Science is the most appropriate course to train the students for innovation qualifications and 21st  century skills. However, the students’ confidence in science and engineering subjects continues to decline as they grow in age (Knight & Cunningham, 2004). Jacob and others (2002) mentioned that the students’ motivational beliefs, in other words, expectancies and values decline as they progress through school (as cited in Barron & Hulleman, 2014). According to the expectancy-value theory of motivation, expectancy concept is about mostly actual achievement and cognitive achievement, while value concept is about mostly choice behaviors which provides the individuals to achieve in the future (Pintrich & Schunk, 2001). According to Eccles and Wigfield (1995), individuals’ expectancies could be analyzed as a factor, but task values cover three factors which are attainment value, utility value and interest value.

Motivated students have better academic success by asking questions, participating in labs, and making cooperative learning (Schunk, Pintrich, & Meese, 2008), so they must get activities and courses that are meaningful for their personality (as cited in Chumbley, Haynes, & Stofer, 2015). Therefore, the students’ motivational beliefs and attitudes towards science are positively influenced from their educational environment (Fortus & Vedder-Weiss, 2014). In order to reach that goal, many developments and regulations were carried out in science curricula. In 2017 Turkish Science Curriculum, “Science and Engineering Application” was added as a new unit in each grade level based on STEM Education (MEB, 2017). The word of STEM is abbreviation of first letters of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. STEM makes a bridge between these four different disciplines, so it is an interdisciplinary area (Meng, Idris & Eu, 2014). Then, by revising 2017 Turkish Science Curriculum, beginning from 4th grade, the students are expected to make activities as part of “Science, Engineering and Entrepreneurship” by considering their daily life problems within the context of 2018 Science Curriculum. Therefore, Furner and Kumar (2007) stated that individuals’ motivation and academic achievement can be increased with STEM Education in which real world problems based on active learning and teaching are used.

The effect of STEM Education on the students’ motivation and academic achievement was studied in many researches. For example, Olivarez (2012) conducted a study about the effect of STEM program (including hands-on group activities about designing a project to solve real world problems) on 8th grade students’ performance and achievement in science course. The results of the study showed that 8th grade students who were trained with STEM program performed better than the ones who were not trained with STEM program on science achievement test. Moreover, Chittum, Jones, Akalın and Schram (2017) investigated the effect of afterschool STEM program (including inquiy-based approach and interdisciplinary approach of hands-on group activities about solving real world problems) on 5th, 6th and 7th grade students’ motivation and engagement in STEM topics and activities. The results of the study showed that STEM program positively motivated the students and that the experience in STEM program had a positive impact on the students’ perceptions about science. In a similar vein, the aim of the present study was to examine the effects of STEM activities on 7th grade students’ motivational values towards science. Moreover, a case study was conducted with 7th grade students, participated in the STEM Club. Therefore, this study was designed to address the following research questions;

• What is the effect of STEM activities on 7th grade students’ motivational values towards science?
• What are the views of the 7th grade students who participate in STEM activities about motivational values towards science?

In this study, quantitative research was operated by supporting with qualitative data to attain the purpose of the study. A total of 30 7th grade students in a private school selected conveniently in Eskişehir were involved in this study. While the students in experimental group (N=15) participated in both science lessons and STEM Club, others in comparison group (N=15) participated in only science lessons. The researchers considered the students to have equivalent science exam scores in both groups. Quantitative data were collected by a questionnaire named “MUSIC Model of Academic Motivation Inventory (Turkish translation of the Middle/High School Student version) (MUSIC Inventory)”. Moreover, qualitative data were collected by a questionnaire named “Motivational Values Towards Science (MVTS)” to support quantitative results of the study. Tuncer Boon (n.d.) adapted “MUSIC Inventory (Middle/High School Student version)” into Turkish language as MUSIC Inventory (as cited in Jones, 2017). The questionannire is a 6-point Likert-type scale and covers 18 items in terms of 5 different sub-dimensions of MUSIC Model which are empowerment, usefulness, success, interest and caring. MVTS was developed by the first author of the study by considering some open-ended questions in different studies (Jones, 2017; Evans, Jones, & Akalın, 2017; Jones, Watson, Rakes, & Akalın, 2012). The questionnaire is open-ended scale and covers 8 questions in terms of 4 different sub-dimensions which are usefulness, success, interest, and caring and cost. At the end of the instructions, two different instruments which are MUSIC Inventory and MVTS were administered to the students in experimental group while only MUSIC Inventory was administered to the students in comparison group. During 9 weeks, 4 lesson hours per week, curriculum-based instruction by considering related objectives for 7th grade in 2018 Turkish Science Curriculum was administered to the both experimental and comparison groups by the first researcher of the study. However, in experimental group, the students also involved in STEM activities at the STEM Club within this period in school time for 9 weeks, 2 lesson hours per week. Two different STEM activities were administered according to two different lesson plans (Lesson Plan for Airplane Construction and Lesson Plan for Drawbridge Construction) depending on solving a real life problem. In data analysis, quantitative data collected by MUSIC Inventory were analyzed by independent sample t-test via IBM SPSS Statistics 24.0. Moreover, content analysis was used for the analysis of the qualitative data collected by MVTS for 15 students in experimental group.

Descriptive results for MUSIC Inventory showed that there is mean difference between the scores of the students taught with only science lesson and the students taught with science lesson and also participating in STEM Club with respect to students’ motivational values towards science M=95.67, SD=8.457, t(28)=2.663, p= .013. Mean value of the experimental group was greater than that of the comparison group. Therefore, it can be concluded that the differences between groups can be explained by participation in STEM Club. Engagement in STEM activities might have a more positive effect about their motivational values (usefulness, success, interest, caring and cost) towards science. The results of the content analysis of MVTS in experimental group presented that the students find the science course as useful because of finding solutions for their daily life problems, choosing related occupation in the future, considering science course as instructive, entertaining and developing creativity. They think that some factors are effective on their success in science course such as loving the teacher and science, making a test about science, STEM Club, and listening the teacher in lesson. In addition, the science course is interesting for them because of being entertaining and interesting of science course, covering space topics, loving science, and finding solutions for problems. Lastly, the teacher’s some attitutes and behaviors (guiding in the students’ projects, answering the students’ in detail, encouraging the students to science course) provide the impression that s/he cares about them as a person and their studies. In the similar vein, the results of previous studies showed the positive effect of STEM programs on students’ motivational values towards science which are attainment, interest and utility values (Chittum, Jones, Akalın & Schram, 2017; Furner & Kumar, 2007).

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