Science, Technology, Engineering And Mathematics Courses Research Articles

Teaching and Learning Styles on Moodle: An Analysis of the Effectiveness of Using STEM and Non-STEM Qualifications from a Gender Perspective

Teaching in Higher Education is with increasing frequency completed within a Learning Management System (LMS) environment in the Blended Learning modality. The use of learning objects (activities and resources) offered by LMS means that both teachers and students require training. In addition, gender differences relating to the number of students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and Non-STEM courses might have some influence on the use of those learning objects. The study involves 13 teachers (6 experts in e-Learning and 7 non-experts) on 13 academic courses (4 STEM and 9 Non-STEM) and a detailed examination of the logs of 626 students downloaded from the Moodle platform. Our objectives are: (1) To confirm whether significant differences may be found in relation to the use of learning objects (resources and activities) on Moodle, depending on the expertise of the teacher (expert vs. non-expert in e-Learning); (2) To confirm whether there are significant differences between students regarding their use of learning objects, depending on the expertise of the teacher (expert vs. non-expert in e-Learning); (3) To confirm whether there are significant differences for the use of learning objects among students as a function of gender. Differences were found in the use of Moodle learning objects (resources and activities) for teachers and for students depending on the expertise of the teacher. Likewise, differences were found for the use of some learning objects as a function of gender and the degrees that the students were following. Increased technological training for both teachers and students is proposed, especially on Non-STEM qualifications, in order to mitigate the effects of the technological gap and its collateral relation with the gender gap and the digital divide.

An Online-Based Edu-Escape Room: A Comparison Study of a Multidimensional Domain of PSTs with Flipped Sustainability-STEM Contents

The use of active and flipped methodologies has increased in recent years. Here, gamification uses typical elements of a game in different contexts, including that of education. Specifically, Escape Room games used as educational tools have potential for teaching–learning, and they can be beneficial because they can improve students’ motivation and emotions toward learning. This is particularly valuable in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses, where the cognitive factor and multidimensional domain are closely connected. This research presents an online-based Edu-Escape Room with science and sustainability contents as an educative tool in a STEM course. With the intervention proposed, we analyze how this tool influences the multidimensional domain (attitudes, self-efficacy and emotions) of pre-service teachers (PSTs). According to attitude and self-efficacy analysis, it is observed that most of the items analyzed show an increase in self-efficacy and more positive attitudes after the intervention. In particular, Question 11 (Q11) indicates a significant difference. Concerning the results for emotion, the positive emotions “joy”, “satisfaction” and “fun” are significantly increased after the intervention. However, the negative emotions “nervousness”, “frustration” and “concern” also increase, partly due to the game characteristics. The proposed activity had a medium effect on items with significant differences except for the emotion “frustration”, where the intervention had a large effect according to effect size (ES) analysis. According to the principal component analysis (PCA), the attitudes, self-efficacy and emotions of the PSTs are positively correlated, and the influence of the proposed activity shows a significant improvement in these variables. Finally, the structural equation modeling partial least squares (SEM-PLS) analysis showed the effects that the instruction has on the PSTs’ emotions and also that they had a significant effect on the positive attitudes towards and self-efficacy in science. Therefore, there are multiple benefits in the multidimensional domain of PSTs of having implemented the proposed online-based Edu-Escape Room.

Going to College With a Posse: How Having High School Peers on Campus Supports College Achievement

The social experience of transitioning to a 4-year university varies widely among students. Some attend with few or no prior contacts or acquaintances from their hometown; others attend with a large network of high school alumni. Using a sample (N = 43,240) of undergraduates spanning 7.5 years at a public university, we examine what factors predict high school peer prevalence (HSPP) on campus and whether HSPP predicts college achievement above and beyond such factors. Analyses found that HSPP was predicted by variables associated with societal privilege (e.g., being White, continuing generation). Above and beyond these variables, HSPP independently predicted higher grades in gateway STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) courses and, among first-generation college students, higher retention. The role of HSPP in fostering equity and inequity is discussed. A preprint of this article is available at https://psyarxiv.com/xhpuc/ .

