TY - JOUR
T1 - STEM education in the twenty-first
century: learning at work—an exploration
of design and technology teacher
perceptions and practices
AU - Bell, Dawne
AU - Morrison-Love, David
AU - Wooff, David
AU - McLain, Matt
PY - 2018/9/1
Y1 - 2018/9/1
N2 - Teachers’ knowledge of STEM education,
their understanding, and pedagogical
application of that knowledge is
intrinsically linked to the subsequent
effectiveness of STEM delivery within their
own practice; where a teacher’s
knowledge and understanding is deficient,
the potential for pupil learning is
ineffective and limited. Set within the
context of secondary age phase education
in England and Wales (11–16 years old),
this paper explores how teachers working
within the field of design and technology
education acquire new knowledge in
STEM; how understanding is developed
and subsequently embedded within their
practice to support the creation of a
diverse STEM-literate society. The
purpose being to determine mechanisms
by which knowledge acquisition occurs, to
reconnoitre potential implications for
education and learning at work, including
consideration of the role which new
technologies play in the development of
STEM knowledge within and across
contributory STEM subject disciplines.
Underpinned by an interpretivist ontology,
work presented here builds upon the
premise that design and technology is an
interdisciplinary educational construct and
not viewed as being of equal status to
other STEM disciplines including maths
and science. Drawing upon the
philosophical field of symbolic
interactionism and constructivist grounded
theory, work embraces an abductive
methodology where participants are
encouraged to relate design and
technology within the context of STEM
education. Emergent findings are
discussed in relation to their potential to
support teachers’ educational
development for the advancement of
STEM literacy, and help secure design and
technology’s place as a subject of value
within a twenty-first Century curriculum.
AB - Teachers’ knowledge of STEM education,
their understanding, and pedagogical
application of that knowledge is
intrinsically linked to the subsequent
effectiveness of STEM delivery within their
own practice; where a teacher’s
knowledge and understanding is deficient,
the potential for pupil learning is
ineffective and limited. Set within the
context of secondary age phase education
in England and Wales (11–16 years old),
this paper explores how teachers working
within the field of design and technology
education acquire new knowledge in
STEM; how understanding is developed
and subsequently embedded within their
practice to support the creation of a
diverse STEM-literate society. The
purpose being to determine mechanisms
by which knowledge acquisition occurs, to
reconnoitre potential implications for
education and learning at work, including
consideration of the role which new
technologies play in the development of
STEM knowledge within and across
contributory STEM subject disciplines.
Underpinned by an interpretivist ontology,
work presented here builds upon the
premise that design and technology is an
interdisciplinary educational construct and
not viewed as being of equal status to
other STEM disciplines including maths
and science. Drawing upon the
philosophical field of symbolic
interactionism and constructivist grounded
theory, work embraces an abductive
methodology where participants are
encouraged to relate design and
technology within the context of STEM
education. Emergent findings are
discussed in relation to their potential to
support teachers’ educational
development for the advancement of
STEM literacy, and help secure design and
technology’s place as a subject of value
within a twenty-first Century curriculum.
KW - STEM Professional learning at work
KW - Twenty-first century skills Design andtechnology
UR - http://www.mendeley.com/research/stem-education-twentyfirst-century-learning-workan-exploration-design-technology-teacher-perceptions
U2 - 10.1007/s10798-017-9414-3
DO - 10.1007/s10798-017-9414-3
M3 - Article (journal)
SN - 0957-7572
VL - 28
SP - 721
EP - 737
JO - International Journal of Technology and Design Education
JF - International Journal of Technology and Design Education
IS - 3
ER -