Perceptions of pre-service science teachers toward teaching STEM from suburb University in Thailand

Abstract

To improve the quality of education, it is important to understand teachers’ perceptions about STEM teaching. In this study, the goal is to explore the perception of STEM from pre-service science teachers who are studying in suburban areas. All the information from teachers will be primarily needed for preparation to enhance teaching STEM. Data were collected from the five pre-service science teachers as case studies. The pre-service science teachers’ perceptions were captured through group discussion, semi-interview and questionnaire. Content analysis was used to analyze open-ended responses from these five case studies. The findings showed that all participants had barely heard about STEM education and had few experiences with teaching STEM. However, they think the STEM teaching approach is very challenging and important. Three prominent themes emerged from the data that showed they had a positive perception as they viewed STEM education as follows: (1) STEM education is a way of teaching to make a classroom exciting and a challenging activity to motivate students; (2) STEM education is integrated with four-disciplines; and (3) STEM education is a science teaching method that leads students to have 21st century skills, especially problem solving skills. A strong perception of STEM is a good starting point for learning and practicing teaching STEM. Moreover, they also have a selflearning capability by searching and studying STEM by themselves through the internet, and through other experiences. We can assume it is not a problem learning STEM in the suburbs because of advances in high-technology nowadays.