Implementing STEM-Focused Programs: Developing Motivation and Learning Opportunities for Students and Teachers via Immersive Experiences

Abstract

In the current study three different STEM-focused programs are presented in which teachers and students are immersed in authentic learning experiences and benefit from the rigors of a structured mentoring program. All three projects have been supported by United States federal funding and offered different STEM models with the general aim to enhance STEM learning and motivation among students and teachers. The longitudinal mixed-methods design employed in all studies, in which quantitative and qualitative data have been collected, allowed for in-depth analysis of data. Each project adopted a different model of STEM learning and curriculum. In one study, teachers and students alike interacted with a mentor scientist in the classroom, and were presented with learning opportunities that greatly enhanced their science motivation and academic learning. In another study, inservice teachers are immersed in a science mentoring program working alongside mentor scientists and the host lab team. And finally in another study, preservice teachers are presented with a STEM-focused curriculum which greatly contributed to the development of their STEM knowledge and skills, and science teaching identity. All three programs were designed to increase STEM knowledge, literacy, and enhance motivation and domain identification with STEM among participants.