04/02/2021
By Robin Hall

The College of Education invites you to attend a doctoral dissertation defense by Tyler Shelden on “Making and Math: Exploring How an Integrated STEM Maker Unit Impacts Upper Elementary Math Development.”

Date: Monday April 12, 2021
Time: 5 p.m. EST
Location: This will be a virtual defense via Zoom. Those interested in attending should email
Michelle_ScribnerMacLean@uml.edu at least 24 hours prior to the defense to request access the meeting.

Dissertation Chair: Michelle Scribner-MacLean, Ed.D., Clinical Professor, College of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Dissertation Committee:

  • Anita Greenwood, Ed.D., Dean Emeritus, College of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Kathleen McLaughlin Ed.D., Scholar of Practice

Abstract:
Elementary curricular units that combine science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) into an integrated academic approach challenge and engage students through authenticity of problems and multidisciplinary complexity in potential solutions. A subset of integrated STEM education that emphasizes personalized creation and open-source collaboration is the maker movement. The maker unit is a modern twist on the traditional shop class where digital technologies, such as 3D printers and computer processors, expand the creation applications of students. Academic maker units typically combine engineering principles with technology in science and math classes to create solutions to modern issues. These applications challenge and engage students, but do they impact mathematics education enough to redesign science and math curricular structures into integrated STEM maker units?

This study explored the impact of an integrated STEM maker unit on mathematics development at the fourth-grade level. Mathematics development in this context refers to achievement as measured by student scores on standardized assessments and math self-efficacy as measured by self-reported levels through surveys and interviews. This study utilized a quasi-experimental mixed methods data analysis approach on the evidence of mathematics development gathered from an integrated STEM maker unit to determine if the increase in mathematical achievement and self-efficacy was significant enough to recommend this model of curriculum development. This study found that both treatment and control groups experienced achievement gains in a limited set of mathematical skills, specifically those taught as part of the standard instructional curriculum. However, only the treatment group experienced gains in math self-efficacy related to the use of tools to gather data. These findings highlight the need to clearly align any integrated STEM maker unit to mathematical instruction to preserve math achievement gains while allowing for self-efficacy gains in math practices that are potentially not highlighted in the normal curriculum.