STEM + Towards Smart Partnerships And Dynamic Learning ... · Does participation in an integrated...
Transcript of STEM + Towards Smart Partnerships And Dynamic Learning ... · Does participation in an integrated...
STEM RESEARCH
Professor John Williams
STEM Education Research Group
School of Education
STEM Goals
Global competitiveness
Workforce needs
STEM careers
Attitudes toward STEM
STEM Studies
Workforce readiness
Make STEM connections
STEM literacy
21C skills
STEM Goals
Global competitiveness
Workforce needs
STEM careers
Attitudes toward STEM
STEM Studies
Workforce readiness
Make STEM connections
STEM literacy
21C skills
STEM Goals
Global competitiveness
Workforce needs
STEM careers
Attitudes toward STEM
STEM Studies
Workforce readiness
Make STEM connections
STEM literacy
21C skills
STEM Goals
HISTORICAL
DEVELOPMENT
Global competitiveness
Workforce needs
STEM careers
Attitudes toward STEM
STEM Studies
Workforce readiness
Make STEM connections
STEM literacy
21C skills
Goal related research
Global competitiveness
Workforce needs
STEM careers
Attitudes toward STEM
STEM Studies
Workforce readiness
Make STEM connections
STEM literacy
21C skills
Goal related research
long term
establish causality
Global competitiveness
Workforce needs
STEM careers
Attitudes toward STEM
STEM Studies
Workforce readiness
Make STEM connections
STEM literacy
21C skills
Goal related research
If future workforce needs
are met, is it because of
school STEM programs?
Global competitiveness
Workforce needs
STEM careers
Attitudes toward STEM
STEM Studies
Workforce readiness
Make STEM connections
STEM literacy
21C skills
Goal related research
Students who engage with
STEM are more disposed to
a STEM career (Christensen)
Global competitiveness
Workforce needs
STEM careers
Attitudes toward STEM
STEM Studies
Workforce readiness
Make STEM connections
STEM literacy
21C skills
Goal related research
After engaging with STEM
experiences students are
more like to have a positive
attitude (Williams)
Global competitiveness
Workforce needs
STEM careers
Attitudes toward STEM
STEM Studies
Workforce readiness
Make STEM connections
STEM literacy
21C skills
Goal related research
ME evidence:
More students studying STEM.
Less students dropping out.
Global competitiveness
Workforce needs
STEM careers
Attitudes toward STEM
STEM Studies
Workforce readiness
Make STEM connections
STEM literacy
21C skills
Goal related research
Long term goal
How to measure?
Indication that STEM and
21C skills are needed in
future.
Global competitiveness
Workforce needs
STEM careers
Attitudes toward STEM
STEM Studies
Workforce readiness
Make STEM connections
STEM literacy
21C skills
Goal related research
Limited and inconclusive research on
integration (English)
Science and maths enhance each
other (Wendell)
Maths in technology enhances maths
Science and engineering –
ambiguous (NAE)
Attending a NY STEM school –
ambiguous (Wiswall)
Global competitiveness
Workforce needs
STEM careers
Attitudes toward STEM
STEM Studies
Workforce readiness
Make STEM connections
STEM literacy
21C skills
Goal related research
What is STEM literacy?
Little correlation of iSTEM
education with student
outcomes (Honey)
Global competitiveness
Workforce needs
STEM careers
Attitudes toward STEM
STEM Studies
Workforce readiness
Make STEM connections
STEM literacy
21C skills
Goal related research
Skills: critical thinking, innovation,
collaboration, complex problem
solving, etc
How to measure?
STEM engineering improves higher
order thinking (Fan)
Global competitiveness
Workforce needs
STEM careers
Attitudes toward STEM
STEM Studies
Workforce readiness
Make STEM connections
STEM literacy
21C skills
Goal related research
What
about the
student?
Global competitiveness
Workforce needs
STEM careers
Attitudes toward STEM
STEM Studies
Workforce readiness
Make STEM connections
STEM literacy
21C skills
Goal related research
The primary drivers of STEM in schools
remain economic (‘increasing the return on
investment and driving future prosperity’
(Australia’s National Science Statement,
2017)) and workforce planning.
