Content:
(1) What is your essential question and answers? What is your best answer and why?
How best can an organization like FIRST keep students K-12 interested in STEM?
2. STEM programs in succession, run by FIRST is an effective way to keep students K-12 interested in STEM.
3. Creativity, Critical thinking, Collaboration and Communication, the 4 C's are implemented in FIRST programs to promote better STEM interest.
Best answer: Creativity, Critical thinking, Collaboration and Communication, the 4 C's are implemented in FIRST programs to promote better STEM interest.
Why: Because: In a study done in 2004 by the University of Florida Institutional Review Board, a survey of 99 middle school-aged girls and boys showed that when taught STEM topics in a lesson based format, the
study saw a 8% loss of interest in STEM career choice after a full year of this type of curriculum. In comparison, STEM career interest saw a 3% interest increase after a full year of project based curriculum
study saw a 8% loss of interest in STEM career choice after a full year of this type of curriculum. In comparison, STEM career interest saw a 3% interest increase after a full year of project based curriculum
The three answers i came up with, community outreach, successive program structure, and the 4 C's create an elaborate 3 step process that fosters STEM interest. The first answer, community outreach is the first step in the process because it is where most students begin their career in FIRST robotics. My second answer, is the progression of programs and that refers to the fact that because these programs work in succession, they are able to facilitate better retention in STEM programs. My final answer is the best one because all of my other answers refer to how one these students are involved in a "STEM program." My third answer explains how these programs work to make students more interested in STEM. It is the meat of the "programs" that the first two answers refers to.
(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?
I changed my EQ about 1/4 of the way through the year at the beginning of the answer 1 phase. I desperately rushed to find some research for the beginning of my answer one. I did the 3 research notes every week but i didn't feel like i needed to do more until we had to present our answer two and i found that i was inadequately prepared overall. Research was less and less about reading about random robotics articles and i began to get really focused. One of the very first sources that i read that had actual relevant information i could begin to use was Linking Evidence and Promising Practices in STEM Undergraduate Education by James Fairweather. The report he wrote focused a lot on the education process and how it affects the retention rates of first year undergraduate STEM students. It really got me thinking about how education affects students and their perception of STEM. I of course looked toward the teaching methods that are used at I-Poly and found several similarities between our group based, all-accountability approach and FIRST robotics's. Then of course for my 3rd interview, i asked my interviewee, Mr. Richard Sisk, a Robokong programming mentor with a FIRST robotics team what he believed kept the students interested in these STEM programs. He said to me, "It was the competitive spirit of FIRST robotics and how people begin in teams without much knowledge of anything and they're given a hard project to work on and their team depends on them to finish it and finish it correctly." He also said to me, "the team environment really helps kids grow and become more mature. I've seen many freshmen come to us, shy and not at all certain about themselves and by the time they're seniors, they're running the team and throwing out creative ideas and making a name for themselves in the scene." After my interview and a review of the I-Poly curriculum, i began research on a name for what we do at I-Poly. A term that kept popping up was project based learning but i figured that it was too simple. I restarted and began with another search that was simply, "STEM teaching" and i found this article by the a small site called Littleweb that featured an article titled, "10 essential STEM teaching practices" and it mentioned the 4 C's and i felt like i had finally found what i was looking for. The Littleweb source was not as credible as i wanted it to be so i went on the Cal Poly Databases and i researched a bit more about the 4 C's and i decided that it was a solid answer as to why FIRST robotics programs were so effective at retaining STEM interest.
(3) What problems did you face? How did you resolve them?
My most significant problem i faced was the change in my EQ. I believed that my EQ was too subjective and did not have enough objectivity for me to answer with straight answers. My first EQ was What is the best way to win in a FIRST Tech Challenge? My current EQ is How best can an organization like FIRST keep students K-12 interested in STEM? Great i solved one problem but then i had another.
My next problem came with answer one. I had just changed my EQ and so i had to think of and research a new answer as soon as possible. I had 2 weeks before we had to present and so i had to think of answers quick. So i started doing research. I started off learning more about STEM first using articles like, Inspiring the next Generation of Female Engineers: Debbie Sterling at TEDxPSU on youtube, this video had me thinking about how it is that people really get into STEM programs and how they begin to get into the sciences. Around this same time, my mentorship with FTC Team 7258, the iPoly team realized that to qualify for a certain award we would have to do a community outreach event to entice more students to join our team. Just like that, i had my answer. I began to research how effective community outreach was at reaching a large amount of people and my interviewee Richard Sisk also helped by answering questions about how him and his team do community outreach.
(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?
Fairweather, James. Linking Evidence and Promising Practices in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Undergraduate Education. N.p.: Michigan State Univeristy, n.d. Print
this source by James Fairweather began as the basis for the rest of my research. I research a bit about Mr. Fairweather and he has authored several reports about the effect of certain programs in undergraduate studies that affect STEM. He gets deep into the psychology of how STEM interest is created through programs and teaching. His in depth and thorough research and citations helped me find sources such as the AMA 2010 critical skills survey. He also helped me create my Answer 3, through a little research of my own and because of the way he approaches his research, it helped me find the right articles to prove the points i wanted to such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Math: Education for Global Leadership by the united to help me prove that STEM teaching is really underfunded in America.
