STEM Skills Research Articles

Mirroring the bias: gender and artificial intelligence

Following COVID-19, there has been an increase in digitization and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across all spheres of life, which presents both opportunities and challenges. This commentary will explore the landscape of the gendered impact of AI at the intersections of Science and Technology Studies, feminist studies (socialist feminism), and computing. The Global Dialogue on Gender Equality and Artificial Intelligence (2020) organized by UNESCO highlighted the inadequacy of AI normative instruments or principles which focus on gender equality as a “standalone” issue. Past research has underscored the gender biases within AI algorithms that reinforce gender stereotypes and potentially perpetuate gender inequities and discrimination against women. Gender biases in AI manifest either during the algorithm’s development, the training of datasets, or via AI-generated decision-making. Further, structural and gender imbalances in the AI workforce and the gender divide in digital and STEM skills have direct implications for the design and implementation of AI applications. Using a feminist lens and the concept of affective labor, this commentary will highlight these issues through the lenses of AI in virtual assistants, and robotics and make recommendations for greater accountability within the public, private and nonprofit sectors and offer examples of positive applications of AI in challenging gender stereotypes.

Integrating a sustainability education model into STEM courses at a tribal college

Indigenous scholars have been historically excluded from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and are currently underrepresented in STEM degree programs and jobs. Having a population with STEM skills is crucial for rural sovereign Native American communities to manage their natural resources, infrastructures, and technologies. Thus, STEM education must be transformed to welcome and support the achievement of Indigenous scholars. This research explores the impacts of implementing a Sustainability Education (SE) pedagogy in science courses at a tribal college that serves rural and semirural Native American students. Using pre- and post- surveys as well as phenomenographic interviews this work aims to understand student attitudes towards the combined science and sustainability curriculum. Results indicate that students are receptive to this curriculum and that they have a positive experience in sustainability focused science courses. Additionally, the SE science courses positively impacted students’ science identities, which has been shown to contribute to persistence in science. Tribal Colleges and Universities and other institutions of higher learning can use this work to better understand what leads to Indigenous student success in STEM and update pedagogies accordingly.

Do Students' STEM Skill Levels Affect Their Math and Science Achievement?

The aim of this study is to determine the academic achievements of 8th graders in mathematics and science courses and STEM skill levels. The research has been carried out with the survey model. The sample of the study consists of 251 8th grade students in the 2020-2021 academic year. Math and Science academic achievement tests and STEM skill levels scale was used for data gathering. The scores obtained within this framework have been analyzed using arithmetic mean, standard deviation, t and Pearson r correlation and regression analyses. As a result of the research, we have reached that the means of the students in science and mathematics courses are similar and low. STEM skill levels of male and female students have been found to be similar in terms of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology factors, but male students are more successful than female students in both math and science courses. It has also been found that STEM skill levels influence students' math and science academic achievements, and STEM skill level perceptions influenced students' math and science achievements.

RAISE: Robotics & AI to improve STEM and social skills for elementary school students

The authors present the design and implementation of an exploratory virtual learning environment that assists children with autism (ASD) in learning science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills along with improving social-emotional and communication skills. The primary contribution of this exploratory research is how educational research informs technological advances in triggering a virtual AI companion (AIC) for children in need of social-emotional and communication skills development. The AIC adapts to students’ varying levels of needed support. This project began by using puppetry control (human-in-the-loop) of the AIC, assisting students with ASD in learning basic coding, practicing their social skills with the AIC, and attaining emotional recognition and regulation skills for effective communication and learning. The student is given the challenge to program a robot, Dash™, to move in a square. Based on observed behaviors, the puppeteer controls the virtual agent’s actions to support the student in coding the robot. The virtual agent’s actions that inform the development of the AIC include speech, facial expressions, gestures, respiration, and heart color changes coded to indicate emotional state. The paper provides exploratory findings of the first 2 years of this 5-year scaling-up research study. The outcomes discussed align with a common approach of research design used for students with disabilities, called single case study research. This type of design does not involve random control trial research; instead, the student acts as her or his own control subject. Students with ASD have substantial individual differences in their social skill deficits, behaviors, communications, and learning needs, which vary greatly from the norm and from other individuals identified with this disability. Therefore, findings are reported as changes within subjects instead of across subjects. While these exploratory observations serve as a basis for longer term research on a larger population, this paper focuses less on student learning and more on evolving technology in AIC and supporting students with ASD in STEM environments.

