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