scholarly journals Investigation of Middle School Students’ Attitudes towards Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education and Determination of the Predictors

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 101
Author(s):  
Cennet GÖLOĞLU DEMİR ◽  
Nagihan TANIK ÖNAL ◽  
Nezih ÖNAL
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Stem Education ◽  
Science Achievement ◽  
Career Planning ◽  
School Students ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Attitudes Towards Science ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
And Mathematics

The purpose of the current study is to investigate middle school students’ attitudes towards Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and to determine the predictors of these attitudes. The study was designed according to the relational survey model, one of the quantitative research designs. The sample of the study is comprised of 408 middle school sixth, seventh and eighth grade students. The data of the current study were collected by using a STEM-oriented attitude scale. In order to analyse the collected data, independent samples t-test, one-way variance analysis and stepwise multiple regression analysis were used. As a result of these analyses, it was determined that the students’ attitudes towards STEM vary significantly depending on the students’ gender, grade level, participation in in-school and out-of-school social activities, science and mathematics achievement. The most effective three predictors of STEM were found to be science achievement, being a 6th grader and being female. The state of being female was found to be negatively correlated with the prediction of the attitudes towards STEM. As a conclusion of the study, suggestions were made to eliminate gender-based differences in the attitudes towards STEM, to increase STEM activities in upper grades and for career planning.

scholarly journals The Use of the Interactive Whiteboard in Mathematics and Mathematics Lessons from the Perspective of Turkish Middle School Students

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 195
Author(s):  
Nezih Onal ◽  
Cennet Gologlu Demir
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Mathematics Education ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
Attitude Scale ◽  
Interactive Whiteboard ◽  
School Students ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Education In Turkey

It is a great paradox that despite the great importance attached to mathematics education in Turkey, high failure rates are observed among Turkish students in mathematics. For this reason, new applications are implemented in the field of mathematics education in Turkey. One of these applications is the use of technology in mathematics education. Thus, this research aimed to determine the attitudes and opinions of the middle school students towards the use of the interactive whiteboard, which is among the technologies used in mathematics and mathematics lessons. The research is based on a mixed-method research design in which both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. The quantitative part of the study was conducted with 726 students, selected via the convenience sampling method, in 4 different central schools affiliated to the Ministry of Education (MNE) in the Karabük province during the 2015-2016 academic year, while the qualitative part was carried out with 20 participants determined on a voluntary basis. The research data were obtained from the “Attitude Scale towards Mathematics”, the “Interactive Whiteboard Attitude Scale” and the semi-structured interviews. It was found that the participants in the survey had a positive attitude towards the use of the interactive whiteboard in mathematics lessons and that they were positively affected by the interactive whiteboard in learning mathematics. In addition, it was concluded that participants' attitudes towards mathematics and the use of the interactive whiteboard was above average. It was also found that the male students’ attitudes towards the interactive whiteboard were more positive than that of the female students, and the level of positive attitude towards mathematics decreases as the class level increases accordingly. Finally, a low positive correlation was found between students' attitudes towards mathematics and the interactive whiteboard.

scholarly journals EXPLORING CHANGES IN PRIMARY STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) ACROSS GENDERS AND GRADE LEVELS

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 466-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shao-Na Zhou ◽  
Hui Zeng ◽  
Shao-Rui Xu ◽  
Lu-Chang Chen ◽  
Hua Xiao
Keyword(s):  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Primary Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
Grade Levels ◽  
Integrated Stem ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Attitudes Towards Science ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
And Mathematics

Primary education is an essential stage and has an important impact on students’ learning attitudes throughout the coming school years. The research explored the attitudes towards science, technology, engineering and mathematics among students through all grade levels in primary school. The Project-based Integrated STEM Program was proposed to study the changes of primary students’ attitudes towards STEM. An assessment of S-STEM which consists of the STEM subscale and the 21st century skills subscale was utilized for both pre-test and post-test. The results showed that primary students exhibited little different attitudes on the S-STEM in the pre-test, regardless of gender and grade level. As evident from the comparison between the pre-test and post-test, the Project-based Integrated STEM Program had a positive effect on student attitudes towards STEM. It is encouraging if there are more STEM-related programs implemented at all educational stages covering the primary level. Keywords: gender differences, grade levels, project-based integrated STEM program, school students, STEM education.

