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March 21, 2026Education SciencesOpen Access

What Science Fairs Reveal About STEM Learning

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Authors

SGSu GaoUniversity of Central FloridaSJShiva JahaniUniversity of Central FloridaHLHaiying LongUniversity of Kansas

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Implication

Pilot study reveals gains in STEM understanding and engagement in K-12 students, suggesting implications for teaching methods.

Key Points

  • This study aims to evaluate how participation in science fairs impacts students' understanding of science and engineering practices and their engagement in STEM activities.
  • Investigated outcomes of 166 students in grades 6-12 participating in a science and engineering fair.
  • Employed a retrospective pretest-posttest correlational design to assess changes in students' perceptions.
  • Analyzed data using paired-samples t-tests and multiple regression analyses to identify relationships between motivations and perceived outcomes.
  • Students demonstrated significant improvements in perceived understanding of science and engineering practices post-fair.
  • High school students' gains were positively linked to self-challenge and community motivations.
  • Middle school students showed a different, yet comparable pattern in their gains related to participation.

Cite This Study

Gao et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69be35a96e48c4981c67411ehttps://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16030482
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