Student Outcomes in Integrated STEM Education

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "STEM Education".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2024) | Viewed by 19391

Special Issue Editor

Department of Teaching and Learning, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
Interests: integrated STEM education; science education professional development; teacher beliefs; curriculum development; gender equity; student affect; student interest in STEM careers

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The focus of this Special Issue is on student outcomes that occur in integrated STEM learning spaces, including both formal and informal environments. Efforts to update classrooms for the 21st century include shifts away from teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as isolated disciplines towards teaching them as an integrated entity. This shift also often includes an emphasis on student-centered pedagogies that help students develop 21st century skills, such as collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and communication (e.g., Bellanca and Brandt, 2010; Partnership for 21st Century Skills). As educators adopt integrated STEM approaches, there is a need to understand implications for students from all backgrounds. This Special Issue seeks to address this need by curating conceptual and empirical research papers addressing student outcomes related to integrated STEM education. These outcomes may come in a variety of forms including traditional learning outcomes, affect (e.g., attitudes, interests, values), and classroom interactions (e.g., among students, between teacher and students). Considerations for students from historically underrepresented and underserved populations in STEM are encouraged. For empirical studies, this Special Issue welcomes quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, and other novel research methodologies that push traditional boundaries.

Dr. Emily Dare
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • integrated STEM education
  • student achievement
  • student affect
  • design-based
  • science education
  • engineering education
  • technology education
  • mathematics education

Published Papers (7 papers)

