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Developing Middle School Students' Interests in STEM via Summer Learning Experiences: See Blue STEM Camp
Abstract
It is a well-known fact that, in general, many students have a lack of interest and proficiency in mathematics and science. Therefore, it is imperative that we prepare and inspire all students, specifically students of underrepresented populations, to learn science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) content. Now in its fourth year, See Blue STEM Camp was created in order to expose middle-level students to a variety of STEM fields and STEM professionals through hands-on project-based learning experiences in order to increase their interest in STEM. This paper describes the structure and the activities of the camp. In this innovative project, we utilized an embedded mixed methods study design to investigate the extent middle level students' attitudes, perceptions, and interest in and toward STEM fields and careers changed after participating in an informal learning environment of a five-day day camp held on the campus of a major university in the mid-south. The results revealed an increase in their motivation and interest in STEM fields; in fact, there was 3% increase from pre to post in interest in STEM careers. The data also revealed that a majority of the participating middle school students found the STEM content sessions “fun” and engaging, specifically citing the hands-on experiences they received.
... However, differences in This project is part of the "Qualitätsoffensive Lehrerbildung", a joint initiative of the Federal Government and the Länder which aims to improve the quality of teacher training. Schroeder et al., 2014;Roberts et al., 2018;Scharfenberg et al., 2019;Tal & Dallashe, 2019). At an international level, there are various concepts of science educational outreach programs including science camps (e.g., High School Summer Science Outreach Programs, Chiappinelli et al., 2016; See Blue See STEM Model, Maiorca et al., 2021;Summer Schools, Shallcross et al., 2013), mentoring/research apprenticeship programs (e.g., Present Your PhD Thesis to a 12-Year-Old or Shadow a Scientist, Clark et al., 2016; for an overview, see Sadler et al., 2010), science centers with a hands-on learning environment (e.g., Medical Simulation Unit, Tal & Dallashe, 2019) and laboratory programs (e.g., Bristol ChemLabS, Shallcross et al., 2013;PHIRE, Hanauer et al., 2006;Schülerlabore, 1 Scharfenberg et al., 2019). ...
... Previous research on science educational outreach programs has mostly focused on (genderspecific) changes in students' attitudes toward science (e.g., Tal & Dallashe, 2019) and interest in science (e.g., Clark et al., 2016;Maiorca et al., 2021;Markowitz, 2004;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014, Woithe et al., 2022, while some have examined students' experiences (e.g., Tsybulsky, 2019). Regarding outreach science labs in Germany, students' situational state of interest during the visit (e.g., Guderian & Priemer, 2008;Itzek-Greulich & Vollmer, 2017;Nickolaus et al., 2018) and their basic need satisfaction (e.g., Glowinski, 2007;Glowinski & Bayrhuber, 2011;Kirchhoff et al., 2022;Scharfenberg et al., 2019) have been investigated. ...
... Non-formal learning offers situated, contextualized, and interest-promoting content that provides multifaceted and intensive experiences (see Eshach, 2007;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014;Roberts et al., 2018). In this regard, formal learning is usually limited (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014) and can be complemented by informal and non-formal learning such as a field trip (Eshach, 2007). ...
... Measuring the impact of STEM programs implemented in out-of-school learning environments on student attitudes has a critical place in making decisions about the design and implementation of renewed programs (Baran et al., 2019). According to Mohr-Schroeder et al. (2014), out-ofschool STEM-focused programs enable students to participate in problem-solving activities not found in textbooks. In addition, out-of-school STEM education plays an active role in developing teamwork awareness among students (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). ...
... According to Mohr-Schroeder et al. (2014), out-ofschool STEM-focused programs enable students to participate in problem-solving activities not found in textbooks. In addition, out-of-school STEM education plays an active role in developing teamwork awareness among students (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). Students encounter STEM concepts and ideas that they cannot live in the school (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). ...
... In addition, out-of-school STEM education plays an active role in developing teamwork awareness among students (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). Students encounter STEM concepts and ideas that they cannot live in the school (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). Out-of-school environments can be designed to provide short-term and long-term STEM experiences with a wide variety of activities (Nugent et al., 2010). ...
There is a great need for applied studies at the K-12 level on how creative problem solving skills can be developed in out-of-school environments and what kind of learning activities can be used. Therefore, in this study, the effects of inquiry-based STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) activities on students' STEM awareness and creative thinking skills in an out-of-school learning environment were investigated and the advantages and disadvantages of inquiry-based STEM activities were tried to be determined with student opinions. The study group of this mixed-method study consisted of 32 11th grade students selected voluntarily. Creative Problem Solving and STEM Awareness scales and a semi-structured interview form were used in the study. The findings of the study showed that inquiry-based STEM activities planned in an out-of-school learning environment improved students' creative problem solving skills and STEM awareness. Both qualitative and quantitative findings support that the activities improved students' problem solving skills and productivity and encouraged them to work collaboratively.
... PjBL solves problems or constructs works step by step through scientific methods, including asking and redefining questions, searching for relevant information, planning and designing, constructing relevant equipment, collecting data, analyzing data, concluding, looking for solutions, sharing research findings, etc. (Krajcik et al., 2003). PjBL emphasizes authentic activities, including planning, studying, practicing, experimenting, and so on; through the process of discovering and solving problems, products are finally built and evaluated (Kanter, 2010;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). PjBL enables students to explore relevant scientific and mathematical concepts autonomously; through cooperation and communication, which is emphasized by PjBL, students' learning can be well-enhanced (Venville et al., 2000). ...
... PjBL enables students to explore relevant scientific and mathematical concepts autonomously; through cooperation and communication, which is emphasized by PjBL, students' learning can be well-enhanced (Venville et al., 2000). Hands-on PjBL can enhance problem-solving abilities and physics (Hong et al., 2012) and significantly improve middle school students' motivations for STEM, making them more willing to engage in learning (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014;Awad, 2021). ...
... This study incorporated various types of PjBL, centering on design and practice. The stages included investigation (defining the problem and gathering information), design, practice (building equipment and collecting data, analyzing data, drawing conclusions, and identifying solutions), reflective evaluation, and work sharing (Figure 3) (Krajcik et al., 2003;Kanter, 2010;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). To achieve horizontal interdisciplinary integration, knowledge from various disciplines was embedded in the associated PjBL activities. ...
Integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) embedding project-based learning (i-STEM PjBL) is still faced with challenges, and its educational values have not been revealed, which is what the study aimed to explore. Participants consisted of 48 freshmen from a senior high school, including 27 male students and 21 female students. The open-ended questionnaire and the interview for the students were administrated after the i-STEM PjBL. The qualitative data were converted into quantitative data counted by the occurrence frequencies of the codes. The results based on the integration and comparison of the open-ended questionnaire and interview outcomes showed that i-STEM PjBL provided students with positive educational values (including learning acquisition, performance, and perception), but there were also learning challenges in the process. Learning acquisition focused on the basic structure and components of a robot, principles of robot motion, hull structure, principles of sailboat navigation, and skills of designing and assembling sailboats. Learning performance referred that students were satisfied with their hands-on performances and confident of their abilities to perform better in similar disciplines, but did not learn well on programming. Learning perception indicated that students felt interested in i-STEM PjBL materials could acquire knowledge and skills from various fields, PjBL could be helpful to complete works, and principles could be helpful in practice, while programming design learning materials were not enough. Learning challenges indicated that students were unfamiliar with the usage of tools and hands-on operation, and they also felt challenged by programming. Students' feedback can be taken as references to modify and improve i-STEM PjBL and the materials in the future.
... Summer science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs have become increasingly popular over the past decade as a way to promote interest in STEM careers among adolescents (Dabney et al., 2012;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). Research conducted in these out-of-school time (OST) summer STEM programs has found that motivation and interest in STEM fields tends to increase after adolescents participate in such programs (Greene et al., 2013;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014), but these studies provide limited evidence as to the mechanisms through which these programs bring about positive effects. ...
... Summer science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs have become increasingly popular over the past decade as a way to promote interest in STEM careers among adolescents (Dabney et al., 2012;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). Research conducted in these out-of-school time (OST) summer STEM programs has found that motivation and interest in STEM fields tends to increase after adolescents participate in such programs (Greene et al., 2013;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014), but these studies provide limited evidence as to the mechanisms through which these programs bring about positive effects. Some studies have attempted to better understand these mechanisms through investigation of discrete activities within programs. ...
... Some studies have attempted to better understand these mechanisms through investigation of discrete activities within programs. For example, researchers have found that youth tend to be more engaged when working on hands-on activities such as building 3D models of planets (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014) and less engaged when working on homework-like activities such as worksheets (Shernoff & Vandell, 2007). Considering specific elements of OST programs, such as practices described in broader quality frameworks, is vital for designing effective STEM programs and broader educational efforts. ...
Control-value theory suggests that students’ control and value appraisals mediate the relation between contextual supports and student emotions in formal learning settings; however, this theory has not been tested in informal learning contexts. Understanding mechanisms for instructional support in informal learning contexts can inform the design of effective instruction both in and out of school. This study tested control-value theory by examining whether youths’ momentary appraisals of control and value for activities mediate the relation between program quality indicators and state emotions in summer STEM programs focused on science, technology, engineering, and math for middle- and high-school youth. Participants were 203 youth attending nine summer STEM programs in the United States. Youth ranged in age from 10 to 16. Data were collected via the experience sampling method and video recordings. Trained coders reviewed video footage and coded for program quality. Structural equation modeling results demonstrated that most program quality variables explored were not predictive of youths’ appraisals of control and value; however, state emotions did vary based on program quality. Youth reported lower boredom when active participation and higher order thinking were rated as high by trained observers. Youth also reported high excitement when activities involved high levels of higher order thinking. High appraisals of control were associated with high levels of happiness and excitement and low levels of frustration, whereas high appraisals of value predicted high levels of frustration. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
... Exploration camps have also been tailored to generate interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Interest and competence in STEM disciplines are often lacking for many students (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014;Phelan et al., 2017). In an effort to combat this trend the See Blue STEM Camp was developed to provide middle school students with engaging and hands-on experiences to encourage students to cultivate interest in STEM. ...
