Summary of project activities during the first year
During
the first year of the JOBSTEM project, a myriad of key tasks were finalized in
order to meet the goals outlined in the project plan. In order to raise the
visibility of the project and the results stemming from it, in Croatia as well
as among the international academic community, we conceived of a visual
identity and official logo for the project, as well as designed a website which
is now operational. Computer equipment and statistical software was also
obtained for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a database, and
carrying out complex statistical analyses on the gathered data.
At
the onset of project-related activities, a base was formed containing the data
relevant for meeting the goals of the project, which has been updated on a
regular basis. The first meeting of the full research team was held in October,
2015, in order to discuss the main and specific research tasks, their
theoretical underpinnings and the dynamics and tasks to be accomplished by
individual team members during the year. Complex sampling of the schools and
class units included in the project was carried out before data collection
started. In the end, 16 elementary schools from Zagreb and the vicinity
participated in the project, with three age cohorts of students from each
school. We also obtained all the necessary permits from the Ministry of
science, education and sport and the Croatian Education and Teacher Training
Agency, as well as parents' consent forms. All the needed measurements and use
permits were also gathered, with another part of the instruments constructed or
adjusted to the requirements of the project. In the case of the new
measurements, a pilot study was done in order to ascertain their metric features.
After
we'd gathered all the necessary permissions and instruments, a new and detailed
plan of operations was agreed upon for the data collection in the first research
wave. During this period, two class units were tested in each school and in each
cohort (4th, 5th and 6th grades). Immediately after, all collected data were entered
and preliminary statistical analyses were carried out. In the first year, we also
implemented the first STEM intervention in the form of multi-disciplinary workshops,
educational visits to university laboratories and school lectures. After the intervention,
the students who participated in the above-mentioned activities were included in
focus groups. The results of the first year were disseminated through two research
papers, presentations at international conferences (ECER 2016 and AERA 2016), as
well as a string of articles in the press. It is also important to note that the
project leader, prof.dr.sc. Josip Burušić, presented the JOBSTEM project to the
New York Academy of Science in April 2014.