CAPSULE: An Innovative Capstone-Based Pedagogical Approach to Engage High School Students in STEM Learning

Author(s):  
Abe Zeid ◽  
Sagar Kamarthi ◽  
Claire Duggan ◽  
Jessica Chin

School children in general and high school students, in particular more often than not lose interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education. Underrepresented and female students are even more discouraged by STEM courses. Our investigation and interviews with high school teachers cite that the main reason for such disinterest is the disconnect between school and reality. Students cannot relate the abstract concepts they learn in physics, biology, chemistry, or math to their surroundings. This paper discusses a new capstone project-based approach that closes this gap. This work is an outcome of an NSF funded project called CAPSULE (Capstone Unique Learning Experience). We use the top-down pedagogical approach instead of the traditional bottom-up approach. The top-down approach relates the abstract concepts to exciting open-ended capstone projects where students are engaged in designing solutions, like products to solve open-ended problems. This top-down approach is modeled after the college-level capstone design courses. The paper presents the model, its details, and implementation. It also presents the formative and summative evaluation of the model after deploying it in the Boston Public Schools, a system heavily populated by the targeted student groups.

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 356-368
Author(s):  
Mark C. Long ◽  
Dylan Conger ◽  
Raymond McGhee

The Advanced Placement (AP) program has undergone two major reforms in recent decades: the first aimed at increasing access and the second at increasing relevance. Both initiatives are partially designed to increase the number of high school students from low-income backgrounds who have access to college-level coursework. Yet critics argue that schools in less-resourced communities are unable to implement AP at the level expected by its founders. We offer the first model of the components inherent in a well-implemented AP science course and the first evaluation of AP implementation with a focus on public schools newly offering the inquiry-based version of AP Biology and Chemistry courses. We find that these frontier schools were able to implement most, but not all, of the key components of an AP science course.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 334-347
Author(s):  
Pelin Mete ◽  

For abstract concepts to be well understood, students need to be familiar with the concepts and able to associate them correctly. Students cannot make scientific explanations on the subject unless they can establish relationships. This study aimed to determine the understanding level of 11th-grade high school students on “gases” in terms of chemical variables and any alternative frameworks on the subject of gases. A methodology, including both qualitative and quantitative design, was used for this investigation. Open-ended questions and group discussion methods were used for data collection. The questions were applied to 87 11th-grade students from three public schools. Group discussions were conducted with nine students. The students’ understanding level of gases was statistically presented based on the predetermined categories. Besides, alternative frameworks on gases were described with direct excerpts taken from the students’ statements. According to the results of the study, it was concluded that the students’ understanding level of gases was low. In addition, it was observed that students were often inadequate in explaining gas-related events and that there were numerous unscientific errors in their explanations. Active learning methods should be designed to minimize the alternative conceptions of high school students on gases and focus on the conceptual and scientific understanding of students.


1999 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Sternberg ◽  
Elena L. Grigorenko ◽  
Michel Ferrari ◽  
Pamela Clinkenbeard

Summary: This article describes a triarchic analysis of an aptitude-treatment interaction in a college-level introductory-psychology course given to selected high-school students. Of the 326 total participants, 199 were selected to be high in analytical, creative, or practical abilities, or in all three abilities, or in none of the three abilities. The selected students were placed in a course that either well matched or did not match their pattern of analytical, creative, and practical abilities. All students were assessed for memory, analytical, creative, and practical achievement. The data showed an aptitude-treatment interaction between students' varied ability patterns and the match or mismatch of these abilities to the different instructional groups.


Author(s):  
Hellan Dellamycow Gomes Viana ◽  
Pericles de Lima Sobreira ◽  
Levy Marlon Souza Santiago ◽  
Jauberth Weyll Abijaude ◽  
Karim El Guemhioui ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Samar Fahed Al-Faleh

The study aimed to identify the level of social support (support by friends, support from the family, support by the teacher), and to analyze the relationship between social support and achievement among students of High school students in government schools. The study followed descriptive analytical approach based on a questionnaire applied to 137 students of Karak government schools. The study found that the students get moderate level of social support; the study showed that the level of friends support came first, followed by teacher support, followed by family support, and found a relationship between social support and achievement in Students of Karak government schools. In light of the results, the study recommended several recommendations, the most important of which is to sensitize parents and faculty members about the importance of social support.


2019 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-37
Author(s):  
Oluwakemi Adeola Obayelu ◽  
Ifeoluwa Olawale Fadele

Abstract The decline in youth population and the upsurge in ageing farmer population have resulted in low agricultural output and per capital productivity in rural Nigeria, which is a threat to the national food security. High school students’ perception of agriculture and factors influencing their willingness to study agriculture in tertiary institutions were therefore investigated in this study. Information from 285 science students in high schools was analysed using descriptive statistics, Likert scale and logistic regression. Age of the students was 15.30 ± 1.17 years with almost equal distribution of both sexes. About half (50.5 %) of them wanted to study medicine where as only 4.6 % of the respondents were willing to study agriculture in the university. A higher percentage of female students (57.6 %) were willing to study agriculture in tertiary institution than their male counterparts (42.4 %). A higher percentage of students from public schools (51.4 %) were willing to study agriculture whereas 48.6 % of those from private schools were willing to do so. The students were undecided about the contribution of agriculture to national development but strongly disagreed that agriculture gives less income than other professions. Major motivating factors that can stimulate the respondents’ willingness to study agriculture were career awareness program in agriculture, practical knowledge of agriculture and agricultural excursion. The likelihood of a high school student’s willingness to study agriculture increased significantly with having a father who primarily practised agriculture and supports agricultural education, attending a school where crude implements are not used, visit to a mechanized farm and the youth’s willingness to own a farm in the future irrespective of the course of study, while attending a private school will decrease it. In conclusion, high school students had average perception of agriculture and were not willing to study agriculture in tertiary institutions. Suggestions are presented on how to change this negative attitude towards this vital branch of science.


2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 218
Author(s):  
Edy Purwanto

The purpose of this study was to find out a comprehensive model of achievement motivation appropriate for Indonesian students. Specifically, this study examined the contribution of task-value, self-efficacy and goal orientation in influencing students’ achievement motivation. The subjects of this research were 393 high school students, 219 of them are female and 174 are male. 46% of them were senior high school and 54% junior, high school students. 45% were from public schools and 55% from religion-based private schools. The task-value, self-efficacy, goal orientation and achievement motivation as scaling instruments used in this study were developed from Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire Manual. The instruments had been tested and proved valid and reliable. Analysis of model testing data was done using technique of confirmatory factor analysis. The results showed that the trisula model of achievement motivation was reliable. The task-value, self-efficacy and goal orientation are significant loading factors for achievement motivation. The self-efficacy also is a significant loading factor for the task-value and goal orientation. Keywords: achievement motivation, goal orientation, self-efficacy, task-value


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