The research process for this paper includes reviewing existing literature including scholarly
articles, books, and government papers and reports as well as conducting interviews and
surveys with people who are currently active in the STEM disciplines, many of whom are
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colleagues that I have worked with on past projects. Using their influence and through
interpersonal networking, I also conducted interviews with people in both the arts and the
STEM disciplines to determine what their perception is on whether the arts may help to foster
creativity and innovation in their own content area, be it science, engineering, math or
technology. Information was gathered from each study participant or interviewee to discern
what effect, if any, the arts played in their career choice or field of study as well as what
influence the arts still carries in their daily lives (whether they are still active in the arts in one
way or another) and how they perceive creativity as a necessary function of what they do both
personally and professionally.
In order to gain a better perception on professional opinion of STEM + the Arts a survey was
constructed comprised of 21 questions that included multiple choice, ratings, and essay
questions. The survey sample size was 236 recipients of which 67 responses were received for a
penetration rate of 28%. The participants in the survey sample came from multiple professions
and age ranges and included multiple disciplines from STEM and the Arts were represented as
well as participants who perceived themselves as not being part of either area of study. The
people who identified themselves as being non-STEM or non-Arts respondents were 35% of the
total survey sample. Of the non-STEM, non-arts respondents, 58% of those who identified
themselves as “Other,” were professional educators or administrators from different disciplines
that were not STEM or arts related.
In the construction of this thesis, the biggest limitation was creating a sample size that was
representative of all of the demographic groups that I wished to research. The survey sample
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was created largely from colleagues and friends of the author with the possible expansion to
some of their colleagues and friends who share the same interest in the subject matter. This
may have created a biased sample that leaned heavily toward pro-arts integration or making
the arts a core subject without the time or resources to explore the other side of this argument.
By expanding the sample size and incorporating a more widely varying sample of professionals
in the STEM fields, a more accurate picture may emerge with regards to opinions on arts
integration into core subjects including the STEM disciplines.
This study is not intended to advocate for STEAM. Many of the scholarly articles and other
sources gathered are primarily for just that purpose. Rather, I intend to assess and evaluate
current trends in the STEM disciplines and how creativity and innovation are a part of the daily
lives of those who work in their respective fields. I will be measuring how much of an arts
background an interviewee or survey taker has as well as whether they perceive that arts
education has helped them in their core field of study. I also intend to gain new insights from
those professionals working in the STEM fields as to how best to integrate arts curriculum and
STEM curriculum in such a way that will provide a positive experience for the 21
st
century
learner in either discipline.
Another challenge in creating this study was having enough quality interview subjects/survey
takers from each respective discipline. Besides using the circle of influence of the researcher,
various professional organizations were contacted to identify and select members that were
able to be used as survey takers. Given this somewhat impersonal approach to creating and
distributing this survey, the penetration/completion rate was 28%. Dr. Brad McLain, co-director
at X-Sci, Experiential Research Collaborative at the University of Colorado, Boulder also gave
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opinions on this topic and provided the researcher with scholarly articles that were used in the
creation of this thesis.
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