scholarly journals Comparison of Simulation-Based and Textbook-Based Instructions on Middle School Students’ Achievement, Inquiry Skills and Attitudes

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 34
Author(s):  
Aysegul Cayvaz ◽  
Hakan Akcay ◽  
Hasan Ozgur Kapici
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Science Achievement ◽  
Attitude Scale ◽  
School Students ◽  
Inquiry Skills ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
Attitudes Towards Science ◽  
Based Instruction

Simulations, which is a type of educational technology has started to be used widely in classes. Contradictive results show that there is no certain conclusion about the effects of them on students’ domain knowledge, inquiry skills and attitudes towards science. The goal of the study is to compare the impacts of simulation-based and textbook-based instructions on the middle school students’ science achievement, inquiry skills and attitudes towards science. The study was done with 188 middle school students and three science teachers. Whereas 98 of them enrolled in the classes where simulation-based instruction was used, 90 of the participants were from the classes in which textbook-based instruction followed. A quasi-experimental research design was used in the study. The data was gathered by the achievement test, the inquiry skills, and the attitude scale. The findings revealed that simulation-based instruction is significantly efficient in enhancing middle school students’ science achievement and inquiry skills. Yet, it was also reached that both of the instructions have no significant impact on students’ attitudes towards science. Possible reasons behind the results were also discussed.

scholarly journals The Relationship between Spatial Ability and the Conservation of Matter in Middle School

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Merryn Cole ◽  
Jennifer Wilhelm ◽  
Briana Marie-McKnight Vaught ◽  
Corinne Fish ◽  
Hailey Fish
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Spatial Ability ◽  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
Visual Test ◽  
School Students ◽  
Chemistry Students ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The Relationship

Research has shown that spatial ability plays a key role in understanding STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) content, including chemistry. Conservation of Matter (CoM) is an essential but challenging topic for chemistry students of all ages to grasp; it is often taught in a way where students memorize it but do not learn what it means conceptually. This research explored the relationship between understanding spatial ability and conceptual understanding of CoM in middle school students. CoM was examined in two ways using the Conservation of Matter Assessment (CoMA): through questions on conservation of atoms and the conservation of mass. Spatial ability was measured using the Purdue Spatial Visual Test: Rotations (PSVT). Significant, moderate correlations were found between spatial ability and understanding of CoM prior to and after a chemistry unit including instruction on CoM; the correlation was stronger after instruction. Scores on the PSVT and CoMA significantly increased pre to post instruction. The data show spatial ability may impact students’ understanding of CoM, which contributes to the literature on factors that impact students’ understanding of chemistry. Additionally, it provides evidence that teachers should consider including spatially rich experiences in their chemistry classroom, such as making explicit connections between the areas of Johnstone’s Triad.

scholarly journals IDENTIFICATION OF THE INTEREST OF TURKISH MIDDLE-SCHOOL STUDENTS IN STEM CAREERS: GENDER AND GRADE LEVEL DIFFERENCES

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayşegül Ergün
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Male Students ◽  
Stem Careers ◽  
Career Interest ◽  
School Students ◽  
Grade Level Differences ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Descriptive Survey

In Turkey, it is predicted that the need for STEM employment in the 2016-2023 period will be close to one million and that about 31% of this need will not be met. Therefore, the identification of students’ interest in STEM careers in middle-school is regarded as important. The aim of this research was to identify the interest of middle-school students in STEM careers. The sample of the research was made up of 892 students who received education in four middle-schools in the Aegean region of Turkey. In this research which was of the descriptive survey model, the STEM Career Interest Questionnaire was used to collect data. As a result of research, it was determined that the interest of male students in STEM careers is more positive compared to the female students. It was found that the interest in careers in terms of grade level did not display any differences in the area of technology, whereas it displayed differences in the areas of science, engineering and mathematics. In addition, it was identified that the interest in STEM careers displayed differences in terms of grade level and that as the grade level increases, the interest in STEM careers decreases.

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