The Effects of Integrated Science,Technology, and Engineering Education on Elementary Students' Knowledge and Identity Development

This study examines the effects of integrated science, technology, and engineering (STE) education on second‐, third‐, and fourth‐grade students' STE content knowledge and aspirations concerning engineering after validation of the measures. During the 2009–2010 school year, 59 elementary school teachers, who attended a week‐long engineering teacher professional development (TPD) program, implemented STE integrated lessons in schools in a large, south‐central U.S. school district. At the beginning and end of the school year, the Student Knowledge Tests (SKTs) and the Engineering Identity Development Scale (EIDS) were administered to 831 students either in classrooms with the STE integrated lessons (treatment) or without (control). Item and confirmatory factor analyses provided sufficient reliability and validity evidence of the SKTs. Significant differences between treatment and control groups for all three grades on the post‐SKTs indicate the impact of STE integration on students' content knowledge. The EIDS showed no significant group differences on the academic subscale, while the engineering career subscale showed that treatment group students scored significantly higher than control group students in all three grades. Those significant changes in the treatment group in knowledge and aspirations are strong evidence for the potential impact of STE integration.     

MATLAB in first-year engineering mathematics

The paper details the integration of the mathematical software MATLAB into the teaching of core mathematics to first-year university engineering students. The engineering faculty requested that the mathematics staff allocate one hour per week for students to learn and use MATLAB in a computer pool and that group projects involving the use of MATLAB and other similar tasks be included in the overall assessment of the subject. The central concept in achieving this integration was the production of a guide A Focused Introduction to MATLAB which provides a bridge between the software and the core subject material covered in the textbooks and lectures. Recent extensions involve the construction of a Web site dedicated to this subject where students can obtain all information concerning the subject, including a copy of all MATLAB code and corresponding graphical demonstrations used in the lectures. Feedback has been very positive.     

Teachers' Conceptions of Integrated Mathematics Curricula

In this qualitative research study, we sought to understand teachers' conceptions of integrated mathematics. The participants were teachers in the first year of implementation of a state‐mandated, high school integrated mathematics curriculum. The primary data sources for this study included focus group and individual interviews. Through our analysis, we found that the teachers had varied conceptions of what the term integrated meant in reference to mathematics curricula. These varied conceptions led to the development of the Conceptions of Integrated Mathematics Curricula Framework describing the different conceptions of integrated mathematics held by the teachers. The four conceptions—integration by strands, integration by topics, interdisciplinary integration, and contextual integration—refer to the different ideas teachers connect as well as the time frame over which these connections are emphasized. The results indicate that even when teachers use the same integrated mathematics curriculum, they may have varying conceptions of which ideas they are supposed to connect and how these connections can be emphasized. These varied conceptions of integration among teachers may lead students to experience the same adopted curriculum in very different ways.     

What Does Integration of Science and Mathematics Really Mean?

In this era of curriculum reconstruction, considerable attention is being focused on curriculum integration. The integration of science and mathematics continues to be interpreted in different ways. In this article, five different meanings of integration of science and mathematics–discipline specific, content specific, process, methodological and thematic–are investigated along with instructional implications of these different approaches to integration.     

Identity,Goals, and Learning: Mathematics in Cultural Practice

In this article, I explore and elaborate the relation between goals, identities, and learning and argue for their utility as a model by which to understand the nature of learning in general and to better understand the way in which race, culture, and learning become intertwined for minority students in American schools. Drawing on sociocultural perspectives on learning and development, including Wenger (1998) and Saxe (1999), I describe findings from 2 studies of learning among African American students outside of school, in the cultural practices of dominoes and basketball. This research shows that indeed, as players come to learn these practices, they both shift in regard to the goals they seek to accomplish within the practice and change as they come to define themselves vis-à-vis the practice. The implications for understanding the relation between race, culture, and learning are discussed.     

Integrating the Study of Trigonometry,Vectors, and Force Through Modeling

In this case study, we have investigated the construction of understanding of the motion of an object down an inclined plane which takes place through the process of model building. This study was conducted in an integrated algebra, trigonometry, and physics class at an alternative public school. The components of the modeling process explored in the study are the action of building representations and relationships from physical phenomena, the use of a simulation environment to explore conjectures, and the iterative process of developing and validating a solution through the use of a multirepresentational analytic tool. Four major results related to student model building emerged from this study. First, students pursued problems with far more diversity in approaches than the problem itself might have initially suggested. Second, this analysis challenges conventional notions of closure and completeness. Third, the integration of the simulation environment provided access to an expert's model that could be used as the students built their own model of the phenomena being investigated. The fourth theme is that of progressive complexity in the student model as a structure that was built over an extended period of time. The implications of these results for both instruction and curriculum are discussed.     