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15 pages, 253 KiB  
Article
“Everybody Was Included in the Conversation”: Teachers’ Perceptions of Student Engagement in Transdisciplinary STEM Learning in Diverse Elementary Schools
by Nancy M. Holincheck, Tammy Kraft, Terrie M. Galanti, Courtney K. Baker and Jill K. Nelson
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(3), 242; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14030242 - 26 Feb 2024
Viewed by 705
Abstract
This qualitative interview study examines STEM integration in three diverse elementary schools through the eyes of the teachers and instructional coaches (n = 9) who facilitated the transdisciplinary Box Turtle Model-eliciting Activity (MEA). Prior to implementation, participants attended a full-day professional development workshop [...] Read more.
This qualitative interview study examines STEM integration in three diverse elementary schools through the eyes of the teachers and instructional coaches (n = 9) who facilitated the transdisciplinary Box Turtle Model-eliciting Activity (MEA). Prior to implementation, participants attended a full-day professional development workshop in which they experienced the MEA in school-based triads of principals, coaches, and teachers. The educators then implemented the MEA with elementary students from across multiple grade levels. We used the guiding principles of productive disciplinary engagement in our analysis of educator interviews to interpret participants’ perceptions of how an MEA encourages elementary students to (a) problematize real-world scenarios, (b) direct their own learning, and (c) collaborate through meaningful academic discourse. Educators also identified challenges to integrating STEM in elementary classrooms. The Box Turtle MEA offered more equitable access to STEM by positioning students as authorities and providing space for them to be accountable to themselves and others in solving an authentic, real-world problem. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Student Outcomes in Integrated STEM Education)
26 pages, 2208 KiB  
Article
Why Do Students Attend STEM Clubs, What Do They Get Out of It, and Where Are They Heading?
by Margaret R. Blanchard, Kristie S. Gutierrez, Kylie J. Swanson and Karen M. Collier
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(5), 480; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13050480 - 10 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4318
Abstract
This research investigated what motivated and sustained the involvement of 376 students in culturally relevant, afterschool STEM clubs at four rural, under-resourced schools. A longitudinal, convergent parallel mixed methods research design was used to investigate participants’ participation in and perceptions of the clubs, [...] Read more.
This research investigated what motivated and sustained the involvement of 376 students in culturally relevant, afterschool STEM clubs at four rural, under-resourced schools. A longitudinal, convergent parallel mixed methods research design was used to investigate participants’ participation in and perceptions of the clubs, their motivations to attend, and their future goals, over three years. Situated Expectancy-Value Theory (SEVT) served as a guiding theoretical and analytical framework. Overall, students who attended the clubs were African American (55%), female (56%), and 6th graders (42%), attended approximately half of the clubs (43%), and agreed with quality measures on the STEM Club Survey (M = 4.0/5). Students interviewed (n = 131) were most likely (99%) to describe what they enjoyed (intrinsic value), what was useful to them (utility value; 55%), personally important (42%; attainment value), or related to their personal or collective identity (40%). Most participants (78%) planned to attend a 4-year university and expressed interest in at least one STEM career (77%); highest attendees (48%) expressed the most interest. Our study reveals that a culturally relevant, afterschool STEM club can motivate underserved students to participate, learn, feel a sense of belonging as a club member, and positively influence their college and career pathways. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Student Outcomes in Integrated STEM Education)
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13 pages, 1209 KiB  
Article
Toward a Framework of Integrating Ability: Conceptualization and Design of an Integrated Physics and Mathematics Test
by Haydée De Loof, Stijn Ceuppens, Jolien De Meester, Leen Goovaerts, Lieve Thibaut, Mieke De Cock, Wim Dehaene, Fien Depaepe, Heidi Knipprath, Jelle Boeve-de Pauw and Peter Van Petegem
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(3), 249; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13030249 - 26 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1374
Abstract
The awareness that many problems in our society are interdisciplinary in nature and require the integration of multiple STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) concepts to solve them has given rise to a new instructional approach, called “integrated STEM education”. Integrated STEM education aims [...] Read more.
The awareness that many problems in our society are interdisciplinary in nature and require the integration of multiple STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) concepts to solve them has given rise to a new instructional approach, called “integrated STEM education”. Integrated STEM education aims to remove the barriers from the STEM fields and has the potential to increase students’ interest and motivation for learning, as well as to lead to improved achievement. It is important to assess the effectiveness of educational STEM initiatives in terms of students’ integrating ability, but to date, no such instruments are available. This study provides a definition of “integrating ability” and establishes a framework for understanding its components. Based on this definition and framework, a multiple-choice instrument for testing integrated physics and mathematics in the ninth grade (IPM9) was developed and validated. The definition and framework for integrating ability and the construction guidelines for an integrated test, can be used by researchers to assess students’ ability to integrate STEM subjects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Student Outcomes in Integrated STEM Education)
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19 pages, 621 KiB  
Article
Investigating Students’ Learning Experiences in a Neural Engineering Integrated STEM High School Curriculum
by Tugce Aldemir, Ido Davidesco, Susan Meabh Kelly, Noah Glaser, Aaron M. Kyle, Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead and Katie Lane
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(10), 705; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12100705 - 14 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1925
Abstract
STEM integration has become a national and international priority, but our understanding of student learning experiences in integrated STEM courses, especially those that integrate life sciences and engineering design, is limited. Our team has designed a new high school curriculum unit that focuses [...] Read more.
