Pre-Service Science Teachers’ Views of the Nature of STEM

Abstract

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education plays an important role in teaching and learning for the twenty-first century. Science teacher education is making great efforts to prepare STEM teachers for modern classroom practice and enable them to adapt their STEM knowledge and practices to the needs of students in particular contexts. However, prior to developing STEM teaching practices, it is important for pre-service teachers to understand the nature of STEM (NOSTEM). This study explored pre-service teachers’ views of the nature of STEM from both individual and integrative perspectives. The sample consisted of 428 Thai pre-service science teachers who were enrolled in science teacher-education programs. A NOSTEM questionnaire comprising Likert-type items and open-ended questions was used as a research tool. The findings indicated that pre-service teachers had inadequate understandings of NOSTEM definitions, epistemological perspectives, and the impact of culture and society on each STEM discipline. Each STEM discipline has its own characteristics, but the disciplines are similar in terms of their usefulness, processes, and required knowledge. In terms of the integration of STEM, technology uses the application of science, mathematical knowledge, and engineering processes to create tools and utensils This paper discusses the implications of this study for science teacher-education programs and developing STEM teachers.