... In an effort to combat this trend the See Blue STEM Camp was developed to provide middle school students with engaging and hands-on experiences to encourage students to cultivate interest in STEM. Similar to the results observed in student exposure to health career exploration camps, the literature states that student interest in STEM results in a greater likelihood they pursue STEM degrees (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014;Phelan et al., 2017). The 2-week program See Blue STEM Camp provides engaging activities for 5th through 8th-grade students to spark interest in STEM disciplines highlighting eight mathematical practices and eight science and engineering practices. ...
... Previous session topics include "Exploration of Physiology and Its Application to Crustaceans, " "Got Brains? A Journey through the Human Mind" and "Astronomy-The Vastness of Outer Space and a Deeper Look at the Milky Way" (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). Data was collected by administering a pre-test and post-test questionnaire that assessed student attitudes and interest in STEM. ...
Developing effective programs that aim to generate student interest in the pursuit of a career in healthcare is vital to avoid shortages among the workforce. As the American population ages, the country will continue to experience a higher demand for healthcare-trained individuals and services. Exposing racially diverse students to career options and the educational requirements early can serve as a pipeline for increasing interest in obtaining careers in healthcare professions overall. Program formatting resembles “summer camps” as it provides students with educational opportunities outside of the typical school curriculum. These summer camp designed “programs” have been an effective method of increasing interest because it can provide hands-on exposure to healthcare careers, an opportunity to job shadow, and tour local healthcare facilities. Summer camps aimed to fill the gaps and increase interest in healthcare careers for underrepresented minority students. The literature identifies a few exploration camps across the United States, each with a data collection method unique to the program. This study examines the impact a summer health exploration camp can have on student efficacy and the effectiveness of generating student interest, in diverse populations, in the pursuit of a health-related career.
... To complement formal science learning at school, informal and non-formal science learning can make valuable contributions to student learning due to, among other things, authentic handson learning experiences (Tal and Dallashe, 2019;Maiorca et al., 2021). Science learning in informal and non-formal contexts can be beneficial for student engagement in science classes (Roberts et al., 2018), the acquisition of skills and knowledge (Berg et al., 2021;Solis et al., 2021), and the promotion of student motivation and interest in the fields of STEM (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014;Schütte and Köller, 2015;Clark et al., 2016;Tal and Dallashe, 2019). Against this backdrop, outreach science labs (OSLs) have been established in Germany. ...
... The non-formal atmosphere of an OSL may provide multifaceted and intensive experiences (see Hofstein and Lunetta, 2004;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014;Roberts et al., 2018), including enjoyable, entertaining learning experiences (e.g., Tal and Dallashe, 2019; Tsybulsky, 2019) that can be described as "valuable for its own sake, regardless of the presence or absence of learning outcome" (Packer, 2006, p. 341; see also Schwan et al., 2014). These motivational experiences are depicted in various related motivational constructs, such as intrinsic motivation (Ryan and Deci, 2017), flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 2000;Engeser et al., 2021), and situational interest (Renninger and Hidi, 2016). ...
... In this situation, the students' situational competence experience could have been impaired (see Jang et al., 2010;Reeve, 2015). As discussed, the provided support at the OSL might have prevented the students from being overwhelmed by an unfamiliar and complex environment (see Kirschner et al., 2006;Kersaint et al., 2011;Scharfenberg and Bogner, 2013) and might therefore have reduced a possible effect of novelty on students' situational competence experience (see Vygotsky, 1978;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). In addition, our results reveal that the students at the OSL did not perceive themselves as less competent than the students who attended the workshop in their familiar science classroom at school. ...
Outreach science labs have been established as non-formal out-of-school learning environments in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Previous research has suggested that visiting an outreach science lab can be beneficial in terms of student motivation. Nevertheless, the current research on these out-of-school learning environments lacks studies that investigate important variables for the development of self-determined student motivation, such as perceived competence. In our study, we investigated the moderating effect of the learning environment on the relationship between students' contextual competence perceptions and their situational competence experiences regarding experimentation. For this purpose, 119 students in the first year of the upper secondary school participated in an experimental course on enzymology at an outreach science lab (n = 60) and in their biology classroom at school (n = 59). Our results showed that the relationship between students' contextual competence perceptions and their situational competence experiences during experimentation is moderated by the learning environment. The analyses revealed that students with a higher contextual competence perception showed comparable situational experiences of competence in both learning environments. In contrast, the students who perceived themselves as less competent at a contextual level benefited from experimenting at the outreach science lab in terms of their situational competence experiences.
... It has been long recognized that authentic learning, across a variety of settings and disciplines increases motivation to learn, develops a deeper understanding of content and its application, increases knowledge of professional conduct, and provides experiences to practice working through real-life challenges (Johri and Olds, 2011;Edmonds-Cady and Sosulski, 2012;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014;Roberts et al., 2018). Across the country, P12 schools are making progress toward providing students with inquiry and project-based learning to increase engagement and rigor, and to better prepare students for college and beyond (Maxwell and Ruben, 2002;Kemple and Willner, 2008). ...
... The START Program was initially developed (pre-pandemic) as an integrated outreach program that spans through grades P12. Beginning in elementary and middle school, students, especially from underrepresented groups, were to be invited to participate in the UK Summer STEM Experiences (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014) where they would engage with STEM faculty in hands-on, authentic STEM learning experiences aimed at increasing their STEM literacy. These students, and high school students from partner schools, would continue participating in in-school and out-of-school programming throughout the year, such as tours, demonstrations, and networking/invitations to campus STEM events. ...
... Future logos will be designed by START Apprentices to further build ownership in the program. participate in the START Program, but they will also "payit-forward" by serving as volunteers for the UK Summer STEM Experiences (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). START Ambassadors will develop their mentorship and leadership skills, while helping in the mentorship and recruitment of younger underrepresented students into the STEM pipeline. ...
The STEM Through Authentic Research and Training (START) Program is a new program integrating academic, social, and professional experiences, in the theme of exomedicine, to build a pipeline into college for first generation and traditionally underrepresented students by providing year-round authentic opportunities and professional development for high school students and teachers. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the START Program has worked with the local Fayette County public school and community partners to provide content to over 300 students through: virtual laboratory tours with community partner Space Tango, "meet a scientist" discussions, and online near-peer student demonstrations aimed at making the practice of STEM disciplines approachable. Furthermore, the START Program has partnered with Higher Orbits to provide at-home, space-themed learning kits for students to develop teamwork, communication, and STEM principles while engaging in online content with teachers, professionals, and astronauts. Finally, the START Program has moved its training platforms online, including receiving College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) Peer Educator accreditation for our near-peer mentoring and coaching training. As a result, the START Program is better positioned to address this critical need in STEM education, while reaching more students in the community than possible with face-to-face interactions alone.
... ISSN 1648-3898 /Print/ ISSN 2538-7138 /Online/ Earlier studies (Archer et al., 2012;Mohtar et al., 2019) conducted to understand interest in STEM careers (ISC) have revealed that factors such as gender, school, society, media, scientific capital and personality characteristics exert profound effects on ISC. Comparatively, there are fewer studies relating formal learning experiences (FLE) and informal learning experiences (ILE) to students' ISC (Maiorca et al., 2021;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014;Roberts et al., 2018). Further, the foci of current studies have not compared the effects between FLE and ILE on ISC and centered on university students' experiences with little attention paid to high school students although it has been shown that intention to pursue STEM careers could start in high school (Bottia et al., 2015). ...
... SCP refer to students' understanding and knowledge of STEM career prospects, skills required and self-development (Franz-Odendaal et al., 2016;Mohtar et al., 2019;Wyss et al., 2012). Recent studies have found that SSE and SCP are important factors in predicting whether adolescents are interested in STEM careers (Mohtar et al., 2019;Nugent et al., 2015;Schumacher et al., 2009;Wyss et al., 2012;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014;Kitchen et al., 2018). Research by Wyss et al. (2012) has shown that students may not be interested in STEM careers if the relevant information about skills, qualifications, requirements and employment prospects are not clearly presented to them. ...
... As such, the low ISC could be due to the fact that most schools do not introduce information about STEM careers to students. Informal STEM learning experiences can positively influence students' STEM careers perceptions and enhance their ISC (Kitchen et al., 2018;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). ...
Learning experiences can affect students' interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers. Applying the social cognitive career theory, this study tested and compared the effect size and effect mechanism of formal learning experiences (FLE) and informal learning experiences (ILE) on 1133 tenth-grade students' interest in STEM careers (ISC) through a paper questionnaire survey. The results of structural equation model analysis showed that: 1) The total effect of ILE on students' ISC is much greater than that of FLE; 2) ILE, STEM self-efficacy (SSE) and STEM careers perceptions (SCP) can directly affect students' ISC; FLE and ILE can also indirectly affect students' ISC through the mediating role of SSE and SCP. The analyses suggest that in order to improve students' ISC, STEM education (especially informal STEM education) should be strengthened, both formal and informal education should pay attention to the cultivation of students' SSE and SCP. Keywords: interest in STEM careers, learning experiences, social cognitive career theory, STEM careers perceptions, STEM self-efficacy, structural equation model
... STEM camps STEM camps are an excellent example of an informal learning environment that fosters an affinity to STEM in general. First, participation in STEM camps increases students' STEM content knowledge (Hirsch et al., 2017), interests toward the individual STEM fields (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014) and perceptions of creativity and problem solving in STEM fields (Bicer et al., 2017). Second, STEM camps provide students with an interaction of STEM materials, professionals and hands-on experiences that has been found to influence their perceptions of STEM fields and careers (Christensen and Knezek, 2017;Kwon et al., 2019;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014;Vela et al., 2020). ...
... First, participation in STEM camps increases students' STEM content knowledge (Hirsch et al., 2017), interests toward the individual STEM fields (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014) and perceptions of creativity and problem solving in STEM fields (Bicer et al., 2017). Second, STEM camps provide students with an interaction of STEM materials, professionals and hands-on experiences that has been found to influence their perceptions of STEM fields and careers (Christensen and Knezek, 2017;Kwon et al., 2019;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014;Vela et al., 2020). For example, camp tasks where students solved problems that helped people they cared about had a significant impact on their interest in STEM as a career choice (Maiorca et al., 2020). ...
... The focus for this study was to compare the potential change in students' perceptions of the STEM fields and STEM careers when attending two different camps. Prior research has indicated that FTF STEM camps can improve perceptions of the STEM fields and STEM careers (Christensen and Knezek, 2017;Kwon et al., 2019;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014;Vela et al., 2020). Additionally, our framework centralizing the learner in an online, quasi-group setting coupled with social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986(Bandura, , 2001 and social cognitive career theory (Lent et al., 1994) provided a theoretical base for the improvement of STEM field and career perceptions during a one-week STEM camp, both online and in-person. ...
