There is a need for secondary schools to provide more hands-on experiences in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and specifically, more contextualized project-based investigation (PBI) environments in the classroom that manifest the next generation science standards. This study investigated how, and to what extent, a 10-week contextualized aquaponics project-based investigation (APBI) affected urban high school students’ attitudes toward STEM, aquaculture and aquaponics, and interest in future STEM-related disciplines and/or STEM career pathways. Currently, there is little research published in technical literature on how APBI may engage students in increasing attitudes and interest in aquaculture/aquaponics fields as a career choice and, more generally, STEM disciplines.
Using a quantitative quasi-experimental research design, two different student groups participated in a hands-on APBI project and were given pre- and post-attitude/interest surveys (n=37). The 12 survey items were rated by a 5-point Likert-type scale that measured changes in student interest and attitudes toward STEM as discipline and as an area of interest. In addition, the survey included a profile of the respondents with the demographic items.