The Effects of School Belonging and Teacher Interactions on Elementary Students' Interest and Confidence in STEM

• In Event: Factors Contributing to a Positive Learning Environment in Various Contexts

Abstract

Job growth in STEM fields continues to outpace the growth of STEM-degreed individuals. The present study surveyed fourth and fifth grade students in a large STEM-focused charter school system in Texas to examine the impact of students’ sense of school belonging and perception of student-teacher interactions on interest and confidence in STEM. The study’s main predictors showed significant and positive impacts across study outcomes. Students’ sense of school belonging predicted students’ interest, while students’ perceptions of student-teacher interactions predicted both confidence and interest. This study' findings have the potential to provide elementary administrators and teachers with actionable information on adjustments to practice and school policy that can make significant and lasting impacts on students’ interest and confidence in STEM.

Authors

• Kim Boddie Wright, Texas A&M University - College Station

• Jeffrey Keese, Mercer University

• Hersh C. Waxman, Texas A&M University - College Station