Rhetoric,Reality, and Possibilities: Interdisciplinary Teaching and Secondary Mathematics

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has proposed a broad core mathematics curriculum for all high school students. One emphasis in that core is on “mathematical connections” both among mathematical topics and between mathematics and other disciplines of study. It is suggested that mathematics should become a more integrated part of all students' high school education. In this article, working definitions for the terms curriculum, interdisciplinary, and integrated and a model of three categories of curriculum design based on the work of Harold Alberty are developed. This article then examines how a “connected” mathematics core curriculum might be situated within the different categories of curriculum organization. Examples from research on interdisciplinary education in high schools are presented. Issues arising from this study suggest the need for a greater emphasis on building and using models of curriculum integration both to frame and to give impetus to the work being done by teachers and administrators.     

Integrating Science,Mathematics, and Technology in Middle School Technology‐Rich Environments: A Study of Implementation and Change

The GTECH project, funded through a grant from the GTE Foundation, prepared school teams of science, mathematics and technology teachers and an administrator to set goals for their local schools regarding implementation of electronic technology and integration of content across curricular areas. A variety of teacher‐centered staff development strategies were used to enable participants to achieve local school objectives, model and encourage active learning environments involving technology, develop integrated curriculum and provide training to their peers. GTECH staff provided workshops and summer institutes based on teacher feedback and classroom observations. Data from the Stages of Concerns Questionnaire assisted the staff in designing effective staff development activities. Over the 2‐year period, teacher teams developed and implemented integrated instructional materials and developed skills in using HyperStudio, PowerPoint, telecommunications applications, and instructional resources from the Internet. They also linked instruction to new state and national standards in science, mathematics, and technology. GTECH teachers reported that their students have expanded their knowledge and skill in problem solving, teamwork, technical expertise, and creativity.     

Three modes of STEM integration for middle school mathematics teachers

Of the four subjects in an integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) approach, mathematics has not received enough focus. This could be in part because mathematics teachers may be apprehensive or unsure about how to implement integrated STEM education in their classrooms. There are benefits to integrated STEM in a mathematics classroom though, including increased motivation, interest, and achievement for students. This article discusses three methods that middle school mathematics teachers can utilize to integrate STEM subjects. By focusing on open‐ended problems through engineering design challenges, mathematical modeling, and mathematics integrated with technology middle school students are more likely to see mathematics as relevant and valuable. Important considerations are discussed as well as recent research with these approaches.     

The impact of integrated STEM modeling on elementary preservice teachers’ self‐efficacy for integrated STEM instruction: A co‐teaching approach

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the impact of co‐taught integrated STEM methods instruction on preservice elementary teachers’ self‐efficacy for teaching science and mathematics within an integrated STEM framework. Two instructional methods courses (Elementary Mathematics Methods and Elementary Science Methods) were redesigned to include STEM integration components, including STEM model lessons co‐taught by a mathematics and science educator, as well as a special education colleague. Quantitative data were gathered at three time points in the semester (beginning, middle, and end) from 55 preservice teachers examining teacher self‐efficacy for integrated STEM teaching. Qualitative data were gathered from a purposeful sample of seven preservice teachers to further understand preservice teachers’ perceptions on delivering integrated STEM instruction in an elementary setting. Quantitative results showed a significant increase in teacher self‐efficacy across all three time points. Item‐level analysis revealed that self‐efficacy for tasks involving engineering and assessment (both formative and summative) were low across time points, while self‐efficacy for tasks involving technology and flexibility were consistently high. Qualitative results revealed that the preservice teachers did not feel adequately prepared by university‐level science and mathematics courses, in terms of content knowledge and integration of science and mathematics for elementary students.     

Online study collaboration to improve teachers’ expertise in instructional design in mathematics

Online study collaboration is a recent professional development approach that goes beyond school and regional boundaries and even helps reach rural schools in China. In this study, we focused on a specific online study collaboration program to examine its potential benefits for improving participating teachers’ expertise in instructional design. Data were collected from the online study collaboration organizers and four main participating schools. The results reveal the program’s well-structured process and organization for planning and conducting the online study collaboration. Participating teachers benefited from their sharing and discussions with experts and other teachers. Their instructional designs show many important changes that are aligned with experts’ comments. Selected teachers’ expertise improvement includes their knowledge about the textbook and content, their perspectives about students’ learning and instruction, and their learning of different instructional approaches to engage students in classroom instruction. The use of online study collaboration for improving teachers’ expertise and the study’s limitations are then discussed.     

