Parental engagement in children’s STEM education. Part I: Meta-analysis of the literature

Milner-Bolotin, Marina; Marotto, Carlos C. F.

doi:10.31129/lumat.6.1.292

Cited by 26 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Consistent with the findings from Tippett and Milford (2017), results from this at-home study support the notion that carefully designed STEM activities can result in positive experiences for preschool-aged children. The results for this study also reinforce Milner-Bolotin and Marotto’s (2018) finding where STEM-homework and other at-home projects for young children was found to foster positive STEM interactions between families and children. Each of the three participants expressed how beneficial the one-to-one time was with their child during the at-home STEM intervention and the usefulness of the carefully designed resources.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Parents’ perceptions of STEM: the use of STEM materials for preschoolers in the home environment

Strawhecker,

Knoell,

Thompson

et al. 2023

PDSP

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PurposeThis mixed-method, collaborative study investigated parents’ perceptions of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) learning through use of STEM kits specifically designed for in-home use by parents and preschool-age children.Design/methodology/approachParents with a child attending a community-based childhood development center and ranging in age from three to four were invited to participate. Data were analyzed for the participants’ surveys, which were completed at two different times (pre and post) for this study.FindingsAfter utilizing the STEM materials with their child over a two-week period, the parents’ perceptions of STEM content changed. The results indicate that regardless of the at-home STEM materials, positive outcomes for their child occurred, including the likelihood that their child would pursue additional STEM opportunities.Research limitations/implicationsWith a small sample size and a short timeframe for conducting the study, the results lack generalizability. The findings add information about the effectiveness of STEM materials for preschoolers while providing insight into educational opportunities in home environments.Originality/valueAs the nation addresses workforce shortages in many areas, including STEM, rethinking STEM education during the first five years is important. The more opportunities for young children to engage in meaningful STEM, the greater the potential to pique interest and develop critical thinking skills.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Parents’ perceptions of STEM: the use of STEM materials for preschoolers in the home environment

Strawhecker,

Knoell,

Thompson

et al. 2023

PDSP

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…In fact, this is especially relevant knowing that parents can support or hinder their children's STEM education. Indeed, parents might hold negative attitudes about STEM or have limited STEM knowledge to support they children, thus, perhaps they limit the chances for children's learning in these disciplines (Milner-Bolotin & Marotto, 2018).…”

Section: Engaging Students In Scientific Practicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Survey items included ideas such as "Science is interesting," "I like to learn about science and technology," "Science and technology are good for life and useful," "All the students should learn these topics," and "I like talking about science with my family." This last question was particularly relevant as there is evidence that talking with friends and family about science during infancy is later predictive of a STEM identity (Dou et al, 2019) and that parents might serve as relevant sources to support STEM education (Milner-Bolotin & Marotto, 2018;Milner-Bolotin & Milner, 2017).…”

Section: Assessment Instruments For Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting STEAM learning in the early years: “Pequeños Científicos” Program

Cabello¹,

Martínez²,

Armijo³

et al. 2021

LUMAT

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Education in the early years is an excellent space for promoting integrated learning. The STEAM education model combines Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics holistically and has gained force globally, mostly in developed countries. However, in developing countries of Latin America, STEAM education programs are incipient and still unfamiliar to many early childhood and primary school educators. "Pequeños Científicos" is a pioneer educational program in Chile aimed at providing extracurricular academic enrichment to students 3 to 10 years old, with a gender-empowering approach. With a cross-sectional design and integrating data from students, researchers and educators, this article documents program design and implementation issues based on a partial application of SWOT analysis grounded on strengths, weaknesses and opportunities. The strengths were the strongest elements that might be transferred to similar interventions, for instance, students were positively engaged in the learning processes and actively communicating their advances through diverse artistic formats. The weaknesses were mainly difficulties that can be avoided in future replication, such as teachers' management of children's behavior. Opportunities present alternatives to these types of programs to improve and grow; for example, through articulation of the courses and including children with additional needs. We call for tackling the weaknesses for more efficient application and discuss the promotion of STEAM learning in the early years in the contexts of high educational inequality for future replication in diverse contexts.

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“…These programs include goals associated with increasing interest in STEM degree programs and careers through fun activities. Although many programs provide recruitment materials in Spanish to attract parents and guardians in which English may be a second language (Milner-Bolotin and Marotto, 2018;Roncoroni et al, 2021;Yau, 2013) or include bilingual mentors for the participants to assist with translation (Lucero, 2021), few outreach programs seem to teach and lead STEM activities entirely in Spanish.…”

Section: Outreach Programs To Boost Interest In Stemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Impact of a Spanish Language STEM Outreach Program on Participants, Families, and Mentors

Leman,

Hernandez,

Gutierrez

2023

JSTEM

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Cena y Ciencias (Supper and Science), or CyC, is a STEM outreach program for kindergarten through fifthgrade youth and their families. Monthly, university scientists lead interactive experiments with assistance from university student mentors. CyC is conducted entirely in Spanish. While youth complete activities, a separate parent session is held to explain the activities. The overall program goals are to increase interest in STEM careers and encourage Spanish-speaking youth that a scientist can "look like me." We conducted a descriptive, qualitative case study assessing the program's impact on participants, parents, and mentors. Youth participants and parents reported they liked the activities from CyC. Both youth and parents believe anyone can be a scientist. However, few students identified CyC teachers as scientists without further prompting. Neither youth nor parents connected attending CyC with the youth participant's future career. Mentors developed an appreciation of their bilingual skills as a positive identity within their science profession. Mentors expressed new appreciation for science outreach and future intent to do more outreach. All mentors felt CyC was a welcoming environment. Implications for all STEM outreach targeting young audiences include revisiting the connection between fun science activities and careers, confirming participants make the desired connections.

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Parental engagement in children’s STEM education. Part I: Meta-analysis of the literature

Cited by 26 publications

References 36 publications

Parents’ perceptions of STEM: the use of STEM materials for preschoolers in the home environment

Parents’ perceptions of STEM: the use of STEM materials for preschoolers in the home environment

Promoting STEAM learning in the early years: “Pequeños Científicos” Program

Exploring the Impact of a Spanish Language STEM Outreach Program on Participants, Families, and Mentors

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