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Towards an Understanding of STEM Engagement: a Review of the Literature on Motivation and Academic Emotions

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Abstract

There are international calls to enhance learner engagement in STEM. Further, there are international concerns about the gender disparity in interest, aspiration, and participation in STEM. These calls recognise the role that learners’ motivation in, and emotional response to, STEM plays in their participation and achievement in STEM education. However, there is a lack of understanding as to what constitutes “engagement” in STEM education. In this article, we adopt an educational psychology-based definition of engagement that is influenced by motivational and emotional constructs. We review a purposive sample of student motivation and academic emotion literature to reveal pertinent insights about student STEM engagement. The review pays particular attention to findings associated with gender and offers a summary of the limited research around educational interventions informed by motivational models. This review reveals that self-concept, self-efficacy, and task value are important for STEM engagement, performance, subject selection, and career aspirations. Mastery goals are linked to high effort and persistence in STEM, while autonomy, relatedness, and growth mindsets improve STEM participation and achievement. Further, girls have lower self-concept in STEM, are less likely to hold interest and utility value, and are more likely to attribute failure to a lack of ability. Finally, negative emotional responses to STEM can form early and persist throughout schooling. These affective aspects need to be understood and explicitly addressed as part of any successful strategy to improve engagement in STEM education, and to address the significant gender equity issues associated with STEM.

Résumé

Il y a des appels internationaux visant à accroitre le niveau d’engagement dans les STEM. De plus, on note une préoccupation au niveau international quant à la disparité entre les sexes lorsqu’il est question d’intérêt, d’aspirations et de participation à l’égard des STEM. Ces appels reconnaissent le rôle que jouent la motivation des étudiants et leurs réactions émotives dans la participation et la performance en enseignement /apprentissage des STEM. Cependant, un manque de compréhension persiste en ce qui concerne la définition exacte de ce qu’est l’engagement dans les STEM. Dans cet article, nous adoptons une définition de cet engagement fondée sur la psychologie éducative, influencée par des construits motivationnels et émotionnels. Nous analysons un échantillonnage raisonné de documents sur la motivation étudiante et sur le comportement affectif afin de révéler des informations pertinentes au sujet de l’engagement des étudiants dans les STEM. L’analyse se penche en particulier sur les résultats liés à la différence de sexe, et présente un résumé des quelques travaux portant sur les interventions pédagogiques qui tiennent compte de modèles motivationnels. L’analyse révèle que l’image de soi, l’efficacité personnelle et la valeur de la tâche sont importantes pour ce qui a trait à l’engagement, à la performance, au choix du sujet et aux aspirations professionnelles dans les domaines STEM. Les buts de maîtrise sont liés à l’effort soutenu et à la persévérance dans ces domaines, tandis qu’une mentalité axée sur l’autonomie, la relation et le perfectionnement améliorent la participation et les résultats. De plus, les filles ont une image de soi moins positive en STEM, ont une probabilité moins élevée de valoriser les STEM ou de soutenir leur intérêt pour ces domaines, et sont plus facilement prêtes à attribuer leurs échecs à un manque d’habileté. Enfin, des réponses émotives négatives à l’égard des STEM peuvent se développer très tôt et persister pendant toute la formation scolaire. Il est nécessaire de comprendre et d’affronter explicitement ces aspects affectifs si on veut promouvoir une stratégie efficace pour améliorer l’engagement envers l’enseignement/apprentissage des STEM, et enrayer les problèmes significatifs de disparité entre les sexes associés aux STEM.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Paige Lee for her assistance in conducting this review.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, Charles Sturt University, Boorooma Street, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2650, Australia

    Steve Murphy

  2. School of Education, Charles Sturt University, Elizabeth Mitchell Drive, Albury, NSW, 2640, Australia

    Amy MacDonald

  3. School of Teacher Education, Charles Sturt University, Panorama Avenue, Bathurst, NSW, 2795, Australia

    Cen Audrey Wang

  4. Faculty of Arts and Education, Charles Sturt University, Panorama Avenue, Bathurst, NSW, 2795, Australia

    Lena Danaia

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Murphy, S., MacDonald, A., Wang, C.A. et al. Towards an Understanding of STEM Engagement: a Review of the Literature on Motivation and Academic Emotions. Can. J. Sci. Math. Techn. Educ. 19, 304–320 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42330-019-00054-w

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