Interest In STEM Subjects Research Articles

Virtual Biostats Day: An Interactive Online Biostatistics Outreach Program Directed at High School Students in Groups Historically Underrepresented in STEM Careers

Persistent underrepresentation of Black and Hispanic Statistics degree holders relative to the U.S. population occurs at all levels in post-secondary education, contributing to the underrepresentation of Black and Hispanic Bio/Statisticians. Attempting to address this inequity before the undergraduate level, Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK)’s Bridge to Biostats committee was established with the mission to increase awareness of and interest in the field of Biostatistics among high school students in groups underrepresented in STEM fields. We describe in this article an outreach program targeted to underrepresented students in New York City with innate aptitude and interest in STEM subjects, but minimal exposure to Statistics. Virtual Biostats Day is a 1–1/4 hr online exposure program that incorporates interactive elements exploring statistical concepts alongside clear descriptions of the field of Biostatistics and the roles and responsibilities of a Biostatistician. Students are also introduced to professional Biostatisticians who describe their journeys from high school to where they are today. This combination of didactic and active learning has engaged students, even in the online environment. We relate our experience in implementing and presenting our program to students and provide a complete toolkit for other Bio/Statistics departments or organizations interested in engaging in similar outreach work. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.

Game on for Climate Action: Big Game Delivers Engaging STEM Learning

A decline in European students’ interest in STEM subjects, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic’s disruption of education, has raised concerns about the continent’s future workforce. To address this challenge, this study investigates the efficacy of the BIG GAME project methodology, a cooperative story-driven digital game approach designed to engage secondary students in collaborative environmental problem-solving. Implemented across Romania, Italy, Estonia, and Finland, this six-month study employed a mixed-methods design involving 62 teachers and 239 students in ten distinct game missions focused on environmental challenges. The quantitative results indicated significant improvements in students’ transversal skills (teamwork, communication, and critical thinking), as reported by over 75% of teachers. The qualitative data emphasised the value of structured peer review in developing students’ reflective practices. This research underscores the importance of teacher facilitation in game-based learning and problem-based simulations and highlights the potential of such methodologies to boost student engagement and environmental awareness. These findings suggest that the BIG GAME project approach could be a valuable tool for revitalising STEM education and cultivating future-ready citizens.

Interest of Secondary School Students Towards Stem Education in Delhi Region

STEM education is essential for developing students' critical thinking, creativity, and problem- solving abilities. This helps to develop future leaders and boosts the economy. However, increasing engagement and participation in STEM disciplines requires an awareness of the elements that influence secondary school students' interest in STEM subjects. The interest of Delhi region secondary school pupils in STEM education is examined in this study work. Its goal is to incorporate science, technology, engineering, and math into the curriculum of children in order to improve their cognitive abilities and encourage them to seek solutions to problems in the real world. In field education, STEM is an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approach. However, understanding students' interest in STEM subjects is crucial for fostering engagement and promoting excellence in these areas It investigates numerous elements that affect students' interest in STEM disciplines, including curriculum design, teaching strategies, social perspectives, and extracurricular activities, using surveys and interviews. The results offer significant perspectives for educators, policymakers, and stakeholders to formulate efficacious approaches for endorsing STEM education and cultivating a workforce prepared for the future in the Delhi region.

How Constructivist Learning Impacts Secondary Girls’ STEM Career Interests

This is a quantitative study that examines how constructivist learning in a summer camp impacted middle school and high school girls’ STEM knowledge, self-efficacy, and ultimately, their interests in future STEM learning and growth. An online survey was used to collect information from thirty-one girls at the end of a five-week summer camp. The results are mostly confirmative of past studies that used student-centered project-based authentic STEM learning with significant gains in students’ understanding of STEM, self-efficacy, and interests in STEM for future development. The unique contribution of the study, though, is the finding that, when given the opportunity to engage in active learning and problem-solving, girls’ interest in STEM subjects could be substantially boosted; the constructivist learning environment along with their gains in STEM knowledge can compensate any insufficiency in self-efficacy in this regard. This study provides insight about the importance of instructional approach in STEM education.

