Science, Technology, Engineering And Mathematics Skills Research Articles

Women and STEM skills for innovation and technological entrepreneurship

The role of women in innovation and technological entrepreneurship is fundamental in all countries. However, there are two key factors that decision-makers and public policymakers must consider; the first factor is related to the presence of women in the university and professional fields in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and the skills that derive from it. The second relevant factor is stereotypes. Female entrepreneurship Professional Field, Pension, equal pay for equal work, marriage rights, and region/country. Gender and generate more innovation and jobs. This research aims to analyze the STEM competencies and entrepreneurship carried out by women and highlight the most relevant factors to reduce the gap. The methodological strategy is based on the use of machine learning techniques for which three databases were used: two from the World Bank Women, Business and the Law, another on business and law from the World Bank, and another on education from UNESCO, with emphasis on STEM competencies. The results show that women's most significant focus on STEM careers is in the health sciences, and the one that offers the lowest degree is engineering. It is also evident that the critical factors for the incursion of women as entrepreneurs in technological sectors are professional field, pension, equal pay for equal work, marriage rights, and region/country, and in these, some stereotypes are present.

Robotics training to improve STEM skills of Islamic boarding school students in Batam

One potential approach to addressing the challenges posed by the advent of Industry 4.0 and Society 5.0 is to offer robotics training. This endeavor aims to enhance students' foundational understanding of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines. The study involved collaborating with the Pondok Pesantren Granada, an Islamic Boarding School located in Batam, to provide robotics training as community service activities. The study included 29 trainees: 15 from class XI and 7 from classes X and XII. The teaching was conducted using a combination of didactic instruction, interactive discourse, and hands-on exercises. Trainees are administered a written examination to assess their proficiency level before and after the training program. The training outcomes exhibited a significant improvement in the mean STEM proficiency of trainees, with an increase of 38.15%. Furthermore, a series of activities have been effectively implemented, resulting in trainee satisfaction ratings exceeding 50% concerning course materials, trainer, and teaching equipment. A mere 17% of the individuals undergoing training expressed dissatisfaction with the allocated time, particularly the hands-on component's duration.

Organizational Capital, Skills and Productivity

This paper studies how industries' investment in organizational capital (OC) and workforce skills relate to productivity, building on OECD estimates of OC, output data from the OECD Structural Analysis (STAN) database, and skill indicators from the OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). The paper finds that, at the industry level, workers' numeracy and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills correlate positively with productivity, and that the positive correlation of STEM skills with productivity is generally larger for OC workers. Moreover, dispersion in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills harms industry performance. In fact, a gap between the ICT skills of OC and non‐OC workers seems to trigger a “lost in translation” type of mechanism, whereby communication and information flows become less fluid and impinge upon the economic performance of sectors, correlating negatively with productivity.

Conceptualizing bioinformatics education in STEM literacy development for pre-service biology teachers

This study aimed to create a basic plan for adding bioinformatics education into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) learning, particularly for future biology teachers. By reviewing studies from 2019 to 2023 in the ERIC Database with the key terms "Bioinformatics Education" and "STEM Literacy," the research highlighted important areas in this subject. It organized the findings into four main themes related to bioinformatics education: levels of education, challenges faced, teaching methods, and methods for research or evaluation. Additionally, it identified three themes in STEM literacy: educational levels, challenges, and definitions or ways to measure it. The review pointed out a critical need for teaching materials, tools, and strategies in bioinformatics for future biology teachers at the college level. It also found a lack of research on STEM literacy at this level, with just three articles addressing it. These articles examined STEM literacy through skills such as general knowledge, career awareness, and communication skills. The suggested basic plan promotes combining bioinformatics education with real-world biological issues, career preparation, and addressing educational shortcomings. It recommends a bioinformatics module with specific curriculum content, tools, and teaching methods to improve STEM literacy, including knowledge, attitudes, and skills in STEM. This plan could guide future research in classrooms to improve STEM literacy among future biology teachers through bioinformatics education.

