| Project- and research-based learning has long been a part of many secondary schools' curricula but does the new fusion of these methods with the STEM initiative correlate positively with academic achievement? The purpose of this causal comparative study was to explore the relationship between the ACT scores of high school students and participation in STEM based research projects.;Data for the study were obtained data from students in the 16 county Upper Cumberland area some of whom participated and others did not participate in STEM based research projects. The data were analyzed using a multivariate analysis of covariance, controlling for ability and gender. The results of this study indicated, overall, there were no differences in ACT scores between participants and nonparticipants. However males who participated in STEM-based projects scored slightly significantly higher than males who did not participate in STEM-based projects in Science. |