Beyond grades: improving college students’ social-cognitive outcomes in STEM through a collaborative learning environment

We investigated social-cognitive outcomes for U.S. university students engaged in a supplemental small-group peer-learning program which provided a more intimate learning environment than the associated course. We surveyed 604 students taking part in such a program at the beginning and end of an academic term on social-cognitive factors related to their experience in an introductory-level STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) course, to which the supplemental peer-learning program was attached. A comparison group consisted of 676 non-participants enrolled in the same courses, but not taking part in the supplemental program. Those who had participated in the peer-learning program experienced greater gains, relative to the comparison group, in self-efficacy for course tasks and self-regulation for learning, and they were less likely to use surface-level memorisation in studying for the course. The findings suggest that small-group learning in the university setting can be used as a means to improve students’ study habits and confidence about the course, contributing social-cognitive outcomes to an existing body of literature which emphasises academic performance outcomes.

Diverse Student Perceptions of Active Learning in a Large Enrollment STEM Course

The concept of active learning as a superior mode of instruction has recently received great attention in the education research literature. It holds promise of steering students away from rote memorization towards higher order thinking. However, few studies focus on student perceptions of higher order thinking activities and diverse student voices are all but absent in this regard. This study applies a combined approach of exploratory qualitative and supplementary quantitative analysis to address this gap. We examined perceptions of underrepresented and non-underrepresented students regarding their engagement in active learning to foster higher order thinking. The study was set within a large enrollment (198 students), undergraduate course in the area of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The study sample comprised of 33 purposefully selected, ethnically and racially diverse students. Data sources included class attendance/participation, graded activity assignments, and a perception survey. Class attendance and graded assignments were used to triangulate responses on the perception surveys. The Generic Inductive Approach supported our qualitative analysis. Quantitative data were analyzed via two-way ANOVA, non-parametric Mann-Whitney Test (when assumptions did not hold) and simple linear regression. Findings include three themes that cut across groups; participants perceived their higher order thinking skills improved, that there were benefits and challenges to active learning and a fear of failing the course. Quantitative data from the active learning activities and attendance supported similar engagement and achievement in higher order thinking activities across race/ethnicity groups as differences failed to reach the a priori established significance threshold. This study extends the knowledge on active learning and demonstrates that it was possible to engage underrepresented and non-underrepresented students equally and effectively in higher order thinking actives in large enrollment courses and that students perceived this as beneficial.

Supervising Students in Scientific Writing for Peer Review & Possible Publication

Innovation in assessment of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) courses in subjects such as biology and biochemistry is a widely discussed topic. We report the use of a novel, research-integrated course assessment designed to increase students' self-motivation and improve their learning outcomes. We encouraged submissions to peer-reviewed journals, supported by stepwise supervision on writing by the instructor, which led to possible publication of some student-written articles. We compared the results from two classes in 2015 and 2016, assessing the quality of the published articles on the basis of journal impact factor, journal Scopus score, and number of citations of each article, using supervised assignments to fulfill this goal. Assessment of research-integrated biology learning via potential publishing may motivate students to actively learn a biochemistry topic and encourage early-career professional development.

The Role of Dual Enrollment STEM Coursework in Increasing STEM Career Interest among American High School Students

Background/ContextThe United States is facing a shortage of domestically prepared STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) professionals, yet many high school graduates find they are not sufficiently prepared for college-level work in STEM subjects. Dual enrollment STEM courses count for both high school and college credit, expose students to the demands of a college course, and may be used to augment existing high school course offerings and graduate students who are better prepared to continue, and are interested in continuing, their education in STEM.Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of StudyThis study investigated changes in students’ reported interest in STEM careers after taking a dual enrollment STEM course. We address the following questions: (1) Are high school students who take one or more STEM dual enrollment courses more likely than their peers to report an interest in STEM careers by the end of high school? (2) Is dual enrollment STEM course-taking more effective than Advanced Placement STEM course-taking in increasing student interest in STEM careers by the end of high school?Research DesignA quasi-experimental research design was used in this work, with propensity weights employed to account for group self-selection effects post hoc. Data were collected through a national survey of college students (N = 14,114) who provided information about their K–12 experiences.Findings/ResultsAfter controlling for demographic, academic, and background characteristics, particularly prior interest in a STEM career, the odds of a STEM career intention were 1.3 times (p < .05) greater for those taking a dual enrollment course compared with peers who did not. Students who took both dual enrollment and AP STEM courses had 2.1 times the odds of their nonparticipating peers to report an interest in STEM careers. Results show that the STEM dual enrollment intervention is equally effective for students of all demographic backgrounds.Conclusions/RecommendationsThis study is the first to examine the link between dual enrollment and career interest, revealing an additional avenue through which students may be encouraged to pursue STEM careers. Dual enrollment is a promising intervention to increase STEM career interest among all high school students, including students of different genders, races, socioeconomic status (as measured by highest parental education level), and academic achievement (as measured by math SAT score). The policy implications for this work are that dual enrollment programs should be vigorously implemented and promoted in an effort to increase the number of students, especially students from underrepresented groups, who graduate from high school with an interest in a STEM career.

