Preservice teacher learning experiences of entrepreneurial thinking in a STEM investigation

Abstract

Connections between innovation policy and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education practices are poorly defined across a variety of national and international contexts. This disconnect is particularly evident in countries such as Australia that are not traditionally associated with an entrepreneurial culture. This study explores connections between entrepreneurial thinking and STEM Education in the context of a pre-service teaching course where learning is experienced through an integrated STEM investigation project. An entrepreneurial problem-validation technique is applied by preservice teachers as the starting point for their investigation, and it is the performance and experience of learning through that technique, which is the focus of this paper. My research question is: How do pre-service teachers perform and experience entrepreneurial validated learning as part of a STEM investigation? To address this question the study is informed by a phenomenological orientation drawing upon preservice teachers’ investigation reports and reflective journals. Data were analyzed using a phenomenological form of inductive analysis to develop key themes that describe learning experiences when generating and validating ideas and problems for a STEM investigation. Findings from this study point to the emotional experiences of learning through entrepreneurial thinking, how these experiences challenge learner values, and the need to explore further the connections between entrepreneurial thinking and STEM education in naturalistic contexts.