When educators started incorporating the letter A into the STEM acronym to form STEAM some science educators had reservations. Seen from a western, rationalistic way of knowing (Colucci-Gray et al. 2017, 23) the STEM community had detractors regarding the idea of integrating art into science. Hence, scientific language is often thought of as being…

Currently, studies on STEAM education or arts integration focus on students' experiences rather than teachers' challenges. Thus, the purpose of this dissertation is to set an example for policymakers, educators, and researchers, to provide better support for art-integrated mathematics and biology teachers by understanding their professional…

Middle school is a transitional period in which many students experience content-specific teachers, travel between classrooms, and explore extracurricular activity options for the first time. Historically, African American middle school students have not fared well in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) on standardized…

Middle school is a transitional period in which many students experience content-specific teachers, travel between classrooms, and explore extracurricular activity options for the first time. Historically, African American middle school students have not fared well in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) on standardized…

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate self-efficacy as a potential mediator in the relationship between the amount of time students spent during high school participating in the arts and their current science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) motivation levels. The study participants (N = 68) were between the ages of…

Recent STEAM programs have made accomplishments in recruiting K-12 girl students to participate in STEAM activities. Educational researchers have called for studies of how STEM programs engage girls. However, little research has embedded STEM education with girl education such as their emotional needs, identity, and self-expression. This study…

Scientific reasoning and aesthetics are not mutually exclusive disciplines, as scientists' achievements are based not only on cognitive ability, but also on creativity, imagination, and embodied thought through various experiences. With the aim of investigating the role of aesthetic experience in the learning processes involved in the integration…

Virtual reality (VR) and electronic field trips (EFT) can introduce youth to natural environments, climate change mitigation strategies, and related STEM careers. We developed a VR and EFT outreach program featuring scientists working on living shorelines for coastal restoration as a response to sea-level rise and examined the program's impacts on…

The Impact of Facilitating Art Experiences for Students with Language-Based Learning Disabilities Through the Use of Universal Design for Learning Within a Makerspace will address the topics of utilizing Universal Design of Learning (UDL), and Project-Based Learning (PBL) to deliver an arts-based STEAM curriculum within a Makerspace, in order to…

A curriculum that integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (called STEM education) has been implemented in K-12 schools in the United States for several years. The purpose of this article is to explore the further integration of issues-based art education into STEM education (hereafter-called issues-based STEAM education) to…

This paper presents results from an exploratory case study on the use of Origami for developing design thinking with a group of 22 middle school girls participating in a summer STEM program. The case study combines the process of design thinking, common in STEM-based exploration, and aligned to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) with the art…

Recent reforms have introduced integrated science, technology, engineering, and math education (STEM) that has highlighted an interdisciplinary approach to train students as better problem solvers. In addition to STEM disciplines, art, language, and other disciplines integration are also stressed (STEM+). In this paper, a STEM+ (STEM + art +…

The next generation of STEM professionals needs to understand interconnections between human and Earth systems to be able to address complex, multifaceted, emerging global environmental issues. Interest in STEM fields and professions can begin in middle school. To educate and connect middle school students to Earth systems and STEM fields, we…

Redefining the educational model of science, technology, engineering, and math curriculum (STEM) to also include art to become STEAM (Fournier, 2013; Guyotte, Sochacka, Constantino, Walther, & Kellam, 2014) is a current method to encourage students to actively participate in 21st-century learning (Saxena, 2014). The skills emphasized for…

Examining lessons learned through 4 years of experience of hosting Camp Launch, a university-based residential science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) enrichment program for low-income, high-ability, middle school students, this article explores components of the program and offers suggestions for implementing programs that serve…