Teacher Influence on Elementary School Students to Participate in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Primary Faculty Mentor’s Name

Meca Williams-Johnson

Proposal Track

Student

Session Format

Paper Presentation

Abstract

Through research of the literature on the topic of teacher influence in STEM subjects, there appeared an overarching theme of underrepresentation of females in these areas. When examining why women chose not to pursue a STEM field, research done by Zeldin & Pajares (2000), Hill (2010), and Mosatche et al. (2013) found three reoccurring factors: 1) women maintained a lack of confidence in their abilities to succeed in areas involving STEM, 2) women had a general lack of interest in the topics, and 3) teacher or mentor influence could be a determining factor in their decision.

Other articles and research I came across confirmed that teachers and mentors play a vital role in directing students to STEM. A study conducted by Hall (2011) sought to determine what factors influence students’ choice to pursue STEM fields. The researchers asked students to rate factors such as friends with similar interest, family members in a particular field, teacher encouragement, and school faculty who were knowledgeable about different career options on a scale from 1 (not important) to 5 (very important). The study revealed that knowledgeable faculty was the highest rated influence, and teacher encouragement was the second highest.

However, despite these findings and all the research on the topic, most of the subjects studied are between adolescent and adult years, and very little research has been conducted on students in elementary school.

The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of elementary school teachers and the engagement of student interest Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs or activities.

Pursuant to the purpose of the study, the following research questions will guide this study:

(a) What are the perceptions of elementary school teachers on engaging students’ interest and participation in STEM?

(b) What methods, if any, do elementary school teachers use within their classrooms to encourage students to participate in STEM?

(c) What factors impact students’ decision about participating in STEM?

This research will be conducted to give insight to what the perceptions of elementary are regarding the importance of encouraging their students’ interest and participation in STEM, and how those perceptions correlate to the strategies and procedures implemented within their classrooms.

The data will be gathered through an online questionnaire regarding how important teachers consider encouraging students to participate in STEM subjects. After completion, the data will be analyzed to determine the overall perceptions of teachers and the percentage of teachers that implement methods to encourage students to participate in STEM. The subjects of this study will consist of elementary school teachers (Grades 1-5) who are currently teaching at public elementary schools located in a rural school district in the Southeastern region of the U.S.

Approximately 50 teachers will be asked to participate in the questionnaire and possible further interviews and observation of their classroom. The participation size is estimated to be 25 teachers. Based on the answers given during the questionnaire, one teacher from each grade level will be selected to participate in the follow-up interview process.

Keywords

Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, STEM, Student-teacher relationships

Award Consideration

1

Location

Room 2903

Presentation Year

2014

Start Date

11-15-2014 11:05 AM

End Date

11-15-2014 12:05 PM

Publication Type and Release Option

Presentation (Open Access)

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Nov 15th, 11:05 AM Nov 15th, 12:05 PM

Teacher Influence on Elementary School Students to Participate in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Room 2903

Through research of the literature on the topic of teacher influence in STEM subjects, there appeared an overarching theme of underrepresentation of females in these areas. When examining why women chose not to pursue a STEM field, research done by Zeldin & Pajares (2000), Hill (2010), and Mosatche et al. (2013) found three reoccurring factors: 1) women maintained a lack of confidence in their abilities to succeed in areas involving STEM, 2) women had a general lack of interest in the topics, and 3) teacher or mentor influence could be a determining factor in their decision.

Other articles and research I came across confirmed that teachers and mentors play a vital role in directing students to STEM. A study conducted by Hall (2011) sought to determine what factors influence students’ choice to pursue STEM fields. The researchers asked students to rate factors such as friends with similar interest, family members in a particular field, teacher encouragement, and school faculty who were knowledgeable about different career options on a scale from 1 (not important) to 5 (very important). The study revealed that knowledgeable faculty was the highest rated influence, and teacher encouragement was the second highest.

However, despite these findings and all the research on the topic, most of the subjects studied are between adolescent and adult years, and very little research has been conducted on students in elementary school.

The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of elementary school teachers and the engagement of student interest Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs or activities.

Pursuant to the purpose of the study, the following research questions will guide this study:

(a) What are the perceptions of elementary school teachers on engaging students’ interest and participation in STEM?

(b) What methods, if any, do elementary school teachers use within their classrooms to encourage students to participate in STEM?

(c) What factors impact students’ decision about participating in STEM?

This research will be conducted to give insight to what the perceptions of elementary are regarding the importance of encouraging their students’ interest and participation in STEM, and how those perceptions correlate to the strategies and procedures implemented within their classrooms.

The data will be gathered through an online questionnaire regarding how important teachers consider encouraging students to participate in STEM subjects. After completion, the data will be analyzed to determine the overall perceptions of teachers and the percentage of teachers that implement methods to encourage students to participate in STEM. The subjects of this study will consist of elementary school teachers (Grades 1-5) who are currently teaching at public elementary schools located in a rural school district in the Southeastern region of the U.S.

Approximately 50 teachers will be asked to participate in the questionnaire and possible further interviews and observation of their classroom. The participation size is estimated to be 25 teachers. Based on the answers given during the questionnaire, one teacher from each grade level will be selected to participate in the follow-up interview process.