Celebrating STEM in Rural Communities: A Model for an Inclusive Science and Engineering Fesitval

Munn, Maureen; Griswold, Joan; Starks, Helene; Fullerton, Stephanie M.; Viernes, Conan; Sipe, Thelma Ann; Brown, Mike; Dwight, C. A. S.; Knuth, Randy; Levias, Sheldon

doi:10.15695/jstem/v1i1.4

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…However, most of the teachers agreed that their schools rarely do or do not participate at all in STEM competitions at a school level or at national level. Barcelona (2014) and Munn et al (2018) asserted that participating in STEM competitions and celebrating STEM students' wins spark the students' motivation, enjoyment, and interest in STEM areas. Also, it allows them to be highly engaged in scientific discussions and experiments.…”

Section: ) How Often Did Your Students Participate In Stem Competitio...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating Teachers’ Perceptions of STEM Education in Private Elementary Schools in Abu Dhabi

Chaya¹

2023

JEL

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One of the furthermost essential reforms in education is STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education. To implement STEM education effectively at the elementary level, the teachers must be well equipped to face the complicated web that enshrouds the STEM education field. Identifying teachers’ perceptions of STEM education is considered one of the ultimate significant processes that need to be considered by the STEM education stakeholders as the teachers’ STEM practices are highly influenced by their perceptions of STEM. The purpose of this study was to investigate the teachers’ perceptions of STEM education in Abu Dhabi private elementary schools. The researcher conducted an empirical study with a mixed methods design to meet the purpose of the study. 75 STEM elementary teachers from different private schools in Abu Dhabi participated in this study via an online survey method. The instrument of this study was a teacher questionnaire which was adopted from the valid and reliable cross-sectional Vietnamese survey of Thi To Khuyen et al. (2020) based on their official permission. The quantitative findings related to the teacher questionnaire revealed that 75% of the elementary teachers in STEM private schools in Abu Dhabi strongly understand what STEM education is and they strongly agreed that STEM competencies are extremely important. Yet, 50% of the teachers agreed that they find difficulties in implementing STEM education. Qualitative data related to the teacher questionnaire revealed that these difficulties were related specifically to the lack of STEM resources, the constraint of time, and the need for professional development. This study is unique in the UAE as no studies up to the best of the researcher’s knowledge were conducted to investigate the teachers’ perceptions of STEM education in private elementary schools in Abu Dhabi. Hereafter, this study is significant by contributing to the STEM literature in the UAE. More, the results of the study are valuable in terms of stipulating implications for STEM elementary education program developers as teachers’ perceptions affect and shape their decisions in STEM field.

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Section: ) How Often Did Your Students Participate In Stem Competitio...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating Teachers’ Perceptions of STEM Education in Private Elementary Schools in Abu Dhabi

Chaya¹

2023

JEL

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“…While this perspective may or may not be accurate, it necessitates moving beyond basic demographic studies to think critically about the structures and systems of our institutions and programs that prevent us from being successful in broadening participation in our events. In some cases, as demonstrated by Munn et al (2018), the limiting factor might be geographical in nature and thus alleviated by "taking the show on the road." In other cases, the challenges are likely to be rooted in deeper historical and societal prejudices that have fostered inequities in participation over time (Dawson, 2014(Dawson, , 2019Feinstein, 2017;Garibay & Teasdale, 2019).…”

Section: Integrating Systems Perspectives and Studying Inclusive Prac...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, students who attended a large-scale festival event reported high levels of learning and increased interest afterwards (Illingworth et al, 2015). Events have also been shown to increase students' interest in and understanding of science careers (Munn et al, 2018), and parents' perceptions of science and related career opportunities for their children (Canovan, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Most include one or more expo events, which have been defined as "large, free, open events in which scientists exhibit their research at booths visited by public audiences" (Peterman & Young, 2015, p. 85). (Illingworth et al, 2015); parents, students, and teachers (Munn et al, 2018); parents and children (Idema & Patrick, 2019); and a blend of adult audience members, event organizers, and speakers (Adhikari et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Looking Back to Think Ahead: Reflections on Science Festival Evaluation and Research

Peterman¹,

Verbeke

Nielsen

2020

Visitor Studies

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This methodological review considers science festival evaluation and research studies that have been published in the peer-reviewed literature since 2011, when modern-day science festivals were defined formally. Since that time, the number of science festivals around the world has increased dramatically. The methods and results used to study science festivals are summarized in order to reflect on existing work within this growing sector. The existing literature base is then positioned in relation to recent recommendations for visitor studies research on informal science learning overall, to provide suggestions for expanding current practices to include new methods that have the potential to support continued learning and fill key gaps in the literature.

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“…These in-school STEM events have also been shown to positively impact students' science-related attitudes, content learning, understanding of the scientific community (Gall et al, 2020;Laursen et al, 2007;Vennix et al, 2018) and engagement (Fredricks et al, 2004;da Rocha Seixas et al, 2016). Studies show that STEM outreach events, while fo-cused on students, also benefit participant teachers and the visiting scientists, providing them with numerous career, personal and academic gains (Carpenter, 2015;Munn et al, 2018: Laursen et al, 2007. Opportunities for STEM experiences and exposure are however often scarce where there is greatest need, particularly among urban, low income, predominantly racially minoritized school communities that are historically underserved (Avendano et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

STEM Outreach to Underresourced Schools: A Model for Inclusive Student Engagement

Kaggwa

Blevins

Wester

et al. 2023

JSTEM

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Diverse backgrounds, viewpoints and experiences in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) are vital for innovation and creativity in STEM; and yet, racially minoritized groups, such as African Americans and Hispanics, remain underrepresented in the STEM K-12 and career pipeline. Studies show that exposure and access to STEM experiences in the early years are especially effective for increasing interest in STEM careers and intentions to major in STEM. However, these opportunities are often unavailable and inaccessible to underrepresented racialized minority students, particularly those from majority minority schools in low income communities. We describe a model for accessible and inclusive exposure to STEM experiences, enabled by a partnership between elementary schools from low income under resourced, predominantly racialized minority K-5 schools in North St. Louis County, Missouri, and scientists at a non-profit plant science research institution, to provide STEM activities for all students over the course of a single day. The goal was to stimulate students' interest in STEM and related careers, and enrich students and teachers' STEM knowledge. Five "STEM Days" were held at four elementary schools from 2017 to 2019. Feedback from teachers and students revealed positive outcomes, including increased excitement and knowledge gains. Students showed increased STEM interest, and teachers indicated that the new approaches to classroom STEM instruction, despite the brief exposure, were beneficial. Unexpectedly, participating scientists also noted numerous benefits. We share lessons learned and suggest recommendations for practitioners in STEM.

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Celebrating STEM in Rural Communities: A Model for an Inclusive Science and Engineering Fesitval

Cited by 7 publications

References 4 publications

Investigating Teachers’ Perceptions of STEM Education in Private Elementary Schools in Abu Dhabi

Investigating Teachers’ Perceptions of STEM Education in Private Elementary Schools in Abu Dhabi

Looking Back to Think Ahead: Reflections on Science Festival Evaluation and Research

STEM Outreach to Underresourced Schools: A Model for Inclusive Student Engagement

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