Understanding STEM: Current Perceptions

Overview & Synopsis

In many ways, the push for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education appears to have grown from a concern for the low number of future professionals to fill STEM jobs and careers and economic and educational competitiveness. The proponents of STEM education believe that by increasing math and science requirements in schools, along with infusing technology and engineering concepts, students will perform better and be better prepared for advanced education or jobs in STEM fields (often referred to as the STEM pipeline). The lasting result would be that the United States would again rise to the top of international rankings. While the outcome remains to be seen, many in the field of technology education have taken the idea of STEM education and have attempted to either integrate more math and science into their courses or highlight the ways in which those concepts were already being integrated. The believed benefits of doing so are that students experience real-world problems making more connections to STEM fields and the ever-changing workforce, sparking interest in STEM fields. Creating these links earlier in the students' educational careers could potentially result in an increased number of students entering into fields associated with STEM. This article presents the results of a survey that explored the current teacher and administrator perceptions of STEM education. The research concludes that: (1) STEM education is not well understood; (2) there is not a clear vision for STEM education even amongst those who believe it is important; and (3) there is little evidence that STEM education exists in the school in this survey, based on the lack of collaboration that exists. (Contains 3 figures.)