Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education is a “meta-discipline” based on the integration of disciplinary knowledge, eliminating traditional barriers between the four disciplines into a new “whole”. Within STEM education, rigorous academic concepts are coupled with real-world lessons as students apply the four disciplines in contexts that build connections between school, community, work, and the global enterprise, enabling the development of STEM literacy. The implementation of STEM education in schools across the globe is to prepare the future workforce with strong scientific and mathematical backgrounds to enhance skills development across STEM disciplines.
For STEM education to achieve its goals and objectives, addressing its barriers should start by fixing problems at school levels. First and foremost, we need to acknowledge that teachers are a huge influence on a student’s choice of subject matter or their decision to pursue a STEM career. Indeed, students’ decisions to study STEM in college can be directly influenced by classroom instruction and teacher advising. Consequently, poor preparation and shortage in supply of qualified STEM teachers is a major barrier to STEM education.
According to a report of the US President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), more than 40% of teachers decide within the first five years of teaching that they no longer want to teach due to lack of professional support. On the other hand, a study indicated that 74% of students successfully graduating from STEM programs identify poor instruction as a major obstacle. More importantly, this study found that an increase of one mathematics course for a teacher with modest mathematical training was associated with a 1.2% increase in student achievement.
Another barrier to STEM education is poor preparation and inspiration of students. Most children struggle to understand the importance of science because they cannot realize the connection between what they learn in the classroom and the happenings of the real world. Students also have a perception of science subjects being either too difficult or too boring.
According to a STEM study, most college students studying for degrees in a STEM field make the decision to do so in high school or before; however, only 20% state they feel their education before college prepared them for those fields. The loss of potential STEM talent begins well before high school; among the minority of students who are proficient in STEM, 60% decide during high school they are not interested, and only about 40% actually enter STEM majors in colleges.
Student boredom is a huge challenge faced by most teachers; research suggests that most students lose interest in science between 12–13 years of age. Early educators should, thus, strive to integrate STEM lessons into a daily curriculum to help young children develop a stronger understanding of these skills early on, noting that most already engage with science without understanding. For example, when children stack playing blocks together, they are essentially learning laws of physics; similarly, when they run off on nature walks to explore a fallen nest or flower, they are observing the biological world. Teachers can approach this curiosity to direct the students in a more focused manner.
According to the aforementioned PCAST report, students must be prepared to have a strong foundation in STEM no matter what careers they pursue; this preparation should involve building shared skills and knowledge. On the other hand, students must be inspired and motivated to learn STEM subjects, to gain interest in joining STEM fields; this will be feasible through meaningful experiences that approach students’ particular interests and abilities.
STEM educators, as facilitators, need not just be knowledgeable in the subject, but they should also possess the skills with which to impact learners. Instead of an either/or mentality, many experienced teachers know that using the best of a variety of approaches benefits many learners; instructional tools must be carefully and intentionally adapted to accommodate individual learners.
Yet another obstacle to effective STEM education is the poor condition of laboratory facilities and instructional media; moreover, overcrowding in classroom can make facilitation of students’ activities less effective. If changes are implemented as needed in our schools, this will enhance teachers’ ability to facilitate learning activities to students, improve academic achievement, and increase in test scores.
Moreover, technology can help with the huge workload and limited time and energy teachers have to plan intricate STEM lessons. Teachers who make their pupils apply technology for class projects in all, or most, lessons work 4.6 hours fewer per week than those who only occasionally use educational films and educational quizzes. Educational films are also a quick and interesting way to capture students’ attention.
Unless serious measures and strategic reforms are made, inadequate facilities and lack of trained and committed teachers will continue to weaken STEM education implementation at all learning levels: primary, secondary schools, and tertiary institutions. If we are serious about sustainable development and securing a better future, decision makers need to focus on improving teaching and learning conditions in general, in STEM education in particular.
References
edutopia.org
researchgate.net
seenmagazine.us
twigeducation.com
webcpm.com
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