Global Journal of Human Social Science, G: Linguistics and Education, Volume 23 Issue 8

Integrating STEM Approach at Primary Education in Bangladesh: Perception and Challenges of the Teachers Zeba Farhana α , Tamanna Sultana σ , Md. Al-Amin ρ & Sameul Hoque Ѡ Abstract- Bangladesh is aspiring to develop a competitive workforce for the 21 st century. To reach this aspiration, STEM education can be a good way as it has widely been considered to have the potential to prepare students with 21 st - century skills. The potentiality of STEM can be fully utilized only when teachers apply STEM approaches effectively in their practices. Since teachers’ prior views and perceptions influence their STEM teaching, the study aims to explore the teachers’ perception of STEM education. This study also analyzes the challenges of introducing STEM at primary education in Bangladesh. A qualitative research design is adopted in this study. Teachers’ perception of STEM education was explored through semi-structured interviews. Additionally, in-depth and semi-structured interviews were conducted to examine the challenges of implementing STEM education at the primary level. Data were analyzed thematically following an inductive approach. One of the key discoveries made in this research is that a large majority of teachers have limited knowledge about STEM education. Despite this lack of familiarity, it was observed that these teachers occasionally apply the STEM approach unintentionally. Most teachers perceive STEM education as effective, however, it has several challenges to implement, such as a lack of teachers’ knowledge about the discipline and pedagogical approach, inadequate physical facilities, lack of STEM-related training, the mindset of stakeholders, etc. The findings of the study can be practical guidelines for academic institutions, curriculum developers, teachers’ trainers, and policymakers. Keywords: STEM education, integrated learning, perception, challenges. I. I NTRODUCTION he 21st-century world is very complex and fast- changing. In this complex world, it is necessary to make the future citizen an effective workforce who can think innovatively through proper reasoning and critical thinking. The Government of Bangladesh (GoB) is concerned with developing human resources, and that is why several initiatives were taken in the education sector (Chowdhury & Sarkar, 2018). Nevertheless, it is a matter of great concern that a substantial number of individuals become educated but struggle to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. Consequently, they encounter challenges in effectively utilizing their skills within a professional context, resulting in a deficiency of competence (Drucker, 2013). STEM education would be a solution to overcome this situation, as it would allow the students to learn with real-world experience and hands-on activities (Thomasian, 2011). Furthermore, STEM offers meaningful learning opportunities and positively influences students' attitudes toward STEM, potentially shaping their future careers (Tseng et al., 2013). The term STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) was often used in the 1990s to describe anything that involves one or more of the four disciplines: science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (Bybee, 2010). Over the course of recent decades, STEM education has predominantly emphasized the enhancement of science and mathematics as independent disciplines (Breiner et al., 2012), with limited attention given to the integration of technology or engineering (Bybee, 2010). STEM initiative aimed to offer critical thinking skills to all students so that they would become creative problem solvers and the ultimate workforce in the competitive job market. It is believed that someone who is STEM literate would be at an advantage over other students from general schools (White, 2014). The significance of STEM education is widely recognized for assisting students in acquiring 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, cooperation, problem-solving, etc in every area of their lives (Erdogan & Ciftci, 2017). Existing study shows that students' learning is effective when they can connect their knowledge to real-world situations, and this may be accomplished by learning with the STEM approach, which influences students' attitudes toward STEM learning in their future careers (Tseng et al., 2013). Hence, STEM education should be introduced in primary schools to develop the perception and knowledge of STEM education from the elementary level (Nadelson et al., 2013). Despite the significant scope of STEM education, its implementation was not successful at the school level owing to inadequate preparation, a lack of competent STEM teachers, a lack of funding for teachers' professional development, a lack of STEM- related research collaboration, etc. (Ejiwale, 2013). Additionally, there are constraints at the individual, institutional, and societal levels in developing countries like Bangladesh (Siddiqa & Braga, 2019). Moreover, research shows that teachers' prior views and T © 2023 Global Journals Volume XXIII Issue VIII Version I 39 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2023 G Corresponding Author α : Assistant Professor, Institute of Education and Research, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. e-mail: farhanazeba@du.ac.bd Author σ : Associate Professor, Institute of Education and Research, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. e-mail: tamanna@du.ac.bd Author ρ : Research Student, Institute of Education and Research, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. e-mail: alamin.du428@gmail.com Author Ѡ : Research Student, Institute of Education and Research, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. e-mail: sami.fahad1995@gmail.com