Beyond Content: The Role of STEM Disciplines, Real-World Problems, 21st Century Skills, and STEM Careers within Science Teachers’ Conceptions of Integrated STEM Education
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. Literature Review
1.1.1. Teacher Conceptions of STEM Education
1.1.2. Beyond Content in Integrated STEM Education
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Research Design
2.2. Conceptual Framework
2.3. Study Context and Participants
2.4. Data Collection and Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Overall Conception of Integrated STEM Education
3.2. Conceptualizing the Role of S, T, E, and M in Integrated STEM Education
3.2.1. The Role of Science in Integrated STEM Education
Epistemological Construct
A Central Feature in STEM
Relationship of Science to Other STEM Disciplines
3.2.2. The Role of Technology in STEM Education
Tools to Engage in STEM
Digital Tools
A Product of Engineering
Relationship of Technology to Other STEM Disciplines
3.2.3. The Role of Engineering in STEM Education
Design-Focused
Solving Problems
Relationship of Engineering to Other STEM Disciplines
3.2.4. The Role of Mathematics in STEM Education
Tools and Practices
Epistemological Construct
Relationship of Mathematics to Other STEM Disciplines
3.3. Conceptualizing STEM beyond Content Integration
3.3.1. Real-World Problems
3.3.2. Real-World Problems as Context
3.3.3. Relevance of the Real-World Problem
3.3.4. 21st Century Skills
3.3.5. 21st Century Skills Are a Pedagogical Choice
3.3.6. 21st Century Skills Need to Be Developed
3.3.7. 21st Century Skills Relate to Technology
3.3.8. Promoting STEM Career Awareness
3.3.9. Promotion of STEM Careers through Curricula
3.3.10. Promotion of STEM Careers through Partnerships
3.3.11. Diversity-Oriented Promotion of STEM Careers
4. Discussion
4.1. The Multiplicity of Conceptions and Connections
4.2. Content-Agnostic Characteristics: An Emphasis on the Future
4.3. The Bigger Vision of Integrated STEM Education
4.4. Limitations
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
- National Research Council. A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas; The National Academies Press: Washington, DC, USA, 2012. [Google Scholar]
- NGSS Lead States. Next Generation Science Standards: For States, by States; The National Academies Press: Washington, DC, USA, 2013. [Google Scholar]
- National Research Council. Successful K-12 STEM Education: Identifying Effective Approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics; The National Academies Press: Washington, DC, USA, 2011. [Google Scholar]
- National Research Council. Monitoring Progress toward Successful K-12 STEM Education: A Nation Advancing? The National Academies Press: Washington, DC, USA, 2013. [Google Scholar]
- Dare, E.A.; Ring-Whalen, E.A.; Roehrig, G.H. Creating a continuum of STEM models: Exploring how K-12 science teachers conceptualize STEM education. Int. J. Sci. Educ. 2019, 41, 112–144. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Breiner, J.M.; Harkness, S.S.; Johnson, C.C.; Koehler, C.M. What is STEM? A discussion about conceptions of STEM in education and partnerships. Sch. Sci. Math 2012, 112, 3–11. [Google Scholar]
- Bybee, R.W. Advancing STEM education: A 2020 vision. Tech. Eng. Teach. 2010, 70, 30–35. [Google Scholar]
- Martín-Páez, T.; Aguilera, D.; Perales-Palacios, F.J.; Vílchez-González, J.M. What are we talking about when we talk about STEM education? A review of literature. Sci. Educ. 2019, 103, 799–822. [Google Scholar]
- Navy, S.L.; Kaya, F.; Boone, B.; Brewster, C.; Calvelage, K.; Ferdous, T.; Hood, E.; Sass, L.; Zimmerman, M. “Beyond an acronym, STEM is…”: Perceptions of STEM. Sch. Sci. Math 2021, 121, 36–45. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ring-Whalen, E.A.; Dare, E.A.; Roehrig, G.H.; Titu, P.; Crotty, E.A. From conception to curricula: The role of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in integrated STEM units. Int. J. Educ. Math. Sci. Technol. 2018, 6, 343–362. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Bartels, S.L.; Rupe, K.M.; Lederman, J.S. Shaping preservice teachers’ understandings of STEM: A collaborative math and science methods approach. J. Sci. Teach. Educ. 2019, 30, 666–680. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Radloff, J.; Guzey, S. Investigating preservice STEM teacher conceptions of STEM education. J. Sci. Educ. Tech. 2016, 25, 759–774. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Roehrig, G.H.; Dare, E.A.; Ellis, J.A.; Ring-Whalen, E.A. Beyond the Basics: A Detailed Conceptual Framework of Integrated STEM. Disc. Interdisc. Sci. Ed. Rsch. 2021. Forthcoming. [Google Scholar]
