scholarly journals A CASE STUDY OF NEEDS ASSESSMENT OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) EDUCATION IN LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOLS

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 242-264
Author(s):  
Loh Su Ling ◽  
Vincent Pang ◽  
Denis Lajium
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Needs Assessment ◽  
Stem Education ◽  
Secondary Level ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Integrated Stem ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Lower Secondary Schools

Background and Purpose: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in the formal school curriculum can be described as a STEM-related individual subject; as a learning package offering learning pathway for STEM elective subjects and as an integrated STEM learning approach. This study focuses on the needs assessment of STEM education as a learning approach among lower secondary school teachers in a local district in Malaysia. The current and desired situations were analysed as well as the causal factors which guide the choice of any intervention programs to address the actual needs.   Methodology: Three schools were selected through heterogenous purposive sampling. The teachers from each school were selected through criterion sampling based on predetermined criteria.   31 teachers from the lower secondary level who teach STEM related subjects as well as the head of panel and departments of the STEM subjects, were selected as the participants. Focus group and one-to-one interviews were conducted with the participants after receiving their consent.   Findings: There is a gap between the desired situation and the current situation in the implementation of integrated STEM education. The implementation of STEM education at the lower secondary level can be facilitated through various means such as a comprehensive STEM education professional development or training for teachers, collaborations between STEM subjects teachers through lesson studies or professional learning community, and working together with local STEM expertise or community of practice.   Contributions: The findings provide relevant information and guidance on the selection of intervention for the integrated STEM education in addressing the needs. It also initiates the planning of the integrated STEM education programs which focuses on the gaps as the means to achieve the desired results.   Keywords: STEM education, needs assessment, case study, gap, interventions   Cite as: Loh, S. L., Pang, V., & Lajium, D. (2021). A case study of needs assessment of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in lower secondary schools. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 6(1), 242-264. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol6iss1pp242-264

scholarly journals The Effect of Augmented Reality on Students’ Learning Performance in Stem Education

Information ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 209
Author(s):  
Plamen D. Petrov ◽  
Tatiana V. Atanasova
Keyword(s):  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Stem Education ◽  
3D Visualization ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
School Year ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Enrichment Program ◽  
And Mathematics

The effect of one of the most popular 3D visualization and modelling technologies with haptic and touch feedback possibilities—augmented reality (AR)—is analysed herein. That includes a specific solution, incorporating augmented reality. A case study for delivering STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) content using this tool at one secondary school in Sofia is presented. The experience gained in one school year of using facilities for a STEM enrichment program has been examined.

scholarly journals Implementation of STEM in Secondary Mathematics Classrooms: Identification of Teachers' Beliefs

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Onder Koklu, Ph.D. ◽  
Peter PHAN
Keyword(s):  
Stem Education ◽  
Mathematics Teachers ◽  
Secondary Level ◽  
Secondary Mathematics ◽  
Math Teachers ◽  
Mathematics Classrooms ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Online Form

The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers’ beliefs about the implementation of STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) approach in secondary (6-12 grades) mathematics classes and identify intervening belief aspects. A questionnaire was developed regarding practicing secondary level mathematics teachers’ beliefs about the implementation of STEM in mathematics classes. An online form of the questionnaire was created and sent to all secondary math teachers in two counties in the state of Florida. Eighty-two were received back from teachers. The results of factor analysis confirmed that items were distributed under five major aspects. Finally, the results of the data analysis disclosed that although most teachers believe that the implementation of STEM education is necessary, some have concerns about the effectiveness of the implementation because of shortages of materials, resources, and equipment needed for implementation of STEM. Another important finding is that teachers don’t have appropriate and sufficient knowledge for the implementation of STEM activities.

scholarly journals Bridging the Gap between Secondary and Higher STEM Education – the Case of STEM@school

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (S1) ◽  
pp. S135-S157
Author(s):  
Jolien De Meester ◽  
Jelle Boeve-de Pauw ◽  
Marie-Paule Buyse ◽  
Stijn Ceuppens ◽  
Mieke De Cock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Education ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Stem Education ◽  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
Tips And Tricks ◽  
Highly Qualified ◽  
Integrated Stem ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Opt Out ◽  
And Mathematics