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report the change in students' STEM perceptions in two different informal learning environments: an online STEM camp and a face-to-face (FTF) STEM camp.
Design/methodology/approach
For this quasi-experimental study, 26 students participated in an online STEM summer camp and another 26 students participated in the FTF STEM camp. Students from each group took the same pre- and post-STEM Semantics Survey documenting their perceptions of the individual STEM fields and of STEM careers. Wilcoxon Signed-Rank tests, Mann–Whitney U tests and corresponding effect sizes were used to compare the pre- and post-scores within and between the camps.
Findings
Results indicate that both camps produce similar outcomes regarding STEM field and career perceptions. However, analysis of all statistical values indicates that the online STEM camp can produce a larger positive influence on STEM field perceptions and the FTF camp can produce a larger positive influence on STEM career perceptions.
Research limitations/implications
This suggests that STEM camps, both online and in-person, can improve students' perceptions of the STEM fields and of STEM careers. Implications from this study indicate that modifications of informal learning environments should be based on the type of learning environment.
Originality/value
This manuscript discusses the development and impact of an online STEM camp to accommodate for the sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the inability to hold an in-person STEM camp. These results may influence the curriculum and organization of future online and FTF STEM camps.
... Mohr-Schroeder et al. Convergence With Out-of-school STEM through hands-on project-based learning experiences in the STEM summer camp on college campus, Bitara-STEM and Studio STEM, STEM career interest occurs with middle school students [67][68][69][70]. Complemen-tarity ...
... Secondly, STEM project-based learning activities in the mathematics and science curriculum were effective in increasing the learning achievements (mathematic achievement and STEM knowledge) [63,65] and higher-order thinking skills (scientific creativity, problem-solving skills) [64,66] of elementary and secondary school students. Finally, out-of-school STEM through handson project-based learning experiences in the STEM summer camps on college campuses, Bitara-STEM and Studio STEM were effective in improving the STEM career interest of middle school students [67][68][69][70]. Additionally, we identified several topics that should be further investigated. ...
Educators and researchers are increasingly recognizing the potential benefits of integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education to improve students’ learning outcomes, including the learning achievements, interest in STEM, learning motivation, and higher-order thinking skills of K-12 students. While there is a considerable body of research on this topic, it lacks a comprehensive synthesis of the available evidence to provide a more rigorous and systematic understanding of the relationship between integrated STEM approaches and associated outcomes of K-12 student learning. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the integrated STEM approaches and associated outcomes of K-12 student learning through a systematic literature review. The studies were accessed using the Scopus, ERIC, and Google Scholar databases in February 2022. A total of 47 studies were retained for inclusion in the review. We used the ecological triangulation method for data extraction and synthesis. A total of 23 ecological sentences developed from existing studies revealed that the associated outcomes of K-12 student learning occur differently when using different integrated STEM approaches. For example, STEM project-based learning activities in the science curriculum focused on improving students’ learning achievement and higher-order thinking skills, while out-of-school STEM project-based learning activities focused solely on students’ STEM career interests. Finally, we note several directions for future research related to student learning outcomes using integrated STEM approaches.
... IEC refers to the "desire to know" know-how, and results in positive feelings of intellectual interest in and enjoyment of cognitive tasks which require effort, while DEC refers to the "need to know" in the motivation to reduce undesirable states of informational deprivation in cognitive tasks (Strobel, 2014). In hands-on making contests, project design can activate Students' curiosity to produce different kinds of artifacts (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). Moreover, most people are not even aware of the existence of attitude and its implicit impact on their behavior, and so they often refer to their automatically driven actions (Serenko, 2022). ...
... The existence of attitudes implicitly impacts on individuals' behavior, and individuals often refer attitude to the tendency to drive actions (Serenko, 2022). In hands-on making contests, to create functions and ensure the quality of an invention in which that Students' curiosity can be activated (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). In line with this, in IEYI competitions, students need to complete their works and design excellent products to win the competition. ...
... It is then important to ensure that we spark interest in computing early among K-12 students in hopes that they become the next generation to maintain and develop our technological infrastructures. Early exposure to computing opportunities, especially for girls, is important as it may increase a child's interest in computing, improve their perceptions, and eliminate gender stereotypes (Bagiati et al., 2010;Tai et al., 2016) In fact, it has been shown that early exposure to computing prior to high school yields a higher chance that their interest in computing maintains into higher education (Christensen et al., 2014;Hirsch et al., 2017;Taub et al., 2012) Out-of-school activities or informal learning experiences through STEM camps is one potential way to provide early exposure to STEM (Bell et al., 2009, p. 20;Cabrera et al., 2021;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014), especially computing (DeWitt et al., 2017b;Frye et al., 2016;Master et al., 2017). ...
... In another study, students were asked to rate how much they knew about programming on a scale of 0 (nothing) to 5 (expert) after the camp. Seventy-three percent reported an increase in programming knowledge while 27% reported no change (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). Unlike Ericson and McKlin, Franklin et al. analyzed participants' programming projects on Scratch to assess whether students acquired programming concepts (Franklin et al., 2013). ...
This paper makes several considerations for organizing short project-based programming camps to support programming knowledge and motivation. The paper addresses how current research has not explored how summer programming camps helped students not only increase interest to pursue computing career, but also increase their programming knowledge. Informal CS education through summer programming camps provides K-12 students the opportunity to learn how to code through fun and interactive activities outside of their typical classroom experiences. For rural communities with limited computing education resources, summer programming camps may be one of few opportunities to learn about computing. A one-week easy-to-implement programming camp curriculum may help students not only have fun with code but also learn fundamental programming and computational thinking skills through game development. Our annual week-long programming camp at a rural community utilized a project-based learning approach through game development in Python. Findings showed that students were able to achieve basic abstraction and algorithmic thinking but not code analysis and debugging skills. On their motivation to pursue computing careers, results did not show any difference before and after the camp due to their prior existing interest in attending the camp.
... IEC refers to the "desire to know" know-how, and results in positive feelings of intellectual interest in and enjoyment of cognitive tasks which require effort, while DEC refers to the "need to know" in the motivation to reduce undesirable states of informational deprivation in cognitive tasks (Strobel, 2014). In hands-on making contests, project design can activate Students' curiosity to produce different kinds of artifacts (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). Moreover, most people are not even aware of the existence of attitude and its implicit impact on their behavior, and so they often refer to their automatically driven actions (Serenko, 2022). ...
... The existence of attitudes implicitly impacts on individuals' behavior, and individuals often refer attitude to the tendency to drive actions (Serenko, 2022). In hands-on making contests, to create functions and ensure the quality of an invention in which that Students' curiosity can be activated (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). In line with this, in IEYI competitions, students need to complete their works and design excellent products to win the competition. ...
Whether the hands-on experience of creating inventions can promote students’ interest in pursuing a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) career has not been extensively studied. In a quantitative study, we drew on the attitude-behavior-outcome framework to explore the correlates between hands-on making attitude, epistemic curiosities, and career interest. This study targeted students who joined the selection competition for participating in the International Exhibition of Young Inventors (IEYI) in Taiwan. The objective of the invention exhibition is to encourage young students to make innovative projects by applying STEM knowledge and collaborative design. We collected 220 valid data from participants in the 2021 Taiwan IEYI selection competition and conducted a confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to test the hypotheses. Results indicated that: (1) hands-on making attitude was positively related to two types of epistemic curiosity; (2) interest-type epistemic curiosity (IEC) and deprivation-type epistemic curiosity (DEC) were positively associated with STEM career interest; additionally, DEC had a higher coefficient on STEM career interest than IEC; (3) Both types of EC had a mediating role between hands-on making attitude and STEM career interest. It is expected that encouraging students to participate in invention exhibition competitions can raise both types of EC and increase their interest in pursuing STEM careers.
... However, there are several studies that indicate positive effects of engineering camps on interest and understanding of engineering for middle and high school students. Mohr-Schroeder et al. (2014) ran a one-week camp for middle school students that provided students with a variety of hands-on engineering and science experiences led by college faculty and local teachers. They found that their camp was engaging to participants and reported a positive change in career interest between a pretest and posttest. ...
... These results suggest that participation in an engineering camp that focuses on career awareness can increase the number of possible career options in engineering that a student is able to consider. Studies of interest development and career choice in STEM suggest that exposure to available careers and engagement with the work of those careers can increase students' interest in pursuing those careers (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014;Wai et al., 2010;Yilmaz et al., 2010). Additionally, students who are exposed to more examples of engineers and their work at a young age may be more 36 GOSSEN, HAMMACK, & UTLEY likely to view these options as possible future selves. ...
Students who develop interest in STEM careers by the eighth grade are more likely to pursue careers in STEM (Tai et al., 2006). Interest development can happen through a variety of sources, including informal learning experiences such as out of school programs and summer camps. This study looks at one such informal STEM experience, an engineering summer camp for elementary students, to explore how this camp impacted their understanding, awareness, and attitudes toward engineering. The study used a pre/post design to determine the impact of the camp with two groups of students in two separate years. The results suggest that students gained an awareness of the types of engineering, a better understanding of the purpose of the work of engineers, and had more positive attitudes about the value of engineering and their own aspirations toward engineering.
... Many of these programs involve informal learning, peer learning, linkage with university, targeted career development activities, and mentoring by university students. The same results was also observed in a STEM summer program for middle school students where participants were exposed to informal learning and found the STEM content session to be fun and engaging to increase their motivation and interests in STEM fields (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). These types of STEM activities (i.e., research projects and informal learning experiences) are crucial for STEM education since they provide authentic experience not only to the teachers but also to students. ...
... The study found that after engaging students and teachers in the project's STEM activities, URM students had higher levels of interest in STEM and science than did the non-URM students. This is in agreement with previous initiatives reported in literature where exposure to STEM activities in high school provides interest for students to pursue STEM careers (Kitchen, Sonnert, & Sadler, 2018;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014;Roberts et al., 2018;Rohrbaugh & Corces, 2011). This means that programs should aim to engage URM students with real-world science and mathematics coupled with mentoring from STEM professionals who themselves come from diverse backgrounds. ...
