The Impact of Social Justice Aligned Performance Tasks on the Awareness of Civic Responsibility in Adolescents: A STEM Perspective

Abstract

This action research explores the impact of social justice aligned performance tasks on the awareness of civic responsibility of adolescents. The primary question of this STEM education action research is what impact does integrating social justice aligned performance tasks in computer science and college-preparatory math courses have on the awareness of civic responsibility by adolescents? This action research uses a mixed methods approach to identify the changes in a pre- and post-survey and a thematic analysis of student reflections. The findings suggest social justice aligned performance tasks result in an increase in their awareness of community and social justice issues and real-world connections. Furthermore, more research is needed on social justice-aligned performance tasks in STEM courses, such as in higher level math and computer science at the secondary level or other topics in the field of STEM. This can lead to a higher need for more research on the impact of this work on the awareness of civic responsibility in adolescents. Lastly, more research, such as individual interviews or focus groups could help illuminate what students’ perceptions are of the issues and of their ability to make an impact on such issues.