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What is STEM Interest?

April 11, 2019 | Professional Development, Conferences, and Networks

The landmark 2009 National Research Council consensus report Learning Science in Informal Environments, posited that learners in informal environments “experience excitement, interest, and motivation to learn about phenomena in the natural and physical world” as one of six strands of informal science learning. In 2016, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Center for Public Engagement with Science and Technology identified “increased interest and motivation” around STEM topics as a short-term, measurable outcome of science engagement activities.  For many professionals who design, evaluate, and research how people learn science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in informal settings, these findings and developments affirmed a long-held claim that catalyzing interest is one of the key strengths of informal STEM learning and engagement experiences. 

In 2018, the CAISE Evaluation and Measurement Task Force asked a sample of 10 STEM education researchers, science communication scholars, social psychologists, learning scientists, and informal science educators to share their thinking and work on "STEM interest." From those interviews, CAISE produced video clips, conversation highlights, and a summary of what we heard across the 10 interviews, "The Role of Interest in STEM Learning and Science Communication: Reflections on Interviews from the Field."

TEAM MEMBERS

  • 10012698 10152726465128704 8678714687622827920 o  1
    Principal Investigator
    Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education
  • JCB Feb 2021 III  2
    Contributor
  • cannady
    Contributor
  • Screen Shot 2019 02 06 at 1 49 47 PM
    Project Manager
    University of Washington
  • 2013 05 17 Kevin crowley headshot
    Co-Principal Investigator
  • 11794309 10153154279351443 7751787890874135798 o
    Contributor
  • 2013 09 08 Me woods small
    Contributor
  • riedinger square
    Contributor
  • Storksdieck Headshot small
    Co-Principal Investigator
  • Citation

    Funders

    NSF
    Funding Program: AISL
    Award Number: 1612739
    Resource Type: Reference Materials
    Discipline: Education and learning science
    Audience: Educators/Teachers | Museum/ISE Professionals | Scientists | Evaluators | Learning Researchers
    Environment Type: Professional Development, Conferences, and Networks | Resource Centers and Networks

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