Promoting interest in mathematics and science Arthur Bakker Freudenthal Institute Universiteit Utrecht [email protected]

Overview

1. Importance of math and science 2. What is interest? 3. Interest in math and science 4. How to promote interest?

Including results from a meta-analysis

STEM: science, technology, engineering and mathematics

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1. Importance of math and science (STEM) • citizenship, democracy (cryptography/security, •

genetic testing, genetic modification…) Worldwide shortage of STEM graduates

• Aim of Dutch Masterplan on STEM: from 25% in 2011 to 40% in 2020

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Students’ first encounters?

Pat and Mat (a je to!)

Bob the Builder 8/25/2016

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Barbapapas (30+ languages)

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Barbabenno (one out of seven)

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Who could also become interested in STEM?

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Case study of a Barbabee-type student Penelope: animal friend - Knew a lot about pets - Her activities were inquiry-based - No connection to school science - Disliked science at school despite mother’s attempts to make connections Zimmerman (2012, Journal for Research in Science Teaching)

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Groups of students • Low or average in STEM  still important for •

scientific literacy and citizenship High interest and sufficient ability  help them develop interest and ability to have opportunities at labor market

Provide all with realistic image of future study and work, and how STEM plays a role in society

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2. Interest • Positive effects on: learning processes and • •

results, attention, focus, memory, persistence, effort…  good for everything! Important factor in educational choices (next to job opportunities) Best predictor of study success (Maltese & Tai, 2011)

Boredom and lack of challenge problematic for talented and interested students

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What is interest? Family similarities with: motivation, curiosity, attitude, engagement, enjoyment but: • Directed on content (ideas, objects…) • More sustainable than curiosity • Less dualistic than attitude: interest stems from Latin “inter esse” (being in between)

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Definition interest Interest … refers to the psychological state of engaging or the predisposition to reengage with particular classes of objects, events, or ideas over time Hidi & Renninger (2006, Educational Psychologist)

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How is interest promoted? Sometimes one key event is reported as igniting it

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But mostly Interest development is a gradual process requiring regular food, attention and an encouraging environment

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Four-phase model (Hidi and Renninger) 1. Triggered situational interest: externally

supported 2. Maintained situational interest: sustained through meaningful tasks and supporting environment 3. Emerging individual interest: self-generated, requiring external support 4. Well-developed individual interest: selfgenerated, perseverence

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3. Interest in STEM • Sparks mostly already in primary school • Decline in adolescence Boys more interested in computer science, mathematics, physics, technology Girls in biology, biochemistry

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Interest in math

Frenzel et al (2010) 8/25/2016

PPT FIsme

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Frenzel et al. “downward trend … plateaued in later years, with high variability in mean levels, but little variability in the shape of the growth trajectories” N = 3193 German students

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4. How to promote interest in STEM?

1.Context; RME example 2.U-Talent: students’ interests 3.Review study

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4.1 Realistic Mathematics Education - Context meaningful to students, but also link to -

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authentic, real-world situations and conventional mathematics Dierdorp used professional practices but with younger students other types of context are generally used

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Authentic professional practices Based education on situations in professional practices in which STEM knowledge is used 1. Sport physiology 2. Dike monitoring 3. Laboratory measurement instruments “I see the use of what I learn”: 75% Dierdorp (2013); Dierdorp, Ba et al. (2011, MTL)

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Authentic practice: Dike height monitoring

Measurements by helicopter EXPENSIVE

Sampling task on dike monitoring: could we do with a smaller sample?

4.2 pre-university college Pre-university colleges for STEM interested students - Community: with similar peers (e.g., Higgs) - Challenge: finally addressed at their own level - Differentiation: tailor-made to their interests Junior College Utrecht: highly valued, interest sustained, realistic image of STEM at university, higher study success than similar peers (Disselhorst, 2014; Tromp et al., 2014) 8/25/2016

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Pre-university students (1-6 scale) Interest

Mean

Mathematics Physics Computer Science Chemistry Biology

4.19 4.65 3.25

Standard Deviation 1.37 1.04 1.49

4.59 4.85

1.01 1.10

1 = not interested; 6 = very interested 8/25/2016

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Female vs male (N = 181)

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Interest Mathematics

Mean Female 3.79

Mean male 4.64

Physics

4.28

5.08

Computer Science

2.66

3.93

Chemistry

4.43

4.78

Biology

5.13

4.54 27

Components in STEM interests Component Interest Mathematics

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2

.770

-.168

Physics

.738

.256

Computer Science

.730

-.028

Chemistry

.292

.827

Biology

-.424

.716

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App inTin Smartphone application (project with Sanne Akkerman) Every two hours students fill in what they found interest in the last two hours One week, four times per year Four students have completed a full year plus three interviews

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Casper Family

Alone

Parents Rita (sister) and Chris (brother)

