STEAM4U aims to promote equity in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) education by enhancing 10-14-year-old students’ self-efficacy (perception of their own capabilities) in these fields and, particularly, focussing on those students in disadvantaged situations in STEAM (e.g. girls, ethnical minorities, students from low socio-economic background...). There is a general agreement that STEAM competencies are needed to access to a full citizenship (OECD, 2013). STEAM literacy is crucial to enable people to make informed choices and to understand in broad terms the social implications of debates between STEAM experts and politicians. As well, in the next decade 80% of new job positions will require some kind of scientific or mathematical literacy. Access to labour market of young people will be endangered if we are not able to develop these competencies.However, students’ results on STEAM competence are low, in particular for disadvantage students. Behind this low results are different interrelated factors, such as lack of motivation regarding STEAM subjects and lack of aspirations regarding scientific careers, among others. Literature has shown, however, that one crucial factor impacting students’ low motivation, performance and aspirations is the low self-efficacy that students’, and particularly girls, minority ethnic groups and those with low socio-economic background, have regarding STEAM (which it is socially associated with brainy, rich, male professionals). For these groups research show that their beliefs regarding what they are capable to do in STEAM are worse than their actual capacities. Though self-efficacy is crucial to explain young people’s disinterest for STEAM, is not that easy to raise, since there is a lack of evidence-based strategies in the literature. In this regard, the project STEAM4U is intended to contribute evidence-based strategies for the promotion of STEAM equity through self-efficacy, that is, to test and validate in various contexts innovative approaches that could make STEAM education and careers more attractive, attainable and thinkable to all students (regardless of gender, ethnicity or social status). For these reasons, STEAM4U project will (1) propose, (2) analyse, (3) enrich and (4) report several strategies to promote self-efficacy in students when participating in STEAM-related activities in a variety of formal and non-formal educational contexts and initiatives. As well, the project will evaluate the affordances and limitations of the identified and proposed strategies for enhancing students’ self-efficacy in STEAM education in diverse educational scenarios, developing and providing tools for present and future initiatives in the field. Examples are an STEAM4U toolkit to assess strategies to promote students’ self-efficacy (O1) or a characterisation of strategies (O4). A particularly interesting outcome of the project will be O3 “STEAM is for me”, consistent in videos, access to personal checklist and questionnaires, and some guidelines for students themselves and their families to know about the concept of self-efficacy and its effects.The activities envisaged within the STEAM4U project are mainly addressed to students age 10-14 and in-service teachers, educators and managers of educational institutions (non-formal context) or schools (formal context). It is expected an indirect impact on 8800 people and a direct impact on 1500 students and 200 teachers/educators in 6 countries from 7 institutions.Expected project results will increase the knowledge on and the perception of importance of the concept of self-efficacy in STEAM education stakeholders at formal and non-formal level. For those students directly and indirectly participating on the project STEAM4U, an improvement of their self-efficacy is expected. As well, it is expected an impact on teachers/educators professional skills regarding the promotion of self-efficacy in their students. Finally, STEAM4U will open new lines of work by informing relevant stakeholders (mainly policy makers) with policy recommendations based on the research carried out by the STEAM4U team. The tools, knowledge and experiences develop in the project will be shared and disseminated nationally in a series of 6 multiplier events.Finally, STEAM4U project includes a set of measures to guarantee a long-term benefit from the obtained results. The intellectual outputs produced during the project and the contacts meet will remain active and available after the end of the project through the web portal and a virtual collaborative space (i.e. virtual blog) of the project. Through these actions, and other ones stated in the H.3. section, it is expected that students, teachers/educators, families, entities representatives, policy makers and other educational actors will make use of the STEAM4U outcomes beyond the duration of the project.
Being STEM literate is crucial to enable people to make informed choices and to understand in broad terms the social implications of debates between STEM experts and politicians. As well, in the next decade 80% of new job positions will require some kind of scientific or mathematical literacy (OECD, 2013). However, research has provided evidence that girls, minority ethnic groups and young people with low socioeconomic background usually feel disengaged from STEM, which reduce their future opportunities as citizens. This process of disengagement occurs especially between 10 and 14 years old (Archer, Dewitt, et al., 2010). Literature has shown the importance of self-efficacy beliefs on these minority collectives. The beliefs about what they are capable to do are worse than their actual capacities and affects negatively their actual capacities in STEM. Though self-efficacy is crucial to explain young people’s disinterest for STEAM, is not that easy to raise, since there is a lack of evidence-based strategies in the literature. The STEAM4U project aimed at promoting equity in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) education by enhancing 10-14-year-old students’ self-efficacy in these fields and, particularly, focussing on those students in disadvantaged situations in STEAM (girls, ethnical minorities, students from low socio-economic background...). The project was intended to contribute with evidence-based strategies for the promotion of STEAM equity through self-efficacy, that is, to test and validate in various contexts innovative approaches that could make STEAM education and careers more attractive, attainable and thinkable to all students (regardless of gender, ethnicity or social status). 7 partners have participated in the STEAM4U project. Florida and SINS Cardener are innovative schools characterised by a methodology based on interdisciplinary projects. In STEAM4U, Florida and SINS Cardener act as representatives of an official network of 10 innovative schools that have a similar socio-economic profile, educational approach and goal. Thomas More University College is a trendsetter in innovative STEM and science education in Flanders, Belgium. Through the organization of STEM academies, the university college tries to make STEM attractive to both young girls and boys in an informal manner. The Festival of Curiosity is an innovative festival of science, arts, design, culture & curious technology. The activities promoted by the festival combine science, engineering, technology, mathematics and arts (STEAM) are carried out in a non-formal educational context, involving children and their families and relatives. “Xké? Il laboratorio della curiosità” is an educational centre where elementary and middle schools perform hands-on science activities (tinkering). The Fundacja Uniwersytet Dzieci (The Children’s’ University Foundation) carry out workshops in which young children meet academics, artists and entrepreneurs who share their knowledge, ways of working and attitudes in STEAM. Finally, The Centre for Research in Science and Mathematics Education (CRECIM) is a research centre of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) devoted to Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology (MST) teaching and learning for all educational levels, and it is especially sensitive to the promotion of equity in STEM. The main activities undertaken within the STEAM4U program have been aimed at identifying and characterising current educational strategies with potential to increase self-efficacy in all participant partners; enriching such educational strategies and propose new ones for the promotion of students’ STEAM self-efficacy via the articulation and implementation of feasible challenges (STEAM4U challenges); evaluate the affordances and limitations of the identified and proposed strategies for enhancing students’ self-efficacy; and develop and offer to all stakeholders different tools and guidelines for the promotion of self-efficacy in STEAM and assessment of the impact of activities on participants’ self-efficacy on through the elaboration and publication of 4 different outputs. Tangible results of the project, which are the outputs, have been published at the project’s website (https://steam4u.eu) and the projects results platform. Almost 60.000 participants (students, teachers, volunteers & families) have directly participated and benefited from the enrichment of the initiatives, which are the main intangible results. For those students directly and indirectly participating on the project STEAM4U, an improvement of their self-efficacy was evidenced. As well, an impact on teachers/educators’ professional skills regarding the promotion of self-efficacy in their students has been also proved. As the partners have expressed their commitment to continue the implementation of the enriched activities after the EU funding, longer- term benefit are expected.