University of Florida COE celebrates National Fossil Day
VideoThis video highlghts the iDigFossils project that is designed for teachers and students to use 3-D printers and scanners in order to create fossils.
Building Automation and IoT as a Platform for Introducing STEM Education in K-12
PublicationThere is growing concern in the United States about the lack of interest and aptitude in science, math and, in particular, technology and engineering disciplines. Certainly one reason for this could be the lack of true engineering experiences available to students when they are in junior high and high school. This is in part due to the fact that while most teachers are well versed in math and science through their formal education, very few have experience and/or educational backgrounds in engineering and technology. To promote STEM careers, a partnership among university engineering faculty
Preparing Teachers to Engage Rural Students in Computational Thinking through Robotics, Game Design, and Culturally Responsive Teaching
PublicationThis article examines teacher preparation and teacher change in engineering and computer science education. We examined culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy (CRTSE), culturally responsive teaching outcome expectancy (CRTOE) beliefs, and attitudes toward computational thinking (CT) as teachers participated in one of three treatment groups: robotics only, game design only, or blended robotics/game design. Descriptive data revealed that CRTSE gain scores were higher in the robotics only and blended contexts than in the game design only context. However, CRTOE beliefs were consistent
Relationship of Middle School Student STEM Interest to Career Intent
PublicationUnderstanding middle school students’ perceptions regarding STEM dispositions, and the role attitudes play in establishing STEM career aspirations, is imperative to preparing the STEM workforce of the future. Data were gathered from more than 800 middle school students participating in a hands-on, real world application curriculum to examine the relationship of the students’ interest in STEM and their intentions to pursue a career in a STEM field. Among the middle school students who completed surveys for the MSOSW project, 46.6% expressed a desire to pursue a career in STEM at the time of the
Pursuing Science: Pathways from Middle School to Careers
VideoThis video presentation uses Conceptual Metaphor theory with the aim to increase the flow within the STEM pipeline
STEM Learning Activation survey
InstrumentsDesigned to be used with 10-14 year olds, these survey scales are used to assess an individual across multiple dimensions of STEM learning activation (Fascination, Values, Competency Belief, Innovation Stance). Please note that these can be used in conjunction with the scientific sensemaking scale included in Science Learning Activation survey. These scales can be used concurrently to measure the multi-dimensional construct of STEM learning activation or separately to measure individual dimensions. 1. Fascination - Fascination involves positive affect towards doing STEM activities, curiosity
Career Maturity Inventory Form C
InstrumentsIt is a 24-item scale that measures change along four scales of student career awareness and planning, along with open-response items about specific schooling intentions and career aspirations. Four scales are Concern, Curiosity, Confidence, and Consultation.
Measuring Cognitive and Psychological Engagement: Validation of the Student Engagement Instrument
InstrumentsA review of relevant literatures led to the construction of a self-report instrument designed to measure two subtypes of student engagement with school: cognitive and psychological engagement. The psychometric properties of this measure, the Student Engagement Instrument (SEI), were assessed based on responses of an ethnically and economically diverse urban sample of 1931 ninth grade students. Factor structures were obtained using exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) on half of the dataset, with model fit examined using confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) on the other half of the dataset. The
Style Engineers
Curricular MaterialsStyle Engineers is a program designed for young girls who love fashion as much as we do! We think the real magic of fashion is how science, technology, engineering, and mathematicsare part of the process of fashion design. On this site, you will find a series of activities designed to explore the science and technology of fashion.
A School Connectedness Scale for Use with Adolescents
InstrumentsEvaluators are frequently asked to assess the effectiveness of school programs implemented to improve academic achievement. School connectedness has been shown to be directly related to academic achievement and is therefore of interest to evaluators. The construct of school connectedness has been shown to consist of 3 elements: connectedness to adults in schools, connectedness to peers, and connectedness to the school. This paper reports the psychometric properties and factor analyses findings from a School Connectedness Scale (SCS) given to adolescents in 2 very different high schools in the