From silos to synergy in STEM education: Promoting interdisciplinary STEM education to enhance the science achievement of students with learning disabilities

Abstract

Recent studies have posited that K-12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education should go beyond traditional subject silos and take an interdisciplinary approach that integrates these core subjects into a cohesive curriculum to foster authentic problem-solving skills. The purpose of this study was to field test one of five proposed packages of interdisciplinary STEM lessons to examine its feasibility for further revisions of lesson development. The study employed a piecewise linear growth model to examine growth patterns of students’ science vocabulary acquisition and contextualized problem-solving skills during a 40-week observation period. Results showed that all students with learning disabilities ( N = 9) made significant knowledge gains in these two areas and maintained them for a long term—two and four weeks post intervention. Our findings are encouraging and provide initial evidence for effective lesson design to support STEM education for students with learning disabilities.