Tel-Hai Magazine 2023-2024

The Benefits of STEM Research Apprenticeships: Cultivating scientific aspirations among high school students

Tel-Hai College, given its location in Israel’s northern periphery. Disparities between Israel’s center and its peripheries are evident in various factors, including matriculation scores, limited choices of schools and extracurricular activities that support student development in the fields of science and technology (Ben-David & Kimhi, 2020; Harus & Davidovitch, 2019). Tel-Hai College, particularly with its upcoming transition to university status, is anticipated to significantly advance scientific and technological education by expanding collaboration with regional education systems and offering a range of enrichment programs. These activities have the potential to reduce educational gaps and foster a more equitable education. A notable initiative is the STEM Research Apprenticeship Program (STEM-RAP), offering students hands on scientific experience. Apprenticeships, an age-old learning method, inspired this program to create an immersive environment to reshape students' perception of science. Professor Irit Sasson, the founder of the Sidney Warren Science Education

Center for Youth at Tel-Hai College, is a science educator with extensive experience in the research of educational effectiveness, with a particular focus on academic, social, and emotional factors. She also leads the master’s degree program in the Department of Education at Tel-Hai College. In a recent study, she collaborated with Mercedes Edri, who formerly served as the pedagogical coordinator of the Sidney Warren Science Education Center for Youth, and who worked towards her doctorate degree under the guidance of Prof. Sasson and Prof. Yehudit Dori from the Faculty of Education, Science and Technology at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. This collaboration led to an investigation of the STEM Research Apprenticeship Program. The research delved into several key aspects affecting students: (a) their emotional landscape, encompassing self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation, and their perception of control over learning, (b) their inclination towards pursuing careers in STEM fields, and (c) the dynamics of interaction between mentors and students. To facilitate this investigation, a combination of open

The realm of science and technology faces challenges that are reflected in both student attitudes towards these disciplines and in low international achievements. The Sidney Warren Science Education Center at Tel-Hai College addresses these challenges by nurturing STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) for middle and high school students. The center's focal point is to foster motivation for higher education, particularly in the fields of science and technology. These fields are crucial to Prof. Irit Sasson Head of the master’s degree program in Education, Founder of the Sidney Warren Science Education Center for Youth at Tel-Hai

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