1 A COMPARISON OF STUDENTS’ INTEREST IN STEM ACROSS SCIENCE STANDARD TYPES by Brienne Kylie May Liberty University A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education Liberty University 2021 2 A COMPARISON OF STUDENTS’ INTEREST IN STEM ACROSS SCIENCE STANDARD TYPES by Brienne Kylie May A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA 2021 APPROVED BY: Jillian L. Wendt, Ed.D., Committee Chair and Methodologist Michelle Barthlow, Ed.D., Committee Member 3 Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my biggest cheerleader, my husband Steve, who never let me lose sight of my goal and to my daughter, Fiana, who was born right in the middle of my doctoral journey and held the position of my greatest motivator from day one. 4 Acknowledgments I would like to thank my dissertation chair, Dr. Jillian Wendt for her patience, feedback, and endless encouragement and my committee member Dr. Michelle Barthlow for her guidance and expertise. I would also like to thank the students, teachers, principals, and superintendents who contributed to my data collection during a very difficult school year. 5 Abstract The purpose of this study is to determine whether students enrolled in ninth and 10th grade science classes implementing the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) have significantly different interests in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) compared to students enrolled in classes structured around alternate state standards unrelated to the NGSS. The study also investigates how such interests may differ among genders. No research has been conducted to date to determine the potential effects of the NGSS on student interest in STEM or whether these standards impact student interest at all. This study utilizes a causal-comparative design to study the potential effects of science standard type on student interest in STEM. The study participants include ninth and 10th grade students enrolled in general science classes from public school districts in NGSS and non-NGSS classrooms in the United States. Interest was measured using the Likert-style Science Technology Engineering and Math Career Interest Survey. A two- way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to compare the mean scores derived from the instrument regarding overall science interest, individual STEM subscales, and gender variations across the participating classrooms. The results of the study indicate a statistically significant difference between the measures on the science and technology subscales as well as the overall STEM scores based on science standard type. No significant difference was found, however, for the mathematics or engineering subscales or for student gender. Keywords: STEM, Next Generation Science Standards, science interest, gender differences 6 Table of Contents Dedication ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgments........................................................................................................................... 4 Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 5 Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ 6 List of Tables ................................................................................................................................... 9 List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... 10 List of Abbreviations......................................................................................................................11 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 12 Overview ....................................................................................................................................... 12 Background ................................................................................................................................... 12 Defining the NGSS ........................................................................................................... 13 Alignment of NGSS to Science Education Goals ............................................................. 15 Addressing the Needs of Diverse Learners ....................................................................... 19 Theoretical Background .................................................................................................... 22 Problem Statement ........................................................................................................................ 24 Purpose Statement ......................................................................................................................... 25 Significance of the Study .............................................................................................................. 26 Research Question ........................................................................................................................ 27 Definitions..................................................................................................................................... 27 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................... 29 Overview ....................................................................................................................................... 29 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 29 7 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................................. 30 Constructivist Theories ..................................................................................................... 31 Related Literature.......................................................................................................................... 37 Defining Interest ............................................................................................................... 41 Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 55 CHAPTER THREE: METHODS ................................................................................................. 58 Overview ....................................................................................................................................... 58 Design ........................................................................................................................................... 58 Research Question ........................................................................................................................ 59 Hypotheses .................................................................................................................................... 59 Participants and Setting................................................................................................................. 60 Instrumentation ............................................................................................................................. 62 Procedures ..................................................................................................................................... 65 Data Analysis ................................................................................................................................ 67 CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS .................................................................................................... 70 Overview ....................................................................................................................................... 70 Research Question ........................................................................................................................ 70 Null Hypotheses ............................................................................................................................ 70 Descriptive Statistics ..................................................................................................................... 71 Results ........................................................................................................................................... 71 Assumption Tests .............................................................................................................. 72 Null Hypothesis 1 ............................................................................................................. 78 Null Hypothesis 2 ............................................................................................................. 80 8 Null Hypothesis 3 ............................................................................................................. 81 Null Hypothesis 4 ............................................................................................................. 83 Null Hypothesis 5 ............................................................................................................