Which Cognitive Abilities Make the Difference? Predicting Academic Achievements in Advanced STEM Studies.

Spatial abilities are an important, and often overlooked, component of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education with skills like spatial visualisation and mental rotation being important for technical professions such as engineering. Individual differences in spatial abilities have been reported throughout the years. Factors such as being female or having a low-socioeconomic status are linked with lower spatial abilities level. Spatial abilities training interventions have proven to be effective, with some showing improvements, not only in spatial abilities level, but also in the success and retention of students enrolled on STEM degree programmes, especially for women. In todays’ technological society, STEM outreach activities are a common method to promote STEM for children, showing them role models in the area, and improving their self-efficacy, sense of belonging and motivation to follow careers in STEM. At the same time, the underrepresentation seen in the area (e.g., women; LGBTQ+ community; ethnic minorities; and other marginalised groups) needs to be addressed in order to enhance the inclusive environment of these fields. This concept paper discusses review work in relation to underrepresented groups and how future spatial abilities studies should consider integrating the knowledge from past spatial abilities studies into STEM outreach activities. This integration can make spatial training available to more people, revealing itself to be a useful tool in helping diminish underrepresentation in STEM.

The independent campus curriculum is an effort to increase competition in the 21st century, which requires competent human resources in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). STEM learning responds to the need to increase students' interest and skills in these areas. This study aims to determine the effect of using the STEM approach on spatial thinking skills in cartography learning. This research uses a quasi-experimental method with a one-group pretest-posttest Design, conducted in a single experimental class without a control class. Subjects were selected by random sampling through drawing lots, focusing on 5th-semester B students. Data were analysed using a t-test with paired samples T-Test. The results showed a sig value. (2-tailed) of 0.000, which is smaller than the significance value of 0.05. Therefore, H0 is rejected, and Hₐ is accepted. To conclude, there is an increase in the average pretest and posttest after learning using the STEM approach, indicating that the STEM approach positively affects spatial thinking skills. Each stage of the STEM approach affects the students' spatial abilities. The science stages develop spatial abilities in the form of spatial interaction. The technology stages enhance the ability to apply applications and scale on maps. The engineering stage fosters analytical, representative and comprehensive skills. The math stage improves the ability to calculate scale and its application in everyday life.Keywords: spatial skills, STEM, cartography

This paper focuses on the challenges apparent to implementing the engineering experience component within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs adopted at state designated academies in El Paso, Texas, based on a literature review, preliminary to potential research opportunities. El Paso is ranked as one of the poorest metropolitan areas in the country, and improvements in growing STEM success can impact the region's output of qualified professionals in those fields. According to research studies, students enrolled in STEM schools significantly impact enrollment in college, through taking STEM subjects in high school and pursuing STEM careers through higher education. Eight local STEM academies have been established since 2006 and their educators and school leaders may need to revamp STEM efforts by addressing these engineering implementation challenges. The literature reviewed includes national and state policies; local initiatives; integrated curriculum; national and state engineering standards; and school leadership. Some challenges schools face when pursing STEM literacy are educator certification and training, state requirements, standardized testing, insufficient funding, engineering curriculum, among others. As a result of this literature review, future research opportunities are identified within STEM academies, which may guide education leaders towards best practices in engineering education and quality of STEM literacy.

Spatial training has been indicated as a possible solution for improving Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) achievement and degree attainment. Advocates for this approach have noted that the correlation between spatial ability and several measures of STEM achievement suggests that spatial training should focus on improving students’ spatial ability. Although spatial ability can be improved with targeted training, few studies have examined specifically the relation between spatial training and STEM achievement. In this brief report, we review the evidence to date for the effectiveness of spatial training. We argue that spatial training offers one of the many promising avenues for increasing student success in STEM fields, but research studies that show such training causally improve retention, achievement, and degree attainment remain outstanding.

Undergraduate calculus is a foundational mathematics sequence that previews the sophistication students will need to succeed in higher-level courses. However, students often struggle with concepts in calculus because they are more abstract and visual than those in other foundational mathematics courses. Additionally, women continue to be underrepresented in the STEM fields. This study builds on previous work indicating a malleability in spatial ability by testing whether improvement occurs in students’ spatial and mathematics ability after implementing spatial training in calculus courses. The researchers also measured associations between spatial training and self-reported cognitive style. While spatial training did not significantly improve calculus and spatial skills, the researchers measured impacts on the psychological correlate of cognitive learning style. This is important as non-spatial cognitive preferences can result in students not recognizing the dynamic information encapsulated in graphical images, which is a large component of calculus. These results may have practical implications for teaching calculus at the undergraduate level and may, with further research, help to narrow the gender gap in the STEM fields.

