Innovation models and interdisciplinarity in science, technology and innovation policy in Costa Rica

Purpose This paper aims to analyse innovation models and interdisciplinarity in science, technology and innovation (STI) policy in Costa Rica between 2015 and 2021. The core focus is to evaluate the public policy in light of the groundwork that sustains the designed and proposed actions. Design/methodology/approach The authors applied a qualitative approach to build a set of dimensions and conducted content-analysis of selected documents. The analysis encompasses all current STI public policy documents in Costa Rica, including the planning instruments of the Central Government and the National Policy on STI. Findings The main findings show that STI policy in Costa Rica is based on different innovation models, but the projects and instruments themselves show the predominance of the reductionist model. Innovation receives a residual role. In turn, interdisciplinarity is based on the concept of convergence, which limits disciplinary collaboration to the natural, physical and engineering sciences, minimising contributions from other fields of knowledge to an instrumental role in innovation processes. Practical implications The authors conclude that the interlinkage between open innovation models, the participation of diverse societal actors and the inclusion of an interdisciplinary perspective leads to inclusive and more democratic public policy, allowing more sectors and organisations to benefit from innovation processes. This would imply a greater reach and impact of the policy, conditions that translate into innovation achievements and a better return on public investment. Originality/value This paper contributes to current discussions on STI policy by studying the implications of the link among policies, innovation models and interdisciplinarity.

Fostering Persistence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM): Creating an Equitable Environment That Addresses the Needs of Undergraduate Students

Student retention is a critical issue for universities, and nearly half of the students who start degree programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) do not complete them. The current study tracks the progress of STEM students taking part in an entry-to-graduation program designed to build community, provide academic and social support, and promote engagement in academically purposeful activities. Although it had no effect on the number of students who changed their major, the program more than doubled the number of students who graduated in their original major. Black or Hispanic students taking part in the program also graduated at twice the rate of comparator students, largely attributable to the success of women in these groups. The results provide needed real-world insights into how to create an equitable environment that promotes the persistence and graduation of students, including those from groups historically underrepresented in STEM.

Queen’s Gambit Declined: The Gender-Equality Paradox in Chess Participation Across 160 Countries

The gender-equality paradox refers to the puzzling finding that societies with more gender equality demonstrate larger gender differences across a range of phenomena, most notably in the proportion of women who pursue degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math. The present investigation demonstrates across two different measures of gender equality that this paradox extends to chess participation ( N = 803,485 across 160 countries; age range: 3–100 years), specifically that women participate more often in countries with less gender equality. Previous explanations for the paradox fail to account for this finding. Instead, consistent with the notion that gender equality reflects a generational shift, mediation analyses suggest that the gender-equality paradox in chess is driven by the greater participation of younger players in countries with less gender equality. A curvilinear effect of gender equality on the participation of female players was also found, demonstrating that gender differences in chess participation are largest at the highest and lowest ends of the gender-equality spectrum.

Electronic Development of Student Worksheets Based on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics to Improve Creative Thinking Ability of Class V Elementary School Students in Science Learning

This study aimed to analyze the validity, effectiveness, and practicality of the E-LKPD (Electronic Student Worksheet) to improve the creative thinking skills of fifth grade students at SDN 1 Kutoharjo and SDN 2 Kutoharjo after participating in STEAM-based learning (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics). This study used research and development procedures with reference to the 4D model (Define, Design, Develop, and Disseminate) but this research was only up to the develop stage. The research design used was "One Groups Pretest-Posttest Design" with 72 students as research subjects. The research instrument used was observation sheet, interview sheet, expert validation test sheet, written test (pretest and posttest), and questionnaire sheet (questionnaire). The results of the research, it can be analyzed that the validity of the E-LKPD according to the material expert validator is 91.6 in the very valid category, the media expert validator was 75 in the valid category, and the language expert validator was 85 in the very valid category. The effectiveness of E-LKPD according to the results of the N-Gain test calculation of 0.61 was included in the category of quite effective and showed that there was a significant increase in creative thinking skills before and after using STEAM-based E-LKPD with 91% classical completeness results with complete criteria. STEAM-based E-LKPD was declared practical according to the results of teacher and student respondents which showed that teacher respondents scored 83 and 80 in the very attractive category and student respondents produced an average score of 81 in the very attractive category. The conclusion of the research was the development of STEAM-based E-LKPD was suitable for distance learning activities and can improve students' creative thinking skills. Keywords: E-LKPD IPA, STEAM, Creative Thinking.

Pathways and Structures: Evaluating Systems Changes in an NSF INCLUDES Alliance

In this article, we reflect on our experience applying a framework for evaluating systems change to an evaluation of a statewide West Virginia alliance funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to improve the early persistence of rural, first-generation, and other underrepresented minority science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students in their programs of study. We begin with a description of the project and then discuss the two pillars around which we have built our evaluation of this project. Next, we present the challenge we confronted (despite the utility of our two pillars) in identifying and analyzing systems change, as well as the literature we consulted as we considered how to address this difficulty. Finally, we describe the framework we applied and examine how it helped us and where we still faced quandaries. Ultimately, this reflection serves two key purposes: 1) to consider a few of the challenges of measuring changes in systems and 2) to discuss our experience applying one framework to address these issues.

Curando La Comunidad [Healing the Community]: Community-Centered STEM Identity

This article highlights the role of community among Latina/o/x students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at 2- and 4-year Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI). Community-based perspectives are often missing from traditional STEM disciplinary contexts; however, our Community-Centered STEM Identity model recognizes how Latinx students develop STEM identities by grounding, engaging, and bridging community. Implications for HSIs include cultivating community-based partnerships and perspectives as these are critical for the retention of Latinx students in STEM.