scholarly journals Investigating Student Interest In Post Secondary Stem Education

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anant Kukreti
Keyword(s):  
Stem Education ◽  
Student Interest ◽  
Post Secondary

Analysis of Demographics and Factors Influencing Student Choice of Major at Five Universities

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 510b-510
Author(s):  
Tammy Kohlleppel ◽  
Jennifer C. Bradley ◽  
Jayne Zajicek
Keyword(s):  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
The United States ◽  
Student Choice ◽  
Student Interest ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Choice Of Major ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
University History ◽  
Insight Into

In recent years horticulture programs at universities across the United States have experienced a decline in student numbers. Researchers at the Univ. of Florida and Texas A&M Univ. have developed a survey to gain insight into the influences on undergraduate students who major in horticulture. Five universities participated in the survey of undergraduate horticulture programs, these include the Univ. of Florida, Texas A&M Univ., Oklahoma State Univ., Univ. of Tennessee, and Kansas State Univ. Approximately 600 surveys were sent to the schools during the 1997 fall semester. The questionnaires were completed by horticulture majors and nonmajors taking classes in the horticulture departments. The survey consisted of two main sections. The first section examined student demographic information, high school history, university history and horticulture background and was completed by all students. Only horticulture majors completed the second section, which examined factors influencing choice of horticulture as a major. Results examine fundamental predictors in promoting student interest in horticulture, demographic variables that may influence student choice of major, and student satisfaction and attitude toward current collegiate horticulture programs. Findings from this study will provide insight into the status of post-secondary horticulture education and assist in identifying methods to increase student enrollment in horticulture programs across the country.

scholarly journals Undergraduate Disabled Students as Knowledge Producers including Researchers: A Missed Topic in Academic Literature

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lillywhite ◽  
Wolbring
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Education ◽  
Stem Education ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Career ◽  
Post Secondary Education ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Disabled People ◽  
Disabled Students ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Academic Literature

Research experience is beneficial for undergraduate students for many reasons. For example, it is argued in academic literature and in reports produced by various organizations that engage with science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and science education that undergraduate research experience increases the graduation rate in STEM disciplines as well as the amount of students thinking about STEM careers. As such, being researchers should also be of benefit to undergraduate disabled students in all disciplines including STEM education. However, given that undergraduate disabled students encounter many problems within post-secondary education, including STEM education, undergraduate disabled students might encounter problems in becoming researchers. Policies are to be guided by knowledge and evidence. However, knowledge and evidence deficits exist in relation to the lived experience of disabled people. Undergraduate disabled students could decrease the knowledge deficit as researchers and knowledge producers. The numbers of disabled academic faculty are judged as being too low and efforts are under way to increase the number of disabled academics. Increasing the number of undergraduate disabled researchers might increase the available pool of disabled students that pursue an academic career. Given the important role research performed by undergraduate disabled students can play and given that many studies highlight problems for disabled students in post-secondary education in general, we used a scoping review approach to investigate the coverage of undergraduate disabled students as knowledge producers, including as researchers, in the academic literature. Using various search strategies, we obtained 1299 initial hits. However, only 15 had relevant content. No study investigated how undergraduate disabled students select their research topics or how they are enticed to pursue research projects outside of a course-based framework. No study looked at the linkage between being an undergraduate disabled researcher and career choices or using the obtained research skills on the undergraduate level in one’s role as a community member after graduation. Our findings suggest an opportunity for many fields, ranging from disability studies to STEM education, to generate more empirical data and conceptual work on the role of undergraduate disabled students as knowledge producers including as researchers. Such studies could help to increase the numbers of undergraduate disabled students as knowledge producers, including researchers, which in turn could help to increase (a) the number of disabled academics, (b) the number of disabled students who perform research in the community after graduation, (c) the degree success of disabled students and (d) the knowledge available on the social situation of disabled people.

scholarly journals Delivering Post-Secondary STEM Education on the North Slope, Alaska: Resilience and Adaptation

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Nicholas-Figueroa ◽  
Raymond Barnhardt ◽  
Lawrence Duffy ◽  
Kriya Dunlap ◽  
Mary Van Muelken ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Education ◽  
Traditional Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Alaska Native ◽  
Boarding Schools ◽  
Tribal College ◽  
North Slope ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Western Science ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
The North