The Billion Oyster Project and Curriculum and Community Enterprise for the Restoration of New York Harbor with New York City Public Schools (BOP-CCERS) program is a National Science Foundation (NSF) supported initiative and collaboration of multiple institutions and organizations led by Pace University. The NSF project, Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST), had generated a large amount of data through engagement with teachers and students throughout New York City public schools. One purpose of this project is to engage with middle and high school science teachers to assist them in using project-based learning and real-world data collection in their classrooms with their students through harbor restoration initiatives. It was found that Underrepresented Minority (URM) students reported having higher levels of interest in STEM and science than did the non-URM students. While this is a success, it was found that the URM students had lower expectations for success in STEM courses and interest in STEM careers. It was concluded that URM students may need additional support in order to build their confidence and help them to become aware of opportunities in STEM education and careers.
... 10.6084/m9.figshare.14308769), which we identified as STEM literacy, diversity and inclusion, and career preparedness (9)(10)(11). ...
... These results enhance the importance that our event influenced 21.2% of students to be more interested in science careers. This is not surprising, as informal learning environments, like the ones used in our event, are successful in motivating and increasing students' interest in science careers and disciplines (10,11,25). ...
Substantial, involved, and expensive efforts to promote the dissemination of scientific knowledge and career interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) are enthusiastically supported by many scientific, federal, and local organizations. The articulated underlying goals for these efforts include an enhanced public understanding of science and science-related policy, an increased diversity in STEM careers, and an increase in the future STEM workforce. This effort is primarily driven by an underperformance of the United States that includes poor test performance and limited number of students pursuing STEM degrees. Despite this investment, attitudes toward STEM have not notably changed. The goal of this project was to determine students' attitudes toward STEM in response to a previously established scientific outreach event. This event was used to address three common goals in STEM outreach: STEM literacy, diversity and inclusion, and career preparedness. We found there was a notable difference in the attitudes toward scientific activities and interest in pursuing a "Science Career" after participation in this event. Strikingly, interest in hypothesis development, the keystone of all STEM disciplines, was the least liked of all the activities offered during the event. Our data suggest that events designed to enhance interest in pursuing a STEM career may benefit from different elements compared with events designed to increase understanding of STEM literacy concepts, such as hypothesis development.
... Students need exciting experiences that capture and speak to their interests both in school and beyond the classroom, sparking a lifelong passion (PCAST, 2010). During the past 10-15 years, much has been written about the positive impacts resulting when K-12 students engage in out-of-school time (OST) science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities and summer camps (Clark et al., 2016;Essig et al., 2021;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014;Robles, 2018; for a review see Young et al., 2017). Although student interest in STEM can wane during the middle school years, extracurricular educational environments can positively impact the motivational beliefs and long-term persistence of middle school students (Fortus and Vedder-Weiss, 2014). ...
... Our results align with the findings rife in the literature about the positive outcomes of K-12 students' engagement in OST STEM experiences (Clark et al., 2016;Mohr-Schroeder, 2014;Robles, 2018; and for a review see Young et al., 2017). Because strong correlations exist in the literature between interest in STEM, future coursework, and careers in STEM (Tai, Liu, Maltese, and Fan, 2006;Maltese and Tai, 2010;Maltese and Tai, 2011;Federman, 2007) we are encouraged by our results and look forward to incorporating some of the best practices necessarily implemented in our virtual camps into future camp offerings. ...
... Hands-on learning activities with scientific subjects are believed to contribute to positive views of science (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014), and play a major role in driving interest in STEM careers (Dabney et al., 2012). Indeed, providing students with handson interactions and learning experiences with scientists allows URM students to imagine themselves as scientists, making STEM career considerations more salient (Ovink & Veazey, 2011). ...
... Indeed, providing students with handson interactions and learning experiences with scientists allows URM students to imagine themselves as scientists, making STEM career considerations more salient (Ovink & Veazey, 2011). However, hands-on STEM initiatives incur significant time and labor costs to facilitate and participate in (Kim et al., 2015), are often too expensive for low socioeconomic status (SES) students to attend, and often only produce marginal improvements in views of science (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). ...
The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have served as a call-to-action to educate and engage global communities on various issues, namely climate change. Despite heightened awareness of climate change, several barriers inhibit underrepresented students’ engagement with the subject matter, namely limited accessibility to (a) hands-on learning experiences, and (b) diverse scientists to identify with. To address these sociopsychological barriers, we developed “Virtual Climate Scientist”, a virtual reality (VR) simulation designed to educate students about paleoclimatology. Students travel to Antarctica and collaborate with diverse virtual scientists to extract/analyse ice cores. A field experiment (N = 99) investigated the effectiveness of the simulation in improving student engagement and views of science. Results demonstrated that the simulation contributed towards positive views of science across gender and racial identity groups, with African American students experiencing a significant increase in how much they viewed themselves as future scientists. These insights extend current work on the efficacy of VR-based STEM education and demonstrate the potential of virtual humans for building interest in science among underrepresented youth. Implications and avenues for future research are discussed.
... In order to conceptualize an equity-based framework of K-12 STEM literacy, we conducted a systematic review of literature related to STEM literacy, which includes empirical studies that contribute to STEM literacy as well as our own empirical work in STEM literacy (e.g., Cavalcanti & Mohr-Schroeder, 2019;Clark et al., 2015;Maiorca et al., 2020;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2017;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2018;Nurlaely et al., 2017;Roberts et al., 2018;Tati et al., 2017). For this systematic literature review, we reviewed literature from 2009 to present. ...
... Utility and applicability address the extent that students recognize STEM as it relates to the real world and the skills associated with STEM areas that are useful to address real-world issues (e.g., STEM as worthwhile). In our prior work, we focused our STEM learning experiences on the utilization of the standards of mathematical practice and the science and engineering practices (e.g., Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). In doing this, we were able to focus on the immersion of the students in the experiences, rather than a traditional "sit and get" model. ...
We introduce a conceptual framework of K-12 STEM literacy that rightfully and intentionally positions each and every student, particularly minoritized groups, as belonging in STEM. In order to conceptualize the equity-based framework of STEM literacy, we conducted a systematic review of literature related to STEM literacy, which includes empirical studies that contribute to STEM literacy. The literature on the siloed literacies within STEM (i.e., science, technology, engineering, and mathematics literacy) also contributed to formulate the necessity of and what it means to develop STEM literacy. The Equity-Oriented STEM Literacy Framework illuminates the complexities of disrupting the status quo and rightfully transforming integrated STEM education in ways that provide equitable opportunities and access to all learners. The Equity-Oriented STEM Literacy Framework is a research-based, equity and access-focused framework that will guide research, inform practice, and provide a lens for the field that will ensure each and every student, especially minoritized students, develop, and are developing STEM literacy.
... Some informally structured programs fail to gather data from their rural participants for designing programming contexts, principally for STEM. The resulting informal programs can be inaccessible (Showalter et al. 2019), and their contexts are irrelevant to rural participants' STEM interests (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). Advantageous curricula would have a place-conscious focus to address a rural participant's interest. ...
This study was designed to investigate rural cultural and social influences that are uniquely different from other areas that could inform or shape the development of students’ science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) interest. However, previous research focusing on place-conscious designs in rural locations has not explored how to increase students’ interest in STEM. Specifically, this study investigated the effects of three informal instructional methods (hands-on, role model, and culminating projects) in a place-conscious curriculum on STEM interest. Participants included youth in grades 3rd through 5th attending two local schools in one community. Results indicated STEM interest increased through collaborative work, new knowledge, and action research. This study will help fill the gap in rural-based empirical studies of STEM interest development, informal education, and youth ages 8-12.
... STEM integration also offers students the opportunity to experience real-world situations simultaneously rather than gradually, to be assimilated at a later time [28]. Several studies have found that STEM education can have a positive impact on students' careers [15], students' attitudes towards STEM subjects [27], students' interests [14] and students' outcomes [11] Hence, the goal of STEM education is to enable students to acquire and understand knowledge based on their experience for solving their problems in scientific contexts. To achieve this goal to benefit students, educators need to change their teaching style. ...
This research investigated the relationship between science content knowledge and mathematics content knowledge in relation to the preservice primary school teachers’ conceptions of STEM education in Indonesia. The survey method was used to collect data about science content knowledge, mathematics content knowledge, and STEM conceptualizations. A total of 139 preservice primary school teachers participated in this study. The results indicate that science and mathematics content knowledge can influence preservice primary school teachers’ conceptions of STEM education. There is no significant relationship between gender and STEM education conceptualization was detected.
... Recent research suggests that informal STEM learning programs enhance student engagement in several ways. For example, a mixed-methods study of middle school students participating in a STEM summer camp in the USA uncovered that the students found the hands-on STEM activities to be engaging (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). Researchers reached a similar conclusion based on a separate mixed-methods study that investigated engagement among fifth-grade students participating in a six-week afterschool engineering program (Think Like an Astronaut). ...
... Out-of-school STEM intervention activities, such as club activities, museum trips, camps, and outdoor field trips, can help improve STEM literacy (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014;Sahin et al., 2014). These activities cannot replace classroom learning but can provide opportunities for students to explore subject matter and cultivate interests in an informal, constructive way (Lunenburg, 2010). ...
... The STEM education camp is a common and important form of informal learning and plays an active role in promoting the development of students' interests in and attitudes towards STEM (Binns et al., 2016), as well as their practical ability (Roberts et al., 2018), creativity (Falk & Meier, 2021), teamwork awareness (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014), and future career aspirations (Bindis, 2020). According to previous research, the thematic content of STEM education camps is rich. ...
As a result of COVID-19, various forms of education and teaching are moving online. However, the notion of an online STEM camp is still in its beginnings, and there is little relevant research and experience in this context. At the beginning of April 2021, the research team launched an online STEM charity camp with the theme of "Shen Nong Tastes Herbs." Participants included 113 third- and fourth-grade primary school students ranging from 8 to 12 years of age from four schools in Karamay, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region with weak educational capabilities. The camp lasted for 3 days and included 7 activities, while remote teaching was accomplished through Dingtalk. Pre- and post-test questionnaires and interviews were used to explore the impact of this camp on students. We found that online STEM camps could improve students' self-efficacy, computational thinking, and task value, and there is a significant improvement in the self-efficacy (p = 0.000) and task value (p = 0.001) dimensions. In addition, students with high self-efficacy had higher scores in the other two dimensions. Finally, we summarized the experiences and gains of students and teachers and proposed suggestions for developing online camps based on this experience. [Table: see text].
