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Understanding how 4-H project clubs affect youth's confidence toward STEM-based initiatives and career opportunities
(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2023) Andrade, Claudia Gabrielle; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: C. John Graves
The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of how the establishment of a STEM-focused 4-H project club would affect youth's confidence towards STEM based initiatives and career opportunities. Additionally, how youth Guardian's perceptions of 4-H materials would be affected through engagement with their youth in said 4-H project club. This Action Research Project (ARP) included the development and facilitation of a STEM Focused 4-H project club. Youth participants ranged from ages eight to sixteen and attended at least four out of the five STEM focused 4-H workshops over the course of five weeks. Eligible youth earned an overnight trip to Montana State University in Bozeman to tour the 4-H center and STEM related departments, along with a visit to Museum of the Rockies. Throughout the course of this ARP, youth and their guardians participated in both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods including pre and post Likert-surveys, journal entries, mid-way assessments, and exit interviews. Statistical analysis of the data showed that a majority of youth exhibited a change in their application of STEM topics to their everyday life. Additionally, youths' general mood when completing the STEM workshop tasks were overwhelmingly positive. Given the number of participants for this ARP, the information gathered is not generalizable; however, these results provide for a better understanding of how a STEM-focused 4-H project club influenced youth in Lake County.
Enhancing students' engineering identities and attitudes towards engineering and technology through place-conscious engineering activities
(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2024) Moonga, Miracle; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Rebekah Hammack; Nick Lux (co-chair)
Students' engineering identities and attitudes toward engineering are important because they can determine if students will pursue engineering careers. However, a dearth of research focuses on how participating in place-conscious engineering affects students' engineering identities and attitudes towards engineering and technology. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study investigated the effect of engaging elementary students in place-conscious engineering activities on their engineering identities and attitudes towards engineering and technology. Students completed two place-conscious engineering activities: (1) following a local wildfire, students designed and built air filters to prevent smoke from entering the homes of affected families residing in a nearby community, and (2) after the state issued several warnings about eminent floods due to ice-jams on a local river, students designed flood prevention strategies. Quantitative data about students' engineering identities were collected using pre and post surveys of the two subscales of the Engineering Identity Development Scale (EIDS): (1) academic subscale and (2) engineering career subscale. Quantitative data regarding students' attitudes toward engineering and technology were collected using pre and post surveys of the engineering and technology subscale of the Students' Attitudes Toward Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM). Finally, to explain the trends observed in the quantitative data, qualitative data were collected through semi-structured focus group interviews. Findings suggested that students' academic identities and attitudes towards engineering and technology improved as a result of participating in place-conscious engineering activities. The study recommends exposing elementary students to place-conscious engineering activities to improve their engineering identities and attitudes towards engineering and technology.
Intersectional identity: factors impacting student odds of first semester STEM major declaration
(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2023) Jacobs, Jonathan Daniel; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Lauren Davis
Though there is a large amount of literature on those who graduate from college with STEM degrees, there is a dearth of literature involving intersectional identity of college freshman who are considering entering STEM majors. This study seeks to begin the process of meeting the gaps in research. Data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:2009) were analyzed using logistic regression; using listwise deletion, intersectional identities which impact odds of student declaring a STEM major were identified. Student race and ethnicity, student sex, student socio-economic status, teacher race and ethnicity, teacher sex, science utility, science interest, science self-efficacy, and science identity were the components of intersectional identity for this study. Student race, student socio-economic status, science self-efficacy, and science identity were statistically significant factors that increased student odds of entering college with as STEM degree (p<0.001). Students who were Asian had a statistically significant increase in odds over White students to enter college with a STEM degree. All other aspects of identity were not statistically significant. More research is needed in this field to gain a deeper understanding of how intersectional identity impacts a students' odds of declaring a STEM majors their first semester in college.
The ABCs of STEM in preschool television programming: a case-study analysis of the best methods to introduce scientific subject matter into preschool-aged television programming
(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2022) Sauer, Christina Marie; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dennis Aig
A child's natural inclination to explore the world around him/her has been a fundamental part of child development theory. From 2- to 5-years-old, or preschool-aged, children are 'tiny scientists' who are capable of understanding basic concepts of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Through the examination of child development studies and children's educational programming history with an analysis of three renowned educational television programs for the preschool audience, this paper creates a framework for developing preschool television programming with STEM content. A concluding discussion details how the Framework is then implemented in the creation of a film 'Discovery Camp: Busy Bees Make Honey'.
