Impact of Argumentation-Based STEM Activities on Ongoing STEM Motivation

Abstract

STEM education has emerged as an important educational goal in recent years. Argumentation-based STEM approach important discourse process in STEM education. The aim of this research was to examine the impact of argumentation-based STEM activities on students’ ongoing STEM motivations. The embedded mixed method has been used in this research. The research has been conducted for sixteen lesson hours at a public school with 45 students including experimental and control groups. STEM motivation scale has been used for the collection of quantitative data, and argumentation-based STEM activities have been used for the collection of qualitative data in the research. Averages, Wilcoxon test, and Mann–Whitney U test has been used in the analysis of quantitative data, and content analysis has been used in the analysis of qualitative data. According to the results obtained, it has been observed that there is a positive change in favor of the experimental group for STEM motivation with argument-based STEM activities. STEM motivations of the 11-year-old student groups have been found to be higher than the 12-year-old student groups. No significant difference was found in terms of gender in STEM motivation of argumentation-supported STEM activities. Within the scope of argument-based STEM activities, it is understood that students have a high level of STEM motivation. The main implication of this research is that the argument-based STEM activities have the potential to be used to understand students’ learning motivation in STEM. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.