Integrating Gender Equity in Vocational Studies to Transform Agricultural Activities Towards Green and Inclusive Businesses

Productive sectors greatly contribute to environmental pollution in Colombia, especially in rural areas. Green businesses emerged as an alternative to reduce such environmental impacts, applying clean technologies that require STEM knowledge. However, the participation of women in environmental STEM careers is still low, particularly those vocationally oriented to eco-efficient agricultural activities. Thus, the research aimed to answer the question: How to integrate gender equity in vocational training processes to transform agricultural activities towards green and inclusive businesses? A vocational institute acted as the unit of analysis for the case study. Interviews, focus groups and surveys were used to collect data on women in two selected training programs. The gender transformative and sustainable production approaches guided the identification of gender barriers and the implementation of strategies to remove them. As a result, female models led trainings and the installation of environmental prototypes, which inspired and developed STEM skills in the female apprentices, and reduced pollution in rural units. Finally, innovative pedagogical processes and gender aspects were introduced in organizational guidelines, seeking the institutionalization of the gender perspective in STEM environmental vocational training programs and fields.

Development of digital and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics skills in chemistry teacher training

Citizens of the twenty-first century use specific skills to solve real-life problem situations, propose interdisciplinary solutions, and sustainably solve their communities’ socio-scientific and technological problems, locally and globally. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is an integrated and interdisciplinary teaching-learning space. STEM careers are subject to gender gaps in terms of access to higher education, and only a quarter of female students follow a STEM career. Moreover, later in their professional careers, women often obtain lower salaries and income in the STEM professions. STEM education seeks to actively engage students by incorporating technologies into teaching-learning processes since, favoring searching, analysis, solution, and simulation of socio-scientific problems. The latter has become highly visible during the pandemic caused by COVID-19, particularly in emergency remote education measures. Information and communication technologies (ICT) plays a role in online education, either via the knowledge involved in school curricula or an understanding of how the pandemic has evolved. This is a triple task for professors since they must have the right skills to train citizens of the twenty-first century, build new stimulating learning spaces for their highly technologized students, and develop these skills in their students. This article reviews the concepts associated with digital and STEM skills by analyzing a case study, exploring the perception of students in terms of their development of these competencies, and the commitments required in the study plans made by a Professor of Chemistry in a Chilean state university. A mixed investigation was undertaken, considering three phases with different methodologies. The first phase consisted of a bibliographic study, comparing both the digital and STEM skills of several organizations in Chilean education (UNESCO, MINEDUC, and ISTE). ISTE was used as the basis of the applied questionnaire to establish coherence in the dimensions coming from different reference frames. A second phase refers to the analysis of the study plan programs associated with STEM, ICT, and chemistry teaching, through an Analysis Matrix of Aprioristic Categories. In a third phase, the development of digital skills in undergraduate Chemistry students and professors were evaluated through the Digital Competence Questionnaire of Higher Education Students. Based on UNESCO information, the STEM competencies address both the content and its application to problems related to STEM careers in a manner consistent with the training model for science and chemistry teachers. In the case of digital skills, UNESCO integrates international reference frameworks respecting each country’s laws, enabling them to adapt them. In Chile, MINEDUC focuses on teachers’ use of digital tools to improve the teaching-learning processes of students; and ISTE is focused on the skills of higher education. The analysis of the study programs shows that students’ digital skills do not meet the requirements of the Chilean Ministry of Education (MINEDUC). However, the programs enhance more complex cognitive levels when the curricula advance, promoting STEM skills. The digital competence questionnaire for higher education students (CDAES) survey showed a development proportional to the curricular pursuit of the students where, in the first year of the degree, the students declare positive answers in 60.5% of the items consulted. This trend increases in the second and third years (90.7% of positive answers) and the fourth and fifth years (93.0 and 95.4% of positive answers). It remains a challenge to develop skills to design, create or modify technological educational media that promote the use of digital and STEM skills. In conclusion, this research proposes digital and STEM skills for teacher training, discussing the relevance of their integration in STEM teaching and learning. The teacher training curriculum does not have an explicit association with digital and STEM skills, although it addresses the skills required by national and international benchmarks. However, the students indicate positive attitudes toward the digital skills developed progressively during their training as teachers. As future Chemistry teachers, they value the development of digital teaching skills that allow them to address the challenges that arise in the classroom and thus promote the appreciation of STEM careers, which helps form citizens with more sustainable intentions.