<p>Prior to the 1960s, the majority of rural students seeking an education moved from their village to regional population hubs to attend boarding schools. Based on western curricula, boarding schools did not recognize traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). Post-secondary education opportunities were only available in Fairbanks, Anchorage or Sitka, however, TEK or Alaska Native world views were not addressed in science course offerings. Upon gaining the right to provide education at the local level, the North Slope Borough (NSB) of Alaska incorporated Iñupiat educational philosophies into the educational system. The NSB, in partnership with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, established Iḷisaġvik College, the only tribal college in Alaska. Now independently accredited, Iḷisaġvik offers 2-yr academic degrees and certificates in Allied Health programs, and is developing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs. Iḷisaġvik seeks to broaden STEM education on the North Slope to meet the needs of employers and research in fields such as climate science. Courses bridging TEK and western science have been developed as a means of introducing STEM education to North Slope students. These courses include summer science camps, workshops, college curriculum, and internships. Relationships between local and visiting educators, scientists, community scholars, and Elders facilitate closing the TEK and western science gap.</p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> Science, Education, Tribal College, Alaska Native, Traditional Ecological Knowledge</p>

scholarly journals Best IASL Conference 2017 Paper: Preparing Teacher Librarians to Support STEM Education

2017 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Melissa P. Johnston
Keyword(s):  
Stem Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
The United States ◽  
Stem Learning ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Integration Of Technology ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Teacher Librarians ◽  
New Generation ◽  
Pre Service Teacher

A current focus in schools in the United States is STEM education, which prepares students for successful employment and post-secondary studies that require unique and more-technically advanced skills through teaching and learning in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This approach is grounded in problem solving, discovery, and exploratory learning, which requires students to actively engage in a situation in order to find its solution. Students engage in STEM learning in many different ways, with technology and digital resources playing an important role. The prominence of technology in STEM education provides leadership opportunities for teacher librarians. Yet, teacher librarians must be prepared to lead in the integration of technology to support STEM education. This report presents identified needs of teacher librarians in regards to supporting STEM education and discusses implications for better preparing pre-service teacher librarians to lead in order to address the needs of a new generation of learners.

scholarly journals Words Matter: The Impact of “Catchy” vs Conventional Course Titles on Student Interest

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan Flaherty ◽  
Bruce G McAdams ◽  
Joshua E LeBlanc
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Nous Avons ◽  
First Year ◽  
Student Interest ◽  
Anecdotal Evidence ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Student Preference ◽  
Premier Cycle ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Conventional Counterpart

Anecdotal evidence suggests that post-secondary institutions in Canada and beyond are experimenting with the practice of substituting conventional, discipline-centred course titles with more creatively phrased, learner-centred titles. However, we could find no scholarly research to affirm, challenge or guide this practice. This study represents a preliminary foray into that research. We surveyed 368 business undergraduate and graduate students at a mid-sized Canadian university to address, and explore the implications of, this question: "Does a catchy course title elicit more student interest than its conventional counterpart?" Our findings provide some, but not unqualified, support for the practice of using catchy course titles as a way of attracting student interest. We found the most significant influence on student preference toward conventional or catchy course titles to be year of registration (first year and fourth year students showed the most interest in catchy course titles; graduate students and those registered in second and third year showed a preference for conventional course titles). Implications regarding marketing and pedagogy are discussed, as is the need for further research. Des preuves non scientifiques sembleraient suggérer que les établissements d’enseignement supérieur du Canada et au-delà sont en train d’essayer de substituer les titres de cours conventionnels centrés sur la discipline par des titres centrés sur l’apprenant et formulés de façon plus créatrice. Toutefois, nous n’avons trouvé aucune recherche savante qui pourrait affirmer, mettre au défi ou guider cette pratique. Cette étude représente une expérience préliminaire dans cette recherche. Nous avons fait un sondage auprès de 368 étudiants de premier cycle et de cycles supérieurs en administration des affaires dans une université canadienne de taille moyenne afin d’explorer les implications de la question suivante : « Est-ce qu’un titre de cours accrocheur attire davantage l’intérêt des étudiants qu’un titre plus conventionnel? » Nos résultats présentent un certain soutien non qualifié à cette pratique qui consiste à utiliser des titres de cours accrocheurs dans le but d’attirer l’intérêt des étudiants. Nous avons trouvé que l’influence la plus significative sur la préférence des étudiants entre les titres conventionnels et les titres accrocheurs était l’année d’inscription (les étudiants de première et de quatrième année étaient davantage attirés par les titres de cours accrocheurs; les étudiants des cycles supérieurs et ceux inscrits en deuxième et troisième année semblaient préférer les titres de cours conventionnels). Les implications en matière de marketing et de pédagogie sont discutées, ainsi que la nécessité de faire des recherches plus avancées sur la question.

