Integrating STEM activities in middle school science class: Effects on students' STEM interest, attitude and career aspirations

SİNAN ESLEK

Integrating STEM activities in middle school science class: Effects on students' STEM interest, attitude and career aspirations

Thesis Type: Doctorate

Institution Of The Thesis: Dokuz Eylül University, Eğitim Bilimleri Enstitüsü, İlköğretim Ana Bilim Dalı, Turkey

Approval Date: 2022

Thesis Language: Turkish

Student: SİNAN ESLEK

Supervisor: MEHMET ŞAHİN

Open Archive Collection: AVESIS Open Access Collection

Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the STEM activities integrated into secondary school students' science lessons on students' STEM interests, attitudes and career goals. In the study, a mixed method design was used in which quantitative and qualitative data were interpreted together. In the process of data collection, quasi-experimental design was used with pre and posttest to obtain quantitative data, and semi-structured interviews were conducted to obtain qualitative data. The study group consists of 64 seventh grade students, with experimental (n=31) and control (n=33), groups who were attending to a public school in Buca district of İzmir province. The study was carried out in the spring term of the 2018-2019 academic year. In the process of the implementation, STEM activities, for the units of "light and matter interaction, reproduction, growth and development in living things / living things and life and electrical circuits / physical events", in the 7th grade science curriculum were developed and integrated into the science lesson. The application lasted for 12 weeks. During the data collection process, the STEM attitude scale developed by Faber et al., (2013), STEM Career Interest Scale, developed by Kier, Blanchard, Osborne, and Albert (2013), and the STEM perception scale, developed by Knezek and Christensen (1998) were used. The semi-structured interview questions developed by the researcher were used with five students and one class teacher from the experimental and control groups each. In the analysis of quantitative data, descriptive statistics were calculated, with t-test for independent samples and two-way ANOVA for mixed measures. Content analysis was performed in the analysis of qualitative data. In the light of the data obtained from the study, there was a statistically significant difference in the STEM career interest, attitude and perception scores between the experimental group students and the control group, and this difference was in favor of the students in the experimental group. In addition, as a result of the interviews with the experimental group, they stated that four students decided to become an engineer as a result of the process, and they became familiar as with different professions in the field of STEM with the application process, and it provided them with the opportunity to explore their areas of interest. When it is considered in terms of the views of the application teachers, they expressed the opinion that the experimental process created a profitable their interest in science lessons, the students were more willing to the lesson and the activities, and with such applications, the students obtained the necessary support in determining their career goals. In this respect, it can be said that integrating STEM activities into science courses helps to increase students' interests, perceptions and attitudes towards STEM fields and creates professional awareness. Keywords: STEM, Career İnterest, STEM Attitude, STEM Aspirations.