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STEM: Country comparisons
Abstract and Figures
The essential mission of the STEM: Country Comparisons project is to
discover what other countries are doing to develop participation and
performance in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM), and the take-up of STEM in the labour market and
research system, and to draw out possible lessons and ideas for STEM
policy and strategy in Australia. To this end, 23 specific reports were
commissioned and completed by consultants from around the world. This
has produced a body of current data of outstanding value. Most nations
are closely focused on advancing STEM and some have evolved dynamic,
potent and productive strategies. In world terms Australia is positioned
not far below the top group but lacks the national urgency found in the
United States, East Asia and much of Western Europe, and runs the risk of
being left behind.
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... STEM education has been recognized as key drivers of national development, economic productivity and societal well-being (Tytler, 2020). STEM education is an emphasis on the promotion of mathematics and science in response to the perception that these subjects attract less student interest and engagement (Marginson et al., 2013). Students' positive attitudes towards STEM play an important role in the acquisition of the skills targeted by STEM education (Sirakaya, Alsancak-Sirakaya & Korkmaz, 2020). ...
The aim of this study was to examine the effects of STEM activities on students’ attitudes towards STEM and problem-solving skills by taking their components into account. An experimental design with pretest-posttest control group was applied in the study. Quantitative and qualitative data collection tools were used. The participants of the study consisted of students studying in two different branches in the 7th grade of a public school. The implementation of the research was carried out for five weeks within the scope of force, work and energy concepts. In the experimental group, STEM activities developed by taking the science curriculum into account were included in the lessons. In the control group, lessons were taught according to the curriculum. The conclusions drawn based on the results of this study can be listed as follows: First, STEM education, which is carried out within the scope of physics subjects in the science course and which also includes mathematics, engineering and technology related acquisitions, ensures that students’ attitudes towards STEM develop positively. STEM attitudes progress especially in the direction of establishing a relationship between mathematics, science and engineering learning and STEM. Second, STEM education improves students’ problem-solving skills. The increase occurs in all areas of problem-solving skills, including the individual’s confidence in problem-solving skills, willingness to cope with difficult problems encountered, and the feeling that they have mastered the situation. Last, when there is no STEM-oriented activity in the science curriculum, students’ problem-solving skills, especially in the area of confidence, decrease. Considering that STEM is an interdisciplinary subject combining two or more disciplines and is based on authentic contexts; STEM activities provide students for establishing relationships between STEM disciplines and developing problem-solving strategies.
... One of the biggest challenges remains the lack of qualified STEM teachers with inadequate training and excessive workload. There is also a lack of resources and infrastructure for STEM education (Marginson et al., 2013;Valente and Almeida, 2020). The Brazilian workforce only consisted of 2.8% of STEM occupations in 2019, but unfortunately, women are heavily underrepresented, as only 26% of STEM workers in Brazil were women in 2019 (Machado, 2021). ...
As BRICS countries strive to build a digital economy, these nations must prepare their populous for the ‘future of work.’ Digital economies tend to create middle to high-skilled jobs. This is problematic as many workers are trapped in low-skill occupations and lack the expertise to participate in a digital economy adequately. A digital economy requires a population that is literate in Science, Technology, Engineering, and mathematics (STEM). While BRICS has made progress in educating their populous in these fields, they still have a long way to go. More STEM graduates (especially women) must be produced to maintain and create a digital economy. This policy brief maps out strategies for BRICS countries to increase STEM participation.
... STEM teacher shortages have been identified as a key contributor to the crisis in STEM education in Australia (Freeman, 2013). In order to fill STEM teaching positions, primary and secondary schools apply the following strategies: requiring teachers to teach outside their expertise; recruiting less-qualified or unqualified replacement teachers; reducing the curriculum offered; reducing the length of classroom time for STEM (Marginson, Tytler, Freeman, & Roberts, 2013). The consequences of employing such strategies are serious. ...
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workers are important contributors to the innovation on which modern life depends. Hence it is important that education develops STEM capability but too few teachers, especially in primary schools, are well prepared for teaching STEM. Remote Access Laboratories (RAL) have potential to offer STEM experiences in schools and to influence pre-service teachers’ capabilities to teach STEM subjects effectively. This mixed methods research is investigating how engagement with RAL influences pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy for teaching STEM.
... Ωστόσο, αρκετές φορές οι εκπαιδευτικοί δεν κατέχουν τις γνώσεις για να ενσωματώσουν αποτελεσματικά το περιεχόμενο που σχετίζεται με το STEM στη διδασκαλία, προκειμένου να εμπλακούν οι μαθητές σε όλα τα επίπεδα της εκπαίδευσης (Marginson et al., 2013). Η εφαρμογή υψηλής ποιότητας εκπαίδευσης STEM σε περιβάλλον πρώιμης παιδικής ηλικίας απαιτεί οι διδάσκοντες να έχουν θετική στάση, παιδαγωγικές γνώσεις και ικανότητες εφαρμογής αυτών των προγραμμάτων (Chen & Tippett, 2022), ούτως ώστε να ανταποκρίνονται στα μαθησιακά ενδιαφέροντα των μικρών παιδιών που πρέπει να ζήσουν και να ευδοκιμήσουν σε ένα ψηφιακό και αβέβαιο κόσμο. ...
