Effects of the STEM SOS Model on Achievement and STEM Attitudes in Teaching the Interaction of Light with Matter

In this research, the effects of implementing the subject of interaction of light with matter using the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Students on the Stage (STEM SOS) model on students' achievement and attitudes were investigated. The study group consisted of 42 seventh-grade students enrolled in a middle school in Türkiye during the 2023–2024 academic year.The experimental group received instruction through activities based on the STEM SOS model Students’ academic achievement was measured using a 30-item achievement test developed by the researchers, for which the average difficulty index, average discrimination index, and KR-20 reliability coefficient were 0.406, 0.748 and 0.771, respectively. Students’ STEM attitudes were assessed using the STEM Attitude Scale developed by Faber et al. (2013) and adapted into Turkish by Yıldırım and Selvi (2015), with a reported Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient of 0.94. In the experimental group, students were divided into groups of five and engaged in student-centered activities both in and out of the classroom based on the STEM SOS model, focusing on the topic of light’s interaction with matter. At the first level of the model, students’ interest and curiosity regarding the topic were stimulated through open-ended questions; at the second and third levels, experimental observations were conducted as part of project tasks, and the findings were transformed into tangible products. The final test results revealed a statistically significant difference in favor of the experimental group in terms of attitudes toward STEM and academic achievement.