ABSTRACT. Contemporary STEM education emphasizes the importance of a dual-track approach that integrates hands-on learning with STEM declarative knowledge. Cognitive executive functions serve as the foundation for individuals to exhibit cognitive flexibility, respond to environmental stimuli, and achieve behavioral goals. Previous research has categorized cognitive executive functions into three components: inhibition, updating, and shifting, which facilitate cognitive behavioral inhibition, monitoring existing cognitive processes, updating new information, and shifting individuals' mental focus and attention. During hands-on STEM learning, students' use of hand tools may lead to conflicts between personal tool usage habits and STEM knowledge. Additionally, individual differences in visual perceptual style may influence their sensory perception during hands-on activities. This study aims to investigate the relationship between individual visual perceptual style, the three cognitive executive functions (inhibition, updating, and shifting), and hand tool skills. The study involved 110 upper-grade elementary school students who participated in a screwdriver-based linkage structure project. As a warm-up game, participants completed the Embedded Figures Test, Simon Test, and Running Span Task. For the linkage structure toy project, participants were provided with popsicle sticks, screws, nuts, a hand drill, and screwdrivers to freely create linkage toys. Finally, researchers used an electronic screwdriver to measure the torque value of each screw, assessing whether the participants' use of screwdrivers to complete the linkage structure demonstrated optimal motor skill performance. The findings revealed significant positive correlations between visual perceptual style and CEFs, which further influenced motor skill performance.

ABSTRACT. What does it mean to learn science and engineering in ways that empower youth? This poster presentation introduces culturally nurturing pedagogy as a theoretical conception and pedagogical possibility for framing K-12 integrated STEM education (specifically, the teaching and learning of science through the integration of science and engineering design). From an analysis of the affordances and shortcomings of the notion of culturally sustaining pedagogies in science and STEM education (Alim & Paris, 2017; Ortiz & Ruwe, 2022; Paris & Alim, 2014), we critique how learning and participating in science and engineering epistemologically contradicts culturally sustaining pedagogies as a theoretical conception. In particular, scholarship in the sociology of education and critical science education is cautious about the intellectual negotiation for youth who experience tension with science culture embedded with Eurocentric ideologies, values, and beliefs (Aikenhead & Jegede, 1999; Bang et al., 2012; Harding, 2001; Henderson, 2022) Drawing on scholarship in ethnic studies, integrated STEM, and social justice science pedagogy, we articulate what it means to be culturally nurturing in teaching K-12 science and engineering. We also emphasize the shifting need towards an onto-epistemological landscape that reflects the multiple realities and sense-making of our pluralistic global societies. Further, we highlight three dimensions of culturally nurturing pedagogy in science and engineering education: (1) science and engineering learning as culturally ladened and socially negotiated, (2) Ethnic Studies as the seed for multiple epistemologies to science and engineering, and (3) STEM integration as the catalyst to community and social transformation. We offer exemplars to contextualize how these dimensions may be woven into a curricular system and present preliminary findings that illustrate the dimensions. This work has implications for STEM teacher education research and STEM teacher preparation in contextualizing K-12 STEM teaching that cultivates students’ cultural, historical, and social identities while participating in science and engineering practices. Moreover, culturally nurturing pedagogy in STEM education calls for ways to situate and cultivate the livelihood and well-being of our youth in ways that reflect, meet, and honor the growing need for pluralistic global societies.

ABSTRACT. “The Hydraulic Robotic Arm” is a popular course topic in STEM education, and lesson plans centered on this theme can often be found across various learning stages from K-12. The focus of the hydraulic robotic arm curriculum varies at different learning levels, with elementary and middle school courses typically revolving around creative or simple functional design and construction. However, at the high school level, emphasis should be placed on improving the precision of hydraulic robotic arm design. It is crucial to assess the parameter requirements of various mechanical designs through the predictive analysis of the working range, thus providing valuable reference data for practical applications. The purpose of this article is to integrate the principles of trigonometric functions from the mathematics curriculum and explore how the components of a hydraulic robotic arm can be designed precisely based on task requirements. The goal of the study is to achieve accurate control of the hydraulic robotic arm to reach specific working positions, avoiding a trial-and-error approach to adjustments during physical fabrication. The article will first define a simulated working scenario and discuss how, by adhering to the conditions and constraints of the working scenario, a set of hydraulic robotic arm mechanisms, including a gripper, vertical arm, horizontal arm, and rotating platform, can be designed using mathematical computations. It is hoped that teachers can use the findings of this analytical case study as a reference for designing instructional activities in STEM courses with a focus on engineering design, thereby deepening the application of mathematics in engineering practice.

