Investigating the Effects of E-Textiles on Students’ Performance, Attitudes Toward Electric Circuits, and STEAM Attitudes: A Focus on Underrepresented Minorities

Abstract A quasi-experimental study with a treatment and control group was conducted to investigate the impact of an e-textile unit on middle school students’ performance on simple electric circuits, attitudes towards simple electric circuits, and overall STEAM attitudes in a female-dominated project public school. Over four weeks, the treatment group ( n = 20) received an e-textile unit, while the control group ( n = 20) received conventional instruction. A pre- and post-test was administered using the Simple Electrical Circuit Performance Test (SECPT), the Simple Electrical Circuit Attitude Scale (SECAS), and the STEAM Attitude Scale (STEAM). At a broader level, one-way ANOVA results demonstrated that the treatment group significantly outperformed the control group on the SECPT and STEAM attitude measures. However, no significant differences were found for the overall SECAS measure. A more detailed analysis using an independent sample t -test revealed substantial gains for the treatment group on specific SECAS subdimensions, including interest, perceived importance, self-efficacy, and improvements across all STEAM subdimensions, with a large effect size. Overall, the findings indicate that the e-textile unit effectively enhanced students’ performance and attitudes related to circuitry and electricity while fostering positive STEAM dispositions. These promising outcomes hold significant implications for curriculum development, teacher training, and educational policy, highlighting the need for increased investment in e-textiles-based learning resources and pedagogical strategies to bolster student success in STEAM disciplines.