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Investigating the impact of children’s STEM literature on perceptions of abilities and potential for employment in STEM fields and careers

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Abstract

This study investigated the perceptions of primary-school children related to each of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) areas and, building on research related to the potential for literature to influence perceptions, the impact of an eight-week STEM literature intervention on their perceptions. During the STEM literature intervention, students were read books from the National Science Teachers Association’s (NSTA) Best STEM Book’s list for 30 min each week. The resulting data from a modified S-STEM survey, administered before and after the intervention, were used in conjunction with interviews and field notes to investigate student’s perception of STEM fields, and their abilities and potential for employment, before and after the reading intervention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brigham Young University, Provo, USA

    Scott R. Bartholomew

  2. Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA

    Vanessa E. Santana

Authors
  1. Scott R. Bartholomew
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  2. Vanessa E. Santana
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Correspondence to Scott R. Bartholomew.

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All data analysed are included in the paper.

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On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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Bartholomew, S.R., Santana, V.E. Investigating the impact of children’s STEM literature on perceptions of abilities and potential for employment in STEM fields and careers. SN Soc Sci 1, 217 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-021-00217-3

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