Opportunities for STEM education amongst public schools in Monrovia, Liberia: baseline study of classroom environments and student attitudes towards STEM

• In Event: Comparative Studies in Education (I)

Proposal

Introduction:
Africa’s population is projected to double by the year 2050 (The Guardian, 2022). There is therefore a great opportunity to strengthen the continent’s ability to sustainably develop. It can be argued that STEM education forms part of this foundation, as it will enable the building of the technical workforce. More broadly, STEM education also builds critical thinking and problem-solving skills which can enable local youth to find their voice, develop their advocacy skills and press forward towards justice and improved quality of life.

Since 2014, an NGO based in Ghana has been offering STEM teacher training to support the transformation of science and math classrooms into experiential learning environments. Their approach leverages inquiry-based learning, constructionist thinking (Harel & Papert, 1991), and emphasis on local relevance (Dewey, 1986). They build the capacity of STEM teachers to leverage low-cost, locally-available materials to teach hands-on activities that are aligned to the national curriculum. In 2022, they commenced a one-year pilot project, funded by a UN agency, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education Liberia (MOE), and in which they extended their approach to the Liberian context.

This study seeks to describe the needs and opportunities for STEM education amongst public schools in Monrovia, based on baseline surveys administered at the student-level in both the participating schools and an equal number of control schools selected. Three overarching questions are asked in this endeavor: 1- What general description can be provided of the science and math classroom environments? 2- What are students’ attitudes towards science and math? 3- How similar are the two groups (intervention and control)?

Methodology:
A representative from the implementing NGO visited each of the 22 schools (half intervention, half control) and administered a baseline survey to all students whose teachers would be participating in the program and their counterpart grade-mates at the control schools. This captured demographic data (with identifying information anonymized in all results), and three Likert scale (1 to 5) measures: a 5-item measure capturing resources commonly used in the classroom environment, a 3-item measure capturing frequency of use of practical/hands-on activities in their classroom, and a 7-item measure on student attitudes towards learning science/math. Each of these was drawn from a similar study conducted previously in Ghana (Babb & Stockero, 2020).

Description of the classroom environments were analyzed by comparing scores for each of the 5 items across the various grade levels. Attitudes towards learning math and science were analyzed by comparing the average score for the measure across the various grades. Trends across grade levels were identified for both. Finally, any statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) between the two groups was calculated via unpaired, two-tailed t-tests comparing average scores for each measure. Further disaggregation along gender lines is in progress, as well as a comparison with the endline data after the year-long teacher training intervention was complete.

Results:
For the classroom environment, traditional materials, such as chalkboards and exercise boards, are reported by far as the most commonly used classroom resources (average scores >3 out of 5). This implies a heavy use of lecture-based pedagogies. This is not unexpected, as the schools in question are public schools, tending to have large class sizes and minimal budget for purchasing materials.

Use of local materials is low (average scores <2 out of 5), but nonetheless present at the lower grade levels. This tends to decline as grade levels increase, dropping by nearly 1 point out of 5. The use of practical activities involving lab equipment follows a nearly reverse trend, with students engaging in them the most in Grade 12. This is also not unexpected, as use of lab equipment traditionally is reserved for those preparing for their national exams.

On average, student scores in their attitudes towards science and math were low to midpoint along the scale. A few items within this measure appeared somewhat more positive, including enjoyment to discuss science with peers and student belief in the everyday relevance of science, which could indicate that the teaching approach rather than the subject itself was the key factor.

A general downwards trend in student attitudes was seen as they advanced towards high school. This decline could be attributed to an increased specialization which may make STEM appear more demanding. Increasing career pressures could also divert their attention away.

T-tests reveal no statistically significant difference between the two groups in science for Frequency of Activities (p = 0.502) and for Attitudes towards Science (p = 0.296), however Classroom Resources were significantly different (p = 6.3E-7). For Math, although Frequency of Activities was similar between the two groups (p = 0.219), Attitudes towards Math were significantly higher for the control group (p = 0.011). Although the intervention and control groups can be deemed similar along some lines of interest, a pre-post comparison should utilize a difference-in-differences calculation to assign cause for any reported change to the intervention itself.

Implications:
Science and math teachers in public schools in Monrovia may tend to rely on lecture-based learning due to minimal availability of lab equipment and other teaching and learning resources. In order for student participation and interest in these subjects to increase, more experiential pedagogies should be utilized, leveraging resources that can be feasibly acquired. The implementing NGO should center strategies for overcoming resource constraints in its training material.

Since student attitudes towards learning science and math tended to decrease with grade level, any interventions seeking to support students to continue pursuing STEM should be made at earlier stages, such as middle school and/or elementary levels.

Successful approaches to address the resource challenges should be extended broadly to support educators and students in other contexts.

Authors

• Heather Beem, Ashesi University

• Mawuena Asem Hanson, Practical Education Network

• Nana Yaw Kyeremeh Osei-Safo, Practical Education Network

• Elyse Addison, Practical Education Network