Highlighting the importance of STEM education in early childhood through play-based learning: A Literature Review

This paper aims to focus on the international studies regarding early integrated STEM education and its importance for developing 21st-century skills in young children to prepare them for an ever-changing world. The paper reviews the importance of integrated STEM education in early childhood settings and how it supports the development of scientific concepts and 21st-century skills such as critical thinking and problem solving through play-based learning based on the current literature. Adding to the importance of STEM education, the paper explores what STEM education means in early childhood and how different types of play-based learning can support early integrated STEM concepts and skills in young children concerning the literature from different parts of the world. Furthermore, the literature presents the role of teachers in implementing STEM practices and the challenges encountered by teachers. The literature indicates low self-efficacy and confidence in teachers as the main factor affecting the delivery of STEM teaching and suggests ways to overcome this through STEM professional development to enhance the STEM practices in early childhood. The paper concludes with further recommendations and implications for stronger policies, and more research in this field to achieve high-quality integrated STEM education in early childhood.

INTEGRATED STEM EDUCATION BY COMBINING PROJECT-BASED LEARNING WITH THE BSCS 5E INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL IN CHEMISTRY SUBJECT FOR THE GRADE 12

STEM education is not a new pedagogical approach in the world, but it would be a new approach in Vietnamese education where students are familiar with learning separated disciplines to acquire academic knowledge in class. To better prepare students about knowledge and skills to adapt to the 4th Industrial Revolution requirements, integrated education of four disciplines, including Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), has been promoted in high schools in Vietnam. In the general education program, Chemistry is a subject in the natural sciences group at the high school level (Grade 10, 11 and 12). Chemistry helps students acquire core knowledge about chemistry and apply this knowledge to life. This article aims to clarify the concept, instructional models of integrated STEM education and Project-Based Learning (PBL) - one of the teaching methods commonly applied in integrated STEM education to stimulate students to learn actively and experientially. On the other hand, a combined PBL with the BSCS 5E instructional model to deploy integrated STEM education in a STEM learning project named “Zero waste” of Chemistry 12 is also thoroughly analyzed. Quantitative and qualitative findings on the development of STEM skills of 352 students participating in the “Zero Waste” project in the three-school year at Dao Son Tay high school in Thu Duc City, Vietnam, reveal that their STEM skills were developed. Some minor recommendations on effectively organizing integrated STEM education in Chemistry 12 will be proposed.

