Teaching Challenges and Perceptions on STEM Implementation for Schools in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

STEM education has become one of the most rapidly growing sectors in educational reform all over the world. Whilst the program has been successfully implemented in most countries, unfortunately it has not been introduced as successfully in Saudi Arabia on account of lack of clarity of the general description of the meaning of STEM and its purpose and framework of application. In 2009, the Ministry of Education (MOE) introduced a new mathematics and science curriculum, in collaboration with Obeikan Research Development Company, as an adapted series of science and mathematics textbooks produced by an American publishing company McGraw Hill. The adapted curricula attempt to make meaningful connection between student’s lives and their educational experiences through the implementation of new teaching practices which include student-centred investigation strategies and problem-based learning. The study was limited to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and used the interviews of high school mathematics and science teachers and class observational methods as a means of qualitative research in order to address the following research questions: - What are the major aspects of the new mathematics and science curricula that serve as a means of the implementation of STEM education in Saudi Arabia? - What are the perceptions of teachers on the implementation of the newly adapted science and mathematics curricula? - How are the newly adapted mathematics and science curricula delivered in the classrooms as form of STEM education? Results revealed that even though there is haziness in mathematics and science teachers on the actual meaning of the concept of STEM education and its practice, the new teaching strategies that are required by the MOE for the successful implementation of the adjusted curricula, were found to be equivalent to teaching practices that have been proven effective in the implementation of STEM education.