Multidiscipline interactions in STEM: Analysis by artifact

Integration of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines in K-12 education have been promoted through national education standards and a variety of curricular initiatives. This research examines the adoption of these standards through analysis of book purchasing pattern information available through amazon.com. A directed network was developed starting with four “root” books chosen to represent either key education standards (in the cases of science, technology and mathematics) or an assessment of the current K-12 educational status (in the case of engineering). The network was then built by branching out from the four core books using the amazon.com database of purchase history (“Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought.”) Two additional levels of purchases for the books were compiled resulting in approximately one hundred and twenty-five books per discipline. Network analysis techniques were then employed to investigate various properties of the compiled network. An exploration into the purchasing patterns provides insight into how these standards are being adopted and the relationships between the disciplines. The results of the analyses of the network suggest that there is significant integration of the four disciplines, though some disciplines align more closely than others.