Examining the Impact of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in Zimbabwe’s High Schools

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.

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

New Directions for Evaluation ◽

10.1002/ev.353 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2011 (129) ◽

pp. 39-48 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Denise Roseland ◽

Lija O. Greenseid ◽

Boris B. Volkov ◽

Frances Lawrenz

Keyword(s):

Science Technology ◽

And Mathematics ◽

The Impact

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

CBE—Life Sciences Education ◽

10.1187/cbe.16-08-0260 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. ar16 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

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.

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Assessing the Impact of an Adapted Robotics Programme on Interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) among Children with Disabilities

International Journal of Disability Development and Education ◽

10.1080/1034912x.2019.1650902 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 68 (1) ◽

pp. 62-77 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

De-Lawrence Lamptey ◽

Elaine Cagliostro ◽

Dilakshan Srikanthan ◽

Sukyoung Hong ◽

Sandy Dief ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Children With Disabilities ◽

Interest In Science ◽

Science Technology ◽

And Mathematics ◽

The Impact

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Skills combinations and firm performance

Small Business Economics ◽

10.1007/s11187-019-00249-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

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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The impact of STEAM integration on preservice teachers' disposition and knowledge

Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching & Learning ◽

10.1108/jrit-01-2020-0005 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 27-42

Author(s):

Shuhua An

Keyword(s):

Preservice Teachers ◽

Data Collection ◽

Mathematics Methods ◽

Methods Courses ◽

Content Type ◽

Inquiry Process ◽

Science Technology ◽

And Mathematics ◽

The Impact ◽

Mathematics Methods Courses

PurposeThis study intended to provide such an opportunity to preservice teachers with a project-based learning (PBL) approach and an inquiry-based pedagogy to engage them in learning science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) knowledge and skills of integration with adding an art component to STEM as science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) for K-8 children, and developing their own STEAM tasks. The purpose of this project was to explore how STEAM integration in mathematics methods courses influenced K-8 preservice teachers' disposition and knowledge of STEAM integration.Design/methodology/approachThis project used a mixed-research design in data collection and analysis to examine the effects of using the STEAM integration on preservice teachers' knowledge and disposition. The preservice teachers in two EDEL 462 classes in Spring 2019 participated in STEAM learning and development in the inquiry process of four steps of STEAM integration. Data collection includes the pre- and postquestionnaires on teachers' knowledge and disposition.FindingsThe results in this study show that the STEAM integration in the mathematics methods courses engaged preservice teachers in four steps of the inquiry process of connection, collaboration, communication and evaluation for STEAM integration using PBL approach. The preservice teachers not only enhanced their disposition in attitude and confidence but also enhanced their knowledge of STEAM integration.Research limitations/implicationsThe following conclusions can be drawn from the present study that integrating STEAM components in mathematics methods fosters preservice teachers' creativity, connection, communication, application and teamwork skills, and importantly, it enhances K-8 preservice teachers' productive dispositions and knowledge in STEAM integration.Practical implicationsThe results of this study indicate that using math methods courses to engage preservice teachers in learning STEAM integration and designing authentic STEAM tasks in four steps enhanced preservice teachers' attitude and confidence that significantly related to their knowledge of STEAM integration.Originality/valueThese findings have significant implications for the understanding of how to prepare future teachers in STEAM integration in higher education.

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Partnerships for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education and Career Prosperity

Advances in Early Childhood and K-12 Education - Handbook of Research on Science Literacy Integration in Classroom Environments ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-6364-8.ch021 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 337-349

Author(s):

Chih-Che Tai ◽

Ryan Andrew Nivens ◽

Karin J. Keith

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Professional Development ◽

Nonprofit Organizations ◽

Development Projects ◽

Local School ◽

Business Partners ◽

Science Technology ◽

Career Opportunities ◽

And Mathematics ◽

The Impact

The purpose of this chapter is to report on partnerships between local school agents, business partners, institutes of higher education, and nonprofit organizations that promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities that enhance career opportunities for students. The authors share the importance of these partnerships as well as the benefits that result for all members. In addition to describing the benefits of the partnerships, the authors lay out techniques used to manage and develop partnerships. Most importantly, the authors share the outcomes of these partnerships, including professional development projects rooted in the work between the member partners. The chapter provides data about the impact of these partnerships on students' academic achievement and concludes with recommendations and suggestions to develop and sustain partnerships.

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