The Impact of STEM Education on Disadvantaged Elementary Students: Science Attitudes and Collaborative Learning Skills

Öz

Abstract This study aims to examine the impact of a STEM education intervention designed for disadvantaged students on their attitudes toward science and their collaboration skills. The disadvantaged group addressed in the study consists of students who are socioeconomically disadvantaged and those under temporary protection. In this study, the pre-test–post-test control group quasi-experimental design, one of the experimental research methods, was adopted. Within the scope of the research, a STEM education intervention was implemented for 4th-grade students in the units "Properties of Matter" and "Lighting and Sound Technologies." The research was conducted at a primary school located in a province in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Türkiye, where approximately 80% of the student population is composed of disadvantaged students. A total of 46 fourth-grade students participated in the study, with 24 in the experimental group and 22 in the control group. According to the findings of this study, the STEM activities implemented in science education significantly improved the attitudes of students from disadvantaged groups toward science and enhanced their collaborative learning skills. These findings highlight the need to more widely adopt STEM-based approaches as an effective pedagogical tool in science education for disadvantaged student populations.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• STEM
• collaborative learning skills
• science attitudes
• disadvantaged students
• primary school

STEM Eğitiminin Dezavantajlı İlkokul Öğrencileri Üzerindeki Etkisi: Fen Tutumu ve İşbirlikli Öğrenme Becerileri

Öz

Bu çalışma dezavantajlı öğrencilere yönelik bir STEM eğitimi uygulamasının, öğrencilerin fen bilimlerine yönelik tutumları ile işbirliği becerilerine olan etkisini incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Araştırma kapsamında ele alınan dezavantajlı grubu; sosyo-ekonomik açıdan dezavantajlı olan öğrenciler ile geçici koruma altındaki öğrenciler oluşturmaktadır. Çalışmada, deneysel araştırma türlerinden ön test–son test kontrol gruplu yarı deneysel desen benimsenmiştir. Araştırma kapsamında, 4. sınıf öğrencilerine “Maddenin Özellikleri” ve “Aydınlatma ve Ses Teknolojileri” ünitelerinde STEM eğitimi müdahalesi uygulanmıştır. Araştırma, Türkiye'nin Güneydoğu Anadolu Bölgesi’nde yer alan bir ilde, yaklaşık %80’ini dezavantajlı öğrencilerin oluşturduğu bir ilkokulda 4. sınıf düzeyinde gerçekleştirilmiştir. Deney grubunda 24, kontrol grubunda 22 olmak üzere toplam 46 öğrenci araştırmaya dâhil edilmiştir. Bu çalışmanın bulgularına göre fen eğitiminde uygulanan STEM etkinlikleri, dezavantajlı gruplardan gelen öğrencilerin fen bilimlerine yönelik tutumlarını ve işbirlikli öğrenme becerilerini anlamlı düzeyde geliştirmiştir. Bu sonuçlar, dezavantajlı öğrenci grupları için fen eğitiminde STEM temelli yaklaşımların etkili bir pedagojik araç olarak yaygınlaştırılmasını önermektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• STEM
• collaborative learning skills
• science attitudes
• disadvantaged students
• primary school

Kaynakça

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