ABSTRACT. This presentation focuses on an evaluation of a science internship or immersion programme for secondary students who are talented or gifted (i.e. with high aptitude) in Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM). The internship exposes learners to real world, work contexts through mentorship under topnotch scientists and engineers within professional research institutions. Defined as experiential learning, internships provide unique opportunities for acquiring scientific and technical knowhow, and habits of mind deemed important to hone talented youth as future STEM leaders and practitioners. Science internships likewise provide an enhanced learning environment to integrate skills and knowledge across different STEM fields.

Through evaluation surveys that used a Likert scale and open ended questions, feedback was gathered on students’ experiences and learning in a 2- to 3-week internship in a STEM-focused school in the Philippines. Students’ survey responses were coded to arrive at emergent themes, which in turn provided insights on what students learned, and on possible programme enhancements for future implementation.

We report how internships impact student learning and prepare youth for future STEM careers. Some educators (e.g. Bowman, 2014; Cavanagh, 2004; Ismail, 2018; Keegan, 2006) argue that internships benefit both interns and host organisations as student learning and motivation are enhanced, host agency’s manpower needs addressed, and industry collaborations established - these are important strategic development goals to support economic growth in a developing country such as the Philippines.

Viewers of this presentation will appreciate how mentor-mentee relationships help develop self-reflection, soft skills, work ethics, creative and critical thinking skills, and collaboration and teamwork among the interns. The presentation will provide insights on STEM-focused schools in the Philippines, talent development in an I-STEM environment, and how to create opportunities to support underprivileged (e.g. girls, economically disadvantaged) students through internship programmes.

ABSTRACT. An important educational goal is to transfer an adequate understanding of science, its knowledge, its research and its nature into society. The STEM-Hub of the University of Kassel is intended to make an overarching contribution to this. The project focuses on four target groups: Public, Schools, Companies and Science itself. Various educational offers will make research in the STEM field visible and transparent to the „outside world“. Measures will also be developed to increase the participants’ interest in STEM and to contribute to an improved understanding of science. During the project, the following questions will be evaluated: Do the measures have lasting effects on the participants? Will the interest in STEM be increased and understanding of science improved? Our poster aims at starting a discussion with international actors in the STEM-Center community by presenting measures already developed as well as the instruments for evaluating the research questions. For example, regarding schools current research content or current research methods are carried out with students in teaching-learning laboratories to help them gaining an insight into the university beyond the school content. To optimize our efforts activities like these shall be networked and expanded within the international STEM center community.

ABSTRACT. The production of food, pharmaceuticals and chemicals is increasing worldwide. Biotechnology supports an effective and sustainable production demanded by society. Therefore, education and training are needed to successfully train the next generation of biotechnology researchers. However, this is not just about training experts in one field and understanding individual mono-disciplines, but more importantly, an overarching understanding of different disciplines.

An education that combines several STEM disciplines can promote an overall understanding of complexity in general and biotechnology in particular. In biotechnology, the symbiotic fusion of life science and process engineering has been an important aspect since its inception and therefore has a long tradition. In a newly established international network "InterZell", further experience was gained with tandem projects in cross-cutting fields. The established learning community enabled learners, students and researchers to establish supportive relationships with others who share their interest in engineering, technology and life sciences.

The integration of cross-disciplinary practical and methodological skills from engineering and science, is supported by digitization to enriche research and education. Our experience with 50 researchers networked in a priority program over a period of more than 3 years showed that new forms of learning, such as blended learning and edutainment can play a key role in integrating different STEM disciplines in a low-threshold way.

In addition, the experience gained from interaction in different fields was pooled in a learning ecosystem to find new ways in education and training involving cross-disciplinary tandem research and competencies within the network. In particular, the interaction and support of experts from different research fields reveal new ways and concepts and methods for education in a biotechnology network integrating other STEM fields und motivated the learners.

ABSTRACT. The global prominence of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education is undeniable, with the United States being its originator and Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom rapidly adopting and implementing innovative strategies. This study, conducted by visiting scholars in Vancouver, delves into the dynamics of STEM education in Canada across various sectors, namely universities, K-12 schools, private enterprises, and community initiatives.

At the university level, the study highlights Actua, a network-driven organization representing over 40 Canadian universities and colleges. Actua offers its members training, resources, and support, facilitating STEM education outreach programs tailored for girls, indigenous communities, and youth. Universities also actively engage in routine STEM-related activities, including specialized groups and summer camps featuring STEM courses.

Within K-12 schools, the Vancouver School Board's FuturePLAY program and the Surrey Academy of Innovative Learning (SAIL) stand out. These institutions have strategically designed STEAM programs that emphasize science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics and cater to different age groups. The study also explores private sector involvement, exemplified by the Amazon Future Engineer program, which offers coding courses and extends scholarships to high school students.

