Open research questions in Science Education and Perceptions
218 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 2,355 Science Education and Perceptions papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.
What the literature leaves open
The gendered exposure gap that disadvantages girls early on. The lack of engineering-themed toys that are appealing to girls and incorporate feminine themes.
Mini Makers: Modeling Manufacturing Through Toys to Spark Engineering Interest in Girls from Early Childhood to Secondary School · 2026 · DOIThe lack of biographies about women scientists is a problem. The progress is even slower for books about other underrepresented minorities in these fields.
There is a documented dearth of representation across women and minorities in STEM fields. There is a need for programs that engage students in STEM topics and help them develop literacy skills.
The creation of additional kits. The development of Checkout STEAM kits to include art books and materials. The design of kits that complement library programs.
The STEM achievement and participation gap. The lack of access to high-quality STEM-literacy learning experiences for children.
The program had challenges with attendance due to factors such as lack of transportation and concentrated apartment facilities for publicizing the academies. The program had to be adapted to accommodate families who could not commit to a two-week session.
There is a need for research-based programs that teach STEM concepts to young children. There is a lack of community-wide collaboration in STEM education.
The influence of peer attitudes and values on adolescents has not been closely examined in science education. Prior work has not investigated the relationship between peer and individual attitudes toward science during grades six through ten.
Relationships between peer and individual attitudes toward science among adolescent students · 1985 · DOIThe study is limited in scope. The number of children observed is small, with only 30 fifth-grade students participating.
Children's understanding of inheritance is influenced by their age and prior knowledge. Many students have naive and primitive beliefs about inheritance. Teachers need to recognize and address these beliefs in their teaching.
Children's understanding of inheritance is not well-studied. There is a lack of research on how children's understanding of inheritance develops over time.
There is a need to investigate the relationship between pupils' attitudes and factors associated with fieldwork teaching in schools. There is a lack of understanding about the types of fieldwork activities pupils undertake and their attitudes towards fieldwork.
Biological fieldwork–a study of the attitudes of sixth-form pupils in a sample of schools in England and Wales · 1985 · DOIMany college students were not immunized against rubella. There was a need for an effective method to educate college students about the dangers of rubella.
The identification of gifted students is a major challenge in education. The paper highlights the need for a comprehensive approach to gifted education. The emphasis on exceptionality as a key criterion for selection poses challenges for educational policy.
Future research could involve further development of the ESTEAM project's approach. This could include expanding the scope of the project to include more pupils and schools.
The gap is the need for special provision for very able pupils in science. The typical secondary school science curricula may not provide sufficient challenge for these pupils.
Many children at this age often cannot or will not verbalize their attitudes. The lack of ability to read or write limits the use of group tests. Individual tests are time-consuming and may invoke socially-desirable responses in the children.
Further studies can examine the perceptions of scientists among older students or adults. Further studies can examine the effectiveness of science education programs in promoting positive perceptions of scientists.
Further development of hands-on experiments for students with special needs, - Investigation of the effectiveness of the approach for different learning styles and abilities
The need for alternative approaches to traditional science curricula for students with special needs, - The lack of accessible and engaging science materials for students with special needs
There is a need for a framework to teach scientific methodology to elementary gifted children. There is a lack of research on the effectiveness of field-based approaches in developing scientific inquiry skills.
Establishing Scientific Methodology with Elementary Gifted Children through Field Biology · 1983 · DOIThe paper identifies a gap in the literature regarding the emotional impact of growing up gifted. The paper identifies a need for strategies to enhance creativity at home and in the classroom.
Problems of self-esteem, labeling, underachievement, and grading practices for the gifted. The need for career education, counseling, and support for the disadvantaged gifted, gifted females, and handicapped gifted.
The paper identifies the need for a more comprehensive approach to educating gifted children. The importance of parents in actualizing the giftedness of each child is highlighted.
Providing a holistic education that caters to the needs of gifted youth - Overcoming the myth that social-emotional difficulties are synonymous with accelerative programs - Developing effective approaches to educating gifted youth
Most-cited papers in Science Education and Perceptions
- “Doing” science versus “being” a scientist: Examining 10/11‐year‐old schoolchildren's constructions of science through the lens of identity · Science Education · 2010 · 469 citations
- Aspiring to greater intellectual humility in science · Nature Human Behaviour · 2021 · 90 citations
- Science Interests in Preschool Boys and Girls: Relations to Later Self‐Concept and Science Achievement · Science Education · 2013 · 89 citations
- “You could like science and not be a science person”: Black girls' negotiation of space and identity in science · Science Education · 2021 · 57 citations
- From old school to open science: The implications of new research norms for educational psychology and beyond · Educational Psychologist · 2021 · 45 citations
- Gender, stereotypes and grade level in the draw-a-scientist test in Italian schoolchildren · International Journal of Science Education · 2021 · 43 citations
- Using deepfakes for experiments in the social sciences - A pilot study · Frontiers in Sociology · 2022 · 42 citations
- Students' understandings about animal skeletons · International Journal of Science Education · 1999 · 42 citations
- Measuring informal STEM learning supports across contexts and time · International Journal of STEM Education · 2019 · 41 citations
- Classroom-based citizen science: impacts on students’ science identity, nature connectedness, and curricular knowledge · Environmental Education Research · 2021 · 40 citations
Most recent work
- A Guy With Messed Up Hair and a Lab Coat: The Nature of Science, Scientists and Science Teaching With Preservice Early Childhood Teachers · School Science and Mathematics · 2026
- Shifting Perceptions about Microbes and Scientists: Reflections on Activities with High School Students · Integrative Organismal Biology · 2026
- Mini Makers: Modeling Manufacturing Through Toys to Spark Engineering Interest in Girls from Early Childhood to Secondary School · 2026
- Images of Scientists and Views About Scientists Among Gifted 4th-Grade Primary School Students · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
- The 15-to 18-year-old study · Youth · 2026
- Conceptual Misconceptions About Fungi in Tenth-Grade Students and Their Relationship to Scientific Curiosity · Educational Process International Journal · 2026
- Who Gets to Wonder? Astronomy, Gender, and the Cultural Politics of STEM Education · Canadian Journal of Science Mathematics and Technology Education · 2026
- Correction: Adolescents in Care Are Also Interested in Science: Impact of Extending Learning Time Through STEM Actions · Canadian Journal of Science Mathematics and Technology Education · 2026
- DAST: Exploring middle school-aged girls’ perceptions of scientists upon participating in an outdoor learning experience · Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education · 2026
- Nature to Nurture · The International Journal of Design Education · 2026
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