Specialist co-teaching design-based STEM learning : effects on primary students’ changes in attitudes, perceptions, and career aspiration /

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Student Theses

2022

Chen, Yu Wei

Thesis

STEM has received increased attention in primary school education worldwide, as it is an effective tool for equipping young students with problem-solving skills to face the challenges of the fast-paced technological world. Compared with many studies that investigated students’ STEM perceptions and career orientation in higher education settings, a small proportion of them examined this topic among young students in primary school. This study is among few studies that have adopted design-based STEM interventions using specialist co-teaching in the primary school context. Based on Planned Behavior Theory and Expectancy-value Theory, this study developed an intervention to explore students’ STEM attitudes (i.e., perceived usefulness and perceived fun) and perceptions (i.e., empowerment and intentions to learn), and examined the influences of these STEM attitudes and perceptions on students’ career aspiration. The intervention course included two topics of STEM careers that were popular among primary school students: four units of airplane pilot and four units of bridge engineer. With these two topics, the intervention attempted to offer an opportunity for students to construct knowledge and solve problems through hands-on tasks that mimic the authentic tasks encountered by the airplane pilot and bridge engineer at their work routine. Specifically, a mixed-methods design was adopted, utilizing questionnaire surveys, classroom observations, and in-depth interviews to investigate (1) how students change their STEM attitudes, perceptions, and career aspiration after the one-month intervention course, (2) how these attitudes and perceptions as predictors to influence students’ career aspiration, and (3) how this design-based STEM co-teaching approach contributes to students’ behaviors and interactions in the process of learning. In order to accomplish these research goals, pilot questionnaires were administered to 210 students in a local Beijing primary school, and 203 students submitted their surveys for survey validation. Results indicated good reliability of the survey scales for subsequent data collection in the STEM intervention. The independent sample-T test results also showed some preliminary evidence for gender differences; that is, the boy students’ attitudes, perceptions, and career aspiration toward STEM were generally higher than those of the girl students. The target students were further invited for the STEM intervention. After receiving both students’ and their parents’ consent, 40 students finally participated in the intervention. Specifically, the 40 students were randomly assigned to four classes (i.e., class size is 10) for the intervention. Though the students were in different classes, they received the same STEM course (i.e., same lesson hours and learning materials) taught by the same specialist and the class teacher. Paired sample-T test implied interventional effects on the students’ positive changes in STEM attitudes, perceptions, and career aspiration. During the intervention, all classes were video recorded for classroom observations. Results of the video content analysis implied that the STEM course adopting the design-based STEM co-teaching approach was interesting to the students as it was interactive, innovative with educational games and tests. Meanwhile, the instructors’ timely support and instructional guidance greatly enhanced the students’ STEM learning experience. After the intervention course, 15 students were randomly selected for the interviews to collect more in-depth views on STEM learning. Results of the interview content analysis suggested that most of the students interviewed held positive feelings toward STEM after the intervention course, as they perceived usefulness and fun of STEM. Some also indicated their motivation for continuous learning and career choice of STEM in the future. The study findings provided implications to educators and practitioners that STEM interventions using design-based co-teaching led by specialists might be effective in bringing young students’ positive changes in their STEM attitudes and perceptions, thus instilling career aspiration toward STEM-related fields in them

LG51.H43 Dr 2022eb Chenyw

https://educoll.lib.eduhk.hk/records/wtkCNaqd