The Evolution and Global Significance of STEM Education in The 21st Century

Developing and changing technology brings with it different business opportunities. This change in the field of work also affects the education models in schools. With this study, he examines the importance and necessity of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education and follows its development and impact in various countries. Emphasizing the importance of STEM for the 21st century workforce, this study offers a holistic approach with the integration of theory and practical application. This study also explores the harmonious relationship between STEM and 21st century skills and draws attention to the need for multifaceted competences in a rapidly changing world. In addition, the relationship between STEM education and multilingualism in our globalized age is discussed and the enhanced linguistic development that STEM can promote is emphasized. The research also provides an insight into Turkey's STEM journey, known as STEM, and reveals the country's initiatives, challenges and the road ahead. In conclusion, this research provides a comprehensive look at the role of STEM in equipping students with the skills, knowledge and adaptability necessary for the contemporary world.
 
 Gold, which is one of the important investment instruments, is followed by many investors around the world due to its impact on the markets. For this reason, the estimation of gold prices and the determination of the affecting factors is one of the important problems. In this study, the percentage change in gold prices and its causes are estimated with hidden Markov models. Gold, dollar, interest and inflation rate data between 2013-2023 were used. Percentage change in gold prices is defined as observations and 18 possible hidden state are obtained from dollar, interest and inflation rates that affect gold prices. The forward algorithm is used to solve the first fundamental problem of the hidden Markov model. Observation sequence probabilities in 2-month periods were calculated with this algorithm. In this period, the probability of the percentage change in gold prices to be greater than 0.5 was found to be 23.6%. Hidden states that best explain the observation sequences are examined with the Viterbi algorithm. It has been observed that high accuracy rates are obtained by comparing the results with real data.

Preparing justice involved youth for transition: Employer perceptions

In this pilot study, we sought to understand employer perspectives on hiring young applicants, especially applicants who have been involved in the juvenile justice system. A survey was conducted to assess employers’ perceptions of qualities young applicants often lack, what qualities they are seeking, and the skills, training, and/or documents that would be beneficial for young applicants during the hiring process. The survey was deployed to 19 employers; 12 employers responded. Six employers who completed the survey also took part in follow-up interviews. In the interviews, employers expounded on how job and career preparation programs can best prepare youth for successful employment, how their companies approach hiring candidates with juvenile records, and how STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) skills are incorporated into entry-level positions. Through both the survey and interview, employers also shared how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their hiring processes.

Exploring the Impact of CPS-Based Robot-Assisted Teaching in STEM Education: Enhancing Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes

Cyber-physical systems (CPS), along with information technology devices such as portable devices and robots, materials including knowledge contents, and Internet resources, can be integrated into curricula to guide learners in observing and experiencing STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) knowledge and skills. This integration provides opportunities for learners to cultivate their abilities to design creative works. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of a robot-assisted teaching and learning system in STEM education on learners’ academic knowledge, skills, and attitudes. To achieve this objective, an experimental design was employed, with 30 college students assigned to learn and create a Drawdio electronic sound synthesizer using robot teachers and tablet computers. Pre- and post-tests were administered to measure students’ academic achievement in STEM, and a survey was conducted to assess their attitudes toward STEM. The findings of the study indicate that the combination of robot teachers and tablet computers served as a supplementary learning resource within the learning environment. It accelerated knowledge acquisition, expanded hands-on experiences, and improved engagement and motivation among the learners. These results suggest that robot-assisted teaching and learning systems have the potential to enhance learning outcomes and attitudes among students. However, it is important to note that human teachers still outperformed robot teachers in certain aspects, particularly in higher levels of knowledge acquisition according to Bloom’s taxonomy. Therefore, this study suggests the adoption of a collaborative model involving both robot and human teachers to effectively promote STEM education in the classroom.

