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Student STEM Beliefs and Engagement in the UK: How They Shift and Are Shaped Through Integrated Projects

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Integrated Approaches to STEM Education

Part of the book series: Advances in STEM Education ((ASTEME))

Abstract

This chapter reports on a transdisciplinary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) project in a UK secondary school where students (aged 15–18 years) designed and constructed several heavyweight robots. Given the current concerns about student participation in STEM learning and meeting future workplace demands for STEM-related careers, this study aimed to investigate factors influencing the STEM beliefs and practices of school-aged students. In-depth interviews with 12 students investigated their STEM beliefs and experiences over a year as they built several electro-mechanical robots. The results revealed shifting perceptions of STEM, making reciprocal connections between STEM project learning and individual subject study, and enhanced use of cognitive processes. The study sought to better understand how integrated STEM experiences influenced students’ STEM beliefs, broadened their subject choices and career aspirations, and enhanced future engagement in STEM-related activities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Karen Skilling

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  1. Karen Skilling
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Correspondence to Karen Skilling .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Sydney School of Education and Social Work, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia

    Judy Anderson

  2. Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Yeping Li

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Skilling, K. (2020). Student STEM Beliefs and Engagement in the UK: How They Shift and Are Shaped Through Integrated Projects. In: Anderson, J., Li, Y. (eds) Integrated Approaches to STEM Education. Advances in STEM Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52229-2_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52229-2_14

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-52228-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-52229-2

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

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