In the community realm, the study sheds light on initiatives such as the City of Surrey's STEM classes for primary school students, emphasizing the importance of integrating STEM education beyond formal institutions. This comprehensive analysis underscores Canada's proactive stance in promoting STEM education, transcending traditional boundaries. The collaborative efforts of K-12 schools, universities, private industries, and community programs contribute to a robust and accessible STEM education landscape.

The findings suggest that STEM education should not be confined to the classroom but should seamlessly integrate with business and community resources. This holistic approach aims to instill a lifelong learning attitude in students and provide ongoing educational resources. The study's insights are expected to serve as a valuable reference for countries seeking to enhance their approaches to promoting STEM education on a global scale.

ABSTRACT. Background and Objectives: The use of iSTEM (integrated STEM) as a form of education is becoming increasingly important. However, the discussion on STEM education cannot be limited to the integration of subject content. A method for integration of subjects through appropriate design activities to help students address real social and environmental issues is crucial for STEM education in nurturing talent. Authentic teaching elements involve teachers’ views on themselves and their teaching, and are closely related to the types of design activities teachers engage in. Therefore, it is important to understand which design activities teachers adopt in their iSTEM curriculum, and which key elements of authentic teaching and learning they put into practice.

Methodology: Based on an instructional design framework for authentic learning environments, six high school teachers who were implementing an iSTEM curriculum in the field in Taiwan were interviewed in this study. These teachers, recommended by 3 STEM education researchers, were interviewed by the authors about the types of design activities integrated into their curriculum and the key authentic teaching elements incorporated in the design activities they organize.

Results and Applications: The study findings indicate that the key authentic teaching elements practiced by teachers depend on the design activities adopted. For example, the key element of “providing authentic context that reflects the way the knowledge will be used in real-life” requires teachers to allow students to learn from mistakes in the classroom. However, during the “modelling” phase of engineering design activities, teachers often provide specific procedures for thinking and executing instructions before students engage in their creative process, thereby demonstrating the application of knowledge in a limited authentic context. This study offers researchers and educators insights into the challenges teachers may face when implementing authentic teaching in the iSTEM curriculum through design activities, as well as instructional design perspectives on fostering various student abilities to solve real-world problems.

ABSTRACT. In the Digital Age, the role of Information Science Education is crucial not only for understanding and applying digital data but also for integrating knowledge across the broad spectrum of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Our study investigates the Information Ethics Literacy of university students, focusing on the impact of technology-driven educational interventions within the broader scope of STEM Education. We employed an online database survey to assess students’ information ethics literacy. And explores six dimensions of Information Ethics: Economic, Social, Educational, Environmental, Health, and Technological. The survey content was informed by an analysis of a decade's worth of digital platform news, with seminar discussions facilitating topic selection. A panel of seven experts, including academics and legal professionals, confirmed the instrument's reliability and validity using a four-point Likert scale. The average weighted score of the question sets was 2.96, and the Content Validity Index (CVI) reached 0.84. Our online survey, conducted with university students, involved comprehensive qualitative and quantitative analyses. Of the 315 questionnaires returned, six open-ended questions underwent qualitative analysis and two rounds of coding, revealing issues related to Privacy Concerns, Procedural Legality, and Risk Perception. In the Healthcare Information Ethics section, students, assuming patient roles, deliberated on whether to disclose medical records under Taiwan’s National Health Insurance System. Their responses prioritized Doctor Competence (68.5%), Privacy Concerns (15.3%), and Self-Interests such as Access (7.7%), Health Benefits (5.6%), and Data Autonomy (2.9%). The analysis led to the categorization of findings into five dimensions: Cognition, Decision, Risk, Risk Perception, and Technology. The Cognition dimension indicated a high level of awareness (average: 2.65), and the Risk dimension showed average perception (average: 0.76, standard deviation: 0.38). The Risk Perception dimension exhibited greater variability (average: 0.64, standard deviation: 0.41). This research underscores the importance of ethical awareness and risk perception in Information Science within the context of STEM Education. It establishes a foundation for future technology-oriented educational endeavors in information ethics literacy, offering insights into students' cognitions and attitudes related to daily Information Science issues and providing valuable reference for curriculum design in Information Science Education.

