This chapter presents a range of inquiry-based approaches for scaffolding learning experiences in science education using a constructivist theoretical framework. Discussion will focus on understanding the underpinning constructs of inquiry-based approaches using the 5E approach and project-based learning as contemporary examples. The components of how single and sequenced science lessons/learning experiences can be designed to optimise students’ learning of targeted concepts will also be discussed.

Sociocultural approaches form a theoretical tradition that explains learning, identity development, and knowledge creation not merely as cognitive or as purely internal psychic processes. Rather it understands these educational phenomena relationally as practices that belong simultaneously to the development of the individual as well as to the society and its cultural ways of life. Commencing from these ideas, this chapter argues that undergraduate research and inquiry-based learning can be investigated as ways of ensuring student participation in and engagement with practices of doing research. A sociocultural view on these practices raises awareness of the broader context in which education develops, and how such development is influenced by all kinds of cultural and material relations. Higher education is not only understood within the boundaries of the university or the college. It can also be studied as culturally shaped by professional practices and ethics, or by epistemic cultures that form different manners of knowing. The focus on practices is important because it is a key to the reconstruction of ‘how we know what we know’ as a resource for student learning.

With radical changes in social problems and the need for research to be application-oriented a change has been noticed in undergraduate research (UR) as it tends to become interdisciplinary in nature. Interdisciplinary research is developing intensively, drawing from various fields of research as opposed to the traditional form of research. Although the institutionalization of UR is a relatively recent phenomenon within the higher education community, the roots of research-focused universities can be traced back to the nineteenth century with the Humboldtian model of higher education (i.e., the integration of research and teaching) and the founding of the University of Berlin. Interdisciplinary undergraduate research (IUR) takes UR to a higher cognitive level by conducting research with students across the sciences, humanities, and the arts. This chapter focuses on how IUR is being used to increase student engagement and academic achievement. Within this context, this chapter addresses the following two research questions: (1) How is UR fostered or transformed by interdisciplinarity to produce IUR? and (2) What are the future challenges of UR with respect to interdisciplinarity?

Research opportunities for undergraduate engineers vary widely in topics, tasks, and organization, yet they all convey knowledge and practices that are fundamental to engineering work and culture. This chapter outlines that engineering worldview and how it shapes undergraduate research opportunities, and then recommends best practices for undergraduate research in engineering.

The inquiry-based approach to learning has been successfully applied in science education. Inquiry-based learning is defined as an approach involving active, research-based learning in the classroom to acquire new knowledge and competences, either individually or collaboratively, in self-regulated learning settings. In this chapter five general inquiry phases are being discussed: Orientation, Conceptualization, Investigation, Conclusion, and Discussion. These phases and their corresponding sub-phases are interlinked in an inquiry cycle. While experiencing each phase the students will acquire research-based skills and further develop a wide range of soft skills as long as instructors provide adequate guidance and support.

Understanding individuals’ interest, motivation, and engagement is essential to designing for meaningful learning. We typically think of engaged learners as those who have a more developed interest in content (e.g., math, robotics, swimming) and are motivated to learn. But learners who are not engaged or who are unmotivated can also be assisted to meaningfully engage with content in ways that lead to deep learning. This chapter summarizes research on two questions for how to design for meaningful learning: What supports unmotivated individuals to become motivated to learn? How do we design tasks that enable those who are already engaged to continue to deepen their interest? The chapter summarizes five research studies that provide converging evidence that designing for meaningful learning requires (1) addressing the differences in learners’ interest, motivation, and engagement; (2) supporting learners in engaging in thinking about content with others. Learning environments can be designed to enable all learners, regardless of their initial engagement with material, to develop meaningful connections to content, thus optimizing their learning.

“How should STEM be presented to students? What are the evidence-informed approaches currently being used in Australia and around the world? Given that Australia doesn’t have an actual STEM curriculum, what should you do? What is ‘best practice#x2019; for implementing STEM education in schools?

This chapter covers all these questions and more. It outlines a range of economic, historical and pedagogical factors that have led to current implementation strategies for integrated STEM education in schools. It clarifies the purpose of STEM education, and poses questions for you to discuss with your colleagues. By the end of the chapter you should have a better understanding of how to design and implement a range of small-scale activities that involve STEM education in some way, with the goal of moving towards an interdisciplinary project-based approach to engage yourself and your students with STEM concepts.”