Supplementary information:
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10956-022-09967-y.
... In a study about a summer astronomy camp, Aktamis et al. (2015) found similar results in the pre and posttest results for a summer program focused on improving student understanding of astronomy and science concepts. In a study about middle school students' interests in STEM, Mohr-Schroeder et al. (2014) found that student participation in a one-week intensive STEM program increased their interest in STEM and improved their science literacy through inquiry-based practices. Each of these science camps provided a strong science curriculum that incorporated scientific inquiry, evidence, and argumentation skills needed to master the Next Generation Science Skills (NGSS). ...
Although careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics have expanded in the United States, science literacy skills for K-12 students have declined from 2001 to 2011. Limited research has been conducted on the impact of science enrichment programs on the science literacy skills of K-12 students, particularly in marine science. The purpose of this study was to describe the impact of a marine science summer enrichment camp located in the eastern region of the United States on the ocean literacy skills of middle school students who participated in this camp. Weimar’s learner centered teaching approach and the definition and principles of ocean literacy formed the conceptual framework. The central research question focused on how a marine science summer enrichment camp impacted the ocean literacy skills of middle grade students. A single case study research design was used with ten participants including 3 camp teachers, four students, and 3 parents of Grade 6–8 students who participated this camp in 2016. Data were collected from multiple sources including individual interviews of camp teachers, students, and parents, as well as camp documents and archival records. A constant comparative method was used to construct categories, determine emergent themes and discrepant data. Results indicated that the marine science camp positively impacted the ocean literacy skills of middle school students through an emphasis on a learner centered instructional approach. The findings of this study may provide a positive social impact by demonstrating active science literacy instructional strategies for teachers which can motivate students to continue studies in science and science related fields.
... As noted in the previous studies, robotics summer camps encouraged students towards greater proficiency in STEM fields in terms of their knowledge of engineering, engineering design, and programming (Nugent et al., 2016). Moreover, it is also understood that STEM camps as informal learning environments helped the students develop content knowledge regarding the topics they work on (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). The present study led to the conclusion that activities planned with reference to the Mars mission scenario with the aim of integrating STEM fields with P3 task taxonomy facilitate the development of the students' knowledge structures. ...
The present study focuses on the assessment of summer robotics camp designed for 7th grade students who were supposed to work on a STEM-related problem through modeling and design activities. It was exclusively investigated the effects of these activities on the STEM-related career interests and knowledge structures of students. The students were expected to develop basic robotics and design skills in the camp, and to use them in project design in the context of problem solving processes. The camp activities were designed in the alignment of P3 Task Taxonomy. A mixed design method was adapted in this study as it focused both on the effects of an experimental intervention and identification of the students' conceptual constructs. Accordingly, simultaneous and sequential data collection techniques were used to provide satisfactory responses to the research questions. The results showed that the students the students' career interest in engineering increased more significantly than the other STEM fields. Furthermore, word association tests that were applied before and after the camp, in order to assess the change in the students' knowledge structures with the keywords Coding, Design, Problem, Modeling, Space, and Robot showed that the number of terms associated with these keywords were increased. In a nutshell, the education activity provided in the context of this study reinforced the students' career interests in engineering in particular, and facilitated the development of their knowledge structures, and ability to define associations between terms.
... Informal, outof-school programs like CoderDojo created interest-based learning opportunities for the author, which in turn may have reinforced her identification and involvement with the discipline. Prior research has found that extracurricular science activities is important in cultivating more positive attitudes towards science, particularly for underrepresented learners, including women in CS [36]. ...
We use an autoethnographic case study of a Latinx high school student from a rural, agricultural community in California to highlight how AI is learned outside classrooms and how her personal background influenced her social-justice oriented applications of AI technologies. Applying the concept of learning pathways from the learning sciences, we argue that redesigning AI education to be more inclusive with respect to socioeconomic status, ethnoracial identity, and gender is important in the development of computational projects that address social-injustice. We also learn about the role of institutions, power structures, and community as they relate to her journey of learning and applying AI. The future of AI, its potential to address issues of social injustice and limiting the negative consequences of its use, will depend on the participation and voice of students from the most vulnerable communities.
... There is a growing body of work that show informal STEM learning (ISL) initiatives provide an important supplementation of the formal school experience and ultimately help improve students' awareness of and interest in the STEM fields (Denson et al., 2015;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014;Roberts et al., 2018). ...
The COVID-19 pandemic tested many fundamental connections between science and society. A growing field working to strengthen those connections exists within the informal STEM learning (ISL) community which provides diverse learning and engagement environments outside the formal classroom. One of the largest funders of ISL initiatives is the National Science Foundation (NSF) which runs the Advanced Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program in the United States. The AISL program supports initiatives through six categories that include pilots and feasibility studies, research in service to practice, innovations in development, broad implementation, literature reviews, syntheses, or meta-analyses, and conferences. However, a number of questions remain unanswered with respect to the distribution and ultimately the broad impact of the awards. In this study, we analyzed publicly available awardee information across a 15-year period (2006-2021) to provide a preliminary analysis of how the AISL grants are distributed across individual states, organizations, and the principal investigators. Several states, organizations, and principal investigators stood out as prolific awardees. Massachusetts and California represented the largest share of awards at 14% and 13% respectively during that time. WGBH Educational Foundation located in Massachusetts and the Exploratorium located in California, received the largest number of awards during the 15 year period. Notably, 67% of the AISL awards list at least one co-principal investigator. Our report brings to light a number of new questions and charts new paths of exploration for future studies.
... Also, none of them has a comprehensive and coordinated governmental strategy for pre-college education in STEM. In this context, Learn&Fly proposes to benefit from informal learning to increase students' interest in STEM [6,7]. Aeronautics is used to trigger such interest because powered flight represents an amazing technological achievement, requiring huge technical and technological capability and the crossing of knowledge in a range of STEM subjects, including math, computer science, physics, materials, electronics, automation, control, mechanics, among many others. ...
Learn&Fly is an Erasmus+ project aimed to demystify and to crack STEM subjects to youngsters by showing their importance and application in aeronautics. Concepts in physics and maths are explained by engagement in the construction of an aircraft, aimed to compete in a flight contest. Students must envisage, design, draw and calculate the craft, simulate its flight, make necessary design adjustments, and build it. In its first year the project attracted 121 students, between 17-21 years old; 19.5% were girls. Students work on the glider was accompanied by lectures in physics, materials, and technologies. A questionnaire was used to quantify students’ perception on project usefulness. Results show that students considered the project to be effective in improving STEM skills and career awareness, and very effective in improving soft skills. This is expected to result from the stimulating, hands-on STEM learning environment that provided access to contents, tools, and activities not usually available to high school students from the partaking countries.
... Informal learning experiences, particularly within the STEM domains, have been promoted as a means to motivate interest in STEM fields [10,[86][87][88][89]. The same has been observed in a more targeted way within physical science domains [36,90]. ...
Both in physics education and in science education more generally concerns exist that formal K-12 education structures limit and, in some cases, diminish students’ interest and agency in these fields. Many stakeholders have turned to informal learning experiences as a means to inspire young people to pursue continual learning in these fields in ways that foster creativity and self-determination. While research exists on the effect of these informal science experiences on students’ science identities and broader science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) identities, little is known about how specific informal science education experiences relate to students’ physics identity—a construct strongly associated with physics career choice. The current study contributes to the literature by examining the effect of several informal science experiences on students’ physics identity. Drawing on data from a national survey administered to students in required English courses at 27 colleges and universities across the US (N=15 847), we used multiple regression to test the relationship between informal science experiences in various topical areas at two educational levels (K-8 and 9–12) and students’ physics identity, while controlling for science background and demographics. The results reveal positive effects for stereotypic informal experiences in physical science (e.g., tinkering, competitions) as well as for talking science with friends or family. In addition, there were negative relationships between biology-related experiences (at both levels) and physics identity. Group comparisons further revealed that female students were more likely to report participating in biology-related activities and less likely to report participating in tinkering, STEM competitions, and talking science with friends or family. Students who identified themselves as Black or Hispanic were also less likely than those of other racial or ethnic groups to report tinkering and talking science with friends or family. We use this evidence to build the case that informal learning experiences in physics should move beyond stereotypic activities, increase accessibility, facilitate discourse with family or friends, and focus on interdisciplinary experiences that better engage young participants with a wide range of interests that are connected to physics.
... It has been the subject of national reports (e.g., Froschl & Stimmer, 2019;NRC, 2011NRC, , 2014aNRC, , 2014b, incorporated into the language and mission of large corporations (e.g., 3MGives, 2017; Making Science Make Sense, 2016), and has been a focus area of national organizations, like the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Science Teachers Association. State-level initiatives that may have once separated mathematics and science now address both these broad areas using the term STEM (e.g., Indiana Department of Education -Office of Workforce and STEM Alliances, 2018), and local schools and informal learning institutions now offer STEM programs, clubs, camps, academies, and so forth (e.g., Ferrara et al., 2017;Lynch et al., 2018;Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014;NRC, 2011;Sahin et al., 2015). ...
Identity development frameworks provide insight into why and to what extent individuals engage in STEM‐related activities. While studies of “STEM identity” often build off previously validated disciplinary and/or science identity frameworks, quantitative analyses of constructs that specifically measure STEM identity and its antecedents are scarce, making it challenging for researchers or practitioners to apply a measurement‐based perspective of participation in opportunities billed as “STEM.” In this study, we tested two expanded structural equation models of STEM identity development, building off extensions of science and disciplinary‐identity frameworks, that incorporated additional factors relevant to identity development: gender, ethnicity, home science support, parental education, and experiencing science talk in the home. Our models test theorized relationships between interest, sense of recognition, performance‐competence, and identity in the context of STEM with undergraduate students (N = 522) enrolled in introductory STEM courses at a Hispanic Serving Institution. Our findings support our measurement of STEM identity and its indicators, providing researchers with a predictive model associated with academic intentions across disciplinary domains in STEM. Further, our expanded model (i.e., Model I+) indicates significant contributions of participant gender, which has a larger indirect effect on STEM identity (β = 0.50) than the direct effect of STEM interest (β = 0.29), and of home support in relation to performance‐competence in academic contexts. Our model also posits a significant contribution of family science talk to sense of recognition as a STEM person, expanding our understandings of the important role of the home environment while challenging prior conceptions of science capital and habitus. We situate our results within a broader discussion regarding the validity of “STEM identity” as a concept and construct in the context of communities often marginalized in STEM fields.