In this study, we explored the relationship between two predictors of engineering success: spatial ability and self-efficacy. Spatial ability, especially mental rotation, has been linked to successful performance in engineering. Self-efficacy is an individual’s belief in his or her ability to perform successfully [1] and has received increased attention as a predictor of persistence in STEM fields. We examined the possible relationships between mental rotation, spatial visualization, engineering self-efficacy, and self-efficacy for two subsets of skills important in engineering majors: tinkering and design. Tinkering refers to the hands-on ability to construct, take apart, modify, and repair mechanical devices while design refers to the ability to develop a system, component or set of processes to solve a specific problem. We also investigated the possible role of previous design or tinkering related experience such as certain hands-on hobbies. We found spatial ability was correlated with multiple forms of engineering self-efficacy in less experienced, but not more experienced engineering students. Tinkering and design related hobbies were not related to spatial ability, but were related to tinkering and design self-efficacy. They also predicted performance on a measure of mechanical reasoning. Gender differences in engineering students on spatial ability and general engineering self-efficacy were small. The largest and most consistent gender differences were on tinkering-related experience and tinkering self-efficacy, although the latter appeared to be mitigated by the amount of engineering experience. Individual differences in tinkering-related experience is an understudied possible source of individual and gender differences in STEM fields such as engineering.

Failure to Confirm a Spatial Ability Impairment in Persons with Evidence of Right Hemisphere Speech Capability

Promoting college student’s learning motivation and creativity through a STEM interdisciplinary PBL human-computer interaction system design and development course

This research is focused on exploring the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education in the development of critical competencies among secondary school students in the 21st century. This was aimed to assess the impact of STEM-based activities on students' creative and computational thinking skills. A quasi-experimental design that included 77 secondary school students from public and private schools in Bandar Lampung, Indonesia, who participated in STEM interventions for over 5 weeks, was adopted. Data were collected through creative thinking tests and questionnaires on CT and STEM attitudes. The results showed that students who participated in STEM activities exhibited significantly higher creative thinking scores compared to peers taught with the traditional curriculum. Specifically, the experimental group showed a progressive increase in weekly test scores, suggesting that STEM methods improved students' performance over time. Structural equation modeling (SEM) disclosed strong positive associations between attitudes towards STEM, CT, and creativity. The implications of these results outlined the need to integrate STEM education into curricula to foster essential skills for future challenges. This research contributes to the understanding of effective educational strategies and also advocates for a shift towards more interactive and integrative methods in secondary education to meet the demands of the contemporary workforce.

<p style="text-align:justify">The objective of the study was to develop a structural model that explores the relationship between Mathematics Performance and students’ self-regulated learning skills, grit, and expectancy-value towards science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The research collected survey data from 664 senior high school students from 17 STEM high schools, and conducted a covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis. The results of the SEM analysis indicate that the Re-specified Self-Regulated Learning Skill – Expectancy-Value towards STEM – Grit – Mathematics Performance (Re-specified SRL-EV-GR-MP) model is the most parsimonious fit, offering the best empirical support for the theoretical model of the study. The research findings suggest that the mathematics performance of senior high school students in STEM curriculum is attributed to their high expectancies for success and perceived values of the STEM tasks, high grit, and high self-regulated learning skills. Moreover, the research also observed evidence of mediating and moderating grit effects in the concurrent effects of expectancy-values towards STEM and self-regulated learning skills towards students’ mathematics performance.</p>

Despite years of targeted interventions, young people experiencing socio-economic deprivation are still under-represented in those studying STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects post-16 and in higher education STEM pathways. We surveyed 61 young people who had participated in the S4 programme in South Wales, UK, and interviewed three of their teachers. Using the theoretical lens of science capital, we asked them about the S4 programme, and their views of science and education in terms of aspirations, attainment, and social obstacles. Whilst widely outdated, a ‘deficit model’ of aspiration raising still guides STEM outreach policy in Wales and we consider the answers to our survey in light of this. Broadly, our participants are enthusiastic and ambitious, and confident in their abilities in both science and wider skill areas. However, we found certain aspects of ambition were linked to socio-economic status. For example, whilst most young people we surveyed aspire to go university, those who do not cite different reasons depending on their socio-economic status. Despite high aspirations around science and education, teachers cited low literacy and numeracy, household poverty, entrenched generational unemployment, rural isolation, disabilities, caring responsibilities, and teenage pregnancy as barriers to higher education for their pupils. Importantly, S4's intervention had the greatest impact with those in the extremes of socio-economic deprivation, particularly in terms of bolstering existing science and education aspirations and increasing the ‘thinkability’ of attending university. Our findings contradict accepted thinking on science and education aspirations in that rather than participation in higher education being motivated by a lack of science and education aspiration or the discourse of family habitus ("people like us"), young people seem to be starkly aware of the very real socio-economic obstacles. We found no poverty of science and education aspiration in the participants we surveyed, and encourage a policy move away from the deficit model of raising science and education aspirations that will take a more nuanced view of widening access to STEM education and higher education in general in Wales.