From Theory To Practice: A Comprehensive Examination Of Implementing Project-Based Learning In STEM Curricula

This study undertook a comprehensive examination of Project-Based Learning (PBL) implementation in STEM curricula, bridging the gap from theory to practice. Through a rigorous exploration, the research aimed to investigate the practical implications of incorporating PBL into STEM education. The study's objectives were to assess the impact of PBL on academic performance, critical thinking skills, and overall Engagement among students in STEM disciplines. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, including surveys, interviews, and observational analysis, data was collected and analyzed to provide a nuanced understanding of the experiences and outcomes associated with PBL. The findings revealed a significant improvement in academic performance, with students exposed to PBL exhibiting heightened Engagement and a notable surge in interest in STEM subjects. Critical thinking skills experienced substantial enhancement, highlighting the practical implications of PBL in developing essential cognitive abilities. The study contributed to the existing literature by validating the positive outcomes of PBL. It offered valuable insights for educators and curriculum developers seeking to implement effective, experiential learning strategies in STEM education. The research, conducted in the past tense, presents a comprehensive exploration of the transition from theoretical concepts to the practical application of PBL in STEM curricula.

Gender dimension in STEM education in the Republic of Moldova: efforts and trends

By encouraging girls and women to develop and maintain an interest in STEM subjects, we are preparing the next generation of researchers, engineers, scientists and programmers to meet the growing demand for skilled STEM professionals. Current and future jobs and societal challenges require and will increasingly require a wide range of skills such as teamwork, intercultural competence, empathy, creativity, problem solving and independent non-linear thinking. Accordingly, we must ensure that women and girls are widely represented at all levels as we move forward. It is more important than ever that we eliminate stereotypes and biases and promote women and girls who want to pursue STEM careers.

No Roadblocks in Low Earth Orbit: The Motivational Role of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) School Program in STEM Education

This study presents an investigation of the interaction with a role model and school students’ interest in pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects. The interaction is in the form of a live question and answer contact with an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Through the integration of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) School Program into the school curriculum as an external intervention, opportunities are provided for school students from anywhere in the world to ask their own prepared questions of the astronauts using two-way Amateur Radio. The purpose of this research is to determine the extent to which the ARISS Program is meeting its primary goal of enhancing school students’ interest in STEM subjects and to analyse any changes in student interest towards STEM subjects and STEM based careers attributed to the ARISS program. Data were collected through a mixed methods research model using pre- and post- event online questionnaires, from 236 students and 31 teachers, representing 4 schools, and 29 ARISS Volunteers. Case Study students and teachers were chosen from Canada, Germany, and the United States. Very high ARISS excitement levels were exhibited by the students and teachers from all case study schools. A t-test was used to determine the significance of student pre- and post-event interest and excitement levels, and while science was the only subject with a significant difference, there was a noticeable positive trend in the change in student STEM interest within all subject areas. There were twice as many students reporting an increase in STEM interest than not at the conclusion of the ARISS event. Participant teachers unanimously reported that astronauts, male and female, are a significant positive role model for school students, and that the ARISS program was of value to their students. More primary aged students exhibited a positive STEM interest change than secondary aged students. A positive change in STEM subject interest within secondary school age students exists pointing to the ability of the ARISS program to motivate older students. This research confirms that the ARISS program has a significant and positive impact on students where an integrative partnership with the school curriculum is achieved. This research has contributed to the existing literature surrounding the impact of inspirational expert role models on the motivation levels of students to pursue STEM based studies and careers.

An introduction to functions and variables in technology education, in a STEM-centred context at the elementary level

STEM education is gaining popularity in primary and high school curricula worldwide, emphasizing effective instructional methods. This article discusses a case study using the Technology Design Process (TDP) to create teaching materials to introduce variables and functions in a mathematical context at the elementary level. The TDP's iterative stages were used in the development, and data was collected from different sources: pre- and post-questionnaires, as well as a working document dealing with pupils’ understanding based on designing, making, testing, and simulating. Nineteen students from a fourth-grade classroom (9–10 years old) participated in the study. The results indicate that STEM activities enhance classroom engagement and math learning while fostering problem-solving skills in a transdisciplinary context. This research encourages elementary teachers to incorporate more STEM activities and emphasizes the importance of the design process for critical thinking and practical skills. It also suggests that technology teachers include these design process steps in their teaching to develop engineering design skills and spark student interest in STEM subjects.

