Expertise in STEM Disciplines

2019 ◽  
pp. 528-550
Author(s):  
David F. Feldon ◽  
Soojeong Jeong ◽  
Joana Franco
Keyword(s):  
Modern Society ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Expert Performance ◽  
Science And Engineering ◽  
Training And Education ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Stem Disciplines ◽  
New Directions ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The Impact

Enhancing expertise in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is vital to promoting both the intellectual and economic development of a modern society. This chapter synthesizes relevant studies on the acquisition and development of STEM expertise from different areas of research, including cognitive psychology, the psychology of science, sociology and anthropology, and educational research. Specifically, first, the structure of relevant STEM disciplines in conceptualizing the domain of expertise are discussed. Then the fundamental mechanisms of thinking and problem-solving practices in science and engineering that underlie expert performance within these disciplines are presented. Issues pertaining to assessment and recognition of expertise in STEM fields are also examined. Lastly, evidence pertaining to the impact of training and education on the development of STEM expertise is reviewed. The chapter closes with a critical analysis of STEM expertise research to date and identifies unanswered critical questions and new directions for future research.

scholarly journals Bridging the gap: blending spatial skills instruction into a technology teacher preparation programme

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diarmaid Lane ◽  
Sheryl Sorby
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Future Research ◽  
First Year ◽  
Spatial Skills ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Base Level ◽  
Technology Teacher ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIn recent years, there has been a surge in research in spatial thinking across the international community. We now know that spatial skills are malleable and that they are linked to success across multiple disciplines, most notably Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). While spatial skills have been examined by cognitive scientists in laboratory environments for decades, current research is examining how these skills can be developed in field-based environments. In this paper, we present findings from a study within a Technology Teacher preparation programme where we examined first-year students’ spatial skills on entry to university. We explain why it was necessary to embed a spatial skills intervention into Year 1 of the programme and we describe the impact that this had on students’ spatial scores and on academic performance. The findings from our study highlight a consistent gender gap in spatial scores at the start of the first-year with female students entering the Technology Teacher preparation programme at a lower base level than male students. We describe how we integrated spatial development activities into an existing course and how an improvement in spatial scores and overall course performance was observed. The paper concludes by discussing the long-term sustainability of integrating spatial interventions within teacher preparation programmes while also highlighting the importance of future research to examine spatial skills as a fundamental component of technological capability.

Sense of Belonging and Community Building within a STEM Intervention Program: A Focus on Latino Male Undergraduates’ Experiences

2020 ◽  
pp. 153819272097488
Author(s):  
Elvira J. Abrica ◽  
Tonisha B. Lane ◽  
Stephanie Zobac ◽  
Elizabeth Collins
Keyword(s):  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Public University ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structural Interventions ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Minority Retention ◽  
Latino Male ◽  
And Mathematics

Relying on semi-structured, qualitative interviews with 13 Latino male undergraduates in engineering, this study explored students experiences and sense of belonging within a Minority Retention Program at a 4-year public university in California. Findings support extent research on the importance of structural interventions in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) while highlighting nuance in experiences of Latino males, including perceptions of stigma associated with participation. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

scholarly journals Integrating supercomputing clusters into education: a case study in biotechnology

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Álvaro Fernández ◽  
Camino Fernández ◽  
José-Ángel Miguel-Dávila ◽  
Miguel Á. Conde
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Technological Skills ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Course Of Study

Abstract The integration of a Supercomputer in the educational process improves student’s technological skills. The aim of the paper is to study the interaction between science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM subjects for developing a course of study related to Supercomputing training. We propose a flowchart of the process to improve the performance of students attending courses related to Supercomputing. As a final result, this study highlights the analysis of the information obtained by the use of HPC infrastructures in courses implemented in higher education through a questionnaire that provides useful information about their attitudes, beliefs and evaluations. The results help us to understand how the collaboration between institutions enhances outcomes in the education context. The conclusion provides a description of the resources needed for the improvement of Supercomputing Education (SE), proposing future research directions.

