Investigating Title I School Student STEM Attitudes and Experience in an After-school Problem-based Bridge Building Project

Abstract

Previous studies suggest a strong correlation between exposure to hands-on STEM programs and positive attitudes toward STEM subject matter amongst, middle, high school, and university students. However, there has been little research on the impact of hands-on STEM projects on Title I (socioeconomically disadvantaged) elementary students. The current study investigated the outcome of a project-based bridge design project developed for Title I elementary students using a mixed-methods research design. 36 students participated in an eight-week after-school project-based bridge building curriculum using K’NEX building kits. Quantitative data were collected on student attitudes towards STEM before and after participating in the project using a STEM attitude survey. Qualitative data were collected via student focus-group interviews at the project’s conclusion. Results of the survey show that student attitudes toward engineering and technology had a significant increase in favorable perception after participation. However, student attitudes did not significantly change towards math or science. The focus-group interviews indicated that students had a positive experience overall and preferred hands-on activities more than research or reading. The findings have implications for the design of PBL guided STEM programs for socioeconomically disadvantaged students and communities.