The Effect of Educational Technology on Attitudes Towards Learning STEM
Ronit Ben-Bassat Levy Weizmann Institute of ScienceIsrael
Choosing STEM ???
Students are deterred from studying STEM at high-school:• Boring.• Monotonous.• Very difficult.• For nerds.• Lack of future employment.• Not for girls.
Emadid-2016
Science Technology Engineering Mathematics
What has Been Done ???The Ministry of Education in Israel supports educational activities.
Establish STEM classes:• More Mathematics.• Physics.• Scratch.
• Teaching with robots.• Computer security – “Cyber”.
Emadid-2016
Previous WorkResearch on young students* learning CS:
• Use technology to increase motivation.• But … this often has little effect on attitudes.
*Gibbons, S.J., Hirsh, L.S., Kimmel, H., Rockland, R., Bloom, J.(2004)
Try to change the negative attitudes at middle school by:• Kinesthetic activities – CS Unplugged (Taub, Ben-Ari & Armoni (2009)).• Visual programming environments – Jeliot, Scratch (Meerbaum-
Salant, Armoni & Ben-Ari (2013, 2015) ), Alice.• Teaching with robots – LEGO Mindstorms, Scribbler McGill
(2012) , Thymio.Emadid-2016
Our GoalTo what extent does the use of educational technology influence students’ intentions to study STEM in the future?
• Attitudes towards STEM in general.
• Intentions of middle-school students to study STEM at high
school.
Emadid-2016
What is Educational Technology
Internet and presentation software (PowerPoint).
Software tools designed for educational purpose.
In the future class each student will have his own computer.
Emadid-2016
Our Studies ChronologicallyHow to use the Jeliot program animation system as a pedagogical tool.
Scratch in the Service of Science Education.
Robotics Activities – Is the Investment Worthwhile?
Emadid-2016
Combined Methodology
Emadid-2016
Field observations
Interviews
TPB questionnaire
Qualitative
Quantitative
Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)
Emadid-2016http://www.people.umass.edu/aizen
Calculations- TPB
Attitudes = Behavioral beliefs X Outcome evaluation
Subjective norms = Normative beliefs X Motivation to comply
PBC = Control beliefs X Power of control belief
Emadid-2016
First Two Studies:The Jeliot Program Animation System
Emadid-2016http://www.cs.joensuu.fi/jeliot./
• Its effect on students – 1998-2001*.• How do teachers experience the use of Jeliot
as a pedagogical tool – 2003-2009**.
• * Ben-Bassat Levy, R., Ben-Ari, M. & Uronen, P. A. (2003). The Jeliot 2000 program animation system. Computers & Education, 40(1), 1-15.
• ** Ben-Bassat Levy, R., & Ben-Ari, M. (2009). Adapting and merging methodologies in doctoral research. Computer Science Education, 19(2), 51-67.
The Jeliot Program Animation System
Emadid-2016http://www.cs.joensuu.fi/jeliot./
The Jeliot Program Animation System – Effect on Students
How does the use of an animation system help students understand CS concepts better?
Significant improvement for the animation group in the If-statement. This continues through all rest of questionnaires.
The mediocre students profit the most from the use of animation. Transfer of knowledge.
The system was developed for a decade according to needs of students and teachers. Emadid-2016
The Teachers’ Profile – Combined Methodology
Emadid-2016
Field observations
Interviews
TPB questionnaire
Qualitative
Quantitative
The Jeliot Program Animation System – Teachers’ Profile
Emadid-2016Ben-Bassat Levy, R. & Ben-Ari, M. (2009): Adapting and merging methodologies in doctoral research. Computer Science Education 19(2), 51-67.
Dissonant Repudiation By-the-book Appropriation
The Jeliot Program Animation System – Teachers’ Profile
Emadid-2016Ben-Bassat Levy, R. & Ben-Ari, M. (2009): Adapting and merging methodologies in doctoral research. Computer Science Education 19(2), 51-67.
The Jeliot Program Animation System – Conclusions
Students – The use of Jeliot helped the students understand CS concepts. They could explain the execution using the vocabulary provided by Jeliot. They could transfer knowledge which shows understanding.
Teachers – A pedagogical way on how to use Jeliot in class was developed.
The course on Jeliot must contain a part on how to use it as a pedagogical tool.
Emadid-2016
Scratch & STEMCombined Methodology
Emadid-2016
Field observations
Interviews
TPB questionnaire
Qualitative
Quantitative
Contributing Student Pedagogy - CSP
Emadid-2016
CSP
The instructo
r explicitly
uses a CSP
Sharing artifacts
for learning
The artifacts
are for use by other students
Students
produce artifact
s
A Contributing Student is a student who is involved in creating and shaping activities and resources for learning.
Contributing Student Pedagogy - CSP
Emadid-2016
Conditions for the contribution model *:(a) exploration and discovery.(b) knowledge creation and sharing.(c) collaboration and contribution.(d) authentic assessment.
Educational benefits of the contribution model**: (e) learning from the work of others.(f) reflecting on the work of others.(g) promoting discussion and dialogue.(h) expanding the repository of examples.(i) increasing motivation to learn that results from the use of
contributions. *Collis and Moonen 2006 ** Hamer et al. 2010
Scratch in the Service of Science Education*
Improve learning of scientific subjects.
Increase the synergy between science and computer science (CS).
Conjecture: Students who are engaged with a real scientific problem, will be more motivated to study both CS and the scientific topic.
When the teacher uses a project in class should lead to improved self-efficacy of the student.* Ben-Bassat Levy, R. & Ben-Ari, M. (2013). Scratch Connecting Worlds – Barcelona 2013.