Science4Exit Project - Experimental Escape Games with Digital Enrichment in an Extracurricular Learning Venue

Exit games, escape games or escape rooms are innovative formats for teaching chemistry and for learning and applying scientific content. In the project "Science4Exit" experimental escape games with digital enrichment are developed, tested and evaluated. They will be carried out in the teaching and learning laboratory of chemistry at the University of Education in Weingarten.
 One of the project's goals is to increase pupil’s motivation for science topics and interest in STEM subjects, as well as to improve the application of knowledge acquired in school. It also promotes 21st century skills (creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking and problem-solving) by embedding them in a game-based context. When playing escape games in the chemistry teaching and learning laboratory Ex³lab, experimental ways of knowing and solving are essential to reach the goal. As in classical or combinatorial puzzles, the result of an experiment is needed to unlock the next challenge. Escape games are partly digitally guided (e.g. by Actionbound, H5P) or digitally enriched with different technologies as needed (AR, explanatory videos, etc.). The Escape Games developed are used so that pupils can deal with scientific content in a playful and experimental way during a visit to the teaching and learning laboratory. They are supervised by student teachers as part of their studies. An escape game on energy supply and climate protection as well as building blocks for further developed escape games are presented below.

An importance-performance analysis of teachers’ perception of STEM engineering design education

There is an increasing worldwide trend toward the development of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education using engineering design (ED) practice. Considering that teachers play pivotal roles in terms of student interest in STEM subjects and careers, it is important to explore teachers’ perceptions of STEM-ED education. We analysed survey data from 184 technology teachers who participated in empowerment training (using a STEM-ED curriculum) in 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2022. We used an importance-performance analytical model to investigate the teachers’ perceptions of STEM-ED itself, its impact on students, and the challenges experienced during implementation. The results showed that various improvements were required for STEM-ED promotion and for the preparation of STEM-ED lessons. Analysis of variance revealed that the age groups taught and the number of weekly teaching hours significantly affected the teachers’ perceptions of STEM-ED. These findings will assist educational institutions worldwide in planning future education policies, designing teacher empowerment courses, and understanding teachers’ needs in efforts to improve STEM-ED.

Learning in the post-digital era. Transforming education through the Maker approach

Abstract In today’s world, technology and digital media are no longer separate, “other” than “natural” human and social life. Technology has become pervasive, transparent, reaching a “stable” form, no longer revolutionary. A new concept, “the post-digital,” is emerging and gradually taking hold in a wide range of fields. The resulting complexities call for overcoming the binary and hierarchical approach between theory and practice by rethinking traditional teaching patterns and remediating knowledge. Maker Education is moving in this direction. It is considered a technology-based extension of activism, developing STEAM and 21st-century skills. Its main exponents believe that it can “disrupt” or transform traditional educational methods. The Maker Movement, indeed, overlaps with the natural inclinations of children and the power of learning by doing. This contribution presents an ongoing research project that aims to outline a proposal for integrating this approach into the primary and lower secondary school curriculum. We detected its impact on students’ school self-efficacy and attitude toward STEM and 21st-century skills. The results collected in the first part of the project look promising. The data underline the pupils’ interest in STEM subjects and the improvement of their organizational and interpersonal skills.

Girls STEM Institute – Identity Formation for Black Girls in STEM Fields

Background: Women of color are disproportionately represented in STEM fields. While many systemic barriers exist due to institutional racism, other barriers begin in school that impact students’ perceptions of self and STEM. Identity formation is an integral part of learner development but adverse learning experiences have drastic effects on Black girls’ perceptions and self-efficacy within STEM fields. Girls STEM Institute (GSI) is an organization that develops a transformative space to empower girls of color through exploration of STEM concepts in meaningful, culturally-grounded ways. The purpose of this study is to examine and explore how the GSI experience impact students’ interest and attitudes towards STEM fields.
 Methods: The STEM semantics survey measuring students’ interest in STEM subjects and careers was conducted amongst 42 scholars. Student perceptions of their GSI experience were obtained through journal reflections. A literature review was conducted to gain an understanding of the intersectionality of the Black girl experience, especially within STEM topics.
 Results: The study is currently in progress. Preliminary data has been obtained but further data analysis is required.
 Potential Impact: While the inequities that minoritized students face have been well researched and documented, critically developing initiatives to reform these inequities have been limited to individual pipeline programs and undergraduate research programs focused on diversity. While these programs have been beneficial in increasing inclusivity of minoritized students in collegiate settings, it is not enough to study and discuss the barriers that minoritized students face. It is essential to transform communities through the empowerment of youth, especially Black girls. GSI provides a framework for holistically engaging with the girls to develop their self-identity, instilling the confidence to pursue STEM careers, and providing career readiness experiences, which can cultivate a strong STEM-minded identity for Black girls.

