Using packaging material problems to promote student awareness about the role of mathematics in STEM

Abstract

STEM learning systems in which the roles of all subjects are unequal, may have a detrimental impact on student learning in neglected subject roles. Therefore, STEM learning packages should have sub-activities that assist students to see the interdependence of all disciplines, especially in mathematics. The nature of the content makes it quite difficult to link it to the mission of STEM. As a result, both teachers and learners are not explicitly aware of the role of mathematics in STEM. Mathematics should not be seen as a simple component in the design of STEM activities, but rather as a vital and necessary aspect. STEM activities based on packaging material problems were developed in this study. The goal is to promote student awareness of the role of mathematics in STEM activities. Seventy-one students, aged 16 and 17 years old, participated in a one-day STEM camp. When the activities were completed, it was found that assessment of student awareness of the role of mathematics in STEM activities was positive. Moreover, teamwork was assessed by groupmates. The evaluation results showed that their behavior was satisfactory. These results indicate that the developed activities are useful for STEM learning in classroom contexts that lack clear tasks reflecting the role of mathematics. Interested instructors can integrate this activity into one sub activity in their own classroom STEM learning packages as appropriate. © 2023 by the authors; licensee Modestum. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)..