Η εκπαίδευση STEM (Επιστήμη, Τεχνολογία, Μηχανική και Μαθηματικά) είναι μια διεπιστημονική προσέγγιση μάθησης που στοχεύει στην ανάπτυξη δεξιοτήτων επίλυσης προβλημάτων της καθημερινής ζωής από τους μαθητές. Η παρούσα έρευνα μελετά τη στάση και την ετοιμότητα των Ελληνίδων Νηπιαγωγών να εφαρμόσουν τη νέα αυτή εκπαιδευτική πρακτική μέσα στην τάξη. Συμμετείχαν 56 Νηπιαγωγοί και ως εργαλείο συλλογής δεδομένων χρησιμοποιήθηκε προσαρμοσμένο ερωτηματολόγιο 9-βάθμιας κλίμακας, που αφορά 6 διαστάσεις και συγκεκριμένα: τη Γνωστική και Συναισθηματική Ετοιμότητα, την Αυτο-αποτελεσματικότητα, τη Δέσμευση, τη Στάση απέναντι στο STEM και τη διδασκαλία. Κατά την επεξεργασία των δεδομένων, εφαρμόστηκαν μέθοδοι επαγωγικής στατιστικής, ώστε να προσδιοριστεί η επίδραση των ατομικών διαφορών στις εξεταζόμενες διαστάσεις και παρατηρήθηκε στατιστικώς σημαντική επίδραση της επιμόρφωσης και των ετών προϋπηρεσίας στη συνολική ετοιμότητα των Νηπιαγωγών στο STEM. Τέλος, διαπιστώθηκε ότι η Στάση τους απέναντι στο STEM μπορεί να προβλεφθεί από τους παράγοντες γνωστικής και συναισθηματικής ετοιμότητας με τον δεύτερο παράγοντα να έχει την ισχυρότερη επίδραση.
This study used a person-centered approach to examine secondary STEM teachers’ beliefs and experiences in integrated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education. It aimed to identify distinct profiles of teachers based on their self-efficacy and commitment as designers, implementers, and disseminators of STEM activities and explore how these profiles relate to teaching subjects and experience. A survey of 629 Taiwanese teachers was analyzed using latent profile analysis and multinomial logistic regression. Three groups emerged, representing low, moderate, and high self-efficacy and commitment. For the three identities, different trends in self-efficacy and commitment of the low- and high-level groups were found. Additionally, mathematics teachers were more likely to fall into the low self-efficacy group, and teachers without integrated STEM experience tended to have lower self-efficacy and commitment. The results highlight variations in STEM teachers’ identities and suggest the need for targeted professional development, particularly for mathematics educators.
Math anxiety negatively affects math performance and future career choices in math‐related fields. Various tools assess math anxiety, but the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS) is noteworthy for its ease of administration and good psychometric properties. This study evaluates the AMAS's applicability and utility in a sample of approximately 170 Japanese elementary‐school children. Findings indicate that the Japanese version of the AMAS has very good internal consistency, good test–retest reliability and validity, both convergent and concurrent. Results from a multigroup analysis showed that the scale shows no gender bias, although girls scored higher on the AMAS despite similar performance to boys on a standardised math test. These findings highlight the AMAS's potential as a screening tool for math anxiety in young children.
Earlier, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics were considered separate subjects, compartmentalised with their own methods and approaches to teaching. Later, in the 1990s, these interrelated subjects were put together to form STEM education. Researchers have understood the importance of problem-solving and inquiry skills for innovation in the field of STEM, that art is integrated into STEM education. This chapter explores various pedagogical approaches that enhance the integration of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) in modern education. By examining innovative teaching methods, this chapter aims to provide educators with practical strategies and insights to foster creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills in students. The chapter will cover project-based learning, problem-based learning, inquiry-based learning, design thinking, collaborative learning, argumentation practice, and multiple intelligences, with a focus on real-world applications and equity in education.
This paper discusses global educational initiatives and reforms focusing on increasing students' engagement in STEM subjects and ensuring students are well-prepared and suitably qualified to engage in STEM education. The paper examines the contributions of the four disciplines- science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics- to integrated STEM education. It discusses STEM effective pedagogical practices in STEM Education, scientific inquiry, digital learning, computer-based scaffolding, modern learning environment, computer programming and robotics, engineering-based modeling with data, and their influences on student learning and achievement in (STEM) learning in student engagement.