Development of Educational Robotics Activities for Secondary School Students to Promote Interest in Engineering Career Path

There is currently low interest in STEM subjects at secondary schools which leads to low interest in STEM career path in Kenya. Secondary schools have a great role in preparing learners for career progression through the subjects they teach and career guidance. In order for any country to meet the ever increasing need for a STEM related workforce, more learners should be motivated to pursue careers in STEM. Educational Robotics have been recognized to be vital teaching tools for practical learning about STEM topics in general. However, not enough attention has been paid to the development of robotics activities and their suitability for integration in Physics and Mathematics subjects. In this study robotic activities are developed which expose learners to many opportunities of enriching learning of Physics and Mathematics. The activities developed were then implemented through a 3-day workshop held at Murang’a University of Technology in Kenya for students and teachers in Physics and Mathematics. The activities were developed in a systematic manner and adopted an Active learning model. In order to assess the suitability, relevance and the impact of the developed activities to learning of Physics and Mathematics, 192 form 2 students and 10 teachers from Kangema Sub-County, Murang’a County in Kenya were selected purposefully. A questionnaire and an interview schedule were used to collect data from students and teachers respectively. From analysis of the data collected it was concluded that the activities were suitable and made learning of Physics and Mathematics fun and consequently improved learners interest to the subjects and their participation in class. The developed activities can therefore be integrated into the Physics and Mathematics curriculum for either in-class sessions or after-school sessions.

Adopting drone technology in STEM education for rural communities

The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects have always been the most challenging topics in education. One of the reasons is the dearth use of technology, especially for underprivileged students located in rural areas. Incorporating a drone in the STEM curriculum supports education that incorporates tangible experience such as observations, formation of concepts as well as creating imaginative and creative thinking. A drone@school initiative was introduced to foster the ICT technical and knowledge sharing among underprivileged students, hence exposing them to the recent technology in strengthening STEM education. The project has been carried out using an online platform by introducing the theoretical and application of drones in real-life practices. The responses from this project were very encouraging whereby utilizing drones as the medium, the level of understanding in STEM education had increased to 96.6%. Besides, the respondents’ interest in STEM subjects significantly increased from 53.4% to 89.8%. The findings from the pre-and post-surveys revealed that the drone-based STEM learning approach had a positive impact on rural students’ enthusiasm and excitement.

Investigation of STEM Subject and Career Aspirations of Lower Secondary School Students in the North Calotte Region of Finland, Norway, and Russia

This study investigates the suitability of the STEM Career Interest Survey (STEM-CIS) to measure secondary school students’ aspirations towards STEM subjects and careers. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to assess the initial structural validity of the adapted STEM-CIS survey, where the science subscale was extended to four science disciplines, to align with the way science is taught in Finland and Russia. The results indicate that the interest in STEM subjects in general is not at a high level in any of the countries. There is a traditional gender gap regarding STEM subjects in every dimension, which favors females in biology and males in technology and engineering. STEM stereotypes among students—due to low exposure to STEM professions at school—can explain students’ low interest despite high self-efficacies. Our study shows that we must increase informal learning opportunities inside and outside school and improve career counselling for students so that they will be more informed of STEM career opportunities.

The influences of social agents in completing a STEM degree: an examination of female graduates of selective science high schools