A Needs Analysis Study for the Preparation of Integrated STEM Instructional Practices through Scientist-Teacher-Student Partnership (STSP)

The current COVID19 global pandemic forces teachers to adapt to the current situation and to come out with alternative teaching methods and STEM instructional practices to make sure the objective of equipping students with STEM knowledge, skills and capabilities could be achieved. Moreover, the declining trends of students choosing STEM subjects and careers in Malaysia have triggered research and initiatives on exploring effective approaches in science classrooms. This qualitative study intends to explore the best way to integrate STEM components through interdisciplinary and integrated approaches across science subjects (biology, physics, and chemistry) through a scientist-teacher-student partnership (STSP) initiative. The researchers employed purposive sampling to select 6 scientists and 6 science teachers for this need analysis study. Three round table discussions were conducted where data were collected through focus group interviews. Constant comparative methods were used for data analysis to identify ‘needs’ to be included in the integrated STEM instructional practices. The scientists and teachers validated the data obtained during a one-day workshop. Based on their consensual agreement, three (3) themes have emerged which are (1) the focus of the integrated STEM instructional practices, (2) the important elements of the integrated STEM instructional practices, and (3) the strategies for lesson implementation. The results of this study uncovered the bilateral perspectives of integrated and interdisciplinary STEM instructional practices between the scientists as knowledge practitioners and experts in STEM and teachers, the curriculum implementer and agent of change in the STEM classroom.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education in University: Pre-service Teachers’ Perceptions

: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, an integration of the four disciplines, has been promoted in schools and universities in Malaysia. However, the teachers’ readiness in applying STEM has been an apprehension of not only the school administrators, but also the public. The implementation of STEM is observed from the teachers' abilities to organize learning environments that are created to strengthen students’ 21st-century skills. As such, the teachers' ability to implement and execute the plan are a concern. Thus, the aim of this study is to identify and evaluate preservice teachers' perceptions of their readiness, experiences, and effort in practising STEM education, as well as their degree of confidence in STEM education teaching and learning. A correlational research design was employed in this research to collect data from 113 science-based pre-service teacher trainees in a public university in Malaysia. The participants answered the questionnaire on their perceptions of their experiences and confidence level in learning STEM skills in their university courses and their views towards activities on STEM. Reflecting on the findings, this study has implications for the pre-service teacher trainees (students), faculty and organization as a whole in the preparation towards the execution of STEM in terms of strategies and intervention in school. This is especially advantageous for the university to raise awareness of the benefits of university STEM-related programs to a diverse background of students.

Prospective teachers' design of STEAM learning units: STEAM capabilities' analysis

STEM education is a new field within which understandings of what constitutes effective practice, and how this can be supported, are still in their infancy. The present research describes the experiences of prospective elementary school teachers in designing collaboratively STEM activities. This designing experiences occurred in a context of a PD program called "Introduction to STEM education". During the STEM PD program, the pre-service teachers worked in six groups. Each group included three pre-service teachers who worked together throughout the PD program. Three written STEM units of three groups were chosen to be analyzed. In analyzing the STEM units, we referred to the STEM capabilities which consists of three components: STEM knowledge, skills and ways of thinking. The findings show different possibilities that STEM education can afford for task design. In terms of the integration of disciplines, the three analyzed units included activities in which, mostly, at least two disciplines were dominant. In terms of STEM skills, the designed unites targeted mainly the individual learning STEM skill instead of collaborative skills, which emphasize the need to pay special emphasis to this issue. Finally, in terms of STEM ways of thinking, analytical and evidence-based ways of thinking prevailed in the three units. The previous findings point at the importance of support for pre-service teachers to design STEM activities for implementation in their classrooms.