ABSTRACT. Nan Hua High School’s Science department recognises the importance of integrating STEM education into the school’s Science curriculum as it will enable the school to develop 21st century skills in students, preparing them to be critical and creative thinker and problem finders and solvers. The department integrated STEM education through a multi-prong approach. This includes professional development for all science teachers through trainings to level up the competencies of the team to weave in STEM creatively and intentionally into teaching, assessments and STEM-focused PLT projects. To ignite the scientist within our students, all students are provided with opportunities at both Lower and Upper Secondary levels to gain exposure to STEM through platforms such as projects, assessments, challenges, or an enrichment module. From designing and evaluating vertical farming prototypes to building roller coaster models and solar-powered ovens, the department believes that a wide range of exposure will allow the team to inspire students to apply scientific concepts in new situations and develop them into effective communicators about scientific processes. Lastly, the team believes that infusing STEM education into the curriculum can help students understand the role they play in the community by taking on roles of different members of the community (such as industrial roles like marketing manager, engineer, finance manager or members of the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment). This will enable them to tap on their knowledge to be active contributors towards bettering the lives of those around them.

ABSTRACT. This project seeks to enrich students' understanding of coronary heart disease while integrating STEM concepts, the "Claim Evidence Reasoning" (CER) framework, and peer assessment. Through hands-on experiments, students explore coronary artery occlusion and design techniques to open blocked blood vessels using items provided. This lesson taps on knowledge from other disciplines - in addition to Biology, students need to make use of what they learned in mathematics to propose ways to calculate blood flow rates. Students manipulate tubing to mimic arteries, create blockages on the inner side to represent occlusion, and discuss its consequences. They innovate solutions by coming up with various ways to utilise long balloons to "open up" blocked vessels, employing CER for structured explanations. The project emphasizes collaboration through teamwork, peer assessment and refining their analysis. By merging scientific exploration with structured reasoning, this initiative creates a comprehensive learning experience that nurtures critical thinking and interdisciplinary connections.

ABSTRACT. This paper attempts to answer questions as to why the spheres of science, technology mathematics and engineering, referred to as STEM, requires an increased sense of ethical prudence. In the current circumstances, the science specialist holds greater moral responsibilities in the face of emerging technologies; artificial intelligence (AI) in particular.         The underpinnings of a particular approach to ethics vis-a-vis science is conditional on a brief exploration of a common set of ethical beliefs often present in the science community. I argue as to why the force and inconsistency of these beliefs form controlling elements in how the AI technologist superintends the AI project, and why forms of rule-based governance seem ineffectual. To expand further, I propose measures that can be taken by educationalists to engender a greater ethical awareness in the individual; these include the facilitation of a deeper sense of empathy and a will to act with moral courage. These characteristics, I suggest are to be promoted in the next generation of STEM practitioners as a precursor to better moral responsibility of artificially intelligent systems.

ABSTRACT. The current generation of Indonesian children and youth are challenged by the rapidly changing times. Their mastery of 21st century skills and character formation require more attention and encouragement from educators. In a Christian school environment, if the learning of science and religion is carried out separately it may develop students’ perceptions that these two types of knowledge cannot be combined. In fact, the need for scientifically literate students with Christ-like character who can transform social life is really needed in the 21st century. Integrated STEM education is expected to fill the gap that cannot be met by a fragmented, knowledge-based curriculum. This paper discusses a novel integrated STEM subject for grade 11 which is based on the Indonesian national curriculum. Guided by the ADDIE framework, we report upon our progress towards a STEM learning experience that provides space for students’ contextualized application of STEM knowledge and which is in line with Christian values, and so be a basis for the students’ character formation.

ABSTRACT. The study is conducted to design and develop a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) integrated curriculum for kindergarten. Employing a qualitative meta-synthesis study with focus group discussion and interviews, it examined and drew from studies and early childhood educators the implementation of a STEM-integrated curriculum in kindergarten with focus on STEM as a curricular approach, its pedagogy, learning outcomes, and assessment of learning outcomes. The findings include (a) a common understanding of STEM must be developed among early childhood educators from the Philippines as the first step in integrating STEM in the kindergarten curriculum; (b) STEM education is an interdisciplinary approach to teaching-learning that purposely explores, finds, and designs meaningful connections between two or more STEM disciplines or between two or more STEM disciplines and other learning areas in the context of a real-world problem; (c) there is no explicit documentation of STEM in the current kindergarten curriculum necessitating the need for the possibilities and initiatives for integrating STEM in the curriculum, (d) STEM education is strongly grounded in constructivism using the pedagogies of inquiry, hands-on, project-based and problem solving, (e) STEM education in kindergarten delivers optimal early learning experiences and leads to positive impact on cognitive skills, self-efficacy, and 21st century skill, and (f) Learning outcomes in STEM education are assessed through non-traditional assessments such as anecdotal evidence and performance tasks. The findings from this study indicate that it is feasible to implement STEM education in the current kindergarten curriculum with several recommendations outlined for future research.