BackgroundWomen are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions. Even the most promising female students’ interest in STEM subjects often decreases during secondary school. Using the framework of the Social Cognitive Career Theory, the present study examined the influences of social agents in female students’ persistence in STEM. Specifically, the present study used a retrospective survey investigating the influence of parental education, teachers as mentors, and peer belonging for female students’ attainment of an undergraduate degree in a STEM field for a special population—female graduates of selective science high schools (n = 1425). Furthermore, the study examined the influences of these social-agent variables on female students’ STEM choices when mediated by high school research experiences. Finally, the present study also explored the influences of these social-agent variables on female students when it came to choosing math-intensive STEM fields (n = 723).ResultsFindings showed that parental educational level and having STEM teachers as mentors are positively related to female students’ later attainment of a STEM degree. In addition to the direct relationship, parental educational level and having STEM teachers as mentors are also positively related to female students’ high school research participation, which is associated with a greater likelihood of their completing a STEM degree. Female students’ sense of belonging to a peer group did not correlate with their attainment of a STEM degree. When it came to choosing math-intensive STEM fields, a higher sense of peer belonging was negatively associated with obtaining a math-intensive STEM degree.ConclusionsParental education and having STEM teachers as mentors play an important role for female students’ persistence in STEM and obtaining a STEM undergraduate degree for female students in selective science high schools. However, among the female students who graduated with a STEM degree, it is less clear whether social-agent variables influenced their math-intensive vs. less-math-intensive choices. Educational implications for promoting female students’ STEM interests and careers in STEM fields are provided.

Upper secondary school students’ gendered interests in electronics and electrical engineering

ABSTRACT Background Engineering societies call for more gender diversity, but especially girls’ interest in engineering remains low. Basic Electronics is a bachelor-level study module, offered to upper secondary school students to attract them to study electrical engineering. Recently, on average, 34% of the upper secondary school students attending the module have been girls, yet only 13% of the new electrical engineering students are female. Purpose The objective of this study is to understand what kinds of upper secondary school students have interest in STEM in general and electronics in particular but are not considering electrical engineering as a future career. Sample and design A questionnaire was administered to participants (age 17–18) in the Basic Electronics module in years 2017–2020 (N = 119), and the data were statistically analyzed. Results/Conclusion Both genders seem to be interested on the practical and hands-on aspects of technology. Yet, boys are much more likely to consider studies in electrical engineering than girls. Boys receive more encouragement and guidance to act with technology both from home and from school. They also have more often technology-related hobbies. Hence, the current image of electrical engineering and other societal factors appear to be more likely to attract boys than girls to the field even among the adolescents with high general interest in STEM subjects.

Developing pre-service primary teachers’ understanding of engineering through engineering habits of mind and engagement with engineers

This paper explores how primary teachers might be prepared through their pre-service training to feel more confident to include engineering in their teaching. Prompted by concerns about young people’s lack of interest in STEM subjects and careers, engineering is gradually gaining visibility in the primary curriculum in several forms, particularly through integrated STEM programmes. However, the status of engineering relative to science, technology and mathematics remains contested in schools and engineering has low visibility in pre-service preparation programmes for primary teachers. Therefore, this case-study investigated how two strategies might give students learning to be primary technology, computing and science teachers greater confidence to introduce the concept of engineering into their teaching. By reframing engineering as engineering habits of mind and by giving students experience of engaging with practising engineers, the study found that it was possible to enhance primary trainee teachers’ understanding of the world of engineering and increase their confidence to introduce engineering habits of mind in lessons with primary children. The paper concludes with some implications for practice of this approach.

Investigating gender differences in mathematics by performance levels in the Italian school system

Amongst the extensive research conducted about girls’ lack of interest in STEM subjects, an issue that is frequently examined is the learning of mathematics. This research investigates the gender gap in mathematics among Italian students based on performance levels, using standardised large-scale data from INVALSI tests. We performed a quantile regression to better understand the differences along the entire score distribution. A latent class model was then estimated to identify groups of students with similar performance levels, taking into account the gender covariate. The results indicate that boys are already ahead from primary education and that there is a general decrease in the performance as students progress through the education stages.

The effect of STEM interest base on family background for secondary student

The integration of STEM education in all fields can contribute to the economic and educational development of a nation. In today’s global age, all countries around the world need to integrate STEM education into school curricula to foster STEM students’ interest from elementary education to college. The purpose of this study was to test the impact of STEM interest based on family background for secondary students. This study conducted a quantitative paradigm involving 150 secondary students. the results show that there is a STEM interest based on family background. In addition, STEM interest is strongly influenced by student gender. The findings of this study provide implications for teachers and school curriculum makers that students ‘interest in STEM subjects is influenced by students’ family background and gender. Future researchers need to delve deeper into the factors that influence students on STEM subjects based on student attitude, achievement, and socioeconomic status.