... Effective early years STEM education enhancing the development of interest, persistence, and competence in STEM is among the major efforts needed to provide qualified STEM professionals (Denissen, Zarrett, & Eccles, 2007). Therefore, being exposed to STEM through the early years of elementary education is vital for children to be able to develop interest in STEM and potential career aspirations (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). STEM identity and STEM self-efficacy are among the key components to ensure ongoing interest and perseverance in STEM. ...
Chapter "Potential problems of early childhood educators in STEM education"
Iliana Mirtschewa
The chapter offers a description of the potential problems of the early childhood educators in STEM education. It is mentioned STEM reveals rich opportunities for children’s development through the integration of knowledge from various fields and through the spillover of experience from the field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, but at the same time there are some problems that could call into question the effectiveness of training and repel children from STEM from their early age. Some of the problems arise in practice is the destruction of the unity of STEM. Other arise from the different interpretation of STEM early education. In some cases, teacher centered instruction is given priority, STEM early education is associated with distant and abstract topics for children, in some cases only worksheets and books are used to fill in and perform various math or science related tasks. Putting the emphasis on memorizing "hollow knowledge" does not lead to understanding. On the other hand, in many cases, emphasis is placed on the fun side of STEM, without paying attention to the content side.
Another problem that emerges in STEM education is the interpretation of the role of the teacher in the learning process. On the one hand, emphasis is placed on teacher centered education, which is not very effective. Another extreme is that children do not need a teacher and need to explore the world on their own.
Problems in training are often created by existing standards. Sometimes early childhood educators are pressured to get children ready for school, ready to succeed in school, and ready to perform well on tests of academic skills. Rather than "delivering" education, the educators are most likely to help children by "providing" experiences known to benefit young children.
The attitude of society towards STEM can also be mentioned as a problem. Studies show that many parents, even teachers, believe that STEM education is only suitable for gifted children that it is more important for boys who show greater talent than girls and that it is suitable for old children. These adult attitudes about STEM can also be passed on to children.
A problem that needs to be discussed in the universities and the other educational institutions is the training of teachers. Studies show the uncertainty of some teachers with regard to STEM content and their perturbation with questions posed by children. Some teachers believe that "science and math are difficult, complex and confusing subjects". “Lack of confidence” is shown from teachers who participated in different studies. These concerns are also found in the parents.
Key messages:
• There are some potential problems that could call into question the effectiveness of training and repel children from STEM from their early age.
• These problems could affect the effectiveness of early STEM education. They can hinder the development of the spontaneous interest that children make towards these areas of knowledge and the realization of the necessary preparation of the children for life.
• It is important to work with teachers and parents on the importance of early STEM education for children, regardless of gender, which contributes to child development, enrichment of children's ideas and experiences, and stimulation of interest in STEM.
• It is important to discuss the teacher training activities in the direction to change the “Lack of confidence” of the teachers, related with the early STEM education.
... In addition, STEM also occupy students with the skills to gather and study information (investigative skills of science), evaluate and make sense of information (analytical skills of mathematics) and determine how the information gained help them to solve a problem (inventive skills of engineering) by using the available technology around them in the informal learning technique. The informal learning environments implemented was claimed as the catalyst that motivate and increase the students' interest towards STEM (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014) and inspiring the students to pursue a STEM career (Kitchen, Sonnert & Sadler, 2018). Through informal learning, the interesting learning experiences help the students to learn more effectively. ...
... Various types of formal and informal interventions have been developed and implemented to increase interest in STEM and STEM careers. [27]- [30] After reviewing these studies and considering our scope of study and constraints, we decided that a formal learning setting and project-based learning were more suitable for our study. ...
... Students' participation in out-of-school time (OST) science activities plays a significant role in STEM career interest [24]. STEM activity with hands-on project-based learning also can increase students' interest in STEM and STEM careers [25]. The fourth group is the group where students' motivation has been higher than the others. ...
The STEM field faces challenges related to uncertainties about the number and composition of skilled workforce. Measuring STEM career motivation (STEM-CM) of students at an early grade is crucial to improve the quality of science learning and to engage more students in STEM fields. This study focuses on the gender and academic level issues related to STEM career motivation. A total of 1583 elementary and middle school students participated in investigating two research questions: (1) Do gender and academic level impact students’ STEM career motivation? (2) How to classify students based on their STEM-CM? This study revealed that gender was not significantly related to STEM-CM. Nonetheless, academic level impacted significantly with STEM-CM where students’ motivation declined from elementary to middle school. Furthermore, the clustering method elicited five groups of students for consideration in designing STEM teaching activities. The influenced factors of students’ motivation for STEM careers were discussed. Finally, customized learning to improve student engagement in STEM was recommended.
A predicted rapid growth in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers demands a vast and talented workforce, but students most commonly abandon STEM majors within the first 2 years of college. Performance in introductory courses, scientific literacy, and the ability to critically reason are main predictors of retention in STEM, highlighting the importance of precollege and early college experience.
The aim of this paper is to synthesize teacher, student, and research perceptions on STEM education. Findings suggest overwhelming support for STEM education as a concept, but structural barriers to full implementation of STEM in formal school settings and epistemological and methodological gaps to more consistently rigorous research. Implications recommend an intense focus on operationalizing STEM education in a way that centers equity so that each and every student has the access and opportunity to engage in high-quality STEM learning experiences.
The purpose of this meta-analysis is to combine the results of experimental research completed between 2012 and 2022 and to examine the effects of different integrated STEM approaches on the attitudes of elementary school children. In the meta-analysis for the study on the effects of several integrated STEM approaches on the attitudes of elementary school children, five studies were selected based on particular criteria. The study included subgroup analyses in addition to exposing the overall effect of various integrated STEM approaches on the attitudes of elementary school children. According to the research findings, the Hedges g value, which is calculated to be 0.279 for the total effect size of diverse integrated STEM approaches on the attitudes of elementary school pupils, shows a small influence. In addition, the results of the analysis revealed that the impacts of different integrated STEM approaches on the attitudes of primary school pupils did not differ according to grade levels, but differed according to attitude area and integration.
Gender equity is a critical agenda for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education to increase women involvement in the STEM pathway. Our study is about the impact of a project in which all‐girl teams participated to an educational robotics program. We used quantitative and qualitative data to determine the impact and understand the girls' program experiences. After the participation of the program, the mean scores have increased in interest in STEM, interest in STEM careers, STEM identity, and understanding of STEM scales. The groups underlined their problem solving and group work experiences, as well as their excitement and motivation related with the STEM activities.
Özel yeteneklilerin eğitiminde zenginleştirme modelleri okul dışı öğrenme ortamlardaki etkinlikler için geniş bir uygulama potansiyeline sahiptir. Mevcut araştırma, STEM eğitimi kapsamında özel yetenekli öğrenciler için Maker zenginleştirme modeline dayalı olarak tasarlanan bir doğa ve bilim kampının öğrenme ortamı, içerik, süreç ve ürün bağlamlarında nasıl zenginleştirdiğini incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. STEM eğitimi temalı doğa ve bilim kampı, Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu (TÜBİTAK) tarafından desteklenen yedi günlük yoğunlaştırılmış bir programı içermektedir. Durum çalışmasına dayalı araştırmanın çalışma grubunu Türkiye’nin 13 farklı şehrinde yer alan Bilim ve Sanat Merkezlerine devam eden 29 (n = 15 kız ve n = 14 erkek) özel yetenekli öğrenci ve 14 kamp eğitmeni oluşmaktadır. Araştırma verileri etkinlik, kamp ve eğitmen değerlendirme formları ve araştırmacı gözlem notları ile toplanmıştır. Araştırma bulguları doğa ve bilim kampının özellikle öğrenme ortamı için bütünleşik bir yapıda olma, içerik bağlamında karmaşıklığa vurgu yapma, süreç temelinde üst düzey düşünmeyi öne çıkarma ve ürün temasında gerçek sorunların çözümüne yönelik tasarımlar oluşturma özelikleri ile zenginleştirildiğine işaret etmektedir. Bu sonuçlar doğa ve bilim kampının öğrenme ortamı, içerik, süreç ve ürün temelinde özgünleşerek özel yetenekli öğrencilerin STEM eğitimini desteklediğini ortaya koymuştur.
Integration of STEAM disciplines in preschool education is considered to be difficult for children to work as engineers and perform robotics applications. Therefore, preschool STEAM activities are needed. The study aims to convey how to implement the preschool STEAM activity named "We design our school for our visually impaired friend" with children aged 48–66 months. Children ran -engineering, technology, and artistic- design processes by scientific and mathematical inquiry. They worked for a week under the guidance of their teacher. First, they designed tactile paths for the visually impaired person in their school, tested with dramatic inquiry, and presented. Second, they coded and tested Bee-Bot to help guide and accompany their disabled friend. Then, they designed posters for awareness of the life of impaired people and evaluated them. Then they hung it on the walls of the school and explained the importance of roads for the visually impaired, tasks of Bee-Bot to other children, teachers, and parents. They evaluated each other and themselves while testing their designs and used scientific concepts – the importance of seeing sense organs, mathematical shapes. The children had fun and learned by working cooperatively throughout the activity for the process of STEAM activity.
This study investigates the effect of problem-based STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) activities on 7th-grade students’ mathematics achievement, attitude, anxiety, self-efficacy, interest, and views. At the same time, the effects of these activities on students' anxiety, self-efficacy towards mathematics, and interest in STEM occupations were also examined. The study sample, which was selected using the convenience sampling method, consisted of 115 7th grade students of a public middle school in Turkey. In the quantitative phase of the research, a quasi-experimental research model with pre-test and post-test control group was used to determine the students’ mathematics achievement, attitudes, anxiety, self-efficacy towards mathematics and interests in STEM careers. In the qualitative phase semi-structured interview was used to understand students’ views on problem-based STEM activities and mathematics lessons in the qualitative part. Within the scope of the research, 6 different problem-based STEM activities related to ratio-proportion and percentages were applied to the experimental group students. The data collected from both groups before and after the implementation process were analyzed with descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, and paired sample t-test. The results showed that problem-based STEM activities affect students’ mathematics achievement, self-efficacy, and interest in mathematics. It also helps students reducing their mathematics anxiety.