Griffith,Donald Sanford,,Jr. (2005). FIRST robotics as a model for experiential problem-based learning: A comparison of student attitudes and interests in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. (3170164, Clemson University). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, , 174-174 p
I changed my EQ about 1/4 of the way through the year at the beginning of the answer 1 phase. I desperately rushed to find some research for the beginning of my answer one. I did the 3 research notes every week but i didn't feel like i needed to do more until we had to present our answer two and i found that i was inadequately prepared overall. Research was less and less about reading about random robotics articles and i began to get really focused. One of the very first sources that i read that had actual relevant information i could begin to use was Linking Evidence and Promising Practices in STEM Undergraduate Education by James Fairweather. The report he wrote focused a lot on the education process and how it affects the retention rates of first year undergraduate STEM students. It really got me thinking about how education affects students and their perception of STEM. I of course looked toward the teaching methods that are used at I-Poly and found several similarities between our group based, all-accountability approach and FIRST robotics's. Then of course for my 3rd interview, i asked my interviewee, Mr. Richard Sisk, a Robokong programming mentor with a FIRST robotics team what he believed kept the students interested in these STEM programs. He said to me, "It was the competitive spirit of FIRST robotics and how people begin in teams without much knowledge of anything and they're given a hard project to work on and their team depends on them to finish it and finish it correctly." He also said to me, "the team environment really helps kids grow and become more mature. I've seen many freshmen come to us, shy and not at all certain about themselves and by the time they're seniors, they're running the team and throwing out creative ideas and making a name for themselves in the scene." After my interview and a review of the I-Poly curriculum, i began research on a name for what we do at I-Poly. A term that kept popping up was project based learning but i figured that it was too simple. I restarted and began with another search that was simply, "STEM teaching" and i found this article by the a small site called Littleweb that featured an article titled, "10 essential STEM teaching practices" and it mentioned the 4 C's and i felt like i had finally found what i was looking for. The Littleweb source was not as credible as i wanted it to be so i went on the Cal Poly Databases and i researched a bit more about the 4 C's and i decided that it was a solid answer as to why FIRST robotics programs were so effective at retaining STEM interest.
(3) What problems did you face? How did you resolve them?
My most significant problem i faced was the change in my EQ. I believed that my EQ was too subjective and did not have enough objectivity for me to answer with straight answers. My first EQ was What is the best way to win in a FIRST Tech Challenge? My current EQ is How best can an organization like FIRST keep students K-12 interested in STEM? Great i solved one problem but then i had another.
My next problem came with answer one. I had just changed my EQ and so i had to think of and research a new answer as soon as possible. I had 2 weeks before we had to present and so i had to think of answers quick. So i started doing research. I started off learning more about STEM first using articles like, Inspiring the next Generation of Female Engineers: Debbie Sterling at TEDxPSU on youtube, this video had me thinking about how it is that people really get into STEM programs and how they begin to get into the sciences. Around this same time, my mentorship with FTC Team 7258, the iPoly team realized that to qualify for a certain award we would have to do a community outreach event to entice more students to join our team. Just like that, i had my answer. I began to research how effective community outreach was at reaching a large amount of people and my interviewee Richard Sisk also helped by answering questions about how him and his team do community outreach.
(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?
Fairweather, James. Linking Evidence and Promising Practices in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Undergraduate Education. N.p.: Michigan State Univeristy, n.d. Print
this source by James Fairweather began as the basis for the rest of my research. I research a bit about Mr. Fairweather and he has authored several reports about the effect of certain programs in undergraduate studies that affect STEM. He gets deep into the psychology of how STEM interest is created through programs and teaching. His in depth and thorough research and citations helped me find sources such as the AMA 2010 critical skills survey. He also helped me create my Answer 3, through a little research of my own and because of the way he approaches his research, it helped me find the right articles to prove the points i wanted to such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Math: Education for Global Leadership by the united to help me prove that STEM teaching is really underfunded in America.
Griffith,Donald Sanford,,Jr. (2005). FIRST robotics as a model for experiential problem-based learning: A comparison of student attitudes and interests in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. (3170164, Clemson University). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, , 174-174 p
This is a recent article that i had found. It analyzes the effect of FIRST robotics on attitudes and interests in STEM. It really provided many facts and statistics for use in my third answer which involves the program. It also has an in depth background section that thoroughly details why he believed FIRST robotics was pertinent to furthering STEM interest in America. It helped me formulate more ideas on what to research including Science- and engineering-related career decision-making, bright adolescent girls and the impact of an intervention program by Ellis Kalton.
Be prepared with evidence and specific examples to support any response. It is also significant to cite sources as you explain.
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