DOI
10.5703/1288284317716
Document Type
Poster
Abstract
STEM education in Indiana has become increasingly popular with, among many other factors, the recent focus by the Indiana Department of Education on the STEM workforce pipeline and school STEM certification (IDoE, 2023b). Some previous research has shown that integrating STEM into science classes and afterschool spaces has helped students from low-income communities catch up to their higher-income peers on assessments like high-stakes standardized testing (Bartell et al., 2008; Hurley, 2001; Weissglass, 2011). However, regarding STEM integration into mathematics classes, it can be more challenging than integration into other classes like science (Walker, 2016) and large gaps remain in the research of STEM integration into mathematics courses (English, 2016) . This study looks specifically at high school mathematics classrooms in a low-income community in Indiana. Mathematics-focused lessons with varying degrees of STEM components integrated were taught an average of one lesson every two weeks over an entire school year in a 9th grade Algebra classroom. Pre- and post- ACT Aspire scores were analyzed for growth, comparing students who received the STEM-integrated mathematics lessons and students who took the same course at the same school but received traditional, non-STEM mathematics courses. While the students who received the STEM integration improved on the ACT Aspire at a higher rate than the other students, the growth was not statistically significant. This study ends with suggestions for improving the methods for this specific study and other next steps in investigating the benefits of STEM integration in mathematics courses in schools from underserved communities.
Included in
Does STEM Integration in High School Mathematics Classes in Underserved Schools Benefit Students' Standardized Testing Outcomes?
STEM education in Indiana has become increasingly popular with, among many other factors, the recent focus by the Indiana Department of Education on the STEM workforce pipeline and school STEM certification (IDoE, 2023b). Some previous research has shown that integrating STEM into science classes and afterschool spaces has helped students from low-income communities catch up to their higher-income peers on assessments like high-stakes standardized testing (Bartell et al., 2008; Hurley, 2001; Weissglass, 2011). However, regarding STEM integration into mathematics classes, it can be more challenging than integration into other classes like science (Walker, 2016) and large gaps remain in the research of STEM integration into mathematics courses (English, 2016) . This study looks specifically at high school mathematics classrooms in a low-income community in Indiana. Mathematics-focused lessons with varying degrees of STEM components integrated were taught an average of one lesson every two weeks over an entire school year in a 9th grade Algebra classroom. Pre- and post- ACT Aspire scores were analyzed for growth, comparing students who received the STEM-integrated mathematics lessons and students who took the same course at the same school but received traditional, non-STEM mathematics courses. While the students who received the STEM integration improved on the ACT Aspire at a higher rate than the other students, the growth was not statistically significant. This study ends with suggestions for improving the methods for this specific study and other next steps in investigating the benefits of STEM integration in mathematics courses in schools from underserved communities.