Znanost i razvoj inženjerske industrije osnova su razvoja svake zemlje. Sve zemlje su suočene s nedostatkom osoblja u području znanosti, tehnologije, inženjerstva i matematike. Stoga mlade ljude treba poticati na nastavak školovanja u tim područjima. Jedan od načina je integracija STEM nastave u osnovnim i srednjim školama. Bosna i Hercegovina (BiH) uključila se u svjetske tokove i zajedno sa stranim vladinim i nevladinim organizacijama uvela projekt ENABLE – BiH kojem je cilj jačanje STEM područja u nastavi i obrazovanju. Istraživanje za potrebe ovoga rada je provedeno u 9. osnovnoj školi u Brčko distriktu BiH, koja je sudionica u ovom projektu. Istraženo je postojanje razlike u stavovima učenika o STEM nastavi u odnosu na način pohađanja nastave, je li riječ o razrednoj ili predmetnoj nastavi. Korištene su 4 varijable koje su grupirane faktorskom analizom. Analizom je obuhvaćeno 117 učenika koji su ispunili anketni upitnik preko 80 %. Rezultati su pokazali da jedino u varijabli vrijednost STEM nastave postoji značajna statistička razlika između ocjena učenika razredne i predmetne nastave. Rezultati provedenog istraživanja pomoći će u daljnjem razvoju STEM nastave u BiH jer istraživanje pruža temelj za razumijevanje učeničke prihvaćenosti STEM nastave.
Science, technology engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions offer competitive earnings, tend to be compatible with technological advances, and are predicted to remain in high demand in the future. Many countries, including Greece, have prioritised STEM education on their educational agendas, aiming to prepare students for careers in these fields. In this study, we investigated factors that may predict Greek students’ STEM career expectations through analysing data from the 2015 cycle of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). In doing so, we categorised the responses of 4910 15-year-old students to the question “What kind of job do you expect to have when you are about 30 years old?” into STEM and non-STEM professions, following a wide approach that included health and medical professions in the STEM category and a narrow approach that excluded these professions from the STEM category. Binary logistic regression results showed that student enjoyment of science, instrumental motivation, interest towards broad science topics, and their science performance were associated with their career expectations across both approaches; family economic, social, and cultural status was associated with students’ career expectations within the wide approach only, while gender and achievement motivation were associated with students’ career expectations within the narrow approach only. The differences in the factors predicting students’ career expectations between the two approaches indicate that transparency in the definitions and operationalisations of STEM is needed within the relevant research.
The rapid expansion of national participation in international achievement studies has been a hallmark of educational accountability and planning in countries around the world for the past 25 years. Since the IEA's first international studies on mathematics and science achievement in the late 1960s, the availability and use of international achievement studies for national education policy has exploded (DeBoer, “Why the Fireworks?: Theoretical Perspectives on the Explosion in International Assessments”; Smith & Baker, 2001; Wiseman & Baker, 2005). The most widely adopted studies are now administered on regular cycles and include participating countries from every region and level of development around the world.
Should science learners be challenged to draw more? Certainly making visualizations is integral to scientific thinking. Scientists
do not use words only but rely on diagrams, graphs, videos, photographs, and other images to make discoveries, explain findings,
and excite public interest. From the notebooks of Faraday and Maxwell (1) to current professional practices of chemists (2), scientists imagine new relations, test ideas, and elaborate knowledge through visual representations (3–5).
Teaching ‘out-of-field’ occurs when teachers teach a subject for which they are not qualified. The issues around this increasingly common practice are not widely researched and are under-theorised. A qualitative pilot study using teacher interviews in 3 rural schools examined meanings, support mechanisms and teacher identities associated with out-of-field teaching. A thematic analysis isolated factors influencing whether teachers self-assessed their practice and identities as out-of-field. The ‘boundary between fields’ model was developed to emphasise support mechanisms, contextual factors and personal resources that influenced the nature of teachers’ negotiation of subject boundaries and its impact on professional identity. These findings provide insight for policy makers, school leaders and teacher educators into the conditions required for such teaching to be considered learning opportunities.
Little research has been done into how the results of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) affect national educational reform and policy-making. This paper examines the normative impact of PISA by investigating how, and the extent to which , national policy actors use PISA in policies and practices, to evaluate and improve school-system performance. Drawing on the results of a survey of country practices, the study shows that PISA has become accepted as a reliable instrument for benchmarking student performance worldwide, and that PISA results have had an influence on policy reform in the majority of participating countries/economies.À ce jour, rares sont les recherches ciblant l’impact des résultats de l’enquête PISA (Programme international pour le suivi des acquis des élèves) sur les réformes et l’action publique dans les pays. Le présent document examine l’impact normatif du PISA en cherchant à déterminer comment et dans quelle mesure les acteurs politiques des pays utilisent le PISA dans l’établissement de politiques et pratiques, afin d’évaluer et d’améliorer les performances de leur système d’éducation. À partir des résultats d’une enquête sur les pratiques des pays, cet étude montre que le PISA est aujourd’hui communément accepté en tant qu’instrument fiable pour évaluer la performance des élèves dans le monde entier et que les résultats au PISA exercent une influence réelle sur les réformes politiques dans la majorité des pays et économies participants.
This paper explores aspects of professional development for teachers of science and mathematics in schools in rural Australia. The study identified a range of issues including tensions between government, school and individual professional learning priorities and their respective responsibilities; the shaping of professional development by rurality; and issues of generic versus subject-specific professional learning. The paper will focus on the needs of teachers, particularly secondary teachers, for subject-specific professional development and the capacity of different professional development approaches for satisfying these needs. The notion of discourse communities is proposed as a framework for considering this issue.