- Moore, T.J.; Johnston, A.C.; Glancy, A.W. STEM integration: A synthesis of conceptual frameworks and definitions. In Handbook of Research on STEM Education; Johnson, C.C., Mohr-Schroeder, M.J., Moore, T.J., English, L.D., Eds.; Routledge: London, UK, 2020; pp. 3–16. [Google Scholar]
- National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council. STEM Integration in K-12 Education: Status, Prospects, and an Agenda for Research; The National Academies Press: Washington, DC, USA, 2014. [Google Scholar]
- Gow, L.; Kember, D. Conceptions of teaching and their relationship to student learning. Br. J. Educ. Psychol. 1993, 63, 20–33. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Trigwell, K.; Prosser, M.; Waterhouse, F. Relations between teachers’ approaches to teaching and students’ approaches to learning. High. Educ. 1999, 37, 57–70. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ring, E.A.; Dare, E.A.; Crotty, E.A.; Roehrig, G.H. The evolution of teacher conceptions of STEM education throughout an intensive professional development experience. J. Sci. Teach. Educ. 2017, 28, 444–467. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Luft, J.A.; Diamond, J.M.; Zhang, C.; White, D.Y. Research on K-12 STEM professional development programs: An examination of program design and teacher knowledge and practice. In Handbook of Research on STEM Education; Johnson, C.C., Mohr-Schroeder, M.J., Moore, T.J., English, L.D., Eds.; Routledge: London, UK, 2020; pp. 361–374. [Google Scholar]
- Dare, E.A.; Ellis, J.A.; Roehrig, G.H. Understanding science teachers’ implementations of integrated STEM curricular units through a phenomenological multiple case study. Int. J. STEM Educ. 2018, 5, 1–19. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Du, W.; Liu, D.; Johnson, C.C.; Sondergeld, T.A.; Bolshakova, V.L.J.; Moore, T.J. The impact of integrated STEM professional development on teacher quality. Sch. Sci. Math. 2019, 119, 105–114. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Johnson, C.C.; Sondergeld, T.A. Effective STEM professional development. In STEM Road Map: A Framework for Integrated STEM Education; Johnson, C.C., Peters-Burton, E.E., Moore, T.J., Eds.; NSTA Press: Arlington, VA, USA, 2015; pp. 203–210. [Google Scholar]
- Shernoff, D.J.; Sinha, S.; Bressler, D.M.; Ginsburg, L. Assessing teacher education and professional development needs for the implementation of integrated approaches to STEM education. Intnl. J. STEM Educ. 2017, 4, 13. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Wang, H.-H.; Moore, T.J.; Roehrig, G.H.; Park, M.S. STEM integration: Teacher perceptions and practice. J. Pre-College Eng. Educ. Rsch. 2011, 1, 1–13. [Google Scholar]
- Hill, C.; Corbett, C.; St. Rose, A. Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics; AAUW: Washington, DC, USA, 2010. [Google Scholar]
- Vakil, S.; Ayers, R. The racial politics of STEM education in the USA: Interrogations and explorations. Race Ethn. Educ. 2019, 22, 449–458. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Lachapelle, C.; Cunningham, C. Engineering in elementary schools. In Engineering in Pre-College Settings: Synthesizing Research, Policy, and Practices; Purzer, S., Strobel, J., Cardella, M., Eds.; Purdue University Press: West Lafayette, IN, USA, 2014; pp. 61–88. [Google Scholar]
- Monson, D.; Besser, D. Smashing milk cartons: Third-grade students solve a real-world problem using the engineering design process, collaborative group work, and integrated STEM education. Sci. Child. 2015, 52, 38–43. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Djonko-Moore, C.; Leonard, J.; Holifield, Q.; Bailey, E.; Almughyirah, S. Using culturally relevant experiential education to enhance urban children’s knowledge and engagement in science. J. Experiential. Educ. 2018, 41, 137–153. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Moll, L.C.; Amanti, C.; Neff, D.; Gonzalez, N. Funds of knowledge for teaching: Using a qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms. Theory Into Pract. 1992, 31, 132–141. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Upadhyay, B.R. Using students’ lived experiences in an urban science classroom: An elementary school teacher’s thinking. Sci. Educ. 2005, 90, 94–110. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Science and Engineering Indicators 2020: The State of U.S. Science and Engineering (NSB-2020-1). Available online: https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20201/ (accessed on 1 June 2021).
