Exploring students’ emotions and attitudes when implementing statistics-focused integrated STEM content

This study examined the impact of integrated STEM learning on students' perceptions of mathematics classes, ownership, agency, and interest and confidence in learning when learning.The aim was to enhance students' integrated thinking competencies.The integrated STEM contents are designed in order to facilitate students' learning of statistical thinking, encompassing the collection, analysis and interpretation of data encountered in students' daily lives, as well as reasoning and problem solving.The content was designed with the intention of providing meaningful and integrative context, thereby facilitating problem solving and reasoning capabilities, and elucidating the process of students' reasoning and justification.Six themes of integrated STEM content were designed, comprising four for middle school students and two for high school students.A questionnaire was conducted prior to and following the lessons in order to ascertain the students' attitudes and feelings towards the classes, as well as their perceptions of mathematics and science.Also, an additional survey and interviews were conducted with students who participated in the theme dealing with carbon emissions with statistics, population with statistics, and global warming with statistics.The data analysis suggested the following findings: a) the students appeared to actively engage in the sharing of opinions and participation in tasks, demonstrating a sense of usefulness pertaining to mathematics, science, and statistical data, and exhibiting the development of interest and confidence in mathematics, b) the students also expressed satisfaction and interest regarding the integrated STEM contents facilitated the integration of knowledge from various subjects, and c) they would be willing to explore the theme further on their own initiative.