ABSTRACT. A benefit of the traditional science curriculum where subjects such as physics, biology and chemistry are taught separately is that this approach allows for systematic instruction of concepts. Whilst some students may see the connections amongst the subjects, the majority of students may not. Being able to see the connections amongst concepts and skills across different subjects will allow a deeper understanding and appreciation of the world around them. The traditional disciplinary approach leaves such connection-making to serendipity.

The problems that we face today such as global warming, climate change, environmental pollution, energy needs are complex and cannot be addressed through the perspective of a single discipline alone. These problems require the perspectives of multiple disciplines, for example, those of Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics (STEM), to first of all, gain an understanding of the underlying issues and secondly, to arrive at possible solutions that are well-considered and pose minimal negative impact on Man and his environment. An important desired outcome of STEM is that students are able to draw on the connections across different subjects to address the problems they face now and in the future. In this session, possible approaches of interdisciplinary integration from a review of literature, on incorporating STEM in the Science curriculum will be shared.

STEM can be seen as a special case of interdisciplinary curricula, where subjects are more science centric. Curriculum designers can draw on the research in interdisciplinary curriculum to understand the various extents in which STEM subjects can be integrated. When the extent of integration is expressed explicitly through the resources, teachers will be better supported to implement the curriculum with fidelity. This in turn will develop in students an understanding and appreciation for interdisciplinarity which they could apply to other problems in future.

Approaches for designing meaningful interdisciplinary curriculum units (contextualisation, problem-centring and conceptualisation), STEM lesson as well as considerations for determining the quality of interdisciplinary units will be shared.

The bottom line is that some integration is better than no integration. The integration can be expressed as learning outcomes, built into learning experiences or programmes, and/ or orchestrated through pedagogy.

ABSTRACT. This project aims to capture the insights and practitioner knowledge of pre-university teachers in designing and enacting Physics-anchored STEM lessons in Singapore. A 'STEM Portfolio' toolkit was developed, drawing on the concept of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), as conceptualised through instruments such as CoRes (Content Representation) and PaP-eRs (Pedagogical and Professional-experience Repertoire). The toolkit seeks to elicit and portray teachers’ PCK, pedagogical reasoning, and reflections in enacting Physics-anchored STEM lessons designed to develop students’ 21st-century competencies.

The ‘STEM Portfolio’ toolkit was piloted with experienced Physics teachers from three schools which formed a networked learning community to facilitate co-construction of knowledge for their respective STEM lessons. During our presentation, we will share insights on the design considerations for enacting STEM lessons and discuss the toolkit's potential for designing student-centred lessons. We will highlight refinements made to the ‘STEM Portfolio’ toolkit based on lesson observations, reflections, and interviews with teachers, and provide tips for teachers who wish to develop their knowledge and competencies in STEM teaching. Participants will have a closer examination of teachers' decision-making processes and reflections through vignettes, lesson ideas, and collaborative insights towards fostering effective STEM teaching practices.

ABSTRACT. Assessment of STEM skills is one of the important issues in STEM education research and practices. We have developed a cross-curricular computer adaptive test (CAT) assessing scientific, mathematical and reading skills. A CAT is an advanced testing system where students’ skill level is estimated by their responses, and the most informative problems are subsequently presented to estimate their skills with enhanced accuracy. The CAT is based on the big data of all of the year six (1,066,295) students who participated in national reading, math and science tests in Japan in 2018. Before the development of the CAT, we found that typical science questions in Japan required reading and mathematical skills in addition to scientific skills. This means that science questions are cross-curricular questions. According to the findings, we have developed the CAT, assessing three skills essential for STEM learning simultaneously, mainly using science questions. Then, we introduced the CAT in elementary and junior high schools in Japan. We succeeded in identifying students who have good scientific and mathematical skills but do not always have good reading skills. Those students are difficult to find in the classic paper tests in Japan because they would not answer scientific questions without proper reading skills. Thus, the cross-curricular CAT, which could assess scientific and mathematical skills independent from reading skills, would be one of the assessment tools for STEM skills. At the same time, in the process of introduction, we realised that considering its ethical, legal and social issues (ELSI) was essential for protecting students’ personal data. Moreover, the CAT calculates comparable scores, which could sometimes lead to excessive evaluation. For example, in US, a teacher who was rated "less effective than average" in a teacher evaluation linked to a standardized test committed suicide. Therefore, we found it important to control excessive competition between students, between teachers, and between schools. We also started the project on ELSI of educational technology using student learning data in 2021.

