Ruurd Taconis
Department / Institute
Group
RESEARCH PROFILE
Ruurd Taconis is Associate Professor and Director of Education at Eindhoven School of Education at Eindhoven University of Technology.
He is a senior researcher with a focus on ICT in education and teacher professionalization, cognitive development in STEM (problem solving, design-based learning, context-based education) and science identity and accessibility of STEM education.
Taconis is also the chair of the STEM section of VOR, uniting Dutch and Flemish educational researchers focusing on those topics.
Society needs more and better engineers and STEM teachers. Students’ identity is a key aspect. Building that identity and motivation is the central aim and focus of my research!
ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
Ruurd Taconis holds an MSc in Physics from Radboud University Nijmegen (1986) and a PhD in Education and Science Education from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). He worked as research assistant at Utrecht University from 1987 to 1989 and as a physics teacher in secondary education and at the Fontys University of Applied Sciences until 1991. He held the position of researcher and teacher trainer at Eindhoven University from 1989 to 1996 and was a researcher and project leader at Utrecht University from 1994 to 1998. In 1998, Taconis returned to Eindhoven University of Technology where he became Director of Education at the Eindhoven School of Education.
Key Publications
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Reviewing the relations between teachers’ knowledge and pupils’ attitude in the field of primary technology education.
International Journal of Technology and Design Education (2010) -
Teaching science problem solving: an overview of experimental work
Journal of Research in Science Teaching (2001) -
How choosing science depends on students' individual fit to 'science culture'
International Journal of Science Education (2009) -
Perceptions of STEM-based outreach learning activities in secondary education
Learning Environments Research (2017) -
Promoting science and technology in primary education : a review of integrated curricula
Studies in Science Education (2014)
Ancillary Activities
No ancillary activities