Fostering Student Motivation in Urban Title I Elementary Schools: Integrated STEM for Equitable Learning Experiences

• In Event: Centering Understudied Populations and Contexts in Motivation Research

Abstract

As the instructional process is undergirded by a myriad of psychological processes, a focus on integrated STEM instructional practices can provide better understanding about the facilitation of students’ learning experiences. This study examines teachers’ integrated STEM instructional practices for fostering student motivation for learning in urban, Title I elementary schools through need supportive teaching and culturally responsive pedagogy frameworks. The observations of teachers’ integrated STEM classroom instruction with a six-stage, hybrid data analysis process and team reflexivity yielded three key themes: provisions of guidelines and various materials, tactfully posing thought-provoking questions and statements, and encouraging collaborative problem-solving between students. This study enhances understanding of motivational processes in urban schools with implications for educators to positively contribute to elementary students’ motivation.

Authors

• Raven Robinson-Wilson, University of North Florida
  Presenting Author

• Meghan M. Parkinson, University of North Florida
  Presenting Author

• Rui Wang, University of North Florida
  Presenting Author