ABSTRACT. The goal of formative assessment (FA) is to enhance and advance each student's learning. It has to do with how teachers observe, acknowledge, interpret, and react to what their students are learning. Nevertheless, little is known about the essential components of FA in STEM education activities. This action research is to examine how a science teacher uses FA to enhance students' learning during integrated STEM activities. The participants were forty eleven-year-old students taking chemistry classes. Three types of data were gathered: reflections from teachers, students, and classroom observations. An inductive procedure was utilised to analyse the data. The findings showed that the teacher thought one of the most crucial FA learning objectives was the STEM learning objectives, such as students' scientific explanation. He engaged the students aware of what was expected of them, which helped them see where they fit in. In order to assess the students' thinking, the teacher used evidence that comes up during STEM lessons and questions. After interpreting the evidence, the students were asked to respond thoughtfully. Additionally, classroom discussions aid in students' understanding of their learning path. There is a discussion of how formative assessment can help with other STEM learning objectives.

ABSTRACT. Philippine Science High School (PSHS) launched its integrated STEM project based learning (PBL) initiative called Kids’ Innovation Program (KIP), a co-curricular activity that incorporates design thinking and engineering design approaches in solving real world problems. In the recently concluded KIP, in collaboration with its partner, UNICEF-Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Unit, year 10 and year 11 students produced portable household toilet designs and rainwater collection kiosks with filtration system using sustainable construction materials. These designs with their blueprints will then be used to construct prototypes in impoverished and disaster hit areas in the Philippines. Despite its success over the years, the KIP has encountered implementation challenges particularly financial resources and time commitment from students and teachers. Students are already occupied with the rigorous curricular requirements, while teachers are already engrossed with both teaching and non-teaching tasks. Thus this study aims to document and assess the impact, efficiency, and efficacy of this co-curricular STEM PBL program, and to examine the possible incorporation of the program to the curriculum of years 11 and 12 as a compulsory course. Incorporating the KIP as a STEM course would circumvent the current challenges faced being a co-curricular program. Furthermore, the results of this study would also provide the groundwork for an integrated STEM curriculum that would benefit all PSHS students. For data gathering, an evaluation survey based on Kirkpatrick’s Model, focal group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews will be conducted with students (and mentors) that have experienced the KIP, especially the recently concluded KIP-UNICEF. However, for both qualitative and quantitative data of the evaluation, students who did not get to participate in the KIP will be included in the survey as well. The outcome of this study will inform plans for the incorporation of co-curricular or curricular integrated STEM activities that are anticipated to enhance the school’s STEM curriculum.

ABSTRACT. The crisis brought about by the novel coronavirus has accelerated the development of the fourth Industrial Revolution, but also made people realize the importance of emerging technologies for the future development of the world. The great changes in production organization and productivity brought about by emerging technologies put forward new requirements for the future industrial structure and labor literacy. Science education is the fundamental guarantee to effectively improve the quality of science and technology and culture of citizens, to train high-quality workers and scientific and technological innovation talents. As a guarantee for the development of science education, the guarantee mechanism of science education is a set of elements to guarantee the smooth development of science education. This study deeply analyzes the development status of the guarantee mechanism of science education in China, such as the policy system, financial investment and multi-subject collaboration. It is found that the existing problems of the relevant mechanism include the lack of fund allocation system, the large gap of equipment and facilities, and the poor situation of science education curriculum. Especially in the interaction mechanism between science and technology innovation and science education, the coordination mechanism of multi-agent participation in science education has not been established, and the participation of science and technology resources and social resources in science education is insufficient. Based on this, this study puts forward policy suggestions such as formulating education development strategy for the future development of the country, building a multi-input guarantee mechanism, giving full play to the synergies of government departments, education systems, research institutions, enterprises and venues, and deepening the integration of science and education to promote talent training models.

ABSTRACT. The gender digital divide, hurdles, negative perceptions, and gender conventions prevent girls from reaching their full potential. Lack of role models, restricted opportunities, and expectations for women performance in STEM pose serious obstacles to girls' ability to acquire the necessary skills. In spite of the various programmes by the government of India to tackle gender disparity, a significant percentage of adolescent girls drop out of training and education each year due to gender socialisation and norms, which causes them to have lower self-efficacy and perceptions of their own abilities. These girls also fail to acquire skills like entrepreneurship, problem solving, and innovative and critical thinking, which are necessary for success in jobs of the twenty-first century. The present project tries to assess the current programmes on STEM skills among adolescent girls and to find the gaps and opportunities in skills for girls in science careers. To assess their participation and performance in the domain, identify needs and gaps, and suggest possible ways forward, the project team has administered three activities. (A) Country profiling based on the review and analysis of secondary (both qualitative and quantitative) data. (B) A written survey was organized and disseminated across the 14 districts of Kerala, India. The questionnaire had 20 questions formulated to identify existing initiatives and explore characteristics of skills for girls´ programmes ongoing or in the pipeline. (C) Discussions were organized to include points of reflection and input to the mapping process and ensure that key perspectives were considered. Based on the findings of these activities, observations were noted as responses to the research questions. Further, gaps in the review were identified, and a set of recommendations, including the preparation of Innovative Gender-responsive STEM pedagogy were formulated.

