An Examination of Middle School Students' STEM Self-Efficacy with Relation to Interest and Perceptions of STEM.

IntroductionRecent calls for widespread educational reforms are supported by evidence that US students are not adequately prepared for college, the work force, and our technologically advanced 21st century society (International Society for Technology in Education [ISTE], 2007; National Research Council [NRC] 2013; Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2002). The situation is especially desperate in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, where the demand for STEM professions and careers is scarcely lacking US candidates (U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, 2012). For the past 30 years, there has been a steady decline in the number of individuals entering science and engineering related fields. The annual growth rate for science and engineering jobs has doubled compared to other professions. However, national trends for attrition and retirement in the workforce project that the number of qualified US candidates entering the field is far below the amount needed to adequately meet the needs of the profession. The mismatch between qualified US candidates and the personal needs of the engineering field is partially attributed to retirement. The bulge of engineers established during the "Baby Boom" era (e.g., born between 1946-1964) will need to be replaced. The average age of the science and engineering laborer has increased from 37 to 41 since 1993 (NSF, 2012). Looking across degree fields, the average age of metallurgical, mineral, and mining engineers is over 50 (NSF, 2012). This trend indicates a substantial population of engineers nearing retirement.This aging of the engineering workforce requires an urgent response to increase the number of students in STEM, and particularly engineering, career pathways. One significant factor to consider to help facilitate students' success in STEM education and professions is developing students' positive self-efficacy beliefs. Indeed, significant scholarship shows that students' self-efficacy beliefs are the foundation for entrance and persistence in the STEM profession. For instance, research documents that students' self-efficacy beliefs predicts students' intentions to persist in engineering (Schaefers et al., 1997; Concannon & Barrow, 2010), performance and ability to reach academic milestones (Pajares & Miller, 1994), one's perceived outcomes (Larose et al., 2006), and interest (Fouad & Smith, 1996). In response to the need to encourage more students in STEM and build students self-efficacy beliefs, we have purposefully designed and planned instruction to engage and captivate students' interest in learning to promote long-lasting understanding and perseverance. In accordance with national reform, we have implemented lessons that are student-led, focus on meaningful interactions with data, and provide opportunities for students to construct claims based on scientific evidence (NRC, 2013). The purpose of this study is directly related to investigating the impacts of STEM instruction. The first goal of the study was to determine if STEM instruction has an impact on participants' attitudes, perceptions, beliefs, and self-efficacy. The second goal is to explore the interaction of factors that play a significant role in students STEM experiences.Theoretical Framework-Self EfficacyIn order to understand the factors that are important for STEM learning and persistence, researchers must identify important components of an individual's belief system. Self-efficacy is one of the most significant components of a student's belief system and strongly related to students persistence in STEM pathways (Concannon & Barrow, 2010). The concept of self-efficacy was first described by Bandura (1977) who explained that it is comprised of an individual's belief in their ability to perform and successfully complete a specific task. The task may refer to a multitude of actions; for example, a student's lack of confidence in his or her abilities to do well on a physics test stems from low self-efficacy. …