Investigation on the effect of STEM applications on course success and related math attitude

The general purpose of this study is to examine the effects of using STEM applications in mathematics lesson on students'academic success and mathmetics attitudes. In the research, a quasi-experimental model with an unpaired control group pre/post-test design was used to determine whether there was a difference the attitudes, academic achievements of students in mathematics lessons taught using STEM applications and traditional mathematics. The research group consists of 73 students who attended the 6th grade of Emir Sultan Secondary School in Bahçelievler district of Istanbul in the 2019-2020 academic year and the researcher took the mathematics lesson. The groups in which the researcher attended the mathematics lesson were experimental and which were the control groups were determined by random assignment. Within the scope of data collection tools, students' 1st term mathematics course grade averages, Fractions Unit Test (FUT) and TIMSS items; Attitudes Towards Mathematics Scale (ATMS) was used to measure attitudes. Within the scope of the research findings, a significant difference was found in favor of the experimental group in both achievement tests (Fractions Unit Test and TIMSS items). In the anxiety and necessity sub-dimensions of the attitude scale, while STEM applications had an effect in favor of the experimental group; There was no impact within the scope of interest and study sub-dimensions. As a result, it has been found that STEM applications increase the academic achievement of students in mathematics lesson and have a positive effect on their attitudes towards mathematics (anxiety and necessity sub-dimensions).