ABSTRACT. The development of human resources in the fields of STEM denotes a crucial component of national advancement. Such human resource competencies are actively sought worldwide by promoting STEM and STEAM education. Such attempts span from the K-12 to the university levels. Diverse applications are frequently offered at varied developmental stages based on specific cultural contexts. Interpretations of STEM and STEAM education policies and activities exist in Thailand; for instance, the STEM Bio-Circular-Green economy model, STEAM4Innovation, and the STEM2 model are conducted in local contexts. Other policies and practices are also implemented by international organizations and several government agencies that endeavor actively to strengthen STEM education and human resource development as an aspect of national policy. Cultural backgrounds influence competency models, including examples of 21st-century skills. However, we need to understand what specific attributes can be identified when the characteristics of the STEM human resources (HR) community are considered in light of cultural features. This study surveyed undergraduate and graduate university students majoring in STEM fields in Thailand. The survey focused on their perception of a skill set comprising 21 competency elements. The results showed significant differences in five items for self-assessment and 16 items for motivation for future learning, and very weak significant differences in only one item (Information, Media, and Technology Literacy) for the competence component required for STEM HR, confirming that this item is particularly, was strongly influenced by cultural and social influences. Therefore, Thailand students have very few gender differences in the STEM HR community and the images that lead to the required competencies. Future studies could expand the scope of our studies to include high school students and working individuals, which will allow a more intensive exploration of the impact of Thailand’s educational curricula and cultural characteristics on the development of STEM human resources.

ABSTRACT. STEM curriculum typically takes place within local school contexts such as classrooms or informal learning spaces. However, students’ STEM learning experiences can be broadened by taking part in overseas learning journeys that provide STEM learning experiences beyond borders. To this end, Cedar Girls’ Secondary School in Singapore collaborated with a school in Vietnam to implement intercontextual STEM learning experiences for a learning journey in November 2023. It is envisaged that the creation of an authentic problem that resonates with students from both economies would facilitate this collaboration.

An inquiry task based on the S-T-E-M Quartet instructional framework (Tan, AL., Teo, T.W., Choy, B.H. et al. The S-T-E-M Quartet. Innov Educ 1, 3 (2019) was designed and students were asked to act as researchers tasked to solve a food security problem that is based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger (Goal 2).

The research questions that will be addressed are: (1) How do Singaporean and Vietnamese students interpret the problem of food security? (2) How do they approach this problem in their STEM inquiry task?

A mixed group setting comprising students from both schools will be adopted to allow them to collaborate and propose an innovative solution to produce or distribute locally produced food in a sustainable way. Online meetings and a hackathon will enable students to discuss and build a prototype to showcase their solution based on the Vietnamese context. The solution will then be presented to stakeholders to obtain feedback. Post hackathon, the relevance of the prototype in the Singapore context was discussed to tweak the solution.

Data collected during the learning journey will be analysed using qualitative coding methods to address the two research questions mentioned above. The data will include student surveys, interviews, and student artefacts, such as reflections and presentations. Photographic evidence of prototypes taken at the hackathon was collected as data to assess dispositions and aptitudes. It is hoped that this multi-disciplinary task will provide an example for the planning of future learning journeys for educators that have the same aim in mind.

ABSTRACT. The purpose of this study is to investigate middle school Thai students' perceptions of computational thinking (CT) practices through collaborative programming with the micro:bit. The students attended the Coding Camp for Helping People with Special Needs, where they were first introduced to the principles of the Internet of Things (IoT), programming, and micro:bit device characteristics before being instructed on how to code with the micro:bit in a text programming environment. They worked as a group to explore and propose solutions to difficulties that persons with special needs face. They were asked to illustrate how the proposed solution would be implemented using micro:bit programming. They used the micro:bit to prototype the idea and solicited input from their colleagues to validate it. Finally, each team gave a business pitch about their items. Following the camp, each team participated in a focus group interview to discuss their perceptions about computational thinking practices, the obstacles they faced when implementing their ideas using the micro:bit, and the practices and approaches they utilized to overcome such challenges. It discovered that the most difficult sorts of CT practices to implement were algorithms, code debugging, and collaboration. The activities that the participants thought would help them overcome the problems were receiving immediate and constructive feedback from the teachers and building a collaborative and supportive culture in a classroom.

