초·중등 학생들의 STEAM 태도와 이공계 진로선호에 관한 연구

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate elementary and secondary school students’ STEAM attitudes and core competence of STEAM, and their career interests in STEM area, and propose directions for implementation of STEAM. STEAM attitudes consist of interests and self-efficacy, and STEAM core competencies consist of caring, communication, creativity, and convergence. Data were collected a total of 336 students in the southern part of Korea. The results obtained from this study were summarized as follows. First, interests and self-efficacy of elementary and middle school students were found to be more positive than those of high school students. Male students had more positive reactions than female students especially in motivation and increased interest to science and to mathematics. Second, caring and communication of elementary students showed higher than those of secondary school students, and there was no gender difference. On the other hand, there was a gender difference in creativity and convergence. Female students had more positive reactions than male students in elementary and middle school, but opposite in high school. Third, career interests in STEM area were found to be the highest in elementary school and the lowest in high school. There was statistically significant difference, but only middle school students had it in the case of gender. Fourth, there was meaningful correlation between STEAM attitudes, caring and communication of elementary and secondary school students and their career interests in STEM area. Creativity and convergence did not have effect on the career interests in STEM area. Fifth, scientific interests in elementary school, self-efficacy to science in middle school and communication in high school were the main factors of career interests in STEM area by regression analysis. The implications of this study are as follows: First, there is a need of development and implement STEAM program with consideration to level of school and gender. Second, teacher should actively participate in the in-service teacher's STEAM program. Third, the program should have more exclusive teachers in elementary level for practical uses.