Integrating Child Art as a Pedagogical Strategy for Teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics at Early Childhood Development Level in Bulawayo Central District, Zimbabwe

As knowledge regarding human development and learning continues evolving due to the global influences it has created an undeniable opportunity in researching on contemporary educational practice. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) is influencing educational practice from basic to tertiary education. This study acknowledges that teachers are essential and direct agents to supporting early STEM learning. Thus, this study is predominately a qualitative research approach with an interpretive epistemological and constructivist ontological perspective. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews from ten purposively sampled Early Childhood Development (ECD) teacher participants and formal analysis of 30 child art production (visual analysis of artefacts). The study affirmed that, art practice at ECD is a compatible strategy for early STEM learning. It was found that ECD learners’ attitudes are receptive of art practice as a constructivist approach. The results revealed that teachers used learner development checklists and child art as a tool to measure learner development and progress in STEM. The findings of the study established that teachers and learners encountered challenges such as limited teaching and learning resources, lack of expertise among some teachers, parental interference and content overload. Despite the indicated challenges, the study concluded that the integration of child art as a pedagogical strategy enhanced imparting of STEM skills among learners at ECD level. The study recommended that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should capacitate ECD teachers through professional development programmes that focus on ECD STEM learning and teaching.

Adult STEM Education for Democratic Participation

Many key concerns require engagement with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) knowledge. Consider the complexity and nuance of climate change, energy policy, health and medicine, and data security. Informed voting or decision-making on such issues is no easy task; effective participation in our society requires considerable STEM capabilities. Education of all age groups is essential for a scientifically knowledgeable population involved in making democratic decisions about the future. Lindeman argued for adult education learning processes hand-in-hand with democratic processes, yet, once adults leave formal education, there are woefully few opportunities for the general public to learn or engage with STEM content. Adult education as a field has an important obligation to continue to support adults’ STEM learning. This obligation includes helping scientists and STEM educators better connect to adult learners in informal and nonformal settings. This paper explores adult STEM education for democratic participation. We begin with an overview of adult STEM education, followed by STEM knowledge and skills, with a focus on the utility and value of scientific processes and ways of thinking. We then continue with the function of STEM learning in democratic processes followed by frameworks of adult STEM, specifically scientific literacy and place-based education, and conclude with implications and recommendations for adult education practice.

Structural Equation Model on Pro-Social Skills and Expectancy-Value of STEM Students

<p style="text-align:justify">The objective of the study was to develop a structural model that explores the relationship between Mathematics Performance and students’ self-regulated learning skills, grit, and expectancy-value towards science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The research collected survey data from 664 senior high school students from 17 STEM high schools, and conducted a covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis. The results of the SEM analysis indicate that the Re-specified Self-Regulated Learning Skill – Expectancy-Value towards STEM – Grit – Mathematics Performance (Re-specified SRL-EV-GR-MP) model is the most parsimonious fit, offering the best empirical support for the theoretical model of the study. The research findings suggest that the mathematics performance of senior high school students in STEM curriculum is attributed to their high expectancies for success and perceived values of the STEM tasks, high grit, and high self-regulated learning skills. Moreover, the research also observed evidence of mediating and moderating grit effects in the concurrent effects of expectancy-values towards STEM and self-regulated learning skills towards students’ mathematics performance.</p>

Using empirical science education in schools to improve climate change literacy

Providing children with a clear understanding of climate change drivers and their mitigation is crucial for their roles as future earth stewards. To achieve this, it will be necessary to reverse the declining interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education in schools in the UK and other countries, as STEM skills will be critical when designing effective mitigation solutions for climate change. The ‘Heat-Cool Initiative’ was co-designed and successfully implemented in five primary/secondary UK schools, as a playful learning tool to unleash student interest in STEM subjects. 103 students from two cohorts (years 5–6 and 7–9) participated in five Heat-Cool activity sessions where they used infrared cameras to explore the issue of urban heat. Their learning was evaluated using a multi-functional quantitative assessment, including pre- and post-session quizzes. Climate change literacy increased by 9.4% in primary school children and by 4.5% in secondary school children. Analyses of >2000 infrared images taken by students, categorised into 13 common themes, revealed age-related differences in children's cognitive development. At primary school age, images of the ‘self’ dominated; secondary school children engaged more with their physical environment. This novel approach demonstrated the importance of developing tailored technology-enhanced STEM education programmes for different age cohorts, leading to a high capacity for improving learning outcomes regarding climate change. Such programmes, embedded in school curricula nationally and internationally, could become a much-needed positive contribution to reaching the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goals 4 (Quality Education) and 13 (Climate Action).

