The Impact of Human Spaceflight on Young People's Attitudes to STEM Subjects

Autor/inn/en	Bennett, Judith; Airey, Jeremy; Dunlop, Lynda; Turkenburg-van Diepen, Maria
Titel	The Impact of Human Spaceflight on Young People's Attitudes to STEM Subjects
Quelle	In: Research in Science & Technological Education, 38 (2020) 4, S.417-438 (22 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Bennett, Judith) ORCID (Dunlop, Lynda) ORCID (Turkenburg-van Diepen, Maria)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0263-5143
DOI	10.1080/02635143.2019.1642865
Schlagwörter	Space Exploration; Student Attitudes; Elementary School Students; Secondary School Students; STEM Education; Measurement Techniques; Value Judgment; Space Sciences; Age Differences; Career Choice; Student Interests; Gender Differences; Foreign Countries; Self Efficacy; United Kingdom + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Weltraumforschung; Schülerverhalten; Sekundarschüler; STEM; Messtechnik; Werturteil; Age; Difference; Age difference; Altersunterschied; Studieninteresse; Geschlechterkonflikt; Ausland; Self-efficacy; Selbstwirksamkeit; Großbritannien
Abstract	Background: The work forms part of a study conducted in the UK at the time of the "Principia" Mission, in which the British astronaut, Tim Peake, went to the International Space Station. Purpose: This paper describes the development and use of an on-line instrument to measure young people's attitudes to STEM subjects and to human spaceflight. Sample: 555 primary students and 796 secondary students completed all three surveys. Students were aged 9 and 12 at the first data collection point. Design and methods: The study as a whole was a three-year, mixed-methods study combining a large-scale survey of attitudes to STEM subjects and to human spaceflight with interviews with participating students and staff. This paper reports the survey data. Data were gathered at three points: prior to the "Principia" Mission, shortly after, and approximately one year later. Results: Students were positive about the value of STEM subjects, and about space science. Paired t-tests showed few significant differences in the pre- and post-surveys. There was a downward trend from primary to secondary age groups in relation to considering careers in STEM subjects and in space science. Primary students retained more interest in STEM subjects and showed increased interest in aspects of space science than secondary students. Boys were more positive about space than girls, and more likely to see themselves working in STEM areas or space science. Conclusion: The study suggests that spaceflight as a context stimulates immediate situational interest in students, but not longer-term interest. Thus, there does not appear to be a case for substantially increasing coverage of space science in the school curriculum. However, the findings point to the desirability of including more information about careers, including careers in space science, in STEM lessons. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01