National Academy of Sciences • National Academy of Engineering • Institute of Medicine • National Research Council

As policy makers, educators, employers, and the public increasingly recognize the impor-tance of giving students a strong educa on in science, technology, engineering, and mathemat-ics (STEM), many new ini a ves are seeking to strengthen learning in these fi elds. While most eff orts address the STEM disciplines separately, there are growing calls to emphasize the con-nec ons among these subjects.

Advocates of more connected approaches argue that teaching STEM subjects in a more integrated way, especially in the context of real-world issues, can make these fi elds more relevant to students and ul mately increase their mo va on and achievement. Currently, however, there is li le research on how best to integrate the STEM disciplines or on what factors make integra on more likely to foster posi ve outcomes.

The Na onal Academy of Engineering and the Board on Science Educa on of the Na onal Research Council convened a commi ee to examine approaches to integrated STEM edu-

ca on, review evidence on student outcomes, and iden fy research priori es going forward. Their fi ndings are summarized in the 2014 report STEM Integra on in K-12 Educa on: Status, Prospects, and an Agenda for Research.

A FRAMEWORK TO GUIDE DISCUSSION AND RESEARCHBased on its review of the literature and of a sample of integrated STEM educa on ini a- ves, the commi ee developed a descrip ve framework with four high-level features: goals,

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2 March 2014STEM Integration in K-12 Education

outcomes, nature of integra on, and implemen-ta on. The framework is intended to provide researchers and prac oners with a common language to describe and advance their work. • Goals of programs may include building STEM

literacy and 21st century competencies; devel-oping a STEM capable workforce; and boos ng interest and engagement in STEM.

• Outcomes include learning and achievement; STEM course taking; STEM-related employ-ment; development of a “STEM iden ty”; and the ability to transfer understanding across STEM disciplines.

• Nature of integra on concerns the subjects that are connected; which disciplines are dom-inant; and the dura on, size, and complexity of an integra on ini a ve.

• Implementa on includes the instruc onal design, such as the use of problem-based learning and engineering design; type of edu-cator supports present, including pre- and in-service professional development; and adjust-ments to the learning environment, such as extended class periods or team teaching.

THE PROMISE AND TRADEOFFS OF INTEGRATED STEM EDUCATIONLooking across studies of outcomes from inte-grated STEM ini a ves, the commi ee found that connec ng STEM concepts and prac ces holds promise for increasing student learning. However, these gains may not be the same in all subjects. Integrated STEM educa on also shows promise in suppor ng knowledge gains in engineering and technology and in increasing students’ interest in STEM subjects. Given the small number of studies so far, however, these fi ndings must be interpreted cau ously. The commi ee also examined research from cog-ni ve psychology and the learning sciences for clues about the cogni ve mechanisms underlying integrated STEM educa on. Integra on may be eff ec ve because the mind organizes connected concepts in ways that make them easier for stu-dents to retrieve and use than unconnected con-cepts. These connected knowledge structures can help learners transfer their knowledge and understanding to unfamiliar situa ons. However,

integra on can also impede learning by placing excessive demands on cogni ve processes such as a en on and working memory. The use of real-world situa ons or problems in integrated STEM educa on also has advantages and drawbacks. While these contexts can bring STEM fi elds alive for students and poten ally deepen their learning, using richly detailed con-crete situa ons can also prevent students from iden fying important but more abstract ideas that are needed to transfer what they learn to other se ngs.

DESIGNING INTEGRATED STEM INITIATIVESTaken together, the fi ndings from research yield insights for how to design integrated STEM edu-ca on ini a ves:• Integra on should be made explicit. Students

do not spontaneously integrate concepts across diff erent representa ons and mate-rials on their own. The people who design integrated STEM experiences should provide inten onal and explicit support to help stu-dents build knowledge and skills within and across disciplines; currently, such supports are o en missing or implicit. In addi on, pro-grams that prepare educators to deliver inte-grated STEM instruc on need to help these educators make the connec ons among the disciplines explicit to their students.

• Students’ knowledge in individual disciplines should be supported. Connec ng ideas across disciplines is challenging when students have li le or no understanding of the relevant ideas in the individual disciplines. Integrated STEM educa on requires that students hone their exper se in the disciplines being con-nected. Designers of integrated STEM experi-ences need to a end to the learning goals and learning progressions in the individual STEM subjects, so as not to inadvertently undermine student learning in those subjects.

• More integra on is not necessarily be er. The poten al benefi ts and challenges of making connec ons across the STEM subjects sug-gest the importance of a measured, strategic approach to implemen ng integrated STEM

STEM Integration in K-12 EducationMarch 2014 3

educa on – one that accounts for the poten- al tradeoff s in cogni on and learning.

Parts of the K-12 STEM educa on community are already moving toward greater integra on. One important example is the recently published Next Genera on Science Standards (NGSS), which explicitly connect concepts and prac ces in sci-ence to those in engineering. The study com-mi ee urged that the energy and resources of researchers, prac oners, and concerned funders be directed at genera ng more though ul, high-quality, and evidence-based work exploring the benefi ts and limita ons of integrated STEM edu-ca on. The possibility of adding new tools to the STEM educa on toolbox is exci ng, said the commi ee, and should be coupled with rigorous research on and assessment of these eff orts.

