The Integration of Research and Design in Interdisciplinary STEM Education

• In Event: 54.076 - Interdisciplinary and International Perspectives on STEM Education: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

Purposes
This presentation will address the integration of research and design in interdisciplinary STEM education. It is argued that research and design can be seen as activities that cut across STEM disciplines, which should be taught integrated, rather than separated. In STEM practices, research projects often require design activities, and vice versa (Kolodner et al., 2003). The presentation will focus on the results of a study on the views and attitudes of secondary teachers towards research, design, and their relationships.

Perspective
The need to acquire skills in doing research and in designing artefacts is a response to a demand for STEM skills in the workplace, and to the expectation of more STEM vacancies to emerge in the future. Also, research and design activities are expected to counter the decline of student interest in school science when moving from elementary to secondary school, which is often attributed to school science being perceived as disconnected from the “real world” (Potvin & Hasni, 2014).
To address the need to integrate research and design in the classroom, there have been several curriculum innovations, for example Design & Technology in the UK and Technology education in Finnish upper secondary education (Rasinen, 2013). In the Netherlands, two new science subjects have been introduced in the past decade: NLT (Nature, Life and Technology) and R&D (Research & Design). Both subjects aim at the integration of research and design through a project-based approach.

Methods and data sources
A questionnaire was constructed, based on the Dimensions of Attitude toward Science questionnaire (Van Aalderen-Smeets & Walma van der Molen, 2013). After piloting, several items were added that focused on teachers’ views of research, design, and their relationships. This questionnaire was administered among 130 secondary teachers of NLT (n=50) and R&D (n=80) in the Netherlands. Analyses focused on cognitive and affective dimensions of teachers’ attitudes, and on teaching intentions regarding research and design.

Results and conclusions
Teachers seemed to view research and design as rather separate activities, focusing on experimenting and problem solving, and creating and testing, respectively. Compared with NLT teachers, teachers of R&D expressed significantly more positive feelings and confidence, and less anxiety about design. R&D teachers also expressed stronger intentions to teach both research and design. R&D teachers typically work in multidisciplinary teams, whereas NLT teachers have a disciplinary background in science, and seem to be more focused on research.

Scholarly significance
Research and design are integral to STEM, however, how to effectively integrate these in teaching is underexplored at the moment. This study contributes to our understanding of teachers’ attitudes and views of research and design, and thus can serve as a basis for the development of curriculum materials and in-service activities.

Authors

• Jan H. Van Driel, University of Melbourne

• Tessa Vossen, Leiden University

• Marc De Vries, Delft University of Technology

• Ineke Henze-Rietveld, Radboud University Nijmegen