The Effects of STEM Education on Students’ Academic Achievement In Science Courses: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

In this study, a meta-analysis was conducted to find out the effect level of STEM education on students’ academic achievement in science courses. Scientific studies which were conducted and published in Turkey between January, 2018 and March, 2020 were reviewed in the study. As a result of literature review, 54 studies which were suitable for the purpose of the study were reached. In analyses conducted with Comprehensive Meta-Analysis program, effect levels were compared in terms of subject area and number of participants in addition to approaches/method used. According to the results of this study, it was concluded that STEM education was more effective in increasing students’ achievement in science courses when compared with teacher-centred teaching methods. According to the results examined according to other variables discussed in the study, significant difference was found in terms of the year in which the study was conducted, the researcher’s job, application period of the study and the number of participants. According to the results of the examined variables, the largest effect size was found in the field of biology, at high school level, doctoral publications, in researchers who were teachers, with 81+ participants and in studies conducted in 2019.

Keywords

• science education
• meta-analysis
• academic achievement
• stem education

STEM Eğitiminin Fen Bilimleri Dersinde Akademik Başarı Üzerine Etkisi: Bir Meta-Analiz Çalışması

Öz

Bu araştırmada, STEM eğitiminin öğrencilerin fen derslerindeki akademik başarıları üzerindeki etki düzeyini ortaya çıkarmak için bir meta-analiz yapılmıştır. Çalışmada Ocak 2018 - Mart 2020 tarihleri arasında Türkiye'de yürütülen ve yayınlanan bilimsel çalışmalar gözden geçirildi. Literatür taraması sonucunda araştırmanın amacına uygun 54 çalışmaya ulaşılmıştır. Bir istatistik analiz programı ile yapılan analizlerde, etki düzeyleri, kullanılan yaklaşımlar / yöntemin yanı sıra konu alanı ve katılımcı sayısı açısından karşılaştırılmıştır. Bu araştırmanın sonuçlarına göre, öğretmen merkezli öğretim yöntemlerine göre STEM eğitiminin öğrencilerin fen derslerinde başarılarını artırmada daha etkili olduğu sonucuna varılmıştır. Araştırmada ele alınan diğer değişkenlerin sonuçlara göre çalışmanın yapıldığı yıl, çalışmayı yapan kişilerin görevleri, çalışmanın uygulama süresi ve katılımcı sayısı açısından anlamlı farklılık bulunmuştur. İncelenen değişkenlerin sonuçlarına göre en büyük etki büyüklükleri biyoloji alanında, lise düzeyinde, doktora yayınlarında, öğretmen olan araştırmacılarda, 81 ve üzeri katılımcıyla, 2019 yılında yapılan çalışmalarda bulunmuştur.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• fen eğitimi
• meta-analiz
• akademik başarı
• STEM eğitimi

Kaynakça

1. *Akçay, S. (2018). The effects of robotic STEM application on science teachers’ academic success, scientific process skills, and motivations (Unpublished master’s thesis). Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University.
2. *Akkaya, M. M. (2019). The effect of STEM activities that applied in force and motion unit on the strength, attitude, and opinions of 6th-grade students (Unpublished master’s thesis). Gazi University.
3. *Alinak-Bozkurt, H. (2018). The effect of engineering design-based science instruction on 7th-grade students’ science achievement, their attitudes towards STEM fields, and their STEM career perceptions (Unpublished master’s thesis). Kafkas University.
4. *Alp, A. T. (2019). The effect of STEM applications on physics success: Pressure (Unpublished master’s thesis). Necmettin Erbakan University.
5. Ayas, A. (1995). A study on program development and application techniques in science: Evaluation of two contemporary approaches. Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 11, 149-155.
6. Aydagül, B., & Terzioğlu, T. (2014). Importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. TÜSİAD Journal of Opinion, 85, 13-19.
7. *Aygen, M. B. (2018). STEM applications for supporting integrated teacher knowledge of science teacher candidates (Unpublished master’s thesis). Fırat University.
8. *Aysu, G. (2019). An examination of the effects of a problem-based learning STEM application on students’ academic achievements and permanence of learning (Unpublished master’s thesis). Niğde Ömer Halis Demir University.