IMPLEMENTATION OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES The report iden fi es three factors in the current educa onal context that present both opportuni- es and challenges for implemen ng integrated

STEM ini a ves: • New standards -- the Common Core State

Standards in Mathema cs and the NGSS – have the poten al to help students make con-nec ons across disciplines. However, these standards also raise challenges for integrated STEM educa on. One challenge is that some key concepts have diff erent meanings in dif-ferent fi elds. For example, argumenta on in mathema cs diff ers from argumenta on in science, so students will need to understand what makes scien fi c arguments diff erent from mathema cal arguments.

• The exper se of educators is a key factor – some would say the key factor – in determin-ing whether integrated STEM educa on can be done in ways that produce posi ve outcomes for students. One limi ng factor to teacher eff ec veness is teachers’ content knowledge in the subjects being taught. For example, most K-12 STEM teachers have taken fewer courses in the subject area they were trained in than is recommended by professional asso-cia ons, and many have taken few courses in areas of STEM other than those they have taught.

• Assessments could limit the extent to which integrated STEM can be incorporated into K-12 educa on, since exis ng assessments tend to focus on knowledge in a single discipline. The commi ee recommended that organiza ons with exper se in assessment research and development create assessments appropriate to measuring learning and other outcomes of integrated STEM educa on. Federal agencies with a major role in suppor ng STEM educa- on in the United States should consider sup-

por ng these eff orts. Addi onal fi nancial resources will be needed to help successfully implement integrated STEM educa on. Money, as well as me and planning, will be required to help educators acquire con-tent and knowledge in disciplinary areas beyond their previous educa on or experience. Funds will also be needed to design, pilot test, and implement any large-scale assessment.

RESEARCH AGENDATo guide future research in integrated STEM edu-ca on, the commi ee proposed a set of ques- ons in three key areas: outcomes, nature and

scope of integra on, and implementa on. For example, what instruc onal approaches are most likely to help make connec ons between and among STEM disciplines, and how can these out-comes be measured? What disciplinary knowl-edge can be learned in an integrated STEM set- ng? What knowledge is best learned in more

tradi onal ways? Overall, the commi ee noted, future studies of integrated STEM educa on need to document the curriculum, program, or other interven on in detail. Par cular a en on should be paid to the nature of the integra on and how it was supported. When repor ng on outcomes, researchers should be explicit about the type of integra on, the nature of the student supports and instruc onal designs used, and the type of evidence collected to demonstrate whether the interven on’s goals were achieved.

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COMMITTEE ON INTEGRATED STEM EDUCATIONMargaret A. Honey (Chair), New York Hall of Science, QueensLinda Abriola, Tu s University, Medford, Massachuse sSybilla Beckmann, University of Georgia, AthensSusan Hackwood, California Council on Science and Technology, RiversideAlfred L. Hall II, The University of Memphis, TennesseeJennifer Hicks, Purdue University, West Lafaye e, IndianaSteve Krak, Ohio STEM Learning Network Ba elle, ColumbusBill Kurtz, DSST Public Schools, ColoradoRichard Lehrer, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TennesseeBeth McGrath, Stevens Ins tute of Technology, Hoboken, New JerseyBarbara Means, SRI Interna onal, Menlo Park, CaliforniaDonna Migdol, Oceanside School District, New YorkMitchell Nathan, University of Wisconsin, MadisonMark Sanders, Virginia Polytechnic Ins tute and State University, BlackburgMichael Town, Redmond High School, Duvall, Washington

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL STAFFGreg Pearson, Study Director and Senior Program Offi cer, Na onal Academy of EngineeringHeidi Schweingruber, Study Codirector and Deputy Board Director, Board on Science Educa on, Na onal Research CouncilJay Labov, Senior Advisor for Educa on and Communica on, The Na onal AcademiesCameron H. Fletcher, Senior Editor, Na onal Academy of EngineeringMaribeth Keitz, Senior Program Associate, Na onal Academy of EngineeringRebecca Krone, Program Associate, Board on Science Educa on, Na onal Research Council.

FOR MORE INFORMATION… This brief was prepared by the Na onal Academy of Engi-neering and the Division of Behavioral and So-cial Sciences and Educa on based on the report STEM Integra on in K-12 Educa on: Status, Prospects, and an Agenda for Research. The study was sponsored by the S.D. Bechtel Foun-da on, the Stephen Bechtel Fund, the Na onal Science Founda on, and the Samueli Founda- on. Any opinions, fi ndings, conclusions, or rec-

ommenda ons expressed in this publica on are those of the authors and do not refl ect those of the sponsors. Copies of the report are available from the Na onal Academies Press; (800) 624-6242; http://www.nap.edu/stem-integration.

A short video about the report is available at http://youtu.be/AlPJ48simtE.

Copyright © 2014 by the Na onal Academy of Sciences. Permission is granted to reproduce this document in its en rety, with no addi ons or altera on.