Identifying Effective STEM Programmes and Strategies in Asia

Abstract

This chapter reports a systematic review of existing literature related to the study of STEM in Asian secondary education. Thirty-two studies published in English from 2011 to 2020 were selected and reviewed. Guided by descriptive frameworks drawn from analysis of good practices of integrated STEM, STEM courses and programmes in Asia were examined in terms of firstly, the nature and scope of STEM programmes, secondly, instructional practices adopted in the STEM programmes, and thirdly, the evidence of the STEM programme impact on student learning in the knowledge, skills, and attitude domains. The findings showed that in addition to the frequent emphasis on science learning, an emerging trend of integrating engineering design at the secondary school level was observed among the existing Asian-based STEM programmes and courses. Additionally, project-based learning and engineering design-based learning were two main instructional designs used among the selected studies that demonstrated the flexibility in meeting different teaching and learning purposes. The review also suggests that crosscutting concepts are neglected among Asian-based STEM programmes and courses. This review characterized different STEM enactments in Asian secondary education, contributing towards identifying and discussing effective STEM programmes and strategies. Finally, this chapter points out areas for further development and invites researchers to further examine good practices in STEM education in the Asian context.KeywordsSTEM studiesAsian classroomsPrimary school and secondary schoolPedagogical approaches in STEM studiesStudent performanceSTEM programme effectiveness