scholarly journals Traditional Elders in Post-Secondary STEM Education

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Maria Pontes Ferreira ◽  
Betty McKenna ◽  
Fidji Gendron
Keyword(s):  
Stem Education ◽  
Post Secondary

Using Community Events to Enliven STEM Education

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 376-379
Author(s):  
Michelle Daml
Keyword(s):  
Stem Education ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Student Interest ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The Many ◽  
Mathematics Department

This article explores the many ways in which teachers can easily use STEM topics to incorporate local community events into their lessons. Contributors to the iSTEM (Integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) department share ideas and activities that stimulate student interest in the integrated fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in K–grade 6 classrooms.

scholarly journals Considering Young People’s Dislocation From STEM Education: Looking Beyond the Narrow Focus of Teaching and Learning Practice Within School

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Fraser ◽  
Nicoli Barnes ◽  
Sue Kilpatrick ◽  
John Guenther ◽  
Georgie Nutton
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Young People ◽  
Stem Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Stem Learning ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Methodological Considerations ◽  
Rural Work

Rural, regional and remote (RRR) communities and industries in Australia cannot currently produce or attract the workforce needed to survive, making skills and qualifications in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) increasingly important. Yet student engagement in STEM education in RRR schools remains low, with limited numbers of young people either moving into further STEM education post-secondary, or accessing readily available STEM-related jobs in RRR areas. Currently many rural children and young people are not exposed to, nor recognize the diverse ways in which STEM knowledge is required and used in their world. We propose that if young people are to increasingly engage with STEM and continue onto STEM-related careers, they must be able to see connections between their “school” learning of STEM and the STEM knowledge that is enacted in rural work and life. We also suggest that for this to change, there should be increased visibility of “place-based” knowledges, including Aboriginal STEM knowledges, in RRR communities to promote enhanced student engagement with STEM. In this paper we explore these ideas by drawing on Foucault and Bourdieu understandings to develop a methodological framework – the Place-based STEM- alignment Framework for the purposes of exposing alternate STEM knowledges. We argue that the nuanced and critical methodological approach applied in the development of the Place-based STEM-alignment Framework, is necessary in order to generate this analytical tool and provide data that will allow us the scope to “reset” current understandings of STEM knowledges. The framework design provides us with the methodological vehicle to identify possible reasons for the invisibility of STEM knowledge and practices in the local fabric of RRR communities and to examine enablers and/or barriers to engagement in STEM learning. The framework must be a practical tool for use in the field, one that can be used in RRR communities to engage, children and young people, in STEM, in a way that is meaningful and that aligns with their everyday experience of RRR life. Finally, the framework has to work to enable alternative perspectives to be exposed that will advance methodological considerations of STEM.

scholarly journals Listen Up! Using Podcasts in STEM Courses to Improve Engagement and Facilitate Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaitlin E. W. Laidlaw
Keyword(s):  
Stem Education ◽  
Quality Teaching ◽  
Student Interest ◽  
Traditional Teaching ◽  
Teaching Approaches ◽  
Educational Settings ◽  
High Quality ◽  
The Past

This workshop focuses on how to integrate podcasts into science-based courses (e.g., chemistry, psychology). To some students, science-based courses can be perceived as ‘dry’ and difficult to engage with at a level that facilitates retention. Given that engrossing, high-quality teaching is cited as inspiring course enjoyment and leading students to further pursue STEM education (e.g., Horowitz, 2009), lecturers are often looking for ways to increase student interest. More than this, it is the hope of many educators that more enjoyable coursework will lead to better retention and understanding of the material (e.g., Kuh et al., 2008). As a news and entertainment vehicle, podcasts have continued to grow in popularity over the past decade or more. However, the efficacy of using podcasts within educational settings has been mixed (e.g., Daniel & Woody, 2010; Lee & Chan, 2007). This workshop will introduce podcasts as a learning medium and describe ways in which they can be used to effectively complement traditional teaching approaches, either as an enhancement to the course, or as a resource for student review. Attendees will be introduced to several ready-made STEM podcast resources and engage in discussions on how to develop new content that is effective, both logistically and pedagogically.

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