Core Self-Evaluations as a Mediator Between Functional Disability and Life Satisfaction in College Students With Disabilities Majoring in Science and Technology

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Miller Smedema ◽  
Joseph S. Pfaller ◽  
Rana A. Yaghmaian ◽  
Hayley Weaver ◽  
Elizabeth da Silva Cardoso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Functional Disability ◽  
Future Research ◽  
College Students With Disabilities ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Quantitative Descriptive ◽  
Core Self ◽  
The Impact

Purpose: To examine the mediational effect of core self-evaluations (CSE) on the relationship between functional disability and life satisfaction.Methods: A quantitative descriptive design using multiple regression analysis. The participants were 97 college students with disabilities receiving services through Hunter College’s Minority-Disability Alliance (MIND Alliance) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.Results: CSE was a partial mediator between functional disability and life satisfaction. After controlling for CSE, functional disability was no longer a significant predictor of life satisfaction.Conclusions: CSE partially mediated the impact of functional disability on life satisfaction. Future research should explore the development of interventions to increase CSE to reduce the effect of disability and to improve life satisfaction and employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities.

Documenting the impact of multisite evaluations on the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics field

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 (129) ◽  
pp. 39-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Roseland ◽  
Lija O. Greenseid ◽  
Boris B. Volkov ◽  
Frances Lawrenz
Keyword(s):  
Science Technology ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals What’s in a Prerequisite? A Mixed-Methods Approach to Identifying the Impact of a Prerequisite Course

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. ar16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian K. Sato ◽  
Amanda K. Lee ◽  
Usman Alam ◽  
Jennifer V. Dang ◽  
Samantha J. Dacanay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Course Performance ◽  
Time To Degree ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Mathematics Curricula ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Undergraduate Science ◽  
The Impact

Despite the ubiquity of prerequisites in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics curricula, there has been minimal effort to assess their value in a data-driven manner. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, we examined the impact of prerequisites in the context of a microbiology lecture and lab course pairing. Through interviews and an online survey, students highlighted a number of positive attributes of prerequisites, including their role in knowledge acquisition, along with negative impacts, such as perhaps needlessly increasing time to degree and adding to the cost of education. We also identified a number of reasons why individuals do or do not enroll in prerequisite courses, many of which were not related to student learning. In our particular curriculum, students did not believe the microbiology lecture course impacted success in the lab, which agrees with our analysis of lab course performance using a previously established “familiarity” scale. These conclusions highlight the importance of soliciting and analyzing student feedback, and triangulating these data with quantitative performance metrics to assess the state of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics curricula.

scholarly journals Perceived Impact of COVID-19 and Other Factors on STEM Students’ Career Development

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 138-157
Author(s):  
Marcie Desrochers ◽  
Deborah Naybor ◽  
Daniel Kelting
Keyword(s):  
Online Instruction ◽  
Survey Methodology ◽  
Career Path ◽  
Career Goals ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Instructional Tools ◽  
Hands On Learning ◽  
Stem Students ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The Impact

In early 2020, colleges shifted abruptly from traditional in-person to remote distant instruction due to COVID-19 potentially exacerbating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students’ recruitment and retention. This preliminary study using survey methodology was conducted with STEM students at a small (700 students) private college to examine questions related to students’ perceptions of natural science careers, career decision-making factors, barriers influencing students’ career path, including effects of COVID-19 on career goals, mental health, and perceived quality of instruction. A Qualtrics® survey was sent to 180 STEM students, from which we received 53 responses (29.4% response rate). Consistent with other studies, family was one of the most important factors supporting their career path. Students had a relatively upbeat career outlook despite being in the middle of a global pandemic and were only moderately worried about the impact of COVID-19 on their future career. Despite these relatively positive outcomes, the abrupt switch to online instruction was viewed unfavorably by most respondents, who valued the hands-on learning experiences obtained with traditional in-person instruction. It is possible that respondents’ views of online instruction may improve over time as instructors become more adept at using new instructional tools. Future research should evaluate this aspect and whether students’ career goals change across time as the pandemic unfolds.

scholarly journals Skills combinations and firm performance

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josh Siepel ◽  
Roberto Camerani ◽  
Monica Masucci
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Regional Growth ◽  
Fixed Effect ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Mathematics Skills ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Longitudinal Dataset

Abstract Creative skills, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills and management skills have all been positively associated with firm performance as well as regional growth. But do firms that combine these types of skills in their workforce grow more quickly than those that do not? We compare the impact of STEM, creative and management skills on their own, and in various combinations, on turnover growth. We use a longitudinal dataset of UK firms over the period 2008–2014 with lagged turnover data to explore whether the combination of skills used by a firm impacts its future turnover growth. Using fixed-effect panel and pooled OLS models, we find that the performance benefits associated with both STEM and creative skills materialize when they are combined with each other or with management skills rather than when they are deployed on their own.

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