Towards 2030. Enhancing 21st century skills through educational robotics

Recent technological advances require new learning and teaching methods and a reform of traditional school curricula to promote STEM and 21st-century skills. Educational robotics is considered a powerful tool, not only to learn programing, but also to enhance soft and transversal skills, such as problem-solving, metacognition, divergent thinking, creativity, and collaboration. This contribution presents a one-year research project aimed at integrating maker education and educational robotics into the primary and lower secondary school curriculum. The project is developed through a multidisciplinary and longitudinal approach and adopts the Design-Based Implementation Research methodology. It involved 50 fourth and fifth grade Italian students until the following school year. As an integrating background theme, we chose the 17 Goals outlined by the UN in the 2030 Agenda. Each selected goal was addressed by solving challenges in groups. Educational robotics became a tool for learning many concepts, such as renewable energies, human body systems or states of matter, but especially for working on creativity and ability to design, build, collaborate, and revise. We investigated students’ attitude toward STEM and 21st-century skills and their perceived school self-efficacy administrating two questionnaires pre and post the two parts of the project. This paper discusses findings on students’ attitude toward 21st-century skills. In the post analyzes of both Part 1 and 2, this field showed the highest scores compared to STEM fields. The pre-post data show an improvement in organizational, interpersonal, and leadership skills from Part 1, but also a gradual increase in personal and management skills.

Substantiation of the methodology for studying the level of formation of STEM-competencies in students

The article presents the substantiation of the methodology for studying the level of formation of STEM-competencies in students of basic general secondary education. The authors assume that the study of this problem will help to correct the conditions for the effective implementation of educational tasks of educational institutions.
 The authors noted that natural-mathematical education (STEM-education) is an integral system of natural and mathematical educational branches, the purpose of which is the development of personality through the formation of STEM-competencies, a natural-science picture of the world, based on the practical application of scientific, mathematical, technical and engineering knowledge to solve practical problems
 STEM-competencies are defined as a dynamic system of knowledge, skills and attitudes of the individual, which forms the ability to effectively innovate. The basis for studying the features of the levels of formation of STEM-competencies of students is to determine the content of the studied phenomenon. The components of the formation of STEM-competencies were defined as semantic - knowledge of mathematical competence and competence in the field of natural sciences, engineering and technology, engineering; emotional-motivational - attitude to STEM-competencies; behavioral - practical implementation of STEM skills.
 The study of the levels of formation of structural components of STEM-competencies is proposed to be carried out on a number of indicators, namely: semantic was analyzed for completeness, adequacy, awareness of knowledge of mathematical competence and competence in science, technology and engineering; emotional and motivational - for a positive or negative attitude to the application of mathematical competence and competence in the field of natural sciences, technology, engineering, its stability and effectiveness; behavioral - on the adequacy, stability and independence of the skills of STEM-competencies.
 The study of STEM-competencies formation levels of students will help to correct the conditions for the effective implementation of educational and educational tasks of educational institutions.

Virtual robotics in education: The experience of eighth grade students in STEM

Classroom teaching with robotics points to a more engaging learning environment in many respects, particularly in terms of tasks related to problem solving and critical thinking in education. Nevertheless, previous studies have cited many obstacles to using robotics in the classroom. These obstacles include the costs of supplying students with robots, fixing and modifying the robots, and school facilities and infrastructure that negatively influence a teacher’s ability to teach a particular STEM subject or to apply new teaching approaches with robotics; these issues seem to have discouraged some teachers from utilizing robotics in their teaching approaches. Accordingly, this study aims to facilitate teaching with robotics through the use of virtual robotics. The study explores the experience of eighth grade students and their teachers engaging with a virtual platform in five different K–12 schools that have formally incorporated physical robotics into STEM classroom teaching. A qualitative phenomenological approach is utilized to explore the experience, using focus groups with students and interviews with teachers. The focus of this study is on the processes of teaching and learning STEM with robotics via virtual platforms, and the perceived effectiveness and practicability of the virtual platform. The study revealed that the use of virtual classrooms and applications has become acceptable by many educational institutions, influenced to move to online platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic. This has laid the foundation for teachers and students, as the end users and main actors in education, to invest the time and effort in improving STEM and other related skills using virtual robotics. They were motivated by the perceived and acquired benefits that are associated with using virtual robotics in a web-mediated educational process. The main barriers were associated with web-mediated cultural norms and educational regulations/policies related to virtual learning. The main recommendations of the study are for teachers to be innovative, to observe, and to listen carefully to their students, relying on their pedagogical knowledge to use available technology to serve student-teacher objectives.