Our rapidly changing society needs highly-qualified STEM professionals (experts in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) to develop solutions to the problems it is facing. Many of the students who graduate from a STEM programme in secondary education, however, opt out of STEM when enrolling in higher education, often due to a loss of interest. To ensure sufficiently high and qualified enrolment in higher STEM education, we need to bridge this gap between secondary and higher STEM education by showing our youngsters the relevance of science and technology to their personal life and environment. To this end, the project STEM@school promoted and studied the idea of integrated STEM in secondary education in Flanders, Belgium. In integrated STEM education, learning contents from the separate STEM courses are linked in an authentic way, as they often are in our environmental challenges. This approach encourages students as well as their teachers to acquire a robust understanding of STEM concepts, and a creative, inquisitive, and collaborative mindset. For the design of integrated STEM curricula, STEM@school united secondary-school STEM teachers and university researchers. This article elaborates on the principles, opportunities and challenges of the design and implementation of these curricula and discusses their promising effects on students’ conceptual understanding and attitudes towards STEM subjects. The article concludes with tips and tricks to get started with integrated STEM education in secondary schools.

scholarly journals Optimistic Fiction as a Tool for Ethical Reflection in STEM

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Strong Hansen
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
Stem Education ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Professional Ethics ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Ethical Reflection ◽  
Field Of Study ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Ethics Guidelines

AbstractGreater emphasis on ethical issues is needed in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. The fiction for specific purposes (FSP) approach, using optimistic science fiction texts, offers a way to focus on ethical reflection that capitalizes on role models rather than negative examples. This article discusses the benefits of using FSP in STEM education more broadly, and then explains how using optimistic fictions in particular encourages students to think in ethically constructive ways. Using examples of science fiction texts with hopeful perspectives, example discussion questions are given to model how to help keep students focused on the ethical issues in a text. Sample writing prompts to elicit ethical reflection are also provided as models of how to guide students to contemplate and analyze ethical issues that are important in their field of study. The article concludes that the use of optimistic fictions, framed through the lens of professional ethics guidelines and reinforced through ethical reflection, can help students to have beneficial ethical models.

scholarly journals Problematizing teaching and learning mathematics as “given” in STEM education

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeping Li ◽  
Alan H. Schoenfeld
Keyword(s):  
Mathematics Education ◽  
Stem Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Teaching And Learning Mathematics ◽  
Learning Mathematics ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Scientific Engineering

AbstractMathematics is fundamental for many professions, especially science, technology, and engineering. Yet, mathematics is often perceived as difficult and many students leave disciplines in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as a result, closing doors to scientific, engineering, and technological careers. In this editorial, we argue that how mathematics is traditionally viewed as “given” or “fixed” for students’ expected acquisition alienates many students and needs to be problematized. We propose an alternative approach to changes in mathematics education and show how the alternative also applies to STEM education.

4IR and Right to Education in Nigeria: Synergybetween Legal Instruments and Stem Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 2286-2295
Author(s):  
Mariam Adepeju Abdulraheem-Mustapha
Keyword(s):  
Stem Education ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Research Collaboration ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Right To Education ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Laws And Policies ◽  
The Relationship

Laws and policies have important roles to play in advancing the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) through Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) research in Nigeria. STEM education and knowledge brings about development by converging scholars across the world with recent research discoveries. In order for Nigeria to reap the maximum benefits from the 4IR, its legal system must come in line with the principles advanced by the 4IR. It is important to state that the laws which have been enacted before the contemporary era are inadequate and obsolete. Education (STEM education inclusive) which will benefit the most from thenewrevolution would demand new legal instrumentsthat are adequate and effective to cater for the legal and policy demands of the 4IR by bringing forth a more current and inclusive legal protection for all the relevant beneficiaries. Using doctrinal methodology, thispaperexamines4IR and right to education in Nigeria with a view to establishing the relationship between the legal instruments and STEM education with the objective of advancing the agenda of the relevance of all fields of education for the next generation.The paper is divided into six sections and the findings show that, education (STEM education inclusive) is bedeviled with many challenges andthe extant laws are inadequate to solve them.Thus, making the goal of 4IR unachievable in Nigeria. To reach the greatest dexterities in all works of life, the paper concludes by bringing the significance of laws and policies that wouldaccommodate free STEM education in secondary and tertiary school levels in order to answer the call for 4IR. It recommends research collaboration across STEM fields for integrated curriculum and an amendment of the Constitution. It also advocates for gender equality and investing more in STEM education for having a transformative shift in Nigeria for the purpose of achieving 4IR.