The Effectiveness of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Program for Indian Students

This research will provide STEM practitioners with a targeted strategy for designing and integrating STEM content for students; this will enable students to develop a positive attitude towards STEM courses, thereby helping them achieve higher academic performance and improve learning efficiency. The study will also help teachers understand what to do, in order to make the STEM project more effective; will pay attention to the basic factors such as the comfort level of the students in adopting the project; the problems students encounter during the implementation of the plan; parents satisfaction and their support for the selection of the STEM program. This study will be very helpful for school administrators to choose a better STEM course so that they can be implemented in actual classroom situations.

STEM and gender at university: focusing on Irish undergraduate female students’ perceptions

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify whether or not females believe they associate with the culture of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by investigating the perceptions of female students currently enroled in STEM courses.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents data from a survey on female STEM students’ “Perspectives of women in STEM”, “Parents’ Science qualification”, “Supports in their STEM Course” and their “Science identify” through a social capital lens. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to analyse the data.FindingsThe main findings were that female STEM undergraduates believe social bias, balancing work and family life and lack of role models are the main cause of less women in STEM professions and leadership positions. There were statistically significant differences between how male and female students identified with certain traits, with less females claiming to be intelligent and know about latest discoveries than males.Research limitations/implicationsTo eradicate stereotypical views of scientists, it is recommended that Irish higher-education institutions introduce initiatives to increase the socialisation of STEM females within female networks and develop female students’ self-awareness of their own capabilities. The expansion of STEM networks could act as a means to facilitate female students adopting positive science identities, increasing their science capital.Originality/valueIn Ireland, there is a paucity of literature relating to females’ experience of STEM in higher education. This paper provides evidence that despite their engagement with STEM, female undergraduate students subscribe to the stereotypical image of the scientist. This study highlights the need to change the culture experienced by female STEM undergraduates in Ireland so as to improve the experiences and trajectories of women in higher education.

Educação superior e trabalho em Santa Catarina: um enfoque nas carreiras de aplicação direta de ciência e tecnologia

Este artigo apresenta resultados sobre a distribuição espacial e de gênero dos cursos de graduação ligados à ciência e tecnologia em Santa Catarina. Especificamente, enfoca-se na no perfil de gênero dos cursos de formação de aplicação direta de ciência e tecnologia agrupados acrônimo STEM (Science, Technology, Engeneering and Mathematics), tanto em termos de qualificação em nível superior quanto em termos de força de trabalho. A metodologia consiste em análise descritiva de dados primários e secundários sobre ensino universitário e mercado de trabalho. Utilizam-se dados primários de universidades catarinenses e dados secundários do censo universitário do Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais Anísio Teixeira (INEP), para o ano de 2015, quantificando os cursos de graduação em termos de pessoal entrante e pessoal formado em 2015.

The Relationship Between Advanced Placement Mathematics Courses and Students’ STEM Career Interest

Increasing the number of students choosing a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) career is a national educational priority. One way thought to increase interest in STEM is with advanced STEM courses in high school, especially Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Using data from 15,847 college undergraduates, we investigated the relationship between participation in AP mathematics courses (AP Calculus and AP Statistics) and student career interest in STEM. After controlling for covariates, the strongest effect ( d = 0.13) showed that students who took AP Calculus had a modestly higher career interest in engineering and mathematics/computer science. However, the relationship between most AP mathematics courses and most STEM career outcomes was negligible. Most differences in outcomes between AP and non-AP students are likely due to preexisting differences between the two groups.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Initiatives at Rural Schools and Its Impact on Learning Motivation

The number of students enrolled in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related programs at tertiary level of education and those in science stream at high schools show a declining trend in recent years. This phenomenon is happening globally since at least the past two decades. The nation is moving closer to its Vision 2020 deadline to be a developed country; however, the downward trend in numbers is alarming. Therefore, it becomes critical to aggressively implement more initiatives to increase the number of graduates, workforce and professionals with technical and science related background. Based on past researches, there are differences in STEM achievement between students in urban and rural areas in Malaysia. Two rural schools were selected for the project that aims to assess students’ awareness about the importance of STEM related knowledge, and to motivate them in learning STEM. Experiments and hands-on activities were carried out with the students at two Orang Asli primary schools in rural areas in Perak, Malaysia. Data was collected through observations and document analysis on students’ achievement. Analysis shows that students are not aware of the importance of STEM in their everyday life, and they have increased motivation in learning, not only on STEM courses.

