Early exposure to STEM education can cultivate interest, curiosity, and confidence in STEM subjects. Students who have positive early experiences in STEM are more likely to develop a passion for these fields and maintain their interest throughout their academic journey.
Abstract To increase participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) studies and careers, some states have promoted inclusive STEM high schools. This study addressed the question of whether these high schools improve the odds that their graduates will pursue a STEM major in college. State higher education records were obtained for students surveyed as seniors in 23 inclusive STEM high schools and 19 comparison schools without a STEM focus. Propensity score weighting was used to ensure that students in the comparison school sample were very similar to those in the inclusive STEM school sample in terms of demographic characteristics and Grade 8 achievement. Students overall and from under-represented groups who had attended inclusive STEM high schools were significantly more likely to be in a STEM bachelor’s degree program two years after high school graduation. For students who entered two-year colleges, on the other hand, attending an inclusive STEM high school was not associated with entry into STEM majors.
Citation
Means, B., Wang, H., Wei, X., Iwatani, E., & Peters, V. (2018). Broadening Participation in STEM College Majors: Effects of Attending a STEM-Focused High School. AERA Open, 4(4).
Abstract The purpose of this study was to identify students' changes of (i) interest toward STEM subjects and (ii) interest to pursuing STEM career after participating in non-formal integrated STEM education programme. The programme exposed students with integrated STEM education through project based learning involving the application of five phases engineering design process. Two cohorts of middle secondary students participated in 2014 (n=129) and 2015 (n=113) were involved in this study. The study utilized one group quasi-experimental design. The analysis revealed that, overall there is a significant increase in mean scores for interest towards STEM subjects and career after participating in the programme. The findings also indicated that the program was effective at modifying students' interest level as the result revealed positive changes (from moderate to high level) for both 2014 and 2015 groups for interest toward STEM career (42.6% and 69.9% respectively) and interest towards STEM subjects (45% and 82% respectively).
Citation
Mohd Shahali, Edy & Halim, Lilia & Rasul, Md. Mustaun & Osman, Kamisah & Zulkifeli, Mohd. (2016). STEM Learning through Engineering Design: Impact on Middle Secondary Students’ Interest towards STEM. EURASIA Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education. 13. 1189-1211.