Physics pre-service teachers’ views on STEM activities http://www.ied.edu.hk/apfslt/v17

The United States National Research Council [NRC] (2011) states that technology production of the twenty-first century’s economy is driven by science, mathematics, engineering and technology. The number of students trained with a qualified education in these areas is therefore important for a strong and sustainable economy. Educational programmers and researchers are therefore working on new projects related to science and mathematics to establish a program which will educate the students to create the technological innovations necessary for continuation of the economic developments in the future (Fan and Ritz, 2014). One of such projects is called STEM education and it has being implemented in education system of many countries, especially in the USA. The name of STEM education is an abbreviation for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics respectively (Dugger, 2010).

STEM education is a technology/engineering based learning approach integrating the concepts and practice of science and mathematics with technology and engineering (Sanders & Wells, 2006). According to Fan and Ritz (2014), STEM education can be explained as focusing on each single STEM subject with new teaching methods or integration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics into curriculum. The aim of integrated STEM education is to enable students to construct new knowledge and improve their problem-solving skills in the design process (Fortus, Krajcikb, Dershimerb, Marx & Mamlok-Naamand, 2005).

The general purpose of STEM education is to increase the number of students in STEM related fields by integrating science, technology, engineering and mathematics into in-class and out-of-school activities from kindergarten through university (Dugger, 2010; Gonzalez & Kuenzi, 2012). STEM activities enable students to easily apply their knowledge to solve technical problems like those seen in real life and provide high level of thinking skills (Dugger, 2010; Sanders, 2009; Zuga 2007). According to Morrison (2006), integrated STEM education makes individuals better in problem solving, innovation, creativity, logical thinking, technology literacy and, most importantly, guide them to have the skills necessary for the twenty-first century. In this context, STEM education enables students to be selected for qualified workforce and can contribute to production of innovative technology.

The results of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study [TIMSS] and the Programme for International Student Assessment [PISA] should carefully be consulted to better understand the quality of education in science and mathematics in Turkey and to properly compare education system in Turkey with those of other countries. Turkey’s average point in science is 425 while it is 465 for all countries. The average point in mathematics is 420 while it is 461 for all countries. The difference between Turkey’s points and the average point for all countries both in science and in mathematics is statistically significant. Turkey’s average points in mathematics and science have always been below the average for the OECD countries, and the significant difference mentioned above has remained stable over the years (PISA, 2016).

According to TIMSS 2015 mathematics assessment at the 8th grade level, Turkey was ranked 24th among 39 countries with an average scale score of 458 which was below the TIMSS scale centerpoint. In TIMSS survey, there are four international benchmarks, i.e. advanced, high, intermediate and low. Among 8th grade students participated in TIMSS 2015 only 6% of Turkish students were able to reach the advanced benchmark in mathematic assessment. Turkey was ranked 21st among 39 countries with an average scale score of 493 (again below the TIMSS scale centerpoint) in TIMSS 2015 science assessment. Only 8% of the 8th grade students from Turkey were able to reach the advanced benchmark in science assessment (TIMSS, 2016).

From Turkey's scores in both PISA and TIMSS assessments, it is seen that the quality of education in the fields of science and mathematics in Turkey is not satisfactory. The lack of achievement is also seen in national exams, such as the Higher Education Transition Examination [HETE] and the Undergraduate Placement Examination [UPE] organized by the Student Selection and Placement Center [SSPC]. In HETE 2016, while the average net score in science test was 4.70 over 40 questions, the average score in basic mathematics was 7.89 over 40 questions. In the 2016 UPE exam, the average net scores in physics, chemistry and biology, each consists of 30 questions, were 5.03, 9.53 and 7.73 respectively, while the average score in mathematics was 9.85 over 50 questions (SSPC, 2016a; 2016b).

The lack of achievement among students in science and mathematics in both national and international exams negatively affects the number of students studying in STEM areas in universities. A new education program is therefore needed to motivate students in the field of mathematics and science. This could improve their achievements in both science and mathematics and encourage them to study in STEM related fields. STEM education will meet this need by providing a qualified workforce, which can keep up with technological developments and make Turkey’s economy more competitive and innovative. The Ministry of National Education (MoNE) is well aware of the importance of STEM education. The ministry has already carried out a forecasting study for STEM education in Turkey following the Vision 2023 Project (Serbest, 2005; Çorlu, Capraro & Capraro, 2014). In addition, STEM education took place in pilot schools in Kayseri in 2013 under the management of Kayseri Provincial Directorate of National Education. Organizing national robotics competitions and creating STEM centers in universities clearly indicate that investments in STEM education are increasing in Turkey.

Turkey considers STEM education seriously since it will surely increase the competitiveness of the country in global arena (Çorlu, Capraro & Capraro, 2014). However, to enhance the quality of education, teachers, who are practitioners of teaching programs, should get familiar with interdisciplinary approach during university and gain the necessary skills for STEM education. Çorlu (2014) states that teachers who graduated from integrated teacher education programs will better understand and teach STEM education. On that note, STEM education or integrated education can be included in the curriculum, in courses such as Special Teaching Methods, Material Development, and Research Project in Field Education [RPFE]. Bybee (2011) states that, teachers can teach science and engineering practices with clear and continuous activities without significant changes to the curriculum. In order to be able to provide qualified education in science and mathematics, pre-service teachers should be allowed to participate in STEM studies, so that they may use STEM activities in their own classes in the future regardless of any changes in curriculum. In fact, curriculums published by MoNE in Turkey let teachers to adapt the teaching methods and activities according to circumstances in the school. Pre-service teachers with enough experience in STEM education may therefore use STEM activities during their classes. It is therefore crucial to determine the views of pre-service teachers’ on STEM education that has a potential to impact the studies on STEM education. Pre-service teachers’ perceptions, attitudes and opinions about teaching methods and in-class activities may affect the methods and activities that they will use in their own classes in the future.

Purpose of the Study

The aim of this study is to investigate the opinions of pre-service teachers who had experiences in STEM education during their Research Project in Field Education (RPFE) course. To address the aim of the study, the following research questions were considered:

Were pre-service teachers’ expectations compatible with studies conducted within the scope of RPFE course?
What do pre-service teachers think about how STEM activities affect their motivation?
What are the opinions of the pre-service teachers regarding STEM activities in general?
What are the opinions of the pre-service teachers regarding preparing STEM activities?
Do pre-service teachers think of using STEM activities in their classes in the future?