Emadid-2016
Scratch in the Service of Science Education - Research Questions
1. Discover if the use of the Scratch programming environment can promote the motivation of students to study science and facilitate the teaching process of science in middle-school.
2. Compare the projects conducted under a close supervision of teachers to the projects conducted without this supervision.
Emadid-2016
A description of the activity (1)The summer camp - 20 hours
Presenting Scratch and teaching basic topics in CS.
Presenting existing Scratch projects.
The morning sessions – a setting to encourage contribution.
Communication among the students.
Teaching about the blood circulation.
The students were asked to develop a Scratch project on
the blood circulation and to demonstrate it.
Emadid-2016
A description of the activity (2)
Emadid-2016
Demonstrating to CS instructor and getting
feedbacks on the project
Taking notes of his ideas, thoughts and problems
he faced
Interviewing Mickey at the end of each week
Mickey demonstrates the project
Mickey writes a reflective essay
Saving the project once a day
Studying Mickey
Scratch in the Service of Science Education – Results (1)
Emadid-2016
Scratch is fun and not as easy as one may think, but the
students enjoy using it - students need guidance. Scratch can facilitate understanding science.
Contribution of the morning sessions.
The summer camp was worthwhile.
Scratch in the Service of Science Education – Results (2)
Emadid-2016
The case of Mickey
Confronting a real project The intervention of teachers is essential. Feedback contributes to the depth of the project. Mickey is aware of the importance of supervision and help.
Demonstrating the project Scratch science projects are judged to have pedagogical value: CSP - It is important that students receive feedback. Projects contribute to other students.
Emadid-2016
The case of Mickey
The reflective essay Mickey sees the combination of CS and science within the
Scratch environment as a good way to study a topic.
Scratch is better than a laboratory since a project is your own concrete, mobile creation.
Scratch is not seen as a toy but as a real programming environment.
Conducting the project helped Mickey see how a real scientist thinks and works.
Scratch in the Service of Science Education – Conclusions
The study offers evidence that Scratch projects written by the students can be used for demonstration in classes.
The joint supervision of a CS teacher and a science teacher is important in order to develop a good visualization of a science topic.
The use of the contribution model intertwined with CSP helped us designed a course aimed to promote learning science using the Scratch environment.
We suggest that as a part of the curriculum, studying abstract topics in science will be accompanied by using Scratch projects demonstrating the scientific topic.
Robotics Activities in the Service of Science Education* – research question
The participation in robotics activities – How it affects The students’ attitudes towards STEM? The students’ intentions to choose STEM subjects?
Check at the transition from middle school to high school.
* Ben-Bassat Levy, R. & Ben-Ari, M. (2015). Robotics activities—Is the investment worthwhile? Eight International Conference on Informatics in Schools,Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2015, 22–31.
Emadid-2016
Robotics Activities – combined Methodology
Field observations
Interviews
TPB questionnaire
Qualitative
Quantitative
How a Question was Designed (1) Origin: “I am a scientist”, “I am trying to solve the problem using the robot”, “I can make mistakes and learn from them”.
Question (behavioral belief): I believe that the process of trial-and-error (which I experience during robotics classes) makes me feel like a real scientist .
Question (outcome evaluation): To be involved in science in the future will mean success for me.
Emadid-2016
How a Question was Designed (2)Origin: “I am more respected at school”, the students remarked that they are better treated since they began to study robotics at school.
Question (normative beliefs): The teachers at my school respect me more because I study robotics.
Question (motivation to comply): It is important to me what the teachers think of me.
Emadid-2016
How a Question was Designed (3) Origin: From complaints of students who could not continue robotics activities, because of commitments such as homework, taking care of siblings, other extracurricular activities.
Question (control beliefs): It is difficult for me to study in the afternoon.
Question (power of the control belief): Studying in the afternoon is difficult for me, so I don’t want to learn robotics.
Emadid-2016
Robotics Results – Field notes
Observations• Enthusiasm at the beginning of the year.• Carried out the assignments.• FLL students collaborated more than regular students.• Problem with robots which malfunctioned – found Thymio.
Interviews• Felt good when getting respect and support.• Problem with the late schedule of classes.
(This appeared only in observations and interviews, not in the answers to the questionnaire.)
Emadid-2016
Robotics-Activities Results –TPB (n=147)
Intentions PBC Subjective norms
Attitudes Predictor
Quartile
79 50 17 40 First
47 50 61 44 Second
16 44 63 35 Third
5 3 6 28 Fourth
Students intend to
choose STEM
Students feel that they
control their future choice
of STEM
Students can be influenced
Attitudes not sufficiently
high
Analysis
Robotics Activities - Discussion
Attitudes: not as high as we expected
Subjective norms: important because students can be influenced and motivated
PBC: Students feel that they are in control
DiscussionThe intention to choose STEM is very high
Robotics Activities - Conclusions
TPB results show the increase of motivation to choose STEM in the future.
Robotics activities – The investment is worthwhile !
ConclusionsJeliot –The use of an adequate educational tool for novices, helps them understand better CS concepts. Teachers should study on how to use Jeliot as a pedagogical tool.
Scratch – The use of technology encourage students to be engaged with science.
Robotics activities – The investment is worthwhile ! – It is a good combination of hands-on activities with educational technology.
Conclusions Educational Technology has an effect on the attitudes of
students towards STEM. The negative attitudes towards STEM can be improved by
using educational technology in a contributive environment, and with close supervision of the teachers.
The teachers should be introduced with the pedagogical technique on how to create a contributive environment and how to use the educational technology in their classrooms.
The robotics activities provide a combination of hands-on activities together with CSP.
Questions
?
Thank youMuchas Gracias