Elementary preservice teachers' integration of engineering into STEM lesson plans

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) integration is a desired outcome according to Next Generation Science Standards. However, learning to teach integrated STEM content has been challenging for teachers. Consequently, the purpose of this qualitative study was to describe how 16 preservice teachers enrolled in a mathematics methods course created integrated STEM lesson plans that incorporated an authentic engineering problem. Content analysis of the completed integrated STEM lesson plans used the Quality K-12 Engineering Education Framework to identify any characteristics of engineering. We found that 15 of 16 preservice teachers demonstrated at least an emerging ability to create an integrated STEM lesson that contained an engineering problem, constraints, a prototype or model, model testing, and data collection and analysis related to the model. We concluded that giving preservice teachers opportunities to experience engineering design problems could better prepare them to design and implement integrated STEM education in their classrooms. The findings from this study have practical implications for mathematics methods teacher educators who teach the pedagogy behind STEM education. This study also has theoretical implications because socially situated learning theory was extended to Model-Eliciting Activities and connected them to the K-12 Framework for Quality Engineering Education.     

A Review of the Integration of Science and Mathematics: Implications for Further Research

Building on the earlier analysis by Berlin (1991) , this paper reviews various studies on integrating mathematics and science in the 1990s and provides some implications for further research. The areas identified for further exploration include comparison of the nature of mathematics and science, epistemological debates in mathematics and in science education, the bases used to emphasize science over mathematics or vice versa, empirical evidence of effectiveness of integration, connections between teacher education programs for integration and teachers' subsequent classroom teaching practices, perceptions of integration on the part of teacher educators, contextual difficulties in implementing integrated approaches and possible solutions, and rationales of integrating mathematics and science through technology. In order to help all students become scientifically literate, which most reform documents call for, more focused attention on integration of curriculum and instruction is necessary.     

Learning study – promoting and hindering factors in mathematics teaching

This article focuses on presenting success factors for a group of teachers in carrying out a learning study in mathematics at their school. The research questions are: what are the actions of the school teaching community during development projects? What factors enable a group of teachers to carry out a learning study at their school? Activity theory provides a holistic framework to investigate relationships among the components present in a learning study. The results are based on analysis of interviews with teachers, students, principal organizers of schools and project coordinators, videotaped lessons, students’ tests and minutes taken at meetings of mathematics projects. The results show that the skills of facilitators, the time devoted to collaborative work, the link to learning theory and avoiding overly comprehensive content when teaching lessons are important promoting factors in mathematics teaching. The findings raise important questions about the way in which teacher work within universities.     

Mathematics and Science Integration: Models and Characterizations

The squeeze on instructional time and other factors increasingly leads educators to consider mathematics and science integration in an effort to be more efficient and effective. Unfortunately, the need for common understandings for what it means to integrate these disciplines, as well as the need for improving disciplinary knowledge, appears to continue to be significant obstacles to an integrated approach to instruction. In this study we report the results of a survey containing six instructional scenarios administered to thirty-three middle grades science and math teachers. Analysis of teacher responses revealed that while teachers applied similar criteria in their reasoning, they did not possess common characterizations for integration. Furthermore, analysis suggested that content knowledge serves as a barrier to recognizing integrated examples. Implications for professional development planners include the need to develop and provide teachers with constructs and parameters for what constitutes mathematics and science integration. Continued emphasis on improving teacher content knowledge in both mathematics and science is also a prerequisite to enabling teachers to integrate content.     

Israeli Jewish and Arab students’ gendering of mathematics

In English-speaking, Western countries, mathematics has traditionally been viewed as a “male domain”, a discipline more suited to males than to females. Recent data from Australian and American students who had been administered two instruments [Leder & Forgasz, in Two new instruments to probe attitudes about gender and mathematics. ERIC, Resources in Education (RIE), ERIC document number: ED463312, 2002] tapping their beliefs about the gendering of mathematics appeared to challenge this traditional, gender-stereotyped view of the discipline. The two instruments were translated into Hebrew and Arabic and administered to large samples of grade 9 students attending Jewish and Arab schools in northern Israel. The aims of this study were to determine if the views of these two culturally different groups of students differed and whether within group gender differences were apparent. The quantitative data alone could not provide explanations for any differences found. However, in conjunction with other sociological data on the differences between the two groups in Israeli society more generally, possible explanations for any differences found were explored. The findings for the Jewish Israeli students were generally consistent with prevailing Western gendered views on mathematics; the Arab Israeli students held different views that appeared to parallel cultural beliefs and the realities of life for this cultural group.     

Making mathematics and science integration happen: key aspects of practice

The integration of mathematics and science teaching and learning facilitates student learning, engagement, motivation, problem-solving, criticality and real-life application. However, the actual implementation of an integrative approach to the teaching and learning of both subjects at classroom level, with in-service teachers working collaboratively, at second-level education, is under-researched due to the complexities of school-based research. This study reports on a year-long case study on the implementation of an integrated unit of learning on distance, speed and time, within three second-level schools in Ireland. This study employed a qualitative approach and examined the key aspects of practice that impact on the integration of mathematics and science teaching and learning. We argue that teacher perspective, teacher knowledge of the ‘other subject’ and of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), and teacher collaboration and support all impact on the implementation of an integrative approach to mathematics and science education.