I recently began to reexamine the current format in which I introduce and have students complete Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) challenges. I find that many students are eager when they begin STEAM challenges, enjoying the opportunity to be creative, build, and play. Still, they often relate negative feelings to their lack of immediate success. This indicates that either the students lack the perseverance to work through difficult problems or don’t yet have strategies on how they can help themselves when they feel stuck. Some students may flourish more if they can have a question and answer period before the challenge begins that enhances the ask phase in the Engineering Design Process. “By encouraging children to develop their own questions related to the topic of study, the search for answers becomes a great motivation for meaningful learning (Ebert II, Ebert, & Bentley, 2011, para. 10). Additionally, I have observed that many students start off excited about the STEAM project, but only falter when they face a challenge. I am curious how the use of questioning techniques can enhance their ability to think through and problem-solve during these times. As well, students need to continue to be applauded for taking risks, and the discussion about what didn’t work is just as important as the conversation about what did work. A study by Blackwell, et.at (2007) found that students who were given instruction on growth mindset practices academically outperformed their peers. While student mindsets impact academic achievement, it is important to note that mindsets can change over the course of time. In addition, emerging research suggest that student mindsets can differ based upon domain references. Student may view their ability to grow and develop differently for reading than they do for mathematics (Sparks, 2015). Allowing for the explicit teaching of growth mindset, and then applying that language throughout the STEAM challenge may help students who tend to get stuck on an idea. With this in mind, I formulated my research question.
Research Question: How does the presentation of a STEAM challenge affect student attitudes toward the process? Some sub questions that fall under this research are:
How does the use of question formulation techniques affect student attitudes when implemented beyond just the beginning of a STEAM challenge?
How does the explicit teaching of growth mindset affect student attitudes during STEAM challenges?