Quantifying K-12 and College Student Learning Outcomes of STEM Guitar Building

There is a national initiative to incorporate integrated science, technology, engineering, and math ( STEM) in K-16 classrooms. This study quantified student learning outcomes related project-based STEM guitar building curriculum implemented in institutions serving students grades 6-8, 9-12, and at the college level. Faculty participants were provided with tools and training needed to implement STEM guitar building curriculum. The curriculum included students building guitars as well as completing pre-and post-assessments that tested their knowledge of 12 modular learning activity skills, such as electronics, scale length, and guitar geometry. These skills align with the Common Core math standards and the Next Generation Science Standards. The data collected include pre-and post-assessment from 769 students in 15 states. Analysis of the pre-and post-assessment scores using the Wilcoxon signed ranks test demonstrated a significant increase in scores for each of the 12 MLAs; each post-assessment score was statistically significantly higher than the corresponding pre-assessment score at the p<.05 level. Overall, the STEM guitar building curriculum resulted in improvements in pre-and post-assessment scores measuring STEM related concepts for this group of 769 students.