Training of future STEAM teachers: Comparison between primary degree students and secondary master's degree students

In recent years, the presence of the acronym STEAM has been growing in the educational field. All around the world we are faced with a growing demand for professional STEM skills, however, who has the responsibility to train future STEAM teachers? In this article, we explain the results of an investigation with university students pursuing a degree in primary education and Master’s degree students in secondary education, with technology speciality, participating in a seminar about STEAM projects design in two consecutive academic calendar years (18/19 and 19/20). We analyse the responses to a questionnaire which was specifically designed to discover their knowledge about STEAM and the predisposition towards its extended study with a set of semi-structured interviews to delve into the causes of the responses. Previous knowledge about the meaning of STEM and the predisposition of pre-service teachers towards the future design of projects based on the STEAM disciplines are compared. The results show significant differences between the previous knowledge and the perceptions of the teachers from both specializations: primary and secondary level. The results also confirm the low levels of prior knowledge with a slight tendency towards improvement when two consecutive courses are compared. The findings emphasize the need to integrate STEAM teacher training into official curricula.

Cognitive and Emotional Development of STEM Skills in Primary School Teacher Training through Practical Work

Several studies highlight that trainee primary school teachers show negative emotions towards learning and teaching STEM subjects with low levels of teacher self-efficacy in these areas. The general objective of this research was to analyse the cognitive, emotional and didactic development of STEM competences in trainee primary school teachers. Practical STEM experiences were designed and implemented to promote a positive evolution in the cognitive, affective and self-efficacy domains of future primary school teachers. A quasi-experimental research design was followed with a control group, experimental group, pre-test and post-test. The teaching methodology used was considered as the independent variable and the level of knowledge, the level of teaching self-efficacy and the emotions experienced when learning and teaching STEM content were considered as dependent variables. A non-probabilistic sample of 345 trainee primary school teachers took part in the study. The results led to the development of more than 70 STEM workshops. The inferential statistical analysis revealed the existence of statistically significant differences in all the variables of the study, detecting a positive evolution of the trainee teachers at a didactic, competence and emotional level. It is concluded that the use of practical STEM activities may lead to an improvement in the professional development of teachers and in the quality of science and technology teaching.

Teachers’ self-efficacy and role when teaching STEM in high-tech informal learning environments

ABSTRACT Background Informal learning environments (ILEs) like Fablabs and Makerspaces have potential to facilitate development of STEM skills. However, these environments might be difficult for teachers to adopt in their teaching because of teaching approaches grounded in constructionism where the role of the teacher changes from a transmissive instructor to an active co-creator, and using high-tech equipment not normally found in schools. Purpose The aim is to investigate teachers’ self-efficacy and perceived role when teaching STEM in Fablabs and Makerspaces. This is investigated related to teaching in ILEs and using high-tech equipment. The study was conducted in two countries/regions, Flanders (Belgium) and Sweden We also compare differences between teachers depending on nationality, gender, and years of teaching experience. Sample A total of 347 secondary school teachers completed an online survey. Quantitative analyses was used for all questions in the survey, except one open-ended question, which was analysed through inductive thematic coding. Results The teachers reported moderate self-efficacy for teaching in ILEs , and low self-efficacy for using high-tech equipment. Some teachers described themselves as having active roles as a coach or as co-learner during visits with their students. Others saw themselves as having a passive role. Many teachers did not know what kind of role to take. The teachers who perceived an active role as a teacher in high-tech ILEsreported higher self-efficacy to teach in these environments than other teachers. Conclusions This study shows that a constructionist approach to teaching is important if teachers are to develop self-efficacy to teach in high-techILEs. Thus, developing teacher practices in line with constructionism in relation to teaching in high-techILEsis imperative, in teacher education. The results also highlight that staff in Fablabs and Makerspaces are important for handling high-tech equipment. Hence, collaboration between staff in ILEs and teachers is of importance.