Goal related research
The primary drivers of STEM in schools
remain economic (‘increasing the return on
investment and driving future prosperity’
(Australia’s National Science Statement,
2017)) and workforce planning.
Research follows the primary drivers
Goal related research
The primary drivers of STEM in schools
remain economic (‘increasing the return on
investment and driving future prosperity’
(Australia’s National Science Statement,
2017)) and workforce planning.
Research follows the primary drivers
Is this enough for educators?
What about the student?
• Personal individualized development
• Ability to transfer concepts between
disciplines
• Development of student interest and
engagement
• Ways of knowing
• Development of representational fluency
• Personal attributes
What about the student?
• Need to evaluate all STEM
initiatives
• Think about student personal
development
Proposed ME research
Does participation in an integrated STEM activity
enhance disciplinary learning and enable complex
problem solving more than non participation?
Year 9-10
Pre and post treatment and control group research
structure
Data: grades and COMPRO test scores
References
O’Sullivan, G. & Williams, PJ. (2014) Effective Futureintech Interventions: an evaluation report. Report on the effectiveness of the
Futureintech program for the Institute of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ).
Brown, J. (2012) The current status of STEM Education research. Journal of STEM Education, 13(5).
Mizell, S. & Brown, S. (2016) The current status of STEM education research 2013-2015. Journal of STEM Education, 17(4).
Christensen, R., Knezek, G. & Tyler-Wood, T. (2014) Student perceptions of STEM content and careers. Computers in Human
Behavior, 34(may), 173-186.
English, L. (2016) STEM Education K-12: perspectives on integration. International Journal of STEM Education 3(3). DOI
10.1186/s40594-016-0036-1
Wendell, K. B., & Rogers, C. B. (2013). Engineering design-based science, science content performance, and science attitudes in
elementary school. Journal of Engineering Education, 102(4), 513–540.
National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council. 2014. STEM Integration in K-12 Education: Status, Prospects, and
an Agenda for Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18612.
Honey, M., Pearson, G., & Schweingruber, A. (2014). STEM integration in K-12 education: status, prospects, and an agenda for
research. Washington: National Academies Press
Fan, S. and Yu, K. (2017) How an integrative STEM curriculum can benefit students in engineering design practices. International
Journal of Technology and Design Education, 27, 107-129.
Wiswall, M., Stiefel, L., Schwartz, A. & Boccardo, J. (2014) Does attending a STEM high school improve student performance?
Evidence from New York City. Economics Education Review, 40, pp. 93–105
curtin.edu/stem-group
STEM School Education Strategy
In the 2008 Melbourne Declaration on
Educational Goals for Young Australians, it
was recognised that schooling should support
the development of skills in cross-disciplinary,
critical and creative thinking, problem solving
and digital technologies.
These 21C objectives lie at the core of the
national science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM) school education
strategy.
Trends in research
2007-10 2013-15
n % n %
Uni faculty 2 3 11 15
Graduate 11 18 2 3
Undergrad 12 20 16 22
K-12 23 38 27 38
various 1 2 3 4
None 11 18 12 17
60 71
Focus of the research studies
2007-10 2013-15
n % n %
Activity 11 19 2 3
Descriptive 12 20 4 6
Editorial 2 3 12 17
Literature 3 4 6 8
Mixed 11 19 18 26
Quantitative 11 19 18 26
Qualitative 10 16 11 15
60 71
Research method (Brown, Mizell)
Silos, pigeon holes, and boundaries
In the corporate world silos are considered a sign of
organisational dysfunction; but in education?
STEM etc.
School re-organisation
• Timetabling - How does it enhance the ability
to work in an interdisciplinary mode?
• Access to resources – as required or
according to schedules?
• Vertical limits – are students enabled to
exceed teacher expectations?
• Learning Design - Who decides about
learning?
• Motivation – what drives learning; curriculum
or curiosity?
Some tough questions: