The effect of practical work and motivation on students’ desire to study stem subjects

Abstract

STEM is the foundation of all disciplines, yet fewer students are interested in pursuing such subjects due to fear and ‘difficulty’ associated with them. The Ghana Association of University Women (GAUW), the Ghana branch of Graduate Women International (GWI), believes that Motivation through various activities is key in solving such challenges. “Motivation refers to an inner drive to action that, in terms of observable consequences, might manifest itself in a pupil's decision” to actively study STEM subjects. There have been claims concerning the motivational worth of practical work, as students’ engage in both in and out laboratory activities to pursue science and mathematics related courses as they climb the academic ladder. This is a very useful means of evaluating the degree to which such assertions are reinforced by the facts. The purpose of this study was to ascertain if motivating Junior High School (JHS) students through talks and practical experiments on STEM subjects would remove the fear of STEM subjects. Respondents (79) were asked about their interest and perception about STEM subjects before and after the science clinic. The descriptive analysis revealed that JHS students’ interest in STEM subjects and the desire to study these subjects increased after participating in the programme. Those students who initially disliked the subjects and those who were neutral on whether they will pursue STEM subjects in Senior High School (SHS) or in the future changed their mind. Numbers shot up especially for mathematics (the most feared subject). Interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics can be boosted by motivational activities (talks, tours, etc) and practical learning (laboratory work, reading exercises, etc)