Judo friends

Music

Gitar

Gaming Computers

Technology

Colleagues post office

Cor, Jonathan, Koen, Tom, Thomas

Judo Soccer Autosport Youth fire brigade

Celbiology Biotechnology

Junior College friends

John en Mark

Secondary School ‘AV’ friends

Oletta, Annette, Susan, Peter

Melvin Oletta, Kylian, Lara, Peter 8/25/2016

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Casper’s interests At school interested in computers, technology, biotechnology, cell biology At home interested in CSI (crime scene investigation) Chose computer science Chose additional work with social component; continued sports at high level Became interested in legal hacking Considers Police academy program digital forensics: combination of interests  master’s in Cyber security 8/25/2016

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Some conclusions pre-university studies a) These JCU students have multiple interests and engage in many activities b) STEM interest among many other interests (sports, music, social activities…) c) They have ideals: contribute to a better world, have a decent family life, work with people d) Many did not like laboratory work  decided to study something else at university  Important to understand interest in STEM in students’ wider interest pattern and social lives

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4.3 Review studies Emphasis on context, relevance, inquiry, summer camps, trips contributes to positive attitude but not better learning results (Bennett et al., 2006; Potvin & Hasni, 2014)

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Meta-analysis: Promoting student interest in math and science Savelsbergh, E. R., Prins, G. T., Rietbergen, C., Fechner, S., Vaessen, B. E., Draijer, J. M., & Bakker, A. (2016). Effects of Innovative Science and Mathematics Teaching on Student Attitudes and Achievement: A Meta-Analytic Study. Educational Research Review. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S 1747938X16300306

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Research question of our meta-analysis What are the effects of innovative educational approaches on student attitudes and achievement in science and mathematics?

Approaches (independent variable)

1.Inquiry-based learning (IBL), 2.Context-based education (CON), 3.ICT-based (ICT), 4.Collaborative learning (COLL) 5.Excursions (EXT) 6.other

Attitudes (dependent variable) Attitudes towards MS

Relevance Interest

Personal

Societal

School

Selfefficacy

Leisure

Normality

Career

Method: meta-analyses - Math or science, grades 1-12 - 1989-2014 - Experiment with controle group, pre-posttests of attitudes - Validated attitude instruments - All necessary information for meta-analysis (means, SD, etc)

Meta-analysis Quantitative systematic review

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Query

SCOPUS n = 4320

Web of Science n =3408

ERIC N = 1037

PsycINFO N = 685

Deduplicate

N = 6066 Step 1: Surface level screening Step 2: Design check

Kappas fine Step 3: Quality of intervention and measurement

Reject: n = 5533 Accept: n = 533

Pretest and controlgroup:

n = 152 Accept: n = 56

Comparison, no pretest Pretest, no comparison Design otherw. not usable No full text

n = 70 n = 65 n = 242 n=4

Reject: n = 96 65 experiments

Attitudes toward M&S

d = 0.54  0.35 outliers removed

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Hattie (2009): effect size OK if d >= 0.40 for achievement d >= 0.20 for affect

• (d: difference of means divided by pooled SDs)

Teaching approach - No significant differences between approaches - Larger effects for younger than older students

Achievement does not suffer!

d = 1.07  0.78

Zooming in - Relevance: n = 4, p = .39, -

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d = 0.15 Interest: n = 20, p = .0096, d = 0.23 Self-efficacy: n = 14, p > .05, d = 0.12 Normality: n = 4, p = .51,

d = 0.16

Interest in M&S in general

d = 0.23

Further zooming in

- Only interest in career

significant: n = 4, p < .05, d = 0.40, CI [0.04-0.76]

Conclusions - Reform approaches positive

influence - Quality of implementation probably most important - Start young enough

5) Overall take home messages a) Interest develops slowly – requires regular

support (perhaps also outside school) b) If you measure interest/attitude use a validated questionnaire and report all relevant details c) Whatever approach: implement it well d) Students (grade 11) value STEM education based on authentic professional practices e) Opportunities to link with students’ ideals? (contact with people, improve the world)

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Wish curve:

STEM interest

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TIME 

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Thanks for your interest!

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Dierdorp, Adri, Bakker, Arthur, van Maanen, Jan & Eijkelhof, Harrie (2014). Meaningful statistics in professional practices as a bridge between mathematics and science: an evaluation of a design research project. International Journal of STEM Education, 1 (9) Dierdorp, A., Bakker, A., Eijkelhof, H.M.C. & van Maanen, J.A. (2011). Authentic practices as contexts for learning to draw inferences beyond correlated data. Mathematical Thinking and Learning, 13, (pp. 132-151 Savelsbergh, E. R., Prins, G. T., Rietbergen, C., Fechner, S., Vaessen, B. E., Draijer, J. M., & Bakker, A. (2016). Effects of Innovative Science and Mathematics Teaching on Student Attitudes and Achievement: A Meta-Analytic Study. Educational Research Review.Open access: 8/25/2016

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