- Partnership’s Web Site. A State leader’s Action Guide to 21st Century Skills: A New Vision for Education; Partnership for 21st Century Skills: Tucson, AZ, USA, 2006; Available online: http://apcrsi.pt/website/wp-content/uploads/20170317_Partnership_for_21st_Century_Learning.pdf (accessed on 10 November 2021).
- Bellanca, J.; Brandt, R. 21st Century Skills: Rethinking How Students Learn; Solution Tree Press: Bloomington, IN, USA, 2010. [Google Scholar]
- Stehle, S.M.; Peters-Burton, E.E. Developing student 21st Century skills in selected exemplary inclusive STEM high schools. Int. J. STEM Educ. 2019, 6, 39. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Trilling, B.; Fadel, C. 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times; Jossey-Bass: Hoboken, NJ, USA, 2009. [Google Scholar]
- Bybee, R.W. A Case for STEM Education; NSTA Press: Arlington, VA, USA, 2013. [Google Scholar]
- Johnson, C.E.; Peters-Burton, E.E.; Moore, T.J. STEM Road Map: A Framework for Integrated STEM Education; Routledge: London, UK, 2016. [Google Scholar]
- National Education Association. Preparing 21st Century Students for a Global Society: An Educator’s Guide to the “Four Cs”; National Education Association: Washington, DC, USA, 2012. [Google Scholar]
- Cox, C.B. 21st Century Skills and Principles of Flow in the Foreign Language Classroom (Publication No, 4197). Master’s Thesis, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA, 2014. [Google Scholar]
- Hughes, C. Theory of Knowledge aims, objectives and assessment criteria: An analysis of critical thinking descriptors. J. Rsch. Intnl. Educ. 2014, 13, 30–45. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Browne, M.; Keeley, S. Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking, 6th ed.; Prentice Hall: Hoboken, NJ, USA, 2001. [Google Scholar]
- Mednick, S. The associative basis of the creative process. Psyc. Rev. 1962, 69, 220–232. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Finke, R.A.; Ward, T.B.; Smith, S.M. Creative Cognition: Theory, Research and Applications; MIT Press: Cambridge, MA, USA, 1992. [Google Scholar]
- Carpenter, J.P.; Pease, J.S. Preparing students to take responsibility for learning: The role of non-curricular learning strategies. J. Curric. Instr. 2013, 7, 38–55. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Jonassen, D.; Strobel, J.; Lee, C.B. Everyday problem solving in engineering: Lessons for engineering educators. J. Eng. Educ. 2006, 95, 139–151. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- North Central Regional Educational Laboratory & Group. EnGauge 21st Century Skills: Literacy in Digital Age; North Central Regional Educational Laboratory: Naperville, IL, USA, 2003. [Google Scholar]
- Husin, W.; Fadzilah, W.N.; Arsad, M.; Nurazidawati, O.; Oziah, H.; Lilia, R.; Sattar, M.; Osman, K.; Iksan, Z. Fostering students’ 21st century skills through project oriented problem based learning (POPBL) in integrated STEM education program. Asia-Pac. Forum Sci. Learn. Teach. 2016, 17, 1–18. [Google Scholar]
- President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). Prepare and Inspire: K-12 Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) for America’s Future. 2010. Available online: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/pcaststemed-report.pdf (accessed on 1 May 2021).
