Exploring how learning by ‘talking and doing’ supports flourishing in S.T.E.M for elementary students

Abstract

Background

Over the past three decades, researchers have increasingly advocated for pedagogical practices that privilege exploration, collaboration, problem-solving, and hands-on projects in K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S.T.E.M.). Many researchers have studied the efficacy of these instructional practices, but there has been relatively little research exploring how learning by ‘talking and doing’ influences students’ affective relationship with S.T.E.M. With a growing need in society for a S.T.E.M. workforce, it is vital that students develop positive relationships with S.T.E.M.

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore how learning by ‘talking and doing’ might influence elementary students’ flourishing in S.T.E.M. In particular, we ask the following research question: How does a yearlong S.T.E.M. initiative that centralizes learning by ‘talking and doing’ influence elementary students’ flourishing in S.T.E.M?

Sample

The participants were 50 elementary students (Grades 3, 4, 5, and 6) in a high-need elementary school in Eastern Canada.

Design and methods

Students engaged in a yearlong intervention that emphasized learning by ‘talking and doing’. Using a mixed methods design, we measured students’ flourishing in S.T.E.M. via pre-/post-surveys and focus group interviews.

Results

Pre-/post-survey analyses indicated that the initiative had a statistically significant positive influence on students’ flourishing in science and STEM (general). Focus group interviews complemented and confirmed the survey analyses.

Conclusions

The findings promote continued dialogue regarding students’ wellbeing in S.T.E.M. as an important outcome of interest when considering the efficacy of instructional practices.

Keywords:

• Flourishing
• STEM
• science
• collaborative learning

REVIEWING EDITOR:

• Colby Tofel-Grehl, Utah State University, Logan, UT, United States

SUBJECTS:

• Mathematics Education
• Education - Social Sciences
• Primary/Elementary Education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 All names are pseudonymns.

2 Reference is not provided to preserve anonymity.

3 We did not include an ‘Engineering’ scale because we believed it was unlikely that elementary students had a conceptual grasp of engineering. Furthermore, we used the acronym STEM (instead of S.T.E.M.) in the student surveys. We did not believe making a distinction between STEM and S.T.E.M. was relevant for the purposes of our child-friendly survey.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada under Grant [892-2021-3015].

Notes on contributors

Tye Campbell

Tye Campbell is an assistant professor in the School of Teacher Education and Leadership at Utah State University. He researches the social and affective components of teaching and learning mathematics.

Bertha Neequaye

Bertha Neequaye is a PhD student in the Mathematics Department at Utah State University. She researches statistics and mathematics education.

Cathlene Hillier

Cathlene Hillier is an associate professor in the Education Department at Crandall University. She researches education, at-risk youth, inequality, technology in schools, among other areas.

Diandra Singh

Diandra Singh is an assistant professor in the Education Department at Crandall University. She researches science education and educational programs that redress issues that marginalized youth encounter in schooling.