STEM integration has become a national and international priority, but our understanding of student learning experiences in integrated STEM courses, especially those that integrate life sciences and engineering design, is limited. Our team has designed a new high school curriculum unit that focuses on neural engineering, an emerging interdisciplinary field that brings together neuroscience, technology, and engineering. Through the implementation of the unit in a high school engineering design course, we asked how incorporating life sciences into an engineering course supported student learning and what challenges were experienced by the students and their teacher. To address these questions, we conducted an exploratory case study consisting of a student focus group, an interview with the teacher, and analysis of student journals. Our analysis suggests that students were highly engaged by the authentic and collaborative engineering design process, helping solidify their self-efficacy and interest in engineering design. We also identified some challenges, such as students’ lower interest in life sciences compared to engineering design and the teacher lacking a life sciences background. These preliminary findings suggest that neural engineering can provide an effective context to the integration of life sciences and engineering design but more scaffolding and teacher support is needed for full integration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Student Outcomes in Integrated STEM Education)
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31 pages, 747 KiB  
Article
Using Critical Integrative Argumentation to Assess Socioscientific Argumentation across Decision-Making Contexts
by Rachel A. Sparks, P. Citlally Jimenez, Caitlin K. Kirby and Jenny M. Dauer
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(10), 644; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12100644 - 23 Sep 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2019
Abstract
Socioscientific issues (SSI) are often used to facilitate students’ engagement in multiple scientific practices such as decision-making and argumentation, both of which are goals of STEM literacy, science literacy, and integrated STEM education. Literature often emphasizes scientific argumentation over socioscientific argumentation, which involves [...] Read more.
Socioscientific issues (SSI) are often used to facilitate students’ engagement in multiple scientific practices such as decision-making and argumentation, both of which are goals of STEM literacy, science literacy, and integrated STEM education. Literature often emphasizes scientific argumentation over socioscientific argumentation, which involves considering social factors in addition to scientific frameworks. Analyzing students’ socioscientific arguments may reveal how students construct such arguments and evaluate pedagogical tools supporting these skills. In this study, we examined students’ socioscientific arguments regarding three SSI on pre- and post-assessments in the context of a course emphasizing SSI-based structured decision-making. We employed critical integrative argumentation (CIA) as a theoretical and analytical framework, which integrates arguments and counterarguments with stronger arguments characterized by identifying and refuting counterarguments. We hypothesized that engaging in structured decision-making, in which students integrate multidisciplinary perspectives and consider tradeoffs of various solutions based upon valued criteria, may facilitate students’ development of integrated socioscientific arguments. Findings suggest that students’ arguments vary among SSI contexts and may relate to students’ identities and perspectives regarding the SSI. We conclude that engaging in structured decision-making regarding personally relevant SSI may foster more integrated argumentation skills, which are critical to engaging in information-laden democratic societies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Student Outcomes in Integrated STEM Education)
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19 pages, 739 KiB  
Systematic Review
Integrated STEM Approaches and Associated Outcomes of K-12 Student Learning: A Systematic Review
by Hong Chung Le, Van Hanh Nguyen and Tien Long Nguyen
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(3), 297; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13030297 - 13 Mar 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5067
Abstract
Educators and researchers are increasingly recognizing the potential benefits of integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education to improve students’ learning outcomes, including the learning achievements, interest in STEM, learning motivation, and higher-order thinking skills of K-12 students. While there is a [...] Read more.
Educators and researchers are increasingly recognizing the potential benefits of integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education to improve students’ learning outcomes, including the learning achievements, interest in STEM, learning motivation, and higher-order thinking skills of K-12 students. While there is a considerable body of research on this topic, it lacks a comprehensive synthesis of the available evidence to provide a more rigorous and systematic understanding of the relationship between integrated STEM approaches and associated outcomes of K-12 student learning. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the integrated STEM approaches and associated outcomes of K-12 student learning through a systematic literature review. The studies were accessed using the Scopus, ERIC, and Google Scholar databases in February 2022. A total of 47 studies were retained for inclusion in the review. We used the ecological triangulation method for data extraction and synthesis. A total of 23 ecological sentences developed from existing studies revealed that the associated outcomes of K-12 student learning occur differently when using different integrated STEM approaches. For example, STEM project-based learning activities in the science curriculum focused on improving students’ learning achievement and higher-order thinking skills, while out-of-school STEM project-based learning activities focused solely on students’ STEM career interests. Finally, we note several directions for future research related to student learning outcomes using integrated STEM approaches. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Student Outcomes in Integrated STEM Education)
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18 pages, 795 KiB  
Concept Paper
Integrating beyond Content: A Framework for Infusing Elementary STEM-Focused Schools Components into Full-Service Community Schools
by Erin Peters-Burton, Kathleen Provinzano, Kristin L. K. Koskey and Toni May
Educ. Sci. 2022, 12(8), 511; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12080511 - 26 Jul 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2081
Abstract
Learning through an integrated STEM framework has been shown to provide elementary students with numerous advantages over learning through isolated content instruction. All students, however, do not have access to high quality STEM instruction for reasons such as living in an under resourced [...] Read more.
Learning through an integrated STEM framework has been shown to provide elementary students with numerous advantages over learning through isolated content instruction. All students, however, do not have access to high quality STEM instruction for reasons such as living in an under resourced community or their elementary school teachers feeling unprepared in STEM. For the purpose broadening STEM participation, this conceptual paper proposes a thoughtful integration of two interdisciplinary yet separate educational initiatives: STEM-focused elementary schools and full-service community schools (FSCS). In this conceptual manuscript, each educational initiative is first described independently. Then an explanation of how the central tenets of STEM-focused elementary schools and FSCS overlap is presented. Resultantly, a proposed model for integrating the two educational initiatives (FSCSeSTEM) is depicted using a rigorous design-based research methodology. This conceptual piece ultimately demonstrates that it seems prudent to consider integrating not only content in elementary schools, but also well-researched and established educational initiatives for the possibility of expanding STEM opportunities for all. FSCSeSTEM is one such attempt at a conceptual model proposed for future research and practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Student Outcomes in Integrated STEM Education)
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