Utilizing a discovery learning, real-world based fruit juice clarification experiment to enhance teaching and learning of biological enzyme concepts

Discovery learning is an approach that encourages students to become active participants in the learning process by exploring concepts and answering questions through experience. It is one of several inquiry-based learning techniques that seems particularly suited to the instruction of science since performing experiments is one of the key methods in discovery learning. However, the efficacy of discovery learning projects have not been explored much in Malaysia. In this study, an experiment integrated with real-world biotechnology industry example focusing on the function of the enzyme pectinase in the clarification of fruit (apple) juice was adapted and introduced to a group of urban, international secondary school science students who had undergone prior direct instructional guidance on the biological role and function of enzymes. The students were asked to complete a set of pre-experiment and post-experiment questions in order to analyse the impact of the experiment on their understanding of this topic. Results suggest that this discovery learning project do strengthen the learners’ prior knowledge and understanding of the function of biological enzymes through application of concept based on real world practice. High level of positive feedback was received (86.2%), with the students commenting on the “fun aspect”, being excited about being able to perform the experiment and expanding their understanding by linking their findings with a real-world, industrial application. Given the reported steady decline of Malaysian students enrolled in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) courses at secondary and tertiary levels, our findings suggest that developing and including more real-world, discovery type projects in secondary schools may help to effectively raise student interests in science subjects such as biology through new learning approaches.

Trinity Walton Club: What is its Potential for Promoting Interest in STEM?

Concerns are growing in many countries, including Ireland, regarding an inadequate number of graduates to meet workforce needs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. These graduate deficiencies are the result of low student uptake of STEM subjects and courses at post-primary and tertiary level education. Low uptake is partly a consequence of negative student attitudes towards STEM. Many students are losing interest in STEM at an early age due to an inability to see any relevance in their everyday lives. In light of such concerns, a Saturday afternoon club entitled “Trinity Walton Club” (TWC) was established in Trinity College Dublin with the purpose of uniting like-minded students to express, shape, inform and grow their interest in STEM. This club attempted to ‘bring STEM to life’ through thought provoking content, real world problems, contextualised analogies and projects. This paper describes the background to the TWC, reviews the literature around promoting student interest in STEM and examines initial feedback from participants in the pilot year of the club. The findings of this preliminary study indicate that the TWC has the potential to promote interest in STEM. Many of the recommendations from the literature review about promoting interest in STEM were referred to by participants in their responses.

Matching Abilities to Careers for Others and Self: Do Gender Stereotypes Matter to Students in Advanced Math and Science Classes?

Interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers falls off more quickly for young women than for young men over adolescence, and gender stereotypes may be partially to blame. Adolescents typically become more stereotypical in their career interests over time, yet they seem to become more flexible in applying stereotypes to others. Models of career interest propose that career decisions result from the alignment of self-perceived abilities with occupation-required skills and that gender stereotypes may influence this process. To investigate the discrepancy between applying stereotypes to self and others, we examined if these models can be applied to perceptions of others. Focusing on students from fifth grade through college enrolled in advanced STEM courses, we investigated how STEM occupational stereotypes, abilities, and efficacy affect expectations for others’ and own career interests. U.S. participants (n = 526) read vignettes describing a hypothetical male or female student who was talented in math/science or language arts/social studies and then rated the student’s interest in occupations requiring some of those academic skills. Participants’ self-efficacy, interest, and stereotypes for STEM occupations were also assessed. Findings suggest that ability beliefs, whether for oneself or another, are powerful predictors of occupational interest, and gender stereotypes play a secondary role. College students were more stereotypical in their ratings of others, but they did not manifest gender differences in their own STEM self-efficacy and occupational interests. Experiences in specialized STEM courses may explain why stereotypes are applied differentially to the self and others.