With student-centered, hands-on approaches to real-world problems, integrated STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) curricula have the potential to engage students more authentically in multi-disciplinary learning and to learn mathematics more deeply. However, researchers have shown concern that the “M” is often a silent partner and have called for increasing mathematics’ visibility in STEM curricula. Taking into account this background, this paper investigated how teachers’ and students’ engagement with mathematics within a specific lesson in an integrated STEM unit evolved over four years in two elementary teachers’ classrooms and the factors the teachers pointed to that may explain their adaptations. Using classroom observations and teacher interviews, the results showed that the time engaged with the mathematics and the depth of engagement with the mathematics decreased over the four years. Five themes emerged that may explain their adaptations: 1) limited time, 2) the need to address required school academic standards in limited time, 3) materials and preparation, and, to a lesser extent, 4) the teachers’ comfort with the curriculum and, to a lesser extent, 5) their perceptions of their students’ abilities. These findings have implications for those that are writing, studying, or potentially using integrated STEM curricula in elementary schools.
Giáo dục robotics (Educational Robotics) được xem là một môi trường để tạo điều kiện cho việc phát triển giáo dục STEM trong nhà trường. Nghiên cứu trong bài báo tập trung tìm hiểu suy nghĩ và hứng thú của học sinh trung học cơ sở (HS THCS) đối với robotics ở một số trường tại Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh. Công cụ khảo sát hứng thú của HS THCS được xây dựng dựa trên công cụ RAAS (Robotics Activity Attitudes Scale) trong nghiên cứu của Cross (2016). Chúng tôi thực hiện khảo sát thử nghiệm để điều chỉnh bảng hỏi và khảo sát chính thức để phân tích. Kết quả cho thấy, yếu tố giới tính và kiến thức nền về lập trình là yếu tố có ảnh hưởng đến sự tự tin và sự tò mò của HS đối với khoa học robot, cụ thể HS nam có sự tự tin và tò mò nhiều hơn nữ. Bên cạnh đó, suy nghĩ về sự quan trọng của robotics có tác động tích cực đến thái độ của các em với lĩnh vực này, cụ thể là sự tự tin và sự tò mò. Kết quả nghiên cứu góp phần cho cơ sở định hướng việc tổ chức triển khai các hoạt động robotics đối với HS trong nhà trường.
Giáo dục STEM là quan điểm dạy học tích hợp đang được quan tâm ở nhiều quốc gia trên thế giới. Trong các nội dung giáo dục STEM, một số nghiên cứu đã ghi nhận tác động tích cực của việc giáo dục STEM robotics đối với kiến thức, kĩ năng và sự hứng thú của học sinh. Bài viết này giới thiệu tiến trình dạy học một chủ đề STEM lĩnh vực robotics cho học sinh lớp 8 – thiết kế và chế tạo robot hút bụi. Chủ đề được thiết kế dựa trên quy trình thiết kế kĩ thuật (Engineering Design Process) nhằm tạo cơ hội bồi dưỡng năng lực giải quyết vấn đề cho học sinh. Kết quả thực nghiệm đối với học sinh lớp 8 cho thấy rằng, các em có các biểu hiện tích cực đối với năng lực giải quyết vấn đề trong giáo dục STEM lĩnh vực robotics thông qua học tập chủ đề.
This single case study design examines the impact of collaborative inquiry‐ and design‐based learning on elementary students enrolled in the STEM summer camp program. Sixty‐five students participated in a two‐week summer camp that offered a curriculum centered on (a) coding; (b) STEM arts; (c) 3D printing; and (d) digital storytelling. Data is primarily collected through follow‐up interviews with students and their parents; and complemented with student’s journals, daily progress reports, and post‐camp surveys for both parents and students. The findings indicate that students enjoyed STEM camp as the activities were collaborative and hands‐on. Findings also indicated summer learning experience could act as a platform to engage students in STEM activities and promote integrated learning of different content areas. On the other hand, the results from parental data suggested that their purpose of enrolling children in a STEM camp is to provide them sustained exposure to the STEM curriculum and engage them in real‐world applications.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, new challenges have emerged, bringing distance learning into the spotlight. In the context of distance learning and robotics education, we propose a system that utilizes an e-learning platform, an educational robot and mobile augmented reality technology. The current circumstances prompt this study to focus on those technologies to overcome the online distance learning deficits compared to in-person laboratory robotic activities implementation. This empirical study shows the preliminary results of the pilot implementation of this teaching approach. Combining AR technology with educational robotics is deemed an innovative and contemporary proposal for teaching students STEM concepts for online distance learning environments. An e-learning mobile AR educational robotics environment was designed for this study. In this paper, a qualitative pilot study is presented. Two groups of elementary school students participated in the study. Students’ perceptions and behavior provided feedback regarding the feasibility and support of e-learning using an augmented reality environment at the educational robotics course. All of the students participated actively in the learning process, considering this type of teaching more pleasant and enjoyable, and in general, students’ attitudes were positive. Future research should be made to examine the opportunities and challenges of implementing such a system in educational settings more in-depth.
The authors discuss 2 macro-level community practice courses, examining how each applies the concepts of situated learning to foster the development of communities of practice through use of a unique model for antioppressive practice. The theoretical underpinnings and a discussion of the implementation of each stage of the model is provided. The authors consider the implications of this model for student understanding of privilege, oppression, and power and the use of antioppressive community practice approaches through the development of specific communities of practice. The development of transformative learning that included the students, the instructor, and community members is also highlighted.
In this article we describe the evolution of an elective course designed specifically for undergraduate students in our pre-service teacher education program. This course is intended to prepare these undergraduate students as future teachers—helping them to make effective and creative uses of technology in learning settings. This course emphasizes learning to learn with and about technology, in the ever-changing context of educational technology. Generally speaking, we outline and describe three key goals of teaching young teachers to thoughtfully integrate technology into a real-world classroom. First, the course emphasizes learning to explore and learn proactively by engaging in learning by design activities. Second, students are given an opportunity to try a wide variety of innovative technologies through explorations of their own choosing. Finally, we attempt to leverage the power of online community building for learning by harnessing the ubiquity and convenience of tools like Facebook. We look into the future with great hope and enthusiasm that our preservice teachers will lead the way in integrating new technologies into their teaching in ways that will benefit their students, colleagues, and the greater education community.
We continue the discussion of cognitive and situative perspectives by identifying several important points on which we judge the perspectives to be in agreement: (1) Individual and social perspectives on activity are both fundamentally important in education; (2) Learning can be general, and abstractions can be efficacious, but they sometimes aren't; (3) Situative and cognitive approaches can cast light on different aspects of the educational process, and both should be pursued vigorously; (4) Educational innovations should be informed by the available scientific knowledge base and should be evaluated and analyzed with rigorous research methods.
Situated thought and action are facilitated according to specific children, negotiated among classroom community members, and placed in a specific place and time. Through action research, the author worked for about a year with a group of 15 elementary school children between the ages of 7 and 10, during a Cub Scout program in Lefkosia, Cyprus. The result was a series of art projects that included research by small groups of children about history, art history, and community life for purposeful artmaking. This article discusses situated learning in an art classroom, how it can be facilitated, and how it is related to the development of a learning community. The examples come from the program mentioned above and more specifically, from a children's project based on the general theme of the Olympic Games.
In this article, I explore the contradictions that four new teachers experienced as their commitments to social justice collide with urban school culture. Framed within Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger's (1999) theory of situated learning and development concepts of identity, practice, and relationships illustrate how teachers' ideals are challenged as socializing features of two communities of practice—the universities and schools—intersect in new teachers' development. This research contributes empirical evidence of the application of critical multicultural teacher preparation into practice, a cultural representation of how educational inequities are reproduced or disrupted in the situated contexts of urban schools, an application of Lave and Wenger's theory of Legitimate Peripheral Participation that incorporates formal and informal education across multiple activity settings, and a call for collaborative communities of practice that support teachers' situated learning in creating transformative practices.
In this article we argue that both the cognitive and situative perspectives need to be modified to account for the empirical evidence on learning, taking as a central example the problem of knowledge transfer. Our proposal is that we need an approach that takes as a unit of analysis the individual in a constructive interaction with the world through a variety of mediated symbolic structures, some internal and some external, in rich sociocultural settings. This should be done without denying that knowledge can be represented in some form in the memory system. While internal mental structures are acceptable in this framework, concepts should not be seen as stable and unchanging but, rather, as flexible, malleable, and distributed. To explain conceptual change, we should allow for the possibility that what is already known can be radically restructured and that new, qualitative different structures emerge. Teaching for conceptual change, we argue, should utilize but cannot solely rely on cognitive apprenticeship types of methods. Attention must be paid to the appropriate design of curricula and to the acquisition of subject matter knowledge, together with the development of instructional methods that utilize socio-cultural processes, like classroom discussion, to develop students' metaconceptual awareness and the ability to engage in intentional learning.
Schools and districts are adopting out-of-school-time (OST) programs such as after-school programs and summer schools to supplement the education of low-achieving students. However, research has painted a mixed picture of their effectiveness. To clarify OST impacts, this synthesis examined research on OST programs for assisting at-risk students in reading and/or mathematics. Researchers analyzed 35 OST studies that employed control or comparison groups and met other inclusion criteria. Meta-analyses indicated small but statistically significant positive effects of OST on both reading and mathematics student achievement and larger positive effect sizes for programs with specific characteristics such as tutoring in reading. Whether the OST program took place after school or during the summer did not make a difference in effectiveness.
This article considers the question of what specific actions a teacher might take to create a culture of inquiry in a secondary school mathematics classroom. Sociocultural theories of learning provide the framework for examining teaching and learning practices in a single classroom over a two-year period. The notion of the zone of proximal development (ZPD) is invoked as a fundamental framework for explaining learning as increasing participation in a community of practice characterized by mathematical inquiry. The analysis draws on classroom observation and interviews with students and the teacher to show how the teacher established norms and practices that emphasized mathematical sense-making and justification of ideas and arguments and to illustrate the learning practices that students developed in response to these expectations.
