Volume 9, Issue 3, of Middle Grades Research Journal is a special themed issue focused on STEM Teaching and Learning in the Middle Grades. This issue addresses the many concerns facing middle grades education at the interface of STEM fields: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. As national rhetoric focuses on “college and career readiness,” STEM fields gain even more significance for the long-term success of students. The middle grades are the arena in which the passion for STEM is ignited and fostered. Therefore, the research contained in this issue is both pertinent and cogent for enhancing collective understanding of the dynamics of STEM instruction in these critically important grades.
This special issue has been coedited by Robert M. Capraro, associate editor of this journal and acknowledged leader in the field of STEM research, and Sun Young Han, assistant professor of STEM & Mathematics Education at the College of Education at Texas Tech University. The articles in this issue draw from diverse research environments and multifac-eted lenses. Together they provide a mosaic of understanding that is sharply focused in each component piece and rich in its entirety. We are grateful to Dr. Capraro and Dr. Han for taking the lead in providing this compendium for both researchers and practitioners in the middle grades.
