Facilitating STEM Inquiry in a Knowledge-Building Environment (Poster 34)

• In Event: Friday Poster Session 7:45 am
  In Poster Session: Examining Learning Environments Across Diverse Contexts

Abstract

This study designed a knowledge building environment supported with a design-based scaffolds emphasizing visualization and documentation to foster students’ STEM inquiry. A quasi-experimental design was conducted in a Chinese college to examine the effects and process of the knowledge building approach on STEM learning. The experimental class (n=25) used the design-based scaffolds, whereas the comparison class (n=25) conducted the same knowledge-building activities without support of the scaffolds. The quantitative findings suggest that students in experimental gained a better STEM understanding, engaged in deeper discourse inquiry, and fabricated more innovative artifacts than comparison class. The qualitative analysis illustrated the dynamic of collaborative design in knowledge building environment. Implications of developing knowledge building approach for STEM learning are discussed.

Authors

• Jialiang Liu, University of Hong Kong

• Carol K. Chan, University of Hong Kong

• Jianhua Zhao, Southern University of Science and Technology

• Gaowei Chen, University of Hong Kong