Connecting STEAM Classroom Data to Student Achievement Data: An Empirical Perspective

Emerging STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) classrooms in K-12 schools across the United States have prompted researchers to question the impact of STEAM instruction on student achievement. This study examined the relationship between STEAM classroom instructional environment measures and students’ achievement scores in mathematics and language arts using standardized achievement tests. 

Researchers captured multifaceted STEAM instructional strategies associated with creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills using a numeric observation scale associated with four levels of intensity. A series of Spearman Rho correlation procedures were performed to examine the relationship between the classroom observation data (independent variables) and state standardized achievement scores (dependent variables). These data were empirically connected to students’ achievement scores derived from state standardized testing data. 

Implications of empirically connecting STEAM instructional practices to student achievement outcomes may offer an action plan for school districts to capture empirical evidence, thereby assisting them with STEAM funding challenges. Implications of the study may also provide evidence for researchers for determining: (a) effective STEAM instructional strategies; (b) purposeful STEAM professional development; and (c) strategic workforce preparation skills necessary for moving STEAM forward into a global community of learners.