Rehumanizing college mathematics: centering the voices of Latin*, indigenous, LGBTQ+ and women STEM majors
(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2022) MacArthur, Kelly Ann; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Derek A. Williams
Calculus sequences are frequently experienced as gatekeeper courses for STEM-intending students, particularly for students from groups that have been historically marginalized in mathematics including Latin*, Indigenous, LGBTQ+ and women. I report here on research findings that explored attitudes of Calculus 2 students broadly, as well as more specifically from the above-listed groups regarding what practices, pedagogies, and structures feel humanizing to them. I used a transformative mixed methods design, built on a sociopolitical framework, namely the rehumanizing framework outlined by Gutiérrez (2018) that includes eight dimensions. The goal of this research is to answer a call from Gutiérrez in elevating and understanding the perspectives of students who are often ill-served and thereby impact future undergraduate teaching in positive and humanizing ways. The quantitative analysis of survey questions (n=153) showed that students generally find example scenarios that align with the eight rehumanizing dimensions to be humanizing, based on their ratings of feeling supported in their learning, feeling valued and a sense of belonging, and having connections between their mathematics class and their lives outside the classroom. From qualitative analysis of follow-up interviews with 20 students who self-identified as Latin*, Native American, LGBTQ+ and/or women, a student-driven definition of humanizing emerged. For these focal students, humanizing centers relationality and welcoming/caring/failure-tolerant classroom environment. Teaching actions that focal students described as humanizing were summed up as connections-connections to peers, teachers and to their lives outside the classroom. Blending the quantitative and qualitative analysis shed light on differences between dominant (white, heterosexual, cis-men) and focal group perceptions, especially regarding the Cultures & Theirstories rehumanizing dimension scenario. This was accompanied by cautions from focal students about how implementation of some scenarios matters in meeting a humanizing goal.
STEM major choice: high school and collegiate factors
(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2022) Tran, Que Nguyet; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Tricia Seifert
A huge present and future workforce demand exists in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Bolstered by a number of US policies and research that associates STEM majors with pursuing STEM careers, higher education institutions have aimed to support students to major in STEM fields in an effort to meet the needs of the STEM workforce. Despite these postsecondary efforts, the challenge begins in earlier levels of schooling with a shortage of licensed and highly qualified science and math teachers nationwide. Although many studies have examined math and science expectancy values and self-efficacy among high school students to predict their intention to major in STEM major choice, few have investigated both high school and college level variables to understand student STEM major choice declared in their third college year. Thus, this study fills the gap using the most recent STEM-focused national representative survey data -- High School Longitudinal Study 2009 (HSLS:09). Three research questions are: (i) To what extent do high school math and science motivation and self-efficacy, collegiate factors, and personal circumstances promote or hinder students' STEM major choice, controlling for student background characteristics? ; (ii) To what extent do collegiate factors and personal circumstances predict the probability of STEM major choice, controlling for student background characteristics? (iii) What factors predict college STEM GPA? This study employs theories of Situative expectancy value theory and Social cognitive career theory to develop a conceptual framework. Logistic regression was used to analyze the first two questions, and linear regression used for the third question. The first research question found gender, math attainment value, science attainment value, college STEM credits earned, and STEM GPA are predictive of the probability of STEM major choice. In the second research question, among college-period variables, gender, college STEM credits earned, and STEM GPA are predictors of STEM major choice. The third research question found race, social economic status, faculty research participation, career services on campus used, work schedule and academic performance interference, and disability are predictors of the average STEM GPA. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.
Diverse STEM experts in the middle school classroom
(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2021) Bull, Hailey Marie; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg Francis
How does bringing in a diverse group of science, technology, engineering, and math professionals impact student perceptions of what people in these fields look like and do for a living? By interviewing women and people of color in these careers and showing recorded and edited versions of the interviews to students, some students showed growth in tests like the Draw-A-Scientist-Test, proving that they learned anyone could be a scientist. Additionally, results from the Thinking about My Future Survey showed that students also had a change in attitude regarding their beliefs that they would be capable of having a career in one of these many fields. Class discussions also indicated that students had started to understand that no one in any of the jobs we discussed had to look a certain way or fit a specific mold. Many stereotypes were removed from student perceptions, but some were difficult for students to move away from mentally.
