The National Journal of Research in Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education recently published part of Dr. Zachary Grimes of Crowley’s Ridge College’s dissertation for publication.
The official publication, titled “Conceptions of Disciplinary Anxiety across Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Contexts: A Critical and Theoretical Synthesis” can be read and downloaded here:
One of the expert reviewers called the manuscript ‘very informative’ and stated that it ‘would make a significant contribution to the field of STEM education.’
Crowley’s Ridge College is very supportive of Dr. Grimes’ work in this area, and Grimes says he is very blessed to be at CRC because of it.
“STEM Education, particularly in PK-12, is currently undergoing some seismic shifts through calls from stakeholders and policymakers to address STEM integration. This means that we are on the cusp of a new subject being taught in school in some ways – the goal of having STEM classes that are separate from science and math, that will stand on their own. However, very few people have thought about the ramifications of this integration. Of specific importance are how this integration could theoretically impact students. People know about math anxiety, and we train teachers in how to address that with their students – but people are less familiar with anxiety in science or other disciplines. If we integrate these disciplines, are we going to see new anxiety manifestations in students? What if students are math anxious and science anxious – what will that look like in STEM classrooms? That was my goal with this work – to consider where we are headed in education, but keeping an eye on what we’ve learned. The main component of this publication is the development of a new framework for how we view and conceptualize anxiety in STEM classrooms. What are some ‘risk factors’ or other considerations that we know about in the individual component disciplines of STEM that we need to remain aware of in this new integrated, singular STEM classroom?” -Dr. Zachary Grimes, Crowley’s Ridge College.
