Recent STEAM programs have made accomplishments in recruiting K-12 girl students to participate in STEAM activities. Educational researchers have called for studies of how STEM programs engage girls. However, little research has embedded STEM education with girl education such as their emotional needs, identity, and self-expression. This study examined how crochet that was embedded in a STEM summer camp impacted their sense of belonging, creativity, well-being, and STEAM learning. For this qualitative study, surveys were conducted with 37 student participants and Discord was used as part of the data sources. Findings indicated that crocheting enhanced students’ sense of belonging, creativity, well-being, as well as STEM learning. This study contributes to the STEM learning program design for girls in secondary schools with two closely related theories: constructivist learning environment theory and sense of belonging theory. This study added new knowledge to the research of crochet in girl education and STEM program design.
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Integration of Art Pedagogy in Engineering Graduate Education
The integration of STEM with the Arts, commonly referred to as STEAM, recognizes the need for human skill, creativity, and imagination in technological innovations and solutions of real-world technical problems. The STEAM paradigm changes the dominant “chalk and talk” lecture and “closed-ended” problem-solving orientation of traditional engineering pedagogy to a hands-on, studio-based, and open-ended creative learning approach, typical in art education. A growing body of literature has provided evidence of the favorable impact of situating STEAM in K-16 education. The long-term objective of this work is to promote creativity in engineering students by integrating learning methods and environments from the Arts into graduate STEM education. To this end, an integrating engineering, technology and art (ETA) educational model is developed and is currently being tested. This ETA educational model systematically merges technical instruction with studio-based pedagogy. The ETA model consists of three courses, which were piloted in the year 2017. In each course, engineering and art instructors and students collaborated for 15 weeks on design projects. These projects ranged from drones to architectural
installations.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1633426
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10073095
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- ASEE Illinois-Indiana Section Conference
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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STEM education is often disconnected from innovation and design, where students self-identify as solely scientists, artists, or technophiles, but rarely see the connection between the disciplines. The inclusion of arts (A) in STEM education (STEAM) offers an educational approach where students see how subjects are integrated through learning experiences that apply to everyday, developing personal connections and becoming motivated learners who understand how skills from each subject are needed for future careers. This project addresses both the disconnect between science, design, and technology and how high school students can benefit from innovative learning experiences in plant science that integrate these disciplines while gaining invaluable skills for future STEM careers. We used the Science-Art-Design-Technology (SADT) pedagogical approach, characterized by its project-based learning that relies on student teamwork and facilitation by educators. This approach was applied through a STEAM educational 3D plant module where teams: 1) investigated plants under research at a plant science research center, 2) designed and created 3D models of those plants, 3) experienced the application of 3D modeling in augmented and virtual reality platforms, and 4) disseminated project results. We used a mixed-method approach using qualitative and quantitative research methods to assess the impact of the 3D modeling module on students’ understanding of the intersection of art and design with science, learning and skills gains, and interests in STEAM subjects and careers. A total of 160 students from eight educational institutions (schools and informal programs) implemented the module. Student reflection questions revealed that students see art and design playing a role in science mainly by facilitating communication and further understanding and fostering new ideas. They also see science influencing art and design through the artistic creation process. The students acknowledged learning STEAM content and applications associated with plant science, 3D modeling, and augmented and virtual reality. They also acknowledged gaining research skills and soft skills such as collaboration and communication. Students also increased their interest in STEAM subjects and careers, particularly associated with plant science. The SADT approach, exemplified by the 3D plant module, effectively integrates science, art, design, and technology, enhancing student literacy in these fields, and providing students with essential 21st century competencies. The module's flexibility and experiential learning opportunities benefit students and educators, promoting interdisciplinary learning and interest in STEAM subjects and careers. This innovative approach is a valuable tool for educators, inspiring new ways of teaching and learning in STEAM education.more » « less
