1. Timeline, Method, & Constructs of Interest
Informal STEM-Learning Settings: How to Promote Youth Interest and Engagement
Patrick N. Beymer1, Jennifer A. Schmidt1, Lee Shumow2, Neil Naftzger3, and Samantha Sniegowski3
1Educational Psychology and Educational Technology Program, Michigan State University
2Educational Psychology Program, Northern Illinois University
3American Institutes for Research
Project Aims
Timeline, Method, & Constructs of Interest
Understand how various practices employed in the delivery of informal science learning activities cultivate youth interest and engagement in STEM learning.
Disseminate information about practices found to support youth engagement and sustained interest in STEM to Informal STEM Learning (ISL) activity leaders. A practitioner-friendly toolkit will be developed to support the design and delivery of high-quality, evidence-based ISL youth programs.
School Year
Preparations Instrument Development Pilot testing & Revision Program Selection
*2 STEM learning initiatives
*10 distinct programs
*Students (N=190)
Summer of 2015
Data Collection Experience Sampling Method (ESM)
*4 signals per day x 6 days over 3 weeks
Video & Observations *On ESM days (3hrs/day) Surveys *Students *Activity Leaders
Interviews *Activity Leaders
Fall
Coding, Analysis & Writing
Code video, observational & interview data
Data preparation & cleaning
Data analysis
Write papers & reports
School Year
Dissemination
Develop online STEM toolkit and companion booklet for practitioners
Submit papers for publication in academic journals
Justification & Framework
Informal STEM learning environments typically engage students using different types of learning techniques and allow youth more freedom to choose what they want to learn than what is normally associated with traditional school instruction in STEM content areas (Renninger, 2007).
ISL STEM environments allow students to engage with STEM-related content that is more authentic and may likely generate and sustain interest in STEM fields.
The instructional practices employed by activity leaders can have a dramatic influence on youth experiences and may be conducive to creating and sustaining situational interest and engagement.
As situational interest is triggered and developed, learners may become so absorbed in the task at hand that they are not meta-cognitively aware of how interested they are in what they are doing (Renninger & Hidi, 2011).
Our hypothesis is that as youth have positive experiences while participating in STEM-related activities, the more likely they will be to develop a sustained interest in STEM-related content and develop goals and aspirations relative to STEM fields.
Primary Dependent Measures:
Engagement (ESM)
Situational Interest (ESM)
Personal Interest (student survey)
Select Independent Measures:
Challenge (ESM) Positive affect (ESM)
Relevance (ESM) Activity leader practices (video)
Expression of learning (ESM) Prior interest & achievement (surveys & school records)
Preliminary Results
Preliminary analysis of ESM data indicates that there is substantial variation in students’ reports of their subjective experience.
This variation exists:
within and between individual students
within and between individual programs
Anticipated Products
This study will contribute findings to the informal STEM learning (ISL) research community detailing the relationship between instructional practices and the development of STEM interest and engagement. Furthermore, this study will synthesize results so that practitioners and other ISL providers will be able to understand and replicate practices that were found to be effective at developing student interest and engagement.
An online toolkit will be developed to support ISL practitioners in creating practices shown to develop engagement and interest. A booklet targeting ISL project directors will also be created to link key research on interest and engagement to study findings.
Our dissemination plan includes a website that details aspects of the project, preliminary findings and research outcomes. We also plan to present at national conferences and publish in journals focusing on science education, general educational issues, and practitioner issues to reach ISL practitioners and scholars.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No: DRL Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.