Shifting and shaping student STEM beliefs: learning from a transdisciplinary robot project

This paper reports on a transdisciplinary STEM project in one UK secondary school. Over ten months, a team of upper secondary students designed and constructed several heavy weight robots that were tested and refined in cycle of ‘real life’ competitive battles. The projects, which involved constructing electro-mechanical non-autonomous robots, demanded students contend with engineering processes and technical skills while drawing on their collective mathematical and scientific knowledge. While much has been written about teacher belief and practices for STEM learning, less is known about student beliefs and their experiences as STEM learners. With concerns about student participation in STEM study and meeting future workplace demands for STEM related careers, this study aims to investigate the factors influencing the STEM beliefs and values of school students involved in STEM activities.
In-depth interviews with 12 students from Year 10 to 13 and observations in the school workshop elicited student beliefs and practices for STEM. The emerging findings revealed: shifting perceptions of STEM throughout project experiences; the influence of project experiences for shaping subject and HE course choices: and reciprocal connections between STEM projects and individual subject study. The findings also highlight the students’ report of using active cognitive processes aligned with engineering ‘habits of mind’ including: systems thinking; visualising; creativity; learning from mistakes; and problem solving. The findings of this qualitative research seek to assist teachers and educators to better understand how STEM experiences can influence students STEM beliefs, subject choices, career aspirations, academic study, and future engagement in STEM related activities.