Students' Attitudes toward STEM: Development of an Instrument for High School STEM-Based Programs.

Abstract

The intent of this study was to develop an instrument to measure the current level of attitude that students’ exhibit toward STEM education. The Concerns-Based Adoption Model, Taxonomy of Education Objectives – Handbook II, and other pertinent instruments were utilized as sources of inspiration for the instrument. The selected items were submitted to a panel of experts representative of STEM education. Initial pilot testing refined the instrument through principal components analysis and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. The identified principal components aligned well with reviewed instruments. Reliability coefficients were strong for each of the principal components. Results of the combined analyses led to revisions of the instrument prior to a larger comparative study – a known-group comparison. A self-identified STEM-based high school program and a conventional college-preparatory program were compared. Principal components analysis and Cronbach’s alpha procedures were again applied to the data collected. The two samples were compared using three distinct independent variables – educational location, grade level, and gender. Each independent variable was analyzed for each principal component. MANOVA procedures were utilized. Male students indicated a statistically significant more positive attitude toward STEM when compared to the female students for the independent variable of gender. The statistical significance was demonstrated specifically for the content areas of technology and engineering. The results of the data analysis supported the proposed hypothesis. Based upon extensive review of the varied data analysis procedures implemented, the students’ attitudes towards the STEM instrument demonstrated positive examples of validity and reliability. Introduction In 1983, A Nation at Risk (National Commission on Excellence in Education [NCEE], 1983) established the resurgence for the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) movement in education. The time is long past when American's destiny was assured simply by an abundance of natural resources and inexhaustible human enthusiasm, and by our relative isolation from the malignant problems of older civilizations. The world is indeed one global village. We live among determined, well-educated, and strongly motivated competitors. We compete with them for international standing and markets, not only with products but also with the ideas of our laboratories and neighborhood workshops. America's position in the world may once have been reasonably secure with only a few exceptionally well-trained men and women. It is no longer. (p. 10) The influence of this report and its recommendations are echoed in the feverish development of national standards produced by academic organizations such as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the National Research Council (NRC), and the International Technology Education Association (ITEA). It is within this process that we the history of STEM can be traced. NCTM (2000), AAAS (1989), NRC (1996) and ITEA (2000) documents all suggest the combination or integration of their respective subjects in an attempt to enhance student learning and STEM preparation. This proposed subject integration has taken many forms since the overall arrival of standards. Programs, modules, packaged curriculums, and even charter schools have aligned themselves with proposed models of what a STEM educational program should represent. A report by the Academic Competitiveness Council ([ACC], 2007) indicates that there are up to 105 government-funded STEM education programs in the United States, ranging from kindergarten to post-graduate education. The report by the ACC also collected information regarding the cost associated with STEM education programs. Overall, estimates indicated a total government expenditure to exceed $3.12 billion during the 2006 fiscal year. T h e J o u rn a l o f Te c h n o lo g y S tu d ie s Students’ Attitudes Toward STEM: Development of an Instrument for High School STEM-Based Programs Mark Patrick Mahoney 24