William F. McComas Data-verified

Affiliation confirmed via AI analysis of OpenAlex, ORCID, and web sources.

Federal Grant PI

Distinguished Professor

University of Arkansas

Last publication 2026 Last refreshed 2026-05-22

faculty

34 h-index 206 pubs 11,179 cited

Research Areas

Links

ORCID

OverviewAI-generated summary

William F. McComas is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. His research focuses on science education, particularly the nature of science and its instruction across various educational levels. He has investigated early elementary teachers' perceptions of nature of science aspects and proposed competencies for effective nature of science instruction. McComas's work also includes analyzing trends in nature of science empirical research and exploring the use of the history of science in biology teaching.

His scholarly contributions are evidenced by a substantial publication record, with 206 total publications and over 11,000 citations, reflected in his h-index of 33. He has secured federal funding for his research, including a $1,444,960 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) as Principal Investigator for a project aimed at enhancing STEM teacher agency through authentic experiences in mathematics and science. McComas has also published on broader topics in science education, such as curriculum studies and interdisciplinary approaches to gifted science instruction, and has investigated the impact of active learning on student performance in university-level physiology classes.

Metrics

h-index: 34
Publications: 206
Citations: 11,179

Selected Publications

The Impact of Active Learning Instruction on Student Performance in a Large University Physiology Class (2026)

1 citation DOI OpenAlex
Considering the Lessons of Curriculum Studies in the Design of Science Instruction: Varieties of Meaning and Implications for Teaching and Learning (2024)

1 citation DOI OpenAlex
Crossing Discipline Boundaries in Gifted Science Instruction: Definitions, Considerations, and Challenges (2022)

1 citation DOI OpenAlex
Early elementary (K‐4) teachers' perceptions of the developmental appropriateness, importance, and potential for classroom inclusion of key nature of science aspects (2022)

4 citations DOI OpenAlex