9. *Bahşi, A. (2019). The effects of STEM activities on scientific process skills, scientific epistemological beliefs, and science achievements of 8th-grade students (Unpublished master’s thesis). Adıyaman University.
10. Banning, J., & Folkestad, J. E. (2012). STEM education-related dissertation abstracts: A bounded qualitative meta-study. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 21(6), 730-741. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-011-9361-9
11. Becker, K., & Park, K. (2011). Integrative approaches among science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects on students’ learning: A meta-analysis. Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research, 12(5), 23-37.
12. Belland, B. R., Walker, A. E., Kim, N. J., & Lefler, M. (2017). Synthesizing results from empirical research on computer-based scaffolding in STEM education: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 87(2), 309-344. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654316670999
13. Borenstein, M., Hedges, L. V., Higgins, J. P. T., & Rothstein, H. R. (2009). Introduction to meta-analysis. John Wiley and Sons Publication.
14. Breiner, J. M., Harkness, S. S., Johnson, C. C., & Koehler, C. M. (2012). What is STEM? A discussion about conceptions of STEM in education and partnerships. School Science and Mathematics, 112(1), 3-11. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1949-8594.2011.00109.x
15. *Buyruk, B. (2019). The effect of STEM education on student success and some variables (Unpublished master’s thesis). Amasya University.
16. *Büyükbastırmacı, Z. (2019). The effect of STEM applications used in power and unit in 7th grades on success, attitudes, and motivation (Unpublished master’s thesis). Necmettin Erbakan University.
17. *Büyükdede, M. (2018). Effect of the STEM activities related to work-energy and impulse-momentum topics on academic achievement and conceptual understanding level (Unpublished master’s thesis). Dokuz Eylül University.
18. *Büyükdede, M., & Tanel, R. (2018). Effect of the STEM activities related to impulse-momentum topics on academic achievement Electronic Turkish Studies, 13(27), 327-340. https://doi.org/10.7827/TurkishStudies.14283
19. Bybee, R. W. (2010). What is STEM education? Science, 329(2), 995-996.
20. Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioural sciences. Academic Press.
21. Cooper, H. (2015). Research synthesis and meta-analysis: A step-by-step approach (4th Ed.). Sage Publication.
22. Czerniak, C. M., Webber, B. W., Sandmann, A., & Ahern, J. (1999). A literature review of science and mathematics integration. School Science and Mathematics, 99(8), 421-430. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1949-8594.1999.tb17504.x
23. *Çalışıcı, S. (2018). The effects of STEM applications on the environmental attitudes of the 8th year students, scientific creativity, problem-solving skills and science achievements (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Gazi University.
24. *Çetin, S. (2019). The effect of STEM education on the academic achievement of secondary school students (Unpublished master’s thesis). Necmettin Erbakan University.
25. Çetinkıl, H. (2017). The impact of biology teaching based on multiple intelligence theory on academic achievement: A meta-analysis study (Unpublished master’s thesis). Gazi University.
26. *Çimentepe, E. (2019). The effect of STEM activities on academic achievement, scientific process skills, and computational thinking skills (Unpublished master’s thesis). Niğde Ömer Halis Demir University.
27. *Dallı, A. (2019). Instructional design based on the STEM approach on substance cycles and environmental problems (Unpublished master’s thesis). Uludağ University.
28. *Dedetürk, A. (2018). Developing, implementing, and investigation of achievement in the 6th grade sound subject teaching activities by STEM approach (Unpublished master’s thesis). Erciyes University.
29. *Dedetürk, A., Kırmızıgül, A. S., & Kaya, H. (2020). The effect of STEM activities on students’ achievement in “sound” subject. Pamukkale University Journal of Education, 49, 134-161. https://doi.org/10.9779/pauefd.532331
30. *Demircioğlu, M. (2019). The effect of student achievement of project-based STEM approach used in the teaching of water and life subject (Unpublished master’s thesis). Necmettin Erbakan University.
31. Dinçer, S. (2014). Applied meta-analysis in educational sciences. Pegem Academy.
