Integrated STEM in secondary education: A case study

Despite many opportunities to study STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) in Flemish secondary education, only a minority of pupils are actually pursuing STEM fields in higher education and jobs. One reason could be that they do not see the relevance of science and mathematics. In order to draw their pupils’ interest in STEM, a Belgian school started a brand new initiative: the school set up and implemented a first year course that integrates various STEM disciplines, hoping to provide an answer to the question pupils often ask themselves about the need to study math and science. The integrated curriculum was developed by the school’s teachers and a STEM education research group of the University of Leuven. To examine the pupils’ attitude towards STEM and STEM professions and their notion of relevance of STEM at the end of this one-year course, a post-test was administered to the group of pupils who attended the integrated STEM course (the experimental group) and to a group of pupils that took traditional, non-integrated STEM courses (the control group). The results reveal that attending the integrated STEM course is significantly related to pupils’ interest in STEM and notion of relevance of STEM. Another post-test was administered only to the experimental group to investigate pupils’ understanding of math and physics concepts and their relation when taught in an integrated way. The results reveal that the pupils have some conceptual understanding and can, to a certain extent, make a transfer of concepts across different STEM disciplines. However, the test results did point out that some additional introductory training in pure math context is needed

Kinderen warm maken voor wetenschap en techniek vereist meer dan knutselen

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Loopbaanleren in voltijds BSO en TSO. Een onderzoek naar de relatie tussen de loopbaanleeromgeving, loopbaancompetenties en loopbaanactualisatie

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Maken we van onze kinderen Belgische burgers of wereldburgers?

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Langetermijneffecten van zittenblijven en afstromen op opleidingsniveau, participatie in levenslang leren en de beroepscarrière

In this paper we investigate long-term effects of grade retention and downward track changes on educational degree, lifelong learning and occupational career. Changing downward the educational track of a student is an important alternative to grade retention in secondary education in Flanders and the Netherlands. Based on longitudinal data, we find that young people who at least once repeated a grade in primary or secondary education or changed their educational track downward, attain a lower educational degree than those who progress through their school career without delay or track changes. Furthermore, the educational degree mediates the indirect effect of grade retention and downward track changes on the early occupational career and lifelong learning. However, retention and downward track changes do have a direct effect on labor market outcomes at a later point in the career. Both repeating and and downward track changes have a lasting impact on life after school.status: publishe

De school, het nieuwe reisbureau

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Sekspoppen of regionale spanningen? Waar Japanners en wij van wakker (moeten) liggen

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Beste leerkrachten, luister ook eens naar de ouders

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Van school naar werk: hoe jongeren begeleid (willen) worden en loopbaancompetenties ontwikkelen

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Slechts de helft van TSO en BSO leerlingen wil later een job dat aansluit bij hun studie. Maar is dat wel zo erg?

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