- Barth, J.M.; Masters, S. Changes in math and science interest over school transitions: Relations to classroom quality, gender stereotypes, and efficacy. Intnl. J. Gend. Sci. Tech. 2020, 12, 4–31. [Google Scholar]
- Xie, Y.; Fang, M.; Shauman, K. STEM education. Annu. Rev. Sociol. 2015, 41, 331–357. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Johnson, A.; Elliott, S. Culturally relevant pedagogy: A model to guide cultural transformation in STEM departments. J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. 2020, 21, 5. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Hazari, Z.; Sadler, P.M.; Sonnert, G. The science identity of college students: Exploring the intersection of gender, race, and ethnicity. J. Coll. Sci. Teach. 2013, 42, 82–91. [Google Scholar]
- Upadhyay, B.; Atwood, E.; Tharu, B. Actions for sociopolitical consciousness in a high school science class: A case study of ninth grade class with predominantly indigenous students. J. Rsch. Sci. Teach. 2020, 57, 1119–1147. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Cohen, C.; Patterson, D.G.; Kovarik, D.N.; Chowning, J.T. Fostering STEM career awareness: Emerging opportunities for teachers. Wash. State Kappan 2013, 6, 12–17. [Google Scholar]
- Knowles, J.G.; Kelley, T.R.; Holland, J.D. Increasing teacher awareness of STEM careers. J. STEM Educ. 2018, 19, 47–55. [Google Scholar]
- Merriam, S.B. Qualitative Research and Case Study Applications in Education: Revised and Expanded from Case Study Research in Education; Jossey-Bass Publishers: Hoboken, NJ, USA, 1998. [Google Scholar]
- Mills, A.J.; Durepos, G.; Wiebe, E. (Eds.) Encyclopedia of Case Study Research; SAGE: Thousand Oaks, CA, USA, 2009. [Google Scholar]
- Kelley, T.R.; Knowles, J.G. A conceptual framework for integrated STEM education. Intnl. J. STEM Educ. 2016, 3, 2–11. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Dare, E.A.; Ring-Whalen, E.A. Eliciting and refining conceptions of STEM education: A series of activities of professional development. Innov. Sci. Teach. Educ. 2021, 6, 1–19. [Google Scholar]
- Corbin, J.; Strauss, A. Basics of Qualitative Research, 4th ed.; SAGE: Thousand Oaks, CA, USA, 2015. [Google Scholar]
- Miles, M.B.; Huberman, A.M.; Saldaña, J. Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook, 4th ed.; SAGE: Thousand Oaks, CA, USA, 2019. [Google Scholar]
- Ellis, J.A.; Wieselmann, J.R.; Sivaraj, R.; Roehrig, G.H.; Dare, E.A.; Ring-Whalen, E.A. Toward a productive definition of technology in science and STEM education. Contemp. Issues in Tech. and Teach. Educ. 2020, 20, 472–496. [Google Scholar]
- Cullen, T.; Guo, M. The nature of technology. In Critical Questions in STEM Education; Akerson, V.L., Buck, G.A., Eds.; Springer: New York, NY, USA, 2020; pp. 21–32. [Google Scholar]
- Wieselmann, J.R.; Dare, E.A.; Ring-Whalen, E.A.; Roehrig, G.H. “I just do what the boys tell me”: Exploring small group student interactions in an integrated STEM unit. J. Rsch. Sci. Teach. 2020, 57, 112–144. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Wieselmann, J.R.; Dare, E.A.; Ring-Whalen, E.A.; Roehrig, G.H. “There are other ways to help besides using the stuff”: Using activity theory to understand dynamic student participation in small group activities. J. Rsch. Sci. Teach. 2021, 58, 1281–1319. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
4-Cs | Short Description |
---|---|
Critical Thinking | Critical thinking is the ability to look for evidence to support claims and beliefs [41] and ask and answer critical questions [42]. It encompasses effective reasoning, systems thinking, making judgments and decisions, and problem solving [39]. |
Creativity | Creativity is a multifaceted skill [43] that leads to innovation and effective problem solving. It comprises generation of multiple ideas and solutions to problems and making associations between remote concepts [44]. |
Collaboration | Collaboration is an essential skill in problem solving and the construction of knowledge. It is manifested when members communicate with each other, reflect as a group, make decisions collectively, build trust, manage conflicts, maximize collective knowledge, and take turns assuming leadership roles [45,46]. |
Communication | Communication comprises information delivery, interpersonal skills, interactive communication, and even teamwork, among others [47]. With the emergence of new technologies, communication becomes coupled with the increased use of information and communications technology (ICT) that allows learners to acquire information more efficiently, communicate faster and more effectively, and maximize learning, overall [48]. |
Day 1: Eliciting STEM Conceptions | All teachers were asked to draw a model of STEM education that best represents how they currently understand STEM education. |
Day 1: Sharing STEM Conceptions | Teachers met in small teams to discuss their models and then met as a large group to discuss if they would make changes to their model based on what they saw. |
