An Impact Study of the Implementation of a Materials Science and Engineering Module at the Fifth Grade Level

Abstract

AbstractAn impact study of the implementation of a newly developed Materials Science and Engineering Module was conducted as part of a National Science Foundation funded GK-12 project at the University of South Florida. The objective of GK-12 STARS (Students, Teachers and Resources in the Sciences) program is to foster systemic change in elementary by enriching math and science curricula and encouraging long-term professional development for teachers in the K-5 band. The program also aims to decrease the current educational gap in science and math curricula prevalent among certain schools within the same school district, which is reflected in the outcome of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). The module was developed for the purpose of enhancing existing textbook driven science instruction and creating a fundamentally sound scientific exposure in elementary school students. As part of this activity, students from three different schools (one private, one suburban, and one urban) were introduced to basic concepts in materials science and engineering through hands-on experiments, presentations, and field trips to the university's material research related laboratories (i.e. polymer chemistry, microelectronics, nanotechnology, geotechnics, corrosion, etc.) The developed module offered information ranging from basic definitions to newly discovered cutting edge phenomenon in the field of nanotechnology. Subsequently, pre and post test instruments were administered to assess student performance. Results from the pretest showed that students from all participating schools performed within the standard deviation. The post assessment test showed that the experimental group had twice as many correct answers, as the control group from each school.