Investing in Out-of-School Learning – An Important Strategy for Improving STEM Education
Technological advancements and rapid changes in the modern job
market require an education which will aid young individuals to daily face complex
situations and find creative solutions for the problems that may arise. The
importance of STEM-related education in this area cannot be overstated; not
merely as a skill-set (which is in high demand), but also as a way of
approaching problems and a way of thinking that fosters curiosity and
creativity, critical reasoning and experimenting with possible solutions. These
qualities are applicable in most careers and contribute to educational and professional
advancement.
The STEM Education Coalition's most recent report highlights the importance of out-of-school
learning activities and access to STEM-related resources in the community as
one of the key factors in preparing young students for competitiveness in the
job market. Unequal opportunities regarding out-of-school activities, science
centers, libraries and partners from the STEM fields contributes to later
inequalities in entering STEM careers, the report claims, and it is therefore
crucial to recognize the importance of informal educational programs as a key
addition to formal STEM education.
Early interventions focused on fostering interest in STEM fields increase
the probability of choosing science-related subjects starting from high school and onward, and can be useful in influencing the aforementioned inequalities found
on later educational levels of the STEM domain, like ethnic and racial
differences in the USA, as well as those to do with gender – for example, the
percentage of women in engineering careers is judged to be around 22%. Interest in STEM fields has been shown to be the strongest predictor for
choosing a major in this area, even more so than science test results of
students in the eighth grade (Tai, Qi Liu, Maltese, & Fan, 2006).
Furthermore, representative studies of out-of-school programs such as 4-H or FIRST Robotics Competition have pointed to the importance of
engaging with STEM-related experiences for students' later achievements. For instance, research has found that those
involved in the FIRST Robotics
Competition were more likely to graduate with an engineering degree, have
internships or apprenticeships during their first year in college, get a
postgraduate degree or start a career in science, technology or engineering.
Data reviewed by the National Research Council (NRC) points out
several beneficial outcomes of these out-of-school programs:
- They increase interest and understanding of STEM fields;
- They bring students in contact with STEM professionals who can
serve as role models; and
- They decrease the achievement gap between students from low- and
high-income families.
NRC has also identified three important factors that should guide
policy-makers' decisions and speak to the efficacy of different out-of-school
STEM programs. The first of these relates to students' intellectual, social and
emotional engagement with the field – they should gain first-hand experience
with practices in STEM fields, such as the scientific method, in a challenging
manner that incites interest and understanding. Another important thing to
consider is the alignment of the material with students' existing interests and
experiences: educators should strive to present STEM fields in a way that
reflects questions and areas important to young people and connect them to
their aspirations. Finally, and related to the latter, different programs
should look for ways to connect STEM education in different social spheres young
people are engaged in, such as schools, families and out-of-school activities. This
point is important for the transfer of acquired skills to different
environments, thus making them more meaningful and useful for the students.
Find out more!
Informative reports about STEM-education and more about the STEM Education Coalition can be found on their website here. The report the text is based on can be downloaded here.
More about the research:
More about the programs: