Kindergarten STEM: Hands-on Experiences vs. Learning Technologie

This study compared students' ability to apply knowledge gained from the learning models of hands-on experiences and utilizing learning technologies through the use of a STEM design challenge. The participants of the study were 19 kindergarten students studying Forces and Interactions: Pushes and Pulls. In the study, participants were taught six distinct standards- based lessons through these two modalities. Students were taught three lessons using hands-on experiences and three lessons using learning technologies. After the lessons were taught and assessed, the participants engaged in two STEM design challenges. The challenges, similar in format, required the students to grapple with finding solutions to a problem aligned with the standards of the unit. This study analyzed the data collected from these solutions. The objective was to find a trend in the successes of students to design solutions rooted in knowledge gained from learning through hands-on experiences or through using learning technologies. In this study, 100% of the participants were able to successfully apply knowledge gained from lessons taught through hands-on experiences, while only 50% of the participants were able to successfully apply knowledge gained from learning technologies.