New Perspectives in Science Education

Edition 13

Accepted Abstracts

Development of Higher Order Thinking Skills through STEM Education in Science at Secondary School: Perceptions of Prospective and Novice Science Teachers

Noufal P., Research Scholar (India)

Abstract

STEM Education involves teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in an integrated manner and comprises the process starting from pre-school to higher education. The main aim of Science education is to develop necessary skills (thinking skills, process skills, higher order thinking skills, etc.) in addition to acquiring the content knowledge. Many countries already started to implement STEM Education in the general education curriculum. In India, we are giving major focus to single subject teaching at Secondary level. This paper will give an insight about the perceptions of future teachers (Prospective and Novice) in Science, regarding different instructional practices to be followed during the implementation of STEM Education in the Science classroom and different ways through which students will develop higher order thinking skills during the instructional practices of STEM Education. The tools used for the present study were the questionnaire prepared by the researchers (validated by the experts), interview schedule and focus group discussion with the sample. The sample of the present study consists of 13 science prospective teachers who are presently pursuing their pre service course in Kannur University, Kerala, India and 7 novice Science teachers who are working in secondary schools nearby to Kannur University, Kerala, India. Findings of the study revealed that integration of STEM in teaching is the need of the present teaching learning process and it should focus on developing the higher level of thinking skills apart from simple acquisition of knowledge and applying the knowledge. Various instructional practices consisting of collaboration, inquiry, problem solving, designing, creating, etc. can be integrated in the teaching learning process to integrate STEM Education. Students will get an opportunity to explore by themselves and they can come up with innovative ideas and designing skills. Majority of the teachers opinioned that, students can develop Creativity, Critical thinking, Problem solving, and Decision making skills through STEM Education. This paper recommends the major shift to be occurred in the present teaching process i.e. from single subject teaching approach to inter disciplinary approach kind of teaching at secondary schools in Kerala, India.

Keywords: STEM Education, Higher Order Thinking Skills, Secondary School, Prospective and Novice Science Teachers, Perceptions.

References:
[1] C.Teevasuthonsaakul, V Yuvanatheeme, V Sriput, S Suwandecha(2017), Design steps for Physics STEM Education Learning in Secondary , Journal of Physics: Conference Series.901 012118.
[2] Kan, A. U., Murat, A. (2018). Investigation of Prospective Science Teachers’ 21st Century Skill Competence Perceptions and Attitudes Toward STEM, International Online Journal of Educational Sciences, 10(4), 251-272.
[3] Malti (2017) , Need and Importance of STEM Education in Indian Schools, Indian Journal of Research, 6, 1,852-853.
[4] Prayoonsri Budsankom, Tatsirin Sawangboon, Suntorapot Damrongpanit &Jariya Chuensirimongkol (2015), Factors affecting higher order thinking skills of students: A meta-analytic structural equation modeling study, Educational Research and Reviews, 10(19), 2639-2652, DOI: 10.5897/ERR2015. 2371.

 

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