Measures aimed at strengthening high school students' motivation and interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields can gain effectiveness when they consider the differences between school contexts and student groups. This is the conclusion of a study recently published by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). The study indicates that differences in motivation, interest, and identity regarding STEM fields, as well as their links with gender, study track, and school level, do not follow the same pattern across all school contexts. Researchers therefore highlight the importance of a context-adapted approach, where general STEM initiatives allow sufficient flexibility to adapt to specific school environments and student groups.
This study, conducted by Christophe Kegels under the supervision of Professor Valérie Thomas (Brussels Innovation for Learning and Diversity Research Centre, VUB) and in collaboration with Dr. Haydée De Loof (KdG), compared fifth and sixth-year secondary education students in the Kempenrand region, near Antwerp. The results show that general assumptions about STEM motivation do not systematically apply to all schools in practice. For instance, one school showed a marked difference in STEM identity between boys and girls, while this difference was entirely absent in another comparable school. The hypothesis that STEM motivation decreases everywhere with age also proved incorrect: in one school, sixth-year students indeed scored lower than fifth-year students, but in the other school, the interest and intrinsic motivation of the older students were notably higher.
According to researcher Christophe Kegels, this clearly demonstrates that each school must be considered a unique ecosystem. The blind implementation of general interventions or mandatory focus on specific target groups, such as only girls, can even be counterproductive in certain schools. 'If schools wish to improve the quality of education and the number of students oriented towards STEM fields, they must first identify the specific needs of their own students,' explains Kegels. 'A standard set of measures simply does not work because the starting situations of schools are too different.'
This study is part of a broader initiative driven by Professor Hugo Thienpont (B-PHOT VUB) and the Helios Foundation. To sustainably increase enrollment in STEM fields and measure the impact of initiatives, a new STEM Academy is under construction in the Zenne Valley (including in Gooik). As part of the doctoral program, effectiveness is being evaluated for both annual extracurricular projects – such as robot construction in collaboration with industrial partners like Siemens, Colruyt Group, and Velleman – and short-term school interventions.
To provide direct support to teachers and policymakers with scientifically based tools, VUB researchers are currently finalizing a practical guide. This guide helps teachers integrate effective and immediately applicable pedagogical methods into their classrooms, tailored to specific learning objectives and the diversity of their student population.
