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

HISTORICAL

DEVELOPMENT


Workforce needs

STEM careers


STEM Studies

Workforce readiness


STEM literacy

21C skills

Goal related research


Workforce needs

STEM careers


STEM Studies

Workforce readiness


STEM literacy

21C skills


long term

establish causality


Workforce needs

STEM careers


STEM Studies

Workforce readiness


STEM literacy

21C skills


If future workforce needs

are met, is it because of

school STEM programs?


Workforce needs

STEM careers


STEM Studies

Workforce readiness


STEM literacy

21C skills


Students who engage with

STEM are more disposed to

a STEM career (Christensen)


Workforce needs

STEM careers


STEM Studies

Workforce readiness


STEM literacy

21C skills


After engaging with STEM

experiences students are

more like to have a positive

attitude (Williams)


Workforce needs

STEM careers


STEM Studies

Workforce readiness


STEM literacy

21C skills


ME evidence:

More students studying STEM.

Less students dropping out.


Workforce needs

STEM careers


STEM Studies

Workforce readiness


STEM literacy

21C skills


Long term goal

How to measure?

Indication that STEM and

21C skills are needed in

future.


Workforce needs

STEM careers


STEM Studies

Workforce readiness


STEM literacy

21C skills


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)


Workforce needs

STEM careers


STEM Studies

Workforce readiness


STEM literacy

21C skills


What is STEM literacy?

Little correlation of iSTEM

education with student

outcomes (Honey)


Workforce needs

STEM careers


STEM Studies

Workforce readiness


STEM literacy

21C skills


Skills: critical thinking, innovation,

collaboration, complex problem

solving, etc

How to measure?

STEM engineering improves higher

order thinking (Fan)


Workforce needs

STEM careers


STEM Studies

Workforce readiness


STEM literacy

21C skills


What

about the

student?


Workforce needs

STEM careers


STEM Studies

Workforce readiness


STEM literacy

21C skills


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







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

[email protected]

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:

stem + towards smart partnerships and dynamic learning ... · does participation in an integrated...

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