Views of Teachers From Different Academic Backgrounds on the Integration of Mathematics Into High School STEM Education

Conference: The Asian Conference on Education (ACE2021)
Title: Views of Teachers From Different Academic Backgrounds on the Integration of Mathematics Into High School STEM Education
Stream: Interdisciplinary, Multidisciplinary & Transdisciplinary Education
Presentation Type: Live-Stream Presentation
Authors:
Xiao-bin He, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan
Kai-Lin Yang, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan

Abstract:

In recent years, many countries have devoted to successful implementation of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education to develop the 21st-century literacy of students at the K-12 stage (e.g. Korean Ministry of Education, 2011; Next Generation Science Standards, 2013; Project Lead the Way, 2014). Mathematics, as a basic subject, did not receive corresponding attention in STEM education. Scholars have called for improving the status of mathematics in STEM education (English, 2016). In the context of the underrepresentation of mathematics in STEM education, this study aims to explore the views on the significance of mathematics and mathematics learning in STEM education from two senior high school STEM teachers with different academic backgrounds in Taiwan. This study employed Phenomenography as a research method, and conducted informal interviews and semi-structured interviews with two teachers to gain insight into their views. One majored in mathematics, and the other majored in technology. The interview materials were analyzed using thematic method, and the similarities and differences between their views were summarized. The results indicated that both of the two teachers regarded mathematics as foundational discipline in STEM education, mathematical thinking as a significant ingredient applied to other STEM subjects, and the status of mathematics as an inferior role in STEM education because of the difficulty in the generation of mathematical novelty. On the other hand, there are some differences between the two teachers’ views on the role of mathematics, the meaning of mathematical thinking, the approaches to curriculum design, and possible challenges and expectation.

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