32. *Doğan, İ. (2019). Determine the effect of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities on the academic success in the science course, science process skills, attitudes towards science subjects, and attitudes towards the STEM of the 7th-grade students (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Balıkesir University.
33. *Dumanoğlu, F. (2019). Effect of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics activities on seventh-grade students’ academic achievement and attitudes (Unpublished master’s thesis). İstanbul University.
34. Durlak, J. A. (1995). Understanding meta-analysis. L. G. Grimm & P. R. Yarnold (Eds.). Reading and understanding multivariate statistics (pp. 319-352). American Psychological Association.
35. Durlak, J. A., & Lipsey, M. W. (1991). A practitioner’s guide to meta-analysis. Plenum Publishing Corporation.
36. *Eroğlu, S. (2018). The effect of STEM implementations in atom and periodic system unit on academic achievement, scientific creativity, and nature of science (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Erciyes University.
37. *Gazibeyoğlu, T. (2018). Investigation of the effect of STEM applications on achievement in force and energy unit and attitudes towards science course of 7th-grade students (Unpublished master’s thesis). Kastamonu University.
38. *Gülen, S., & Yaman, S. (2019). The effect of the integration of STEM disciplines into Toulmin’s argumentation model on students’ academic achievement, reflective thinking, and psycho-motor skills. Journal of Turkish Science Education, 16(2), 216-230.
39. *Gülhan, F., & Şahin, F. (2016). The effect of science-technology-engineering-mathematics integration (STEM) on 5th-grade students’ conceptual understanding and their views on professions. In Ö. Demirel. & S. Dinçer (Ed.) İnnovations in education science and search for qualification (pp. 283-302) Pegem Academy.
40. *Gündoğdu, K., F. (2019). Preparing and applying instructional design with STEM approach ‘Electricity in our life’ in the 8th-grade science course (Unpublished master’s thesis). Gazi University.
41. *Gürbüz, F., Gökçe, Y., Töman, U., Gürbüz, S., & Gökçe, F. (2019). The effect of STEM applications on academic success and permanence in science lesson solar system and beyond. Journal of Instructional Technologies and Teacher Education, 8(2), 21-29.
42. *Güven, Ç., Selvi, M., & Benzer, S. (2018). Teaching applications based on 7e learning model centered STEM activity effect on academic achievement. Anemon Muş Alparslan University Journal of Social Sciences, 6(STEMES’18), 73-80. https://doi.org/10.18506/anemon.463812
43. Hançer, A. H., Şensoy, Ö., & Yıldırım, H. İ. (2003). An evaluation about the importance of contemporary science education at elementary schools and how this kind of science teaching. Pamukkale University Journal of Education Faculty, 1(13), 80-88.
44. *Hebeci, M., T. (2019). The impacts of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics applications on middle school students’ academic achievement, scientific creativity and attitudes (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Necmettin Erbakan University.
45. Hedges, L. V., & Olkin, I. (1980). Vote-counting methods in research synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 88(2), 359-369. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.88.2.359
46. Huffcutt, A. (2002). Research perspectives on meta-analysis. In S. G. Rogelberg (Ed.), Handbook of research methods in industrial and organizational psychology (pp. 198–215). Blackwell Publishers.
47. Hunter, J. E., & Schmidt, F. L. (2004). Methods of meta-analysis: Correcting error and bias in research findings (2nd Ed.). Sage Publication.
48. Littell, J. H., Corcoran, J., & Pillai, V. (2008). Systematic reviews and meta-analysis. Oxford University Press.
49. *Irak, M. (2019). Examining the effect of STEM applications for the “diffusion of light” unit of the 5th-grade science course on academic achievement and attitude towards STEM (Unpublished master’s thesis). Kocaeli University.
50. *İnce, K., Mısır, M. E., Küpeli, M. A., & Fırat, A. (2018). Examining the effect of STEM-based approach on the problem-solving ability and academic success of students in teaching the enigma of the earth’s crust unit of the 5th-grade life sciences course. Journal of STEAM Education, 1(1), 64-78.
51. Kalemkuş, J. (2019). STEM Tendency in Experimental Researches. Dicle University Ziya Gökalp Journal of Education Faculty, 36, 78-90.
52. *Karcı, M. (2018). Examining the effect of scenario-based learning approach (story) based on STEM activities on students’ academic achievement, career choices, and motivation (Unpublished master’s thesis). Çukurova University.
