Abstract
Background: Inclusive STEM high schools employ a variety of instructional strategies, including PBL (problem and/or project-based learning) experiences, with the goals of building students’ 21st century skills, facilitating long-term academic success, and encouraging pursuit of STEM careers. PBL approaches are central to the goals of inclusive STEM schools; however, at this writing, no description of the implementation of PBL at these schools exists. Material and Methods: The current study draws on classroom observations and teacher interviews to describe PBL implementation across schools and classrooms. We describe specific instructional practices and classroom behaviors that teachers and students engage in during PBL. Results: Results highlight the multifaceted and multidimensional nature of PBL implementation, and that consistencies in practice do exist across inclusive STEM schools. Additionally, quantitative results show increased use of particular strategies in PBL experiences, as compared with non-PBL classes. Conclusions: This paper provides an in-depth look at instructional practices used in PBL approaches at inclusive STEM schools across the country, and findings have implications for how researchers and practitioners understand and use PBL going forward.
Highlights
The growing emphasis on cultivating students’ science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills reflects both societal and workplace evolution in the United States
We highlight foundational project- and problem-based learning literature, in practice, we find that inclusive STEM high schools often use these terms interchangeably, or that some schools indicate they are doing “project-based learning” that closely aligns more to some definitions of “problem-based learning,” and vice versa
Are there differences in the frequency of these instructional practices in PBL and non-PBL class sessions? To answer these research questions, we investigated instructional practices identified across the literature and by interviewed teachers in the current study as central to PBL experiences; these included teacher facilitation of cognitively demanding work, student autonomy and risk-taking, student cooperation and teamwork, and making connections across disciplines and to real-world content
Summary
The growing emphasis on cultivating students’ science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills reflects both societal and workplace evolution in the United States. Approaches that build 21st century skills, such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity, are critical to students’ long-term academic success and career pursuits. This is true for preparing students to fill jobs in STEM fields, which are. Inclusive STEM high schools employ a variety of instructional strategies, including PBL (problem and/or project-based learning) experiences, with the goals of building students’ 21st century skills, facilitating long-term academic success, and encouraging pursuit of STEM careers. Conclusions: This paper provides an in-depth look at instructional practices used in PBL approaches at inclusive STEM schools across the country, and findings have implications for how researchers and practitioners understand and use PBL going forward
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