Student engagement in an online Calculus I course: behavioral, cognitive, and social dimensions
(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2021) Barton Odro, Emmanuel; Co-chairs, Graduate Committee: Elizabeth Burroughs and Derek A. Williams
At the university level and in STEM fields students drop out in part due to not being able to pass mathematics courses, particularly, Calculus I. According to the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), Calculus I occupies a unique position as a gateway course to STEM degrees. Almost all STEM majors need to take at least the first course in Calculus. Hence, there is the need to understand how to create successful Calculus courses, particularly in online settings. This study answers the call by studying the ways students engage with the mathematical content, each other and the course while learning about the concept of derivative. More precisely, the purpose of this research was to investigate the nature of students' engagement experiences--behavioral, cognitive, and social dimensions--in an asynchronous online Calculus I course. To examine the nature of students' engagement experiences, I conducted a phenomenological qualitative study combining data from students' discussion posts, demographic survey responses, and interviews. I analyzed the data using three analytical lenses: Toulmin's (1958/2003) argumentation model, Swan's (2002) coding schema and social network analysis. Findings indicate that the cognitive demand of weekly tasks influences the patterns of cognitive engagement demonstrated through discussion posts. Additionally, two situations promoted more social engagement among students: grouping students for discussion posts and initial posts with evidence of social presence
In their own words and actions: a case study of STEM interest among rural youth in an informal program
(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2021) Westbrook, Elaine Marie; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Jayne Downey
In order to develop science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) knowledge and solutions that address global concerns, there is a need to develop pathways to strengthen STEM interest among rural youth, especially girls. Previous research suggests that informal STEM programs can stimulate participant interest due to the absence of pressures from external assessment (Rogoff, et al, 2016). However, little is known about which instructional methods in an informal STEM program focused on place-conscious programming in a rural community will support the development of youth STEM interest. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of three instructional methods (hands-on, role models, and culminating projects) on STEM interest development for rural youth, ages eight to twelve, in an informal place-conscious STEM program. Data were collected through observations, focus group interviews, and STEM interest surveys. Participants included youth (N=26) in grades 3rd through 5th grades attending two local schools in one rural community. Results indicated STEM interest increased through collaborative work, new knowledge, and action research. Results also showed gender differences in STEM interest development. Girls' STEM interest was heightened through seeing the personal relevance to their community, whereas boys' STEM interest was heightened through actively working together. This study contributes to the empirical literature regarding STEM interest, informal education, and instructional methods for rural youth. Recommendations are made for future studies.
Advancing student motivation and course interest through a utility value intervention in an engineering design context
(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Engineering, 2020) Turoski, Staci Anne; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Bill Schell
Student motivation is essential for academic success. Researchers and educators across broad educational spectrums have identified important factors effecting undergraduate student motivation. Understanding and improving student motivation is critical for educators to keep students engaged and motivated. Student motivation is multifaceted and complex with interest as one of many factors related to motivation and motived behavior. Student interest in course material can be supported by helping them understand the value and relevance of the material to their professional goals. This study uses expectancy-value framework to understand students' perceptions of the value and relevance of course material and how these perceptions influence interest and academic performance. One means for understanding perceived value is to assess the perception of the utility value, or the view of usefulness, of the task to their present or future goals. Educators can encourage value by asking students to write about the relevance of the course material to their life through structured utility value interventions. This study compared the performance, interest, and motivation between students who participated in structured utility value interventions and those in a control group who did not while enrolled in a third-year multidisciplinary engineering design course. Secondary research questions explored the effectiveness for low-performing students and the frequency at which connections were made. Students completed a survey at the beginning of the course and near completion of the course. Data was gathered during the initial semester of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students' interest in the engineering design process and in the course material increased significantly for students writing to the utility value prompts. Perceived utility value was shown to be a significant predictor in student interest. Academic performance outcomes were not effected by participating in the intervention. Low-performing students did not experience benefit from the interventions. This study builds on and extends previous research on the effectiveness of utility value interventions in impacting student interest and motivation within an engineering design context. Practical application of the results provides educators a simple, cost-effective tool for increasing student interest and motivation in engineering.

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