53. Karasar, N. (2005). Scientific research method. Nobel publisher.
54. *Kayabaş, B., T. (2019). The effect of problem-based outdoor-STEM activities on the students’ academic achievements and decision-making skills (Unpublished master’s thesis). Muğla Sıtkı Kocman University.
55. Keskin, B., & Özay-Köse, E. (2019). Examination of the sequence of physics and chemistry topics constituting the basis of biology in secondary education curriculum. Journal of Theoretical Educational Science, 12(1), 260-273. http://dx.doi.org/10.30831/akukeg.433217
56. Kim, N. J., Belland, B. R., & Walker, A. E. (2018). Effectiveness of computer-based scaffolding in the context of problem-based learning for STEM education: Bayesian meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 30(2), 397-429. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-017-9419-1
57. *Kurt, M. (2019). A study on the effect of STEM applications on 6th-grade students’ academic achievement, problem-solving skills and attitudes towards STEM (Unpublished master’s thesis). Gazi University.
58. Kulinskaya, E., Dollinger, M. B., & Bjørkestøl, K. (2011). Testing for homogeneity in meta‐analysis I. The one‐parameter case: standardized mean difference. Biometrics, 67(1), 203-212. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1541-0420.2010.01442.x
59. *Kurtuluş, M., A. (2019). The effect of STEM activities on students’ academic achievements, problem-solving skills, scientific creativity, motivations, and attitudes (Unpublished master’s thesis). Alanya Alâeddin Keykubat University.
60. Lipsey, M. W., & Wilson, D. B. (2001). Practical meta-analysis. Sage Publications
61. Lodico, M. G., Spaulding, D. T., & Voegtle, K. H. (2006). Methods in educational research: From theory to practice. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
62. McComas, W. F., & Murie, K. (2014). Science education. In W. F. McComas (Ed.), The language of science education (pp. 86-87). Sense Publishers.
63. Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. Sage Publication.
64. Ministry of National Education [MEB]. (2016). STEM education report. Ankara: Ministry of National Education, General Directorate of Innovation and Educational Technologies (YEĞİTEK).
65. Ministry of National Education [MEB]. (2017). Science course curriculum. Ministry of National Education.
66. Ministry of National Education [MEB]. (2018). Science course curriculum. Ministry of National Education.
67. Moore, T. J., Glancy, A. W., Tank, K. M., Kersten, J. A., & Smith, K. A. (2014). A framework for quality K-12 engineering education: Research and development. Journal of PreCollege Engineering Education Research, 4(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.7771/2157-9288.1069
68. Mustafa, N., Ismail, Z., Tasir, Z., & Said, M. N. H. M. (2016). A meta-analysis of effective strategies for integrated STEM education. Advanced Science Letters, 22(12), 4225-4228. https://doi.org/10.1166/asl.2016.8111
69. Murphy, K.R. (2003). Validity generalization a critical review. London: Lawrence Erlbaum Assocites Publishers.
70. *Nağaç, M. (2018). Investigation of the effect of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (FeteMM) education on students’ academic achievement and problem-solving skills in the teaching of the 6th-grade science lesson item and heat unit (Unpublished master’s thesis). Hatay Mustafa Kemal University.
71. *Neccar, D. (2019). Effects of STEM activities of science lessons on middle school students' achievement, attitude towards science and their opinion about STEM (Unpublished master’s thesis). Gazi University.
72. OECD. (2019). PISA 2018 results (volume I), what students know and can do. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/5f07c754-en.
73. Olkin I., 1996. Meta-analysis: Current Issues in Research Synthesis. Statistics in Medicine, 15(12), 1253-1262.
74. Okursoy-Günhan, F. (2009). The effect of concept mapping on learner success: A meta-analytic study (Unpublished master’s thesis). Marmara University.
75. *Ozan, F. (2019). An investigation of STEM application efficiency related to different variables towards 5th-grade unit measuring the force and friction (Unpublished master’s thesis). Amasya University.
76. *Özcan, H., & Koca, E. (2019). The impact of teaching the subject “pressure” with STEM approach on the academic achievements of the secondary school 7th grade students and their attitudes towards STEM. Education and Science, 44(198), 201-227. https://doi.org/10.15390/EB.2019.7902
77. Özdemirli, G. (2011). The effect of cooperative learning up on mathematical achievement and attitude: A meta-analysis of findings (Unpublished master’s thesis). Çukurova University.