Scene setter presentation: A new dawn of ENR talent – looking to the future ‘why’

Advances in digitalisation and the energy transition have been significant forces driving transformational change in the Oil and Gas industry. In responding to these forces Oil and Gas companies have acknowledged the criticality of attracting and retaining top talent and evolving critical skillsets, but in reality few appreciate the complexity or scale of changes expected to the workforce. During this scene-setter, KPMG will share three workforce themes that combined are driving huge change across the ENR sector: 1. Jobs and Skills required across ENR are changing – Technology and decarbonisation are driving seismic shifts in the skills required and nurturing talent from within and re-skilling pathways will be a key element in meeting future demand. 2. Competition to attract Talent into ENR is intensifying – For many candidates with important STEM skills, ENR roles are not as appealing as jobs in other sectors A proactive approach to ESG presents an opportunity to attract talent. 3. The new norm emerging is radically different – With job vacancies at historically high levels employees and candidates are reconsidering priorities. More are demanding flexibility and development opportunities. Attracting millennials and international talent will remain important. ENR organisation should do more to maximise the value of the diverse talent pools. The message to executives and HR leaders is clear: we must think differently. We must anticipate and cultivate the skills needed today and tomorrow and drive a more flexible and inclusive approach to talent. Organisations that fail to respond will face the likelihood that talent shortages will hamper achievements of their business strategies. To view the video, click on the link to the right.

Structural relationships between classroom emotional climate, teacher–student interpersonal relationships and students’ attitudes to STEM

Recently, integrated STEM projects have been introduced into school curricula in an attempt to increase students’ understanding and interest in pursuing STEM subjects in senior high school and university. However, little is known about the classroom emotional climate in STEM classrooms and its effect, along with teacher–student interpersonal relationships, on students’ attitudes towards STEM. A validated questionnaire about students’ perceptions of the STEM classroom emotional climate and a simplified version of the questionnaire of teacher-student interpersonal relationships were administered to students completing STEM projects (N = 698). Students also completed a questionnaire about their attitudes towards STEM projects and continuation in the STEM pipeline. Structural equation modelling analysis suggested that the classroom emotional climate together with helping/friendly teacher-student interpersonal relationships have positive influences on student attitudes towards STEM. On the other hand, while teacher-student interpersonal relationships that are understanding or directing have a positive influence on the classroom emotional climate, they have negative influences on students’ attitudes towards STEM and continuing in the STEM pipeline. There are some significant gender differences in teacher-student relationships that influence attitudes towards STEM. This raises some interesting possibilities about how teachers should manage classrooms that integrate STEM skills to complete projects in order to encourage greater participation in STEM subjects.

PBL-STEM Modul Feasibility Test for Preservice Biology Teacher

Life skills are needed in this era of globalization to be successful in the school environment or outside of school. According to the 2019 World Economic Forum, the world's demand for STEM qualifications and skills is very high now and is likely to continue to increase in the future. Today, 75% of the fastest-growing industrial-scale jobs require skilled STEM workers. Faced with this, to be able to compete, the world of work requires people who can adapt to their new work environment. STEM can empower individuals with the skills to succeed and adapt to new work environments. To get individuals who have STEM skills, individuals who have 21st-century skills are needed. This is because in 21st-century skills 3 skills must be met, namely learning skills, reading and writing skills, and life skills. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of the PBL-STEM module developed for prospective Biology teacher students as an effort to improve 21st-century skills. The method used was the Rosset-based RnD ADDIE model. The ADDIE Teaching Model includes 5 stages, namely analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. The results of the material expert validation show that the average score of the material expert validation results shows a fairly good category with an average of 2.94. The results of practitioner validation show that the average score of practitioner validation results shows a good category with an average of 3.56. The results of the small group readability test showed that the average score on the small group readability test was in the good category with an average score of 3.39.