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Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) has been the foundation for many years for teaching critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The U.S. Department of Education website includes information about the importance of STEM in an increasingly complex world and the importance of all youth to have problem solving skills. Many researchers and practitioners propose moving from using the acronym STEM to science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM). The difference in STEM and STEAM is the inclusion of arts of any kind, aligning artistic creativity with STEM learning. Zimmerman and Sprung concluded that motivation and self-confidence in computing for females is increased when they can learn CS in the context of a content area, they are already comfortable with [1]. Recognizing this cross-disciplinary connection approach, Mississippi State University researchers in 2014 integrated a physical art component module that enabled girls to design robots using crafting material, with positive results. In 2019, the team piloted a 4-day camp that integrated learning dance moves with algorithmic thinking and computer programming. This paper will discuss the results of that camp that was offered in a very small rural town in a southern state in the United States, and how the arts component influenced the learners’ perception of computing.more » « less
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Abstract Background To inform STEM education for benefiting emerging bilingual (EB) and English fluent (EF) students, the present study evaluated the order effects of integrating science and arts within a large-scale, ongoing effort investigating the efficacies of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)-aligned Science Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) methodologies to provide more equitable opportunities to students to learn science through Arts integration (STEAM). The experiment examines the curriculum integrating order of implementing combinations of STEM and STEAM approaches in fifth grade life and physical science instruction, comparing (STEM → STEAM) vs (STEAM → STEM).
Results T tests and a three-way between-groups analysis of covariance examined the impact of instructional order, language fluency, and teachers’ implementation fidelity. Findings indicate similar results in life and physical sciences, in which the STEAM first approach produced significantly higher science learning gains for both EF and EB students, revealing some higher learning gains for EF students, but with greater STEAM first order effect advantages for EB students overall. While EF students show higher learning gain scores in the high fidelity classrooms, the advantage of the STEAM first order is greater for EB students in all classroom fidelity levels and even within low to moderate implementation fidelity classrooms, as may commonly occur, such that the integration order of STEAM before STEM strategy is particularly advantageous to EB learners.Conclusions The integration pattern of leading with STEAM and following with STEM offers an important opportunity to learn for EB students, and increases equity in opportunities to learn among EB and EF learners of science. Both EB and EF students benefit similarly and significantly in high fidelity implementation classrooms. However, the gains for EF students are not significant in low fidelity implementation classrooms, while in such low fidelity implementation classrooms, the EB students still benefited significantly despite the poor implementation. These results suggest that a strong compensating STEAM first order effect advantage is possibly involved in the implementation system for the EB population of learners. Teaching science through the arts with STEAM lessons is an effective approach that can be significantly improved through introducing STEM units with the STEAM first order effect advantage.
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The research will create an academic program (curricular and co-curricular components) that integrates art concepts into an undergraduate engineering program. The goals of the program are increased student innovation, creativity, collegiality, and entrepreneurship, all while broadening the undergraduate talent pool. The programmatic elements are focused on integration of arts in STEM (i.e. STEAM) to achieve the stated goals. The centerpiece is the infusion of STEAM content into laboratories and courses distributed throughout a model engineering program in Metallurgical Engineering. Curricular modifications will be facilitated through involvement of a Resident Artist who will be embedded within the academic program. The research is evidence-based and builds on prior NSF Course Curricular and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) research that involved highly successful curricular and co-curricular programming associated with integration of blacksmithing into an undergraduate Metallurgical Engineering degree program. A rigorous external assessment of the research will be conducted and includes the use of a variety of assessment tools including Herrmann Brain Dominance Inventory, Small Group Instructional Diagnosis (SGID), and student focus groups. Preliminary results from the SGID and student focus group surveys report positive results with the modified curricula that has been integrated into the initial course, Introduction to Metallurgical Engineering. Student surveys were performed with a primary focus on student advancement in areas of creativity, innovation, and technical knowledge. The self-efficacy studies illustrate a general increase in the students’ perception of their creative skills and technical knowledge.more » « less
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