Kids in Control: Educational Activity and Devices for International School Students

Kids in Control is a control-centered workshop that has been conceived for promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) skills and inclusion for kids from 8 to 10 years old. It includes activities and devices developed to improve the learning process, while fostering the creation of a new teaching and learning style, based on the most advanced digital technologies. It also aims at being firmly rooted in the foundations of pedagogy and in the interaction between teacher and learner. In this paper, we present the developments of such a project - sponsored by the IFAC Activity Fund action and supported by the IFAC Technical Committee 9.2. Systems and Control for Societal Impact (Chair: Mariana Netto, Univ. Gustave Eiffel) - with reference to its version specifically dedicated to International Schools.

Pembelajaran STEM Berbasis Engineering Design Process untuk Siswa Sekolah Alam di Kabupaten Klaten

<p class="Abstract"><span lang="EN-GB">This community service activity aims to improve STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) learning at a natural school in Klaten through engineering design. STEM is directed as integrated learning between several fields of science, especially those related to mathematics, science (physics, chemistry, biology, and environmental science), and IT (Information Technology). Learning is done by introducing several technologies that use wind energy sources. Engineering design process activities are carried out in 3 modules, namely, understanding the context of the problem, experimenting with materials and sail shapes capable of capturing wind energy, and designing windmills according to the results of previous experiments. The learning module is made by a service team with the teacher and then given to parents. Parents are expected to assist children during the implementation of activities. Students are encouraged to use STEM skills in designing windmills.</span></p>

A concept mapping-based self-regulated learning approach to promoting students’ learning achievement and self-regulation in STEM activities

ABSTRACT STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education is attracting increasing attention, but how to improve students’ STEM learning achievement is still a big challenge. In the process of learning, students actively set learning goals, organize learning content, set learning standards, and independently adapt learning strategies and monitoring measures in order to achieve their own learning goals and to help them learn STEM knowledge and skills. Concept mapping is considered to be an effective visualized knowledge organizing tool that helps students to manage and organize their knowledge systematically and visually. This study proposes a concept mapping-based self-regulated learning approach. A quasi-experiment was conducted using a concept mapping-based self-regulated learning system in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the approach. The experimental results show that the proposed approach significantly improved students’ STEM skills, but not their STEM knowledge compared to the conventional self-regulated learning approach. The proposed learning approach helped to improve students’ self-regulation compared to the conventional self-regulation learning approach. In short, the concept mapping-based self-regulation learning approach enhances students’ self-efficacy and self-regulation, which in turn helps students to learn STEM skills effectively.

Supporting STEM transfer students through cross-institutional undergraduate research experiences

The impact and benefits of undergraduate research experiences (URE) in the first two years of post-secondary education have been well documented. Early exposure to research experiences is effective in recruitment, diversity and persistence in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) degree programs, particularly among underrepresented minority students. The Summer Undergraduate Research Experience Course (SUREC) presented in this paper is a cross-institutional collaboration between a two-year college (2YC) and a four-year college (4YC), designed to expose 2YC transfer students to a rigorous 12-week URE focused on geosciences. Findings from the program evaluation indicate the SUREC increased transfer student’s STEM knowledge and skills, science identity, and self-efficacy. Twenty of the twenty-four SUREC participants, representing underrepresented and majority students alike, transferred to a 4YC to continue in geosciences or in a related STEM field within two-years of the URE. A strong cross-institutional collaboration that combined academic, financial, and mentoring support was key to enhancing transfer students’ URE experiences. Leveraging teaching and research expertise of 2YC adjuncts as emerging academics and educators was a hallmark of this program. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10899995.2021.2005510

The role of emotional geography in graduate transitions from higher education in England

ABSTRACT This paper presents the ways in which students from a Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) discipline at a Northern Urban English university narrate their decisions as they navigate their transition from degrees to their career futures. Contrary to the managerial expectations of universities and policy that students ‘fill the STEM skills gap’, the process through which students and graduates make decisions about their future trajectories includes responding to concerns brought about by personal and social factors of influence, one of which is place relating to their emotional relationship with past, present and future geographical location. This paper aims to make two inter-related arguments: Firstly, that geography can act as a determining, emotional factor of influence in the decision-making process of young people during the process of transitioning from their degrees. Secondly, the subsequent movement in spatial terms is an attempt to influence as well as construct their own futures, whether or not this is the ‘right’ decision. Employment futures of young people must take into account the ways in which this manifests to better understand the decision-making process.