Day 1: The Role of S, T, E, and M | Teachers worked in small teams to consider the role of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, using small sticky notes to describe the role of each in integrated STEM. These small sticky notes were then placed on large poster paper corresponding to each discipline and grouped by the teachers. |
Day 5: Revisiting Eliciting STEM Conceptions | Similar to Day 1, all teachers were asked to draw a model of STEM education that best represents their current understanding of STEM education. |
Site | Grade Band | Teacher Names (Pseudonyms) |
---|---|---|
Site 1 | High School | Antonio (Physics), Christine (Biology), Jason (Marine biology, Physical science), Jocelyn (Biology), Liliana (Chemistry) |
Middle School | Clara, Darma, Edith, Pablo, Rose (all general science) | |
Site 2 | High School | John (Physics), Elijah (Chemistry), Kyle (Physical science), Stacey (Environmental science), Tim (Physical science) |
Middle School | Alina, Mike (all general science) | |
Elementary | Macy (3rd–5th grade), Marianna (5th grade) (all general elementary) |
Theme | Brief Description | Example Quote |
---|---|---|
Interconnection between disciplines | An interconnection between STEM disciplines wherein the number of STEM disciplines are fluid and dynamic. When multiple disciplines are present, they should be connected in some way. | “kind of like a circle where we’re going to be including all of this [STEM] all of the time or portions of this [STEM] some of the time”. (Clara) |
Student-centered pedagogy | Includes hand-on activities that could resemble project-based learning, which engages and excites students to learn STEM content. | “It’s a way to implement steps you take, you know...some science and engineering. And then you come up with a project based on that. Or you take some math and you take some technology and you make a project based on that”. (Mike) |
Development of important skills | Integrated STEM education is a vehicle by which students could develop important skills in preparation for future success. These skills transcend different disciplines, including non-STEM disciplines. | “a good, strong, integrated STEM unit would be developing those, those skills, those life skills, um, for students, um, whether or not they go into the STEM field or not”. (Stacy) |
STEM for all | Integrated STEM should encourage and improve minoritized students’ access to integrated STEM, including those from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, women, and students with cognitive disabilities. | “You want to make sure that they are inclusive to all our learning disabled, our English language learners, our gifted”. (Clara) |
Relevant and based in the real-world | Integrated STEM education should utilize relevant and real-word problems that students can relate to. This should also allow students to connect between what they do in school with what STEM professionals do. | “You need to be more purposeful when you’re designing what you’re doing to make it, that the kids are actually doing the things that they do in STEM and being scientists and engineers”. (Kyle) “That is the most important thing, is that solving problems that is relevant to real world issues”. (Elijah) |
Discipline | Themes |
---|---|
Science |
|
Technology |
|
Engineering |
|
Mathematics |
|
Aspect of STEM | Themes |
---|---|
Real-World Problems |
|
21st Century Skills |
|
Promoting STEM Career Awareness |
|
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. |
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
Dare, E.A.; Keratithamkul, K.; Hiwatig, B.M.; Li, F. Beyond Content: The Role of STEM Disciplines, Real-World Problems, 21st Century Skills, and STEM Careers within Science Teachers’ Conceptions of Integrated STEM Education. Educ. Sci. 2021, 11, 737. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11110737
Dare EA, Keratithamkul K, Hiwatig BM, Li F. Beyond Content: The Role of STEM Disciplines, Real-World Problems, 21st Century Skills, and STEM Careers within Science Teachers’ Conceptions of Integrated STEM Education. Education Sciences. 2021; 11(11):737. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11110737
Chicago/Turabian StyleDare, Emily Anna, Khomson Keratithamkul, Benny Mart Hiwatig, and Feng Li. 2021. "Beyond Content: The Role of STEM Disciplines, Real-World Problems, 21st Century Skills, and STEM Careers within Science Teachers’ Conceptions of Integrated STEM Education" Education Sciences 11, no. 11: 737. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11110737
APA StyleDare, E. A., Keratithamkul, K., Hiwatig, B. M., & Li, F. (2021). Beyond Content: The Role of STEM Disciplines, Real-World Problems, 21st Century Skills, and STEM Careers within Science Teachers’ Conceptions of Integrated STEM Education. Education Sciences, 11(11), 737. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11110737