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Eric.ed.gov – Gender Differences in Interest, Perceived Personal Capacity, and Participation in STEM-Related Activities

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Today, more women than in the past obtain degrees in science and engineering. However, women still remain underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This study identifies whether the Engagement, Capacity, and Continuity (ECC) Trilogy could be utilized by teachers in technology and engineering program setting to examine their students’ interest (engagement), perceived personal capacity (capacity), and participation (continuity) in technology- and engineering-related activities. The ECC Trilogy provides a practical framework that can potentially assist teachers in identifying what factors create barriers to students wanting to become an engineer or pursuing a career in a technology- or engineering-related field. In order to identify where a lack of interest may occur, this study compares male and female middle school and high school students’ responses to STEM-related survey… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Identifying Perceptions That Contribute to the Development of Successful Project Lead the Way Pre-Engineering Programs in Utah

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: An educational crisis has been reported from many scholarly platforms for the last quarter century. The United States is faced with the challenge of providing a secondary science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, especially in secondary pre-engineering, that will lead its students to the fulfillment of academic and domestic success. Educational reform is paramount in defining goals for the future and in reaching those goals both in secondary education institutions and in the nation. The educational crisis addressed in this research is characterized by K-12 public education not producing students who have the necessary skills or inclination to be successful in college and university engineering programs across the nation. Today, there are many programs available for public schools to participate in pre-engineering. The purpose of this… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Exploring Faculty Insights into Why Undergraduate College Students Leave STEM Fields of Study- A Three-Part Organizational Self-Study

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: An institutional self-study at a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) explored factors thought to impact students’ decisions to persist in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields of study. This self-study is presented as a model first step for Institutions of Higher Education interested in launching efforts to improve STEM education and STEM student success and persistence. A methodology combining qualitative and quantitative analysis approaches was used to examine different aspects of the overarching research question, “Why do undergraduate students leave college STEM fields of study?” A quantitative review of institutional data was used to identify four particular gaps in student persistence and success in STEM fields of study at Texas State University. An online survey and a focus group guide were developed based on existing but more… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Evaluating Phase II of a New York City-Wide STEM Initiative Using Propensity Score Methods: A Replication Study

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Recently, the authors have been exploring the use of propensity score methods for developing evidence of program impact. Specifically, they have been developing evidence (after one year of implementation) of the effects of the Math Science Partnership in New York City (“MSPinNYC2”) on high school students’ achievement–both in terms of course grades and scores on end-ofcourse tests in two key Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines: Integrated Algebra and Living Environment. Using an evidence-based approach which relies on propensity score matching, the authors asked if the program in its early stages is making a difference in students’ academic achievement and college readiness. The “MSPinNYC2” program restructures early high school STEM courses to include 6-8 Teaching Assistant Scholars (TAS) who, along with the teachers, facilitate in-classroom group… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – A Constructivist Approach to the Design and Delivery of an Online Professional Development Course: A Case of the iEARN Online Course

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This study examined the International Education and Resource Network Science Technology and Math (iEARN-STM) online professional development course. The study used the constructivist framework as the conceptual model to examine the way in which the constructivist theory has shaped the design and implementation of the course, as reflected by the interactions of a cohort of participants in the course. The participants were 28 educators enrolled in the course, who were either teacher educators or teachers, working in different educational institutions in different countries throughout the world. The purpose of the study was to understand how the iEARN online professional development course supported teachers’ learning through effective discourse in an online environment and to identify the constructivist learning principles that were behind the success of the course. The… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Predicting High School Students’ Interest in Majoring in a STEM Field: Insight into High School Students’ Postsecondary Plans

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This study examined how various individual, family, and school level contextual factors impact the likelihood of planning to major in one of the science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) fields for high school students. A binary logistic regression model was developed to determine the extent to which each of the covariates helped to predict such academic interest. High school course taking in science and performance on science and math standardized tests were significantly and positively related to an increased interest in STEM. College aspirations were significant, and those with loftier educational goals were generally more likely to plan to major in a STEM field. Other individual-level factors also played a significant role, as male high school students were significantly more likely to have an early interest in… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Increasing School Engagement through Theme-Based Curriculum

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This paper reports on an evaluation of a distinctive university-school partnership program, Curriculum Bridges. Curriculum Bridges aims to develop the enthusiasm and capacity of students from disadvantaged schools in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). These objectives are sought by developing a theme in the curriculum across subjects in years 10, 11 and 12. In the pilot phase, the curricula of English, Maths and Biology were linked together through the theme of ‘understanding and curing disease’. These curricula were developed by the school teachers, who received training in the ‘backward design’ approach. The model also integrates into the curriculum university on-campus activities and excursions. UniBridges was originally implemented in three schools in 2011 and is ongoing. Our evaluation found that UniBridges has increased student… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Inspiring the Next Generation of Innovators: Students, Parents and Educators Speak up about Science Education

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This report presents the findings from Project Tomorrow’s 2007 Speak Up Survey, informing international discussions about how to improve science learning in the 21st century through an exploration of student, teacher, parent, and school leader attitudes about science education. Project Tomorrow administered its survey in all 50 United States, the District of Columbia, American Department of Defense Schools, Canada, Mexico, and Australia. The top participating states included: Texas, California, Arizona, Illinois, Alabama, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Michigan. Project Tomorrow surveyed 319,223 K-12 students, 25,544 teachers, 19,726 parents, and 3,263 school leaders. Respondents were from 3,729 schools and 867 districts. Ninety-seven percent were from public schools; three percent were from private schools. School locations were 32 percent urban, 40 percent suburban, and 29 percent rural. Forty-three… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Applying Laser Cutting Techniques through Horology for Teaching Effective STEM in Design and Technology

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This paper explores the pedagogy underpinning the use of laser manufacturing methods for the teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at key stage 3 design and technology. Clock making (horology) has been a popular project in design and technology (D&T) found in many schools, typically it focuses on aesthetical design elements. This paper describes a new project, which has been developed to enhance the STEM content of a horology project through advanced utilisation of laser cutting machinery. It allows pupils to produce their own products from self-made mechanical timing mechanisms. The central aim is to strengthen the application of the underlying technology of mechanisms and the manufacturing capability of laser cutting technology in D&T. Trials with schools have shown success in gaining pupils’ interest in… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The STEM Initiative: Constraints and Challenges

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: There is considerable national interest in STEM initiatives, but yet there is little discussion concerning what STEM means in terms of a curriculum concept to be applied to school programming. This article focuses on STEM as a curriculum concept. First, STEM programming is discussed in terms of separate subjects, correlated and broad fields curriculum models. The issue of subject structure is examined. A distinction also is made between the four STEM subjects in terms of formal and applicative uses of knowledge. Second, some practical programming issues are discussed. These include the almost exclusive focus on science and math to the exclusion of technology and engineering; the challenge of serving multiple student populations; and the issue of what to do with the “T” in STEM. A concluding section… Continue Reading