Authentic STEM education through modelling: an international Delphi study
Abstract Background The literature asserts that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education needs to be authentic. Although models and modelling provide a basis from which to increase authenticity by bridging the STEM disciplines, the idea of authentic STEM education remains c...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2023-10-01
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| Series: | International Journal of STEM Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-023-00453-4 |
| _version_ | 1797647217371119616 |
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| author | Jonas Hallström Per Norström Konrad J. Schönborn |
| author_facet | Jonas Hallström Per Norström Konrad J. Schönborn |
| author_sort | Jonas Hallström |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The literature asserts that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education needs to be authentic. Although models and modelling provide a basis from which to increase authenticity by bridging the STEM disciplines, the idea of authentic STEM education remains challenging to define. In response, the aim of this study is to identify consensus on significant elements of authentic STEM education through models and modelling. Views were gathered anonymously over three rounds of questions with an expert panel. Responses were subjected to a multimethod analysis that pursued identification, consensus, and stability in the panel’s revealed propositions and themes around authentic STEM education through modelling. Results The panel reached high consensus concerning the potential of STEM education to support learning across traditional subject borders through authentic problem solving. The panel also consented that modelling is indispensable for achieving real-world relevance in STEM education, and that model-based integrated STEM education approaches provide opportunities for authentic problem solving. Furthermore, results showed that integrating individual STEM subjects during teaching, in terms of including disciplinary knowledge and skills, requires specialised competence. Here, technology and engineering subjects tended to implicitly underpin communicated teaching activities aimed at STEM integration. Conclusions and implications The panellists stress that STEM disciplines should be taught collaboratively at the same time as they are not in favour of STEM as a subject of its own but rather as a cooperation that maintains the integrity of each individual subject. Many respondents mentioned integrated STEM projects that included modelling and engineering design, although they were not specifically labelled as engineering projects. Thus, real-world STEM education scenarios are often viewed as being primarily technology and engineering based. The panel responses also implicate a need for multiple definitions of authenticity for different educational levels because a great deal of uncertainty surrounding authenticity seems to originate from the concept implying different meanings for different STEM audiences. These international Delphi findings can potentially inform integrated STEM classroom interventions, teacher education development, educational resource and curriculum design. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T15:13:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b9d1ecc812b74c77a67015585dbbe433 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2196-7822 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T15:13:04Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of STEM Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-b9d1ecc812b74c77a67015585dbbe4332023-10-29T12:35:44ZengSpringerOpenInternational Journal of STEM Education2196-78222023-10-0110111610.1186/s40594-023-00453-4Authentic STEM education through modelling: an international Delphi studyJonas Hallström0Per Norström1Konrad J. Schönborn2Technology and Science Education Research (TESER), Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning (IBL), Linköping UniversityDepartment of Learning in Engineering Sciences, KTH Royal Institute of TechnologyDivision of Media and Information Technology, Department of Science and Technology (ITN), Linköping UniversityAbstract Background The literature asserts that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education needs to be authentic. Although models and modelling provide a basis from which to increase authenticity by bridging the STEM disciplines, the idea of authentic STEM education remains challenging to define. In response, the aim of this study is to identify consensus on significant elements of authentic STEM education through models and modelling. Views were gathered anonymously over three rounds of questions with an expert panel. Responses were subjected to a multimethod analysis that pursued identification, consensus, and stability in the panel’s revealed propositions and themes around authentic STEM education through modelling. Results The panel reached high consensus concerning the potential of STEM education to support learning across traditional subject borders through authentic problem solving. The panel also consented that modelling is indispensable for achieving real-world relevance in STEM education, and that model-based integrated STEM education approaches provide opportunities for authentic problem solving. Furthermore, results showed that integrating individual STEM subjects during teaching, in terms of including disciplinary knowledge and skills, requires specialised competence. Here, technology and engineering subjects tended to implicitly underpin communicated teaching activities aimed at STEM integration. Conclusions and implications The panellists stress that STEM disciplines should be taught collaboratively at the same time as they are not in favour of STEM as a subject of its own but rather as a cooperation that maintains the integrity of each individual subject. Many respondents mentioned integrated STEM projects that included modelling and engineering design, although they were not specifically labelled as engineering projects. Thus, real-world STEM education scenarios are often viewed as being primarily technology and engineering based. The panel responses also implicate a need for multiple definitions of authenticity for different educational levels because a great deal of uncertainty surrounding authenticity seems to originate from the concept implying different meanings for different STEM audiences. These international Delphi findings can potentially inform integrated STEM classroom interventions, teacher education development, educational resource and curriculum design.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-023-00453-4Authentic STEM educationDelphi methodModels and modelling |
| spellingShingle | Jonas Hallström Per Norström Konrad J. Schönborn Authentic STEM education through modelling: an international Delphi study International Journal of STEM Education Authentic STEM education Delphi method Models and modelling |
| title | Authentic STEM education through modelling: an international Delphi study |
| title_full | Authentic STEM education through modelling: an international Delphi study |
| title_fullStr | Authentic STEM education through modelling: an international Delphi study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Authentic STEM education through modelling: an international Delphi study |
| title_short | Authentic STEM education through modelling: an international Delphi study |
| title_sort | authentic stem education through modelling an international delphi study |
| topic | Authentic STEM education Delphi method Models and modelling |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-023-00453-4 |
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