The gender dimension of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) has intrigued social scientists for a long time. Although in India, women’s entry to STEM higher education has been improving over the last few decades, the reality of premier institutions remains broadly unaltered. The current qualitative research was an attempt: (a) to explore the career-selection-related decision-making, (b) to detect whether gendered processes are evident in STEM research laboratories, and (c) to explore the psychological effects of gendered processes among female doctoral/postdoctoral researchers. This qualitative study relied on in-depth interviews with twenty female STEM academics pursuing doctoral or postdoctoral research in ten premier Indian institutions. A hybrid of theoretical and inductive thematic analysis has been used to analyse the qualitative data. The results revealed that the combination of individual (interest and self-efficacy) and contextual factors (parental support and role models) had impacted the researchers’ decision to select and pursue higher studies in STEM. Furthermore, the current research shows that higher studies in STEM are characterised by the four defining features of gendering, i.e., gendered division of labour, gendered symbols, gendered identity, and gendered interactions (Acker, 1990). Gendering in STEM has led to self-doubt and diminished sense of belonging among the researchers.

Introduction This randomized control trial (RCT) evaluated an afterschool program with 24 weeks of hands-on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities that were developed and delivered by museum educators at sites where the majority of students experienced poverty. The program also encouraged parent involvement in STEM-related activities. Methods We contrasted two treatment approaches to understand conditions that best support informal STEM learning during the elementary school period of kindergarten to Grade 5 (K-5). Specifically, this included a 60-min weekly “Basic” program, as well as an enhanced “Stories” version with an additional 15-min read-aloud featuring women and girls doing STEM activities. We randomized 36 afterschool sites with 541 children to determine the benefits of the basic afterschool program and the added benefits of the stories on STEM attitudes, aspects of science achievement, and other outcomes. Results There were improvements or interaction effects in three of the five measured child outcomes: STEM value, career aspirations, and perceived math abilities. The most notable finding was that children’s STEM value increased significantly in the Basic treatment (effect size, g = 0.25, p = 0.027) and trended positively in the Stories condition ( g = 0.18, p = 0.66), relative to the control group. Parent involvement in STEM also showed some changes. Discussion These findings underscore the potential for informal, hands-on experiences to positively influence children’s STEM-related attitudes. However, findings also suggest that interventions may need to be more intensive or sustained across the late elementary grades to achieve more substantial impact.

Learning experiences can affect students' interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers. Applying the social cognitive career theory, this study tested and compared the effect size and effect mechanism of formal learning experiences (FLE) and informal learning experiences (ILE) on 1133 tenth-grade students' interest in STEM careers (ISC) through a paper questionnaire survey. The results of structural equation model analysis showed that: 1) The total effect of ILE on students' ISC is much greater than that of FLE; 2) ILE, STEM self-efficacy (SSE) and STEM careers perceptions (SCP) can directly affect students' ISC; FLE and ILE can also indirectly affect students' ISC through the mediating role of SSE and SCP. The analyses suggest that in order to improve students' ISC, STEM education (especially informal STEM education) should be strengthened, both formal and informal education should pay attention to the cultivation of students' SSE and SCP. Keywords: interest in STEM careers, learning experiences, social cognitive career theory, STEM careers perceptions, STEM self-efficacy, structural equation model

In the ever‐evolving AI‐driven education, integrating AI technologies into teaching practices has become increasingly imperative for aspiring STEM educators. Yet, there remains a dearth of studies exploring pre‐service STEM teachers' readiness to incorporate AI into their teaching practices. This study examined the factors influencing teachers' willingness to integrate AI (WIAI), especially from the perspective of pre‐service STEM teachers' attitudes towards the application of AI in teaching. In the study, a comprehensive survey was conducted among 239 pre‐service STEM teachers, examining the influences and interconnectedness of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Ease of Use (PE), and Self‐Efficacy (SE) on WIAI. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed for data analysis. The findings illuminated direct influences of TPACK, PU, PE, and SE on WIAI. TPACK was found to directly affect PE, PU, and SE, while PE and PU also directly influenced SE. Further analysis revealed significant mediating roles of PE, PU, and SE in the relationship between TPACK and WIAI, highlighting the presence of a chain mediation effect. In light of these insights, the study offers several recommendations on promoting pre‐service STEM teachers' willingness to integrate AI into their teaching practices. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic? The potential of AI technologies to enrich learning experiences and improve outcomes in STEM education has been recognized. Pre‐service teachers' willingness to integrate AI into teaching practice is crucial for shaping the future learning environment. The TAM and TPACK frameworks are used to analyse teacher factors in technology‐supported learning environments. Few studies have been conducted for examining factors of pre‐service teachers' willingness to integrate AI into teaching practices in the context of STEM education. What this paper adds? A survey was designed and developed for exploring pre‐service STEM teachers' WIAI and its relationships with factors including TPACK, PE, PU, and SE. TPACK, SE, PU, and PE have direct impact on pre‐service STEM teachers' WIAI. SE, PU, and PE have been identified as mediating variables in the relationship between TPACK and WIAI. Two sequential mediation effects, TPACK → PE → SE → WIAI and TPACK → PU → SE → WIAI, among pre‐service STEM teachers were further identified. Implications of this study for practice and/or policy Pre‐service STEM teachers are encouraged to explore and utilize AI technology to enhance their confidence and self‐efficacy in integrating AI into teaching practices. Showcasing successful cases and practical experiences is essential for fostering awareness of AI integration in STEM education. It is recommended to introduce AI education courses in teacher training programs. Offering internship and practicum opportunities related to AI technologies can enhance their practical skills in integrating AI into education.