Predictors of success in applied STEM education through Guitar building

Abstract

This research examined the predictors of success for secondary and postsecondary students taught by STEM Guitar Project-trained instructors. Each instructor participated in a 50-hour STEM Guitar Project development institute between 2013 and 2016 focusing on the manufacture of a solid-body electric guitar and received instruction focused on how to teach integrated STEM Modular Learning Activities (MLAs), which are aligned with the Common Core mathematics standards and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The data collected include pre- and post-assessment scores from 769 students in three grade bands (grades 6–8, 9–12, and undergraduate level from 15 states). Student mastery of the 12 core MLA concepts was measured through the deployment of pre- and post-assessments evaluating student knowledge across the 12 core concepts. Analysis of student scores showed significant improvement between pre- and post-assessment scores. The significant predictors of success included the percentage of minority students at the school and the STEM Guitar curriculum being taught by a science instructor. These findings indicate that students attending schools with a high percentage of minority students are more likely to increase their assessment score from the pre-assessment to the post-assessment. These data show encouraging results for using the electric guitar as a vehicle to teach integrated STEM concepts to secondary and postsecondary students, particularly at institutions with a high percentage of minority students.