Game Environment and Design Thinking Approach for New Digital Careers

To compete with today’s rapidly changing labour market one has to continuously self-adapt towards new attitudes and mindset. To assist such an endeavor the combination of entrepreneurship and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) skills is considered favorable. Following these basic premises, the paper presents a European project, TEAM_STAR, focused on developing a 3D game environment to promote these new skills in secondary school students for new digital careers.

Linking K-12 STEM Pedagogy to Local Contexts: A Scoping Review of Benefits and Limitations

Student engagement and learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields in primary and secondary schools is increasingly being emphasized as the importance of STEM skills for future careers is realized. Localized learning has been identified as a group of pedagogical approaches that may enhance learning in STEM by making the relevance of STEM clear to students and providing stronger connections to students’ lives and contexts. This paper reports on a scoping review that was conducted to identify the benefits and limitations of localized learning in primary and secondary school STEM disciplines. A secondary aim of the review was to identify strategies that increase the effectiveness of localized learning these disciplines. Following literature searches of four databases, 1923 articles were identified. Twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. Potential benefits of localized learning included increases in enjoyment of STEM, improvements in learning, more positive STEM career aspirations, and development of transferable skills. The main challenges of these pedagogical approaches were time restrictions and lack of community involvement. Strategies for enhancing the impact of localized pedagogy included professional development for teachers (in STEM content knowledge, integration of localized pedagogy, and capacity to address socio-scientific issues), integration of technology, whole-school implementation of the pedagogical approach, and integration of the wider community into STEM education. These findings provide support for localized learning as an effective pedagogical approach to enhance STEM learning in schools, while emphasizing the critical roles of teachers and communities in supporting students to realize the relevance of STEM in their lives.

How to Evaluate the STEM Curriculum in Spain?

There is a wide demand for professionals related to the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) field; nevertheless, the number of students is decreasing every day, and the presence of women is also scarce. Within the Spanish context, different programs are promoting measures for STEM skills’ development; however, they are neither collected nor evaluated under a common umbrella. For that reason, it seems appropriate to investigate the possibilities of carrying out a STEM certification, involving the management and teaching practice of secondary and high school education centers. The present work has developed an evaluation instrument based on the work by The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation from the North Carolina State University (USA). The model proposed looking at obtaining a high-quality STEM Center certification in the Spanish context, seeking to guarantee that the efforts made are systematically collected and evaluated in a common framework. This model includes an evaluation rubric with 5 dimensions and a series of indicators, classifying the centers in 4 levels of development. The aim is to provide a framework to establish, monitor and guide their STEM culture development with a global perspective, counting with the entire educational community, working on STEM skills in a transversal manner.

Secondary School Students’ Basic STEM Skill Levels according to their Self-Perceptions: A Scale Adaptation

In addition to the studies on what the 21st century skills are, how these skills will be gained by the students, that is, after completing the K-12 and university education, the problem of how the students will graduate with these skills has become one of the most important questions waiting for an answer all over the world and it has been an issue for the world of education. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education approach has the potential to respond to these questions to some extent. The purpose of this study is to adapt ‘the basic STEM skills level self-perception’ scale which was formerly designed to measure the STEM skills levels of the university students within their self- perception, to the secondary school level and define secondary school students’ basic STEM skills levels within their self-perception. This study was conducted in a descriptive survey model. The participants were 501 middle school students. Data of this study were collected using the “Basic STEM Skill Levels Perception Scale”. Exploratory factor analysis was run to figure out the construct validity of the instrument. Item discrimination was tested by observing the differentiation between groups of 27% and top 27%. As a result: ‘Basic STEM Skill Levels Scale’ was adapted to the level of secondary school. The scale is a 7-point Likert-type scale containing of 23 items that can be categorized three factors. Within their self-perceptions, students’ basic STEM skills in science and mathematics are at intermediate level. However, it is seen that the basic STEM skills related to the field of engineering and technology are relatively low. There is a similarity between students’ genders in science and engineering - technology factors.