to address this knowledge gap. This case study examines the development process of an educational board game designed to enhance public understanding of vaccine development. The game, titled N.O.V.E.L.-Newly Observed Variant of Extreme Lethality, was created using a modified Backward Design methodology to align gameplay with specific educational standards and learning objectives. Designed for 2-4 players aged 10 and up, the cooperative game challenges participants to conceptually research a novel pathogen, develop an effective vaccine prototype, conduct animal testing and clinical trials, and distribute the vaccine-all while managing the spread of the disease. This case study details the iterative design process, including research and consultation with vaccine development experts, game prototyping, playtesting, refinement, and production. A key focus was balancing educational content with engaging gameplay mechanics to ensure both learning effectiveness and player enjoyment. Additional considerations such as original art, graphic design, teacher resources, alignment to educational standards, and animated videos were integrated to support accessibility and engagement in a classroom setting. The findings from this development process highlight best practices for designing educational board games and offer insights into how game-based learning can be used to communicate complex scientific concepts.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s44217-025-00472-z.</p>","PeriodicalId":72825,"journal":{"name":"Discover education","volume":"4 1","pages":"79"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11968499/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143796949","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence and factors associated with research misconduct among faculty in selected public universities in Eastern Uganda: a cross-sectional study.","authors":"Emmanuel Tiyo Ayikobua, Ian G Munabi, Sylvia Nabukenya, Ronald Opito, Erisa Sabakaki Mwaka","doi":"10.1007/s44217-025-00945-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44217-025-00945-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We report the prevalence and associated factors of self-reported research misconduct (RM) among 70 faculty members across two recently established public universities in Eastern Uganda. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted using a structured, anonymized self-administered questionnaire adapted from the Scientific Misconduct Questionnaire-Revised (SMQ-R). Data were analyzed using STATA version 16.0. Descriptive statistics summarized participant characteristics; bivariate and multivariable logistic regression were used to identify predictors of RM. The overall prevalence of self-reported RM, defined as engagement in any one of fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism (FFP), was 31.4% (22/70). Plagiarism and falsification were each reported by 20.0% of participants, while fabrication was reported by 1.4%. Most respondents were male (72.9%), held master's-level qualifications (70.0%), and had received prior ethics training (81.4%). In multivariable analysis, prior ethics training (aOR = 0.27; 95% CI 0.07-0.98; p = 0.046) and the perception that RM is unacceptable (aOR = 0.27; 95% CI 0.07-0.98; p = 0.046) were independently associated with lower odds of self-reported RM. These findings indicate that RM is relatively common among faculty in Eastern Uganda. Although prior ethics training was associated with lower odds of self -reported RM, the persistence of misconduct suggests that existing ethics training programs need strengthening in both quality and institutional integration. Also, A multifaceted approach is needed to foster research integrity within academic institutions.</p>","PeriodicalId":72825,"journal":{"name":"Discover education","volume":"4 1","pages":"548"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12705828/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145776585","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Maternal perspectives on COVID-19 kindergarten learning impacts: a qualitative study of families with low income.","authors":"Khara L P Turnbull, Brianna Jaworski, Deiby Mayaris Cubides Mateus, Frances L Coolman, Jennifer LoCasale-Crouch, Rachel Y Moon, Fern R Hauck, Ann Kellams, Eve R Colson","doi":"10.1007/s44217-025-00421-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44217-025-00421-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this paper, we aim to understand maternal perspectives on: (1) COVID-19 pandemic learning impacts for kindergartners from low-income households; and (2) Factors that mitigated or exacerbated impacts on learning. We conducted a qualitative study with 22 mothers of low-income households in the United States who had kindergarten-age children. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews, mothers reflected on their experiences during the 2020-21 school year. We used an iterative approach for developing and revising codes and themes emerging from the transcribed interview data until we reached thematic saturation. Many mothers noted negative learning impacts, but some noted positive impacts that they attributed to active parental engagement in their child's learning. Mothers described several family-level and school-level supports and barriers to their child's learning. Fewer mothers described supports and barriers pertaining to their social circle or their larger community. The most commonly reported supports included: economic and social supports that allowed the time and financial means to engage actively in their child's learning, mental health supports to strengthen family functioning, and regular, timely, and open home-school communication.</p>","PeriodicalId":72825,"journal":{"name":"Discover education","volume":"4 1","pages":"34"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11825573/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143433660","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hands-on summer research programs at Indiana university Simon comprehensive cancer center.","authors":"Elizabeth S Yeh, Shannon M Hawkins, Jessica Byram, Daenique H A Jengelley, Gayle A Buck, J Adam Scribner, Harikrishna Nakshatri","doi":"10.1007/s44217-025-00982-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s44217-025-00982-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cancer treatment has improved dramatically over the last thirty years, with mortality rates dropping by 34% from 1991 to 2022. Continued innovations in cancer treatment require an energized workforce. To support workforce development in cancer research, the Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center initiated its first summer research program in 2002. Over the first 22 years of the program, more than 300 participants participated, averaging 14 per summer. The intent of our program participants is to continue careers in health-related fields, thus contributing positively to the program goals. This small, yet sustained program, initially funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (CURE) training program, transformed into three nationally-funded programs: the NCI R25-funded Educational Pathways in Cancer Research (EPCR) and Summer Program for Academic Research in Cancer (SPARC) programs and an American Cancer Society (ACS) sponsored Center for Innovation in Cancer Research Training program. The programs aim to increase the number of biomedical science researchers with an emphasis on cancer research, with each program targeting subtly different learners. Here, we report the outcomes of the previous summer interns, the organizational structure of the new programs, and the early data on the latest expansion of the programs. While early programs focused on high school and early undergraduate students, these new programs add innovative opportunities to middle school students, high school science teachers, and medical students. These programs offer innovative educational opportunities for young learners to build skills and gain experience, offering interns the potential to excel, grow, and develop into impactful members of the biomedical workforce.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s44217-025-00982-w.</p>","PeriodicalId":72825,"journal":{"name":"Discover education","volume":"4 1","pages":"518"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12660335/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145650206","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Novice teachers reflexively explicate their internal moral dialogues linked with their practical experiences in Dutch primary schools","authors":"Robert M. Gertsen","doi":"10.1007/s44217-024-00202-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-024-00202-x","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72825,"journal":{"name":"Discover education","volume":"59 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141923472","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A reflexive thematic analysis exploring the experiences of undergraduate women in STEM in Bangladesh","authors":"Parinda Rahman","doi":"10.1007/s44217-024-00185-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-024-00185-9","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72825,"journal":{"name":"Discover education","volume":"31 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141810193","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}