![]() ![]() Shortly thereafter, the US government issued several studies on the state of STEM learning, and the number of schools designated as STEM-focused increased. ![]() While the NSF first used the term “SMET,” this was revised into the more euphonic “STEM” in the early 2000s (Patton 2013). In the USA, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has played a significant role in the STEM education movement by calling for research related to science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. The International Council of Associations for Science Educators (ICASE 2013) recently urged member countries to work together to improve access to, and the quality of, STEM education in order to prepare all students for global citizenry. Explicitly identifying the ideas educators are and are not selecting and retaining can inform professional learning activities at local and larger scales.Īcross the world, STEM receives tremendous attention in education reform efforts and in popular media. We also see that common conceptions of STEM education appear across roles and contexts, and these could provide starting points for these discussions. ![]() This is especially important in the current reform contexts related to STEM education. What we do see as essential is that those working in the same system explore the common elements that are being attributed to STEM education and co-construct a vision that provides opportunities for all their students to attain STEM-related goals. Given the variety of institutionalized practices and school contexts within which STEM education is enacted, we are not convinced that a single worldwide definition of STEM education is critical. Two important attributes of STEM education addressed in the literature appeared infrequently across all contexts and role groups: students’ use of technology and the potential of STEM-focused education to provide access and opportunities for all students’ successful participation in STEM. We also identified differences across educators in different roles (e.g., non-STEM teacher, administrator). ![]() Conceptualizations of STEM education were related to educational contexts, which included the STEM education professional development activities in which educators engaged. Three themes were included on over 70% of the 34 concept maps: interdisciplinary connections the need for new, ambitious instructional practices in enacting a STEM approach and the engagement of students in real-world problem solving. Concept maps and interview transcripts from 34 educators holding different roles were analyzed: STEM and non-STEM teachers, administrators, and STEM professional development providers. Sensemaking theory framed our analysis of ideas that were being selected and retained in relation to professional learning experiences in three contexts: two traditional middle schools, a STEM-focused school, and state-wide STEM professional development. The purpose of this study was to investigate the commonalities and variations in educators’ conceptualizations of STEM education. Despite increasing attention to STEM education worldwide, there is considerable uncertainty as to what constitutes STEM education and what it means in terms of curriculum and student outcomes. ![]()
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