STEM in England: Meanings and Motivations in the Policy Arena

Autor/inn/en	Wong, Vicky; Dillon, Justin; King, Heather
Titel	STEM in England: Meanings and Motivations in the Policy Arena
Quelle	In: International Journal of Science Education, 38 (2016) 15, S.2346-2366 (21 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Wong, Vicky)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0950-0693
DOI	10.1080/09500693.2016.1242818
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; STEM Education; Educational Policy; Policy Formation; Teacher Attitudes; Science Teachers; Stakeholders; Qualitative Research; Content Analysis; Documentation; Semi Structured Interviews; Discourse Analysis; Definitions; Coding; Student Diversity; Educational Innovation; United Kingdom (England) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; STEM; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Politische Betätigung; Lehrerverhalten; Science; Teacher; Teachers; Science teacher; Wissenschaft; Lehrer; Lehrerin; Lehrende; Qualitative Forschung; Inhaltsanalyse; Dokumentation; Diskursanalyse; Begriffsbestimmung; Codierung; Programmierung; Instructional innovation; Bildungsinnovation
Abstract	STEM, an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, is widely used in science education. There is confusion, however, as to its provenance and meaning which is potentially problematic. This study examines the purpose of STEM practice in education in England and asks if there are differences in perceptions of STEM between science and mathematics educator stakeholders. The study's contribution to the literature is its unusual focus on those who were responsible for making and enacting national STEM policy. A two-phase qualitative approach was followed comprising an analysis of government documentation together with semi-structured interviews with key contributors to the science and mathematics education discourse. Findings suggest that there is a disconnect between the interpretations of the science and mathematics educators with a danger-advantage dichotomy to participation in STEM being perceived by the mathematics educators. Early aims of the STEM agenda, including increasing diversity, gave way to a focus on numbers of post-16 physics and mathematics students. We conclude that if the term STEM is to continue to be used then there is a need for greater clarity about what it represents in educational terms and a wider debate about its compatibility with the aims of science education for all. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01