78. *Özlen, S. (2019). Developing design-based STEM activities and evaluating the activities on simple machines at the eighth-grade level (Unpublished master’s thesis). Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University.
79. Rosenthal, R. (1984). Meta-analytic procedures for social research. Sage Pub
80. Sanders, M. (2009). STEM, STEM education, stemmania. The Technology Teacher, 68(4),20-26.
81. Saraç, H. (2018). The effect of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-STEM educational practices on students’ learning outcomes: A meta-analysis study. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology-TOJET, 17(2), 125-142. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/5885
82. Schulze, R. (2004). Meta-analysis a comparison of approaches. Hogrefe and Huber Publishers.
83. *Soysal, M., T. (2019). Thematic STEM education in 8th-grade science course: Earthquake Example (Unpublished master’s thesis). Sakarya University.
84. Strategy and Budget Department of the President of the Republic of Turkey. (2019). Eleventh development plan 2019-2023. http://www.sbb.gov.tr/wpcontent/uploads/2019/11/on_birinci_kalkinmaplani_2019-2023.pdf.
85. *Şen, N. (2019). The effects of STEM-based learning environment on science learning in 7th-grade electrical energy unit (Unpublished master’s thesis). Uşak University.
86. *Taşçı, M. (2019). Investigation of the effects of reverse engineering applications on academic achievement, problem-solving skills, STEM attitudes, and perceptions in 8th-grade students (Unpublished master’s thesis). Marmara University.
87. Timur, S., Timur, B., Yalçınkaya-Önder, E., & Küçük, D. (2020). Attitudes of the students attending out-of-school STEM workshops towards STEM education. Journal of Theoretical Educational Science, 13(2), 334-351. https://doi.org/10.30831/akukeg.582388
88. TÜSİAD (2017). 2023 towards STEM requirement in Turkey. http://www.tusiadSTEM.org/images/raporlar/2017/STEM-RaporuV7.pdf
89. *Uçar, R. (2019). Effects of the STEM activities enriched with argumentation at 7th-grade students’ academic achievement on ‘solar system and the beyond’ unit, astronomy attitudes, critical thinking tendency, and STEM career interest (Unpublished master’s thesis). Adnan Menderes University.
90. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization [UNESCO]. (2015). Education for all 2000-2015: Achievements and challenges, France. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1128690
91. Yaman, S. (2017). Science teachers’ opinions on the application of competency-based science model components to science programs. The International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 6(2), 118-127. http://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v6i2.7590
92. Yeşilyaprak, B. (2006). Counselling services in education (14th). Nobel Publisher.
93. Yıldırım, A., & Şimşek, H. (2011). Qualitative research methods in the social sciences. Seçkin Publisher.
94. Yıldırım, B. (2016). An examination of the effects of science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) applications, and mastery learning integrated into the 7th-grade science course (Unpublished master’s thesis). Gazi University.
95. *Yıldırım, B., & Altun, Y. (2015). Investigating the effect of STEM Education and engineering applications on science laboratory lectures. El-Cezeri Journal of Science and Engineering, 2(2), 28-40. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.2296.0800
96. Yıldız, N. (2002). Meta-analysis method in data evaluation (Unpublished master’s thesis). Marmara University.
97. *Yılmaz, C. (2019). The effect of STEM education on 10th-grade students’ academic success, their attitude towards STEM, and physics (Unpublished master’s thesis). Pamukkale University.
98. Yılmaz, H., Yiğit-Koyunkaya, M., Güler, F., & Güzey, S. (2017). Turkish adaptation of the attitudes toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education scale. Kastamonu Education Journal, 25(5), 1787-1800. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-011-9160-x
99. Young, J. R., Ortiz, N. A., & Young, J. L. (2017). Stimulating interest: A meta-analysis of the effects of out-of-school time on student STEM interest. International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology, 5(1), 62-74. https://doi.org/10.18404/ijemst.61149
100. *Yüksel, F. (2019). The effect of STEM applications outside the classroom on students’ learning products in a secondary school science course (Unpublished master’s thesis). Ondokuz Mayıs University.