ERIC Number: EJ1242796
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Mar
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1571-0068
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Integrating STEM with "AgLIT" (Agricultural Literacy through Innovative Technology): The Efficacy of a Project-Based Curriculum for Upper-Primary Students
Vallera, Farah L.; Bodzin, Alec M.
International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, v18 n3 p419-439 Mar 2020
Agriculture can serve as a unifying and contextualizing topic that connects science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects through similar knowledge, skills, and attitudes/beliefs (KSABs) exhibited in each. Agriculture can be an integral part of students' primary-level curriculum, providing authentic and relevant material for STEM exploration. A technology-enhanced, project-based, STEM-integrated agriculture curriculum for fourth-grade learners was developed and implemented in a large urban school district in the northeastern U.S. Ninety-five students and four fourth-grade teachers participated in a study that sought to (1) add to the existing knowledge about the nature of upper-primary urban students' agricultural literacy, (2) create a fully STEM-integrated agricultural literacy curriculum that educators can easily embed in existing curricula to increase literacy in agriculture and STEM fields, and (3) test the efficacy of that curriculum. The curriculum included valid and reliable pre- and posttest knowledge and attitudes instruments and eight performance tasks designed to help students prepare for a farmers' market. The findings revealed that students in the treatment group gained knowledge and had more positive attitudes/beliefs following the curriculum's implementation compared to a control group. Implications for creating integrated STEM and agriculture curricula using technology-enhanced, project-based learning strategies are discussed.
Descriptors: STEM Education, Agricultural Education, Student Projects, Active Learning, Elementary School Students, Urban Schools, Literacy, Integrated Curriculum, Student Attitudes, Curriculum Implementation, Technology Uses in Education
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
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