The application of mobile technologies to learning has the potential to facilitate the active participation of learners in the creation and delivery of content. They can also provide a powerful connection between a variety of formal and informal learning contexts and can help to build a community of learners. However these versatile tools present challenges to educators and learners alike. The paper discusses the pedagogical challenges that result from the introduction of mobile technologies in language learning in the context of an intensive week of study abroad. We describe and evaluate a pilot project that uses mobile blogging to promote a constructivist, situated and informal learning experience of the foreign language and culture based on theories of active learning. We aim to encourage interaction and a sense of community among learners outside formal educational environments and in different locations as we ask them to engage with the foreign culture by capturing, sharing and reflecting on their experiences for their peers.
We continue the discussion of cognitive and situative perspectives by identifying several important points on which we judge the perspectives to be in agreement: (a) Individual and social perspectives on activity are both fundamentally important in education; (b) Learning can be general, and abstractions can be efficacious, but they sometimes aren’t; (c) Situative and cognitive approaches can cast light on different aspects of the educational process, and both should be pursued vigorously; (d) Educational innovations should be informed by the available scientific knowledge base and should be evaluated and analyzed with rigorous research methods.
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BACKGROUND The field of engineering education research has seen substantial growth in the last five years but it often lacks theoretical and empirical work on engineering learning that could be supplied by the learning sci-ences. In addition, the learning sciences have focused very little on engineering learning to date. PURPOSE This article summarizes prior work in the learning sciences and discusses one perspective—situative learn-ing—in depth. Situativity refers to the central role of context, including the physical and social aspects of the environment, on learning. Furthermore, it emphasizes the socially and culturally negotiated nature of thought and action of persons in interaction. The aim of the article is to provide a foundation for future work on engineering learning and to suggest ways in which the learning sciences and engineering educa-tion research communities might work to their mutual benefit. SCOPE/METHOD The article begins with a brief discussion of recent developments in engineering education research. After an initial overview of the field of learning sciences, situative learning is discussed and three analytical aspects of the perspective are outlined: social and material context, activities and interactions, and partici-pation and identity. Relevant expert commentaries are interspersed throughout the article. The article concludes with an exploration of the potential for contributions from the learning sciences to understand-ing engineering learning. CONCLUSION There are many areas of mutual benefit for engineering education and the learning sciences and many potential areas of collaborative research that can contribute not only to engineering learning but to the learning sciences.
This study examined the impact of robotics and geospatial technologies interventions on middle school youth’s learning of and attitudes toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Two interventions were tested. The first was a 40-hour intensive robotics/GPS/GIS summer camp; the second was a 3-hour event modeled on the camp experiences and intended to provide an introduction to these technologies. Results showed that the longer intervention led to significantly greater learning than a control group not receiving the instruction, whereas the short-term intervention primarily impacted youth attitude and motivation. Although the short-term intervention did not have the learning advantages of a more intensive robotics camp, it can serve a key role in getting youth excited about technology and encouraging them to seek out additional opportunities to explore topics in greater detail, which can result in improved learning.
The PR^2EPS program is a multidisciplinary effort to increase the number of majors attending (and graduating) from SUNY Oneonta with degrees in physics, chemistry, secondary physics or chemistry education and related areas. Components of the program include a walk-in tutoring center, a free, weeklong summer science camp, scholarship opportunities, professional conference experiences, and an equipment loan program for regional secondary science teachers. 2006 was the third year of this NSF-DUE funded program. Evaluation of our progress to date shows that the program is effective at steering students (or at least reinforcing their desire) to studying the sciences in college and retaining them in their science programs. A summary of our goals, challenges and accomplishments, including tutoring center operation and efficacy, activities and operational details for the summer camp, and the overall impact on science programs at a medium sized college will be presented.
The culture of science is more than science-as knowledge. It is even more than science-as-method. It includes public awareness of the impact of science-technology and mathematics on the economic and social well-being of citizens and their opportunity and readiness to enter into civic discussions of scientific issues. The culture of science in this larger sense is poorly represented in the experience of most people, partly because the formal school curriculum stresses science-as-knowledge and typically presents science-related issues as divorced from social, political, and ethical considerations and debate. Given the limitations of formal learning in schools and the lack of exposure to the culture of science, opportunities for "informal learning" about science, technology, mathematics, and their culture become particularly crucial. This article describes a program developed under the auspices of the CRYSTAL Atlantique (Centre for Research in Youth Science Teaching and Learning). The aim of this project was to: (1) discover what elementary, middle, and high school students can learn about science and what kinds of experiences influence their attitudes towards and interest in science; and (2) find out what adults understand about science-technology or mathematics and how their understandings contribute to their reluctance or willingness to interact with science-technological and mathematical issues and concerns in their communities. The primary focus of this paper is on the role of informal learning--learning that takes place outside the formal structure of the classroom or university. (Contains 7 notes.)
Two studies examined the relationship between precollegiate advanced/enriched educational experiences and adult accomplishments in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). In Study 1, 1,467 13-year-olds were identified as mathematically talented on the basis of scores ≥ 500 (top 0.5%) on the math section of the Scholastic Assessment Test; subsequently, their developmental trajectories were studied over 25 years. Particular attention was paid to high-level STEM accomplishments with low base rates in the general population (STEM PhDs, STEM publications, STEM tenure, STEM patents, and STEM occupations). Study 2 retrospectively profiled the adolescent advanced/enriched educational experiences of 714 top STEM graduate students (mean age = 25), and related these experiences to their STEM accomplishments up to age 35. In both longitudinal studies, those with notable STEM accomplishments manifested past histories involving a richer density of advanced precollegiate educational opportunities in STEM (a higher “STEM dose”) than less highly achieving members of their respective cohorts. While both studies are quasi-experimental, they suggest that for mathematically talented and academically motivated young adolescents, STEM accomplishments are facilitated by a rich mix of precollegiate STEM educational opportunities that are designed to be intellectually challenging, even for students at precocious developmental levels. These opportunities appear to be uniformly important for both sexes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Calls for engineers to communicate more effectively are ubiquitous, and engineering education literature includes numerous examples of assignments and courses that integrate writing and speaking with technical content. However, little of this literature examines in detail how engineering students develop communication skills and how those learning mechanisms influence classroom practice. To address this gap, this article synthesizes research on communication learning in college from the fields of composition and technical communication and illustrates its relevance to the engineering classroom with a case study of a capstone design course. The princi-ples of situated learning and activity theory, in particular, provide strong evidence that the ways in which course instructors and stu-dents interact around communication tasks play a significant role in helping students develop transferable communication skills.
This case study investigated learners’ perceptions of value from participating in a learning activity designed to model professional
instructional design practice. Learners developed instructional design products for a corporate client in the context of a
classroom-based course. The findings indicate that learners perceived different kinds of value which varied according to the
degree of integration of learners’ goals with client’s goals, ranging from (a) co-constituted value (in which learners perceived the value of their participation as being inextricably bound to creation of value to the client)
to (b) satisficing value (in which learners engaged with the activity so as to generate value for themselves while providing sufficient or good enough value to the client) to (c) salvage value (in which learners did not participate in the activity in the manner intended, but attempted to salvage some personal value
from their participation). A framework relates these learners’ perceptions of value to three main features of such learning
activities: what you do, how you do it, and who you are accountable to. The relative worth of these different kinds of value is discussed, and proposals for influencing learner perceptions of value
are presented.
This paper explains the organization and execution of a summer engineering outreach camp designed to attract and motivate high school students as well as increase their awareness of various engineering fields. The camp curriculum included hands-on, competitive design-oriented engineering projects from several disciplines: the electrical, environmental, mechanical, civil, and chemical engineering fields. The camp also provided additional information on financial aid, the academic programs in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) offered at Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK), as well as various career options for prospective engineers. The implementation of the camp activities and the well-designed hands-on projects not only increased the students' satisfaction, but also improved their self-confidence and their interest toward engineering disciplines. The engineering outreach camp survey results clearly indicated the success of the camp and the effectiveness of the hands-on, competitive engineering design experiences to attract students to engineering professions. Thus, it demonstrated an effective, feasible, and sustainable engineering recruitment approach.
Lave and Wenger have greatly influenced existing views of learning and teaching, but relatively little has been written about the implications for the understanding of teacher behavior and teacher learning, and for the pedagogy of teacher education. Based on their work, a three-level model of learning is used to analyze the friction between teacher behavior in practice and the wish to ground teachers' practices in theory. Supported by empirical data on teacher learning and brain research, this model reconciles the situated learning perspective with traditional cognitive theory, and leads to concrete implications for the pedagogy of teacher education.
Advances in information and communication technologies have fundamentally heightened organizational interest in knowledge as a critical strategic resource. However, organizations are finding that members are often reluctant to exchange knowledge with others in the organization. This paper examines why. We review current knowledge management practices and find that organizations are treating knowledge as a private good, owned either by the organization or by organization members. We propose that knowledge can also be considered a public good, owned and maintained by a community. When knowledge is considered a public good, knowledge exchange is motivated by moral obligation and community interest rather than by narrow self-interest. We provide support for the public good perspective by providing results from a survey examining why people participate and share knowledge in three electronic communities of practice. The results indicate that people participate primarily out of community interest, generalized reciprocity and pro-social behavior.
Contenido: Parte I.Cuestiones conceptuales en la investigación cualitativa: Naturaleza de la investigación cualitativa; Temas estratégicos en la investigación cualitativa; Diversidad en la investigación cualitativa: orientaciones teóricas; Aplicaciones cualitativas particulares. Parte II. Diseños cualitativos y recolección de datos: Estudios de diseños cualitativos; Estrategias de trabajo de campo y métodos de observación; Entrevistas cualitativas. Parte III. Análisis, interpretación e informe: Análisis cualitativo e interpretación; Incrementar la calidad y la credibilidad del análisis cualitativo.
Two experiments investigated the development of attitudes toward mathematics and stereotype threat susceptibility in Italian children. Experiment 1 involved 476 elementary school boys and girls and produced evidence of gender differences in self-confidence in one's own mathematical ability and in gender stereotyping of mathematics during elementary school. It also provided initial evidence for a decrement in 10-year-old girls' mathematics performance when stereotype threat was made salient by reminding participants that extraordinary achievement in mathematics is typically a male phenomenon. Experiment 2 (N=271) replicated these findings and expanded them to middle school-age participants. Its results suggest that during middle school, the patterns observed in elementary school consolidate, and the stereotypes begin to produce detrimental effects in girls.
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