Integrating active learning labs in precalculus: Measuring the value added

ABSTRACTThe need to incorporate active learning (AL) in higher education has become a prominent issue discussed by major leadership organizations such as the Conference Board of Mathematical Sciences (CBMS, 2016). These calls for AL are based on a large and growing body of research documenting the correlation between AL use and reduced failure rates, deeper conceptual understanding, and increased retention in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) courses. However, the dependent variables in these studies are usually final grades or results of tests. At this point, there is a need to devise new ways to measure the specific role that AL use plays in enhancing student engagement practices. To that end, this article first discusses the validity of a survey to measure students’ views of how their opportunities to engage in AL practices differed between lecture and break-out sessions and then discusses the results of the survey. The nature of the survey enabled us to identify two student engagement practices that were most enhanced through the use of AL: (a) opportunities to explore novel solutions to real-world situations and (b) opportunities to critique the reasoning of others.

Reinventing Another Unaipon: Indigenous Science Leaders for the Future

The education of Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander students in Australian universities has received considerable attention in both the literature and government policy in the 21st century. The participation and graduation rates for Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander students in higher education Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs have remained low and are becoming a particular focus in universities across Australia. This paper reflects on the life and contribution of David Unaipon, the enrolment data from a small sample of universities across Australia and the literature to discuss potential strategies for improving the access to, participation in and graduation from higher education STEM courses.

A Q factor analysis approach to understanding female college students’ attitudes toward multiple STEM disciplines

Research on gender disparities in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) has paid little attention to the fact that not all STEM disciplines experience the same degree of gender imbalance. Previous research has primarily examined a single STEM discipline or combined STEM disciplines in their analyses. This study addressed some of the limitations of previous research using an innovative statistical approach, Q factor analysis (QFA). QFA is used to explore multifaceted human perceptions, behaviors, and experiences. It enables researchers to categorize people based on their pattern of responses and opinions on a certain topic, in contrast to the more commonly used R factor analysis that categorizes variables. QFA was applied to a sample of 98 female undergraduate students who were enrolled in introductory STEM courses. Participants competed a survey that assessed their attitudes, experiences and beliefs about math, science, and computers. Questions tapped into constructs typically used in social cognitive models of academic and career choices. Two typologies emerged from the analyses. The math-computer group had favorable attitudes and beliefs toward math and computers and less interest in science; whereas the science group had more favorable attitudes and beliefs towards science. Participants’ major choice and self-reported academic support aligned with the two groups in ways that were consistent with the groups’ interests. The study demonstrates the potential for QFA to be applied with various types of data on a wide range of topics and to address questions that are not easily answered using traditional statistical approaches.

Is informal education the answer to increasing and widening participation in STEM education?

This paper summarises research findings from a longitudinal national evaluation of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) ‘enrichment and enhancement activities’. The activities included science practical lessons, supported by ambassador visits, trips to laboratories, STEM centres and higher education institutions. The common theme for these activities was their aim to improve understanding and enjoyment of science in the short term and encourage STEM participation in the long term. The 2007 cohort across all state maintained secondary schools in England was followed up from the beginning of key stage 3 to the end of key stage 5 making use of school and pupil level datasets from the national pupil database. The study investigated whether engaging in these STEM programmes, run for 11–16 year olds, in secondary school is likely to affect subject choices during post‐compulsory education? Do young people sparsely represented in STEM courses such as those from a lower socio‐economic class and black ethnic minority engage better with STEM subjects because of actively participating in these activities? A direct noticeable impact of these activities was not seen on STEM take‐up. The analysis presented here concludes there is no evidence to suggest continued engagement in these activities is manifested in terms of increasing or widening STEM participation.

Understanding why women are under-represented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) within Higher Education: a regional case study

Participation rates of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) is comparatively low and their attrition rates high. An obvious solution is to attract more women to study such subjects. In 2016 the authors undertook research to find out why so few women enrolled in STEM subjects and investigate ways of increasing their recruitment and retention in this area. The informants in our study were enrolled in a tertiary preparation course as well as nursing and education programs. A critique of the literature was used to develop a survey that informed focus group and interview schedules which were used in collecting data. Our study found that many of the factors that hindered women from applying for STEM courses twenty years ago still apply today and recommends actions that can help increase recruitment of women into STEM and assist their retention and graduation in those areas of tertiary education.