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and gendered math teaching in Kuwait

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 327-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatimah Ahmad ◽  
Heather Greenhalgh-Spencer
Keyword(s):  
Education Research ◽  
Math Education ◽  
Math Performance ◽  
Science Study ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Women And Girls ◽  
Math Teaching ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Mathematics And Science

This paper argues for a more complex literature around gender and math performance. In order to argue for this complexity, we present a small portion of data from a case study examining the performance of Kuwaiti students on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and on Kuwait national math tests. Westernized discourses suggest that girls have a harder time in math classes; these discourses frame and are reified by prominent literature and practices within the field of math education research that suggest that women and girls need help in order to reach their potential in math. These Westernized discourses stand in contrast to the discourses in Kuwait that normalize women and girls as outperforming boys in all subjects – including all science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects. As our study shows, the reality is more complex. And, while the reality is more complex, we yet lack the discourses to understand this complexity.

scholarly journals How STEM Academy Teachers Conceptualize and Implement STEM Education

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-58
Author(s):  
Teruni Lamberg ◽  
Nicole Trzynadlowski
Keyword(s):  
Elementary Teachers ◽  
Stem Education ◽  
Teacher Interviews ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Subject Areas ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Reading Activities ◽  
Science Activities

STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education has been gaining increasing nationwide attention. While the STEM movement has ambitious goals for k-12 education, a lack of shared understanding exists of what STEM is as well as how to implement STEM in the elementary classroom. This study investigates how seven elementary teachers in three STEM academy schools conceptualize and implement STEM in their classrooms. Teacher interviews were conducted. The findings reveal that the majority of teachers believe that STEM education involves integrating STEM subject areas. STEM activities consisted of student-led research and reading activities on STEM topics. Two teachers described STEM as involving “hands-on” science activities. Teachers at each STEM academy school conceptualized and implemented STEM differently. How STEM was implemented at each school was based on how teachers interpreted STEM and the resources they had access to. The STEM coaches played a central role in supporting the elementary teachers to plan and implement lessons. Teachers relied on them for ideas to plan and teach STEM lessons. The results of this study indicate that as more schools embrace the STEM movement, a unified understanding and resources are needed to support teachers.

The influence of a design-based elective STEM course on pre-service chemistry teachers’ content knowledge, STEM conceptions, and engineering views

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 954-972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sevgi Aydin-Gunbatar ◽  
Aysegul Tarkin-Celikkiran ◽  
Elif Selcan Kutucu ◽  
Betul Ekiz-Kiran
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Content Knowledge ◽  
Stem Education ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Chemistry Teachers ◽  
Integrated Stem ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Pre Service Teacher ◽  
Similar Development

In this study, we sought to examine the influence of a 12 week design-based elective Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) course on pre-service chemistry teachers’ content knowledge, STEM conceptions, and engineering and engineering design views. To attain the goals determined, we utilized five STEM activities starting with a daily-life problem and an iterative engineering design process to solve the problem. A chemistry test with 11 two-tier items, and interviews focusing on STEM and engineering conceptions were administered at the beginning and at the end of the course. Moreover, a reflection paper was collected after each activity. Eight junior pre-service chemistry teachers participated in the study voluntarily. Deductive and inductive data analyses were used to investigate the influence of the course on participants’ content knowledge, STEM conceptions, and engineering and engineering design views. The results revealed that the design-based STEM course helped pre-service teachers deepen their content knowledge. Additionally, most of the participants defined integrated STEM education as an acronym (n= 6) and very few mentioned the interdisciplinary dimension of STEM education superficially at the beginning (n= 3). At the end, they mentioned interdisciplinary nature as connecting at least two dimensions of STEM, and they emphasized engaging in real-world problems, designing a product or process and inquiry-based and/or problem-based learning. Regarding engineering and engineering design views, a similar development was observed. Although their views were undeveloped or underdeveloped at the beginning, they enriched their views and mentioned defining criteria, creativity and integration to science and mathematics that are characteristics of engineering and design processes. Implications for including STEM courses in pre-service teacher education programs were provided.

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