Trends in STEM Teaching and Learning within the Context of National Education Reform

Abstract

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education nowadays is considered priority. To implement it successfully, students must acquire not only STEM “hard” skills, but also “soft” skills, therefore the choice of teaching/learning methods is essential. Problem-based (PrBL) and projectbased learning (PjBL) aim both at the acquisition of science content using real life examples and the improvement of IT skills, critical thinking, decision-making, civil responsibility and cooperation skills. The aim of the research is to find out the use of PrBL and PjBL in the teaching/ learning of STEM in the context of national reform of Latvia. The design of mixed methods was used in the research. The correlative research was performed using QuestionPro e-platform and surveyed 128 STEM teachers and 257 secondary school students to collect quantitative data. As Latvia now is implementing the education reform, the case study for qualitative and quantitative analysis has been carried out using the AQUAD data processing programme and researching the secondary education biology basic course curriculum. This research identified that it was advisable to use practical cases, real everyday examples and project work that would increase students’ interest in science subjects to enable them to solve problems creatively by integrating the content of all STEM subjects. The biology curriculum mainly stresses students’ reproductive than productive work with information, the development of critical thinking by participating in discussions and cooperating, while not enough attention was paid to the use of problem solving in the teaching/ learning process and the implementation of the interdisciplinary project. The use of sensors, practical laboratory works and field study as specific methods of biology are little represented in the curriculum, which is a serious disadvantage. This means that the basic curriculum of biology in the context of national education reform is more oriented to the acquisition of transversal skills, not the development of competent science literacy.