ABSTRACT. Background and Objectives The field of STEM education faces ongoing challenges in enabling students to transfer and apply learned concepts to various contexts. Metacognitive strategies have been widely promoted in disciplinary teaching practices to foster students' self-regulatory skills. However, differences in the effectiveness of implementing metacognitive intervention have been observed across student levels and class performance. Considering the challenges and in line with the Conference Strand of STEM Learners and Learning, this study aims to address two key objectives: 1) understanding the variations in metacognitive awareness among students across different class levels, genders, ethnicities, STEM disciplines, and its correlation with students’ goal orientations. 2) examining the influence of embedded metacognitive interventions in freshman-level introductory biology courses on undergraduate students' acquisition of STEM content.

Methodology To assess students' level of metacognition, we administered the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) at the beginning and end of the semester in multiple STEM classrooms and then collected data from the intervention classroom of the metacognition-embedded introductory biology classes across multiple institutions in the other semester.

Results and Discussion The findings indicate that overall metacognitive awareness does not naturally grow significantly in all students, suggesting the need for metacognitive interventions. Notably, discipline and content learning emerge as factors leading to the significant difference in developing metacognitive skill development among students at similar levels. Moreover, both mastery approach and performance approach goal orientations exhibit positive relations with all categories of metacognitive awareness. This highlights the importance of guiding students toward cultivating positive learning behaviors through goal orientation.

Furthermore, our results from the embedded metacognitive intervention demonstrate a positive association between improvements in students' metacognition and higher academic achievement. Therefore, this study comprehensively underscores the importance of incorporating metacognitive interventions into STEM education to enhance students' learning outcomes.

Through exploring the variations in metacognitive awareness, investigating the impact of embedded interventions, and analyzing the correlation between metacognitive skills and goal orientations, this study contributes to our understanding of how to enhance student learning in STEM classrooms.

ABSTRACT. This research aimed to 1) investigate the requirements of demonstration school teachers regarding teaching practices in outdoor STEM education, and 2) analyze the root causes of issues as well as potential solutions to support these teachers in developing their outdoor STEM education teaching methods. The study involved 40 teachers who participated in an online questionnaire designed to assess their needs for improving outdoor STEM education teaching practices. Data was collected through an open questionnaire, soliciting information about teaching experiences related to STEM outdoor learning and ideas for implementing outdoor learning in STEM education. The researchers utilized the modified Priority Needs Index (PNImodified), means, standard deviations (SD), and content analysis. The results indicated that the foremost need to enhance demonstration school teachers' outdoor STEM education teaching practices was providing opportunities for students to explore the environment as a learning resource, enabling them to develop problem-solving skills beyond the classroom setting (PNImodified = .67). Commonly identified challenges by demonstration school teachers included limited access to outdoor resources and a lack of real-world context, particularly the difficulty in connecting STEM concepts to real-world situations and the challenge of integrating knowledge from various areas into STEM activities. To address these challenges, it is crucial for teachers to be able to create or incorporate activities using local resources. Implementing teacher training programs, such as workshops, professional learning communities, and ongoing professional development opportunities, is essential to equip teachers with the necessary skills and confidence for effective integration of outdoor STEM education.

ABSTRACT. The integration of STEM disciplines is complex and requires that teachers have a robust understanding of not only the content and practices of each of the integrated disciplines but also the alignment and coherence among integrated STEM teaching approaches, learning goals, and assessments (NAE/NRC, 2014; Wang, Moore, Roehrig, & Park, 2011). However, understanding culture, practices, and ways of knowing and sharing knowledge of the STEM disciplines constitutes only part of the path to integration. One of the key challenges in designing integrated STEM instruction is connecting core content knowledge and processes across the disciplines (English, 2015). Teachers are called to design opportunities to engage students in discipline-specific practices, while at the same time recognizing and understanding how the individual disciplinary knowledge, skills, and practices support and inform each other. In response to this challenge and with the 2013 release of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013) calling for the integration of engineering design content and practices into science instruction, faculty in the Center for Advancing the Teaching and Learning of STEM (CATALYST) at Purdue University designed a K-12 Integrated STEM Education Certificate Program that emphasizes the development of teacher knowledge for connecting core content knowledge and processes across the discipline in ways that are socially relevant and culturally inclusive and who, in turn, will prepare their students to solve problems, understand technology, value cultural diversity, and work effectively in interdisciplinary teams. In this session, we will (1) articulate the conceptual framework guiding our development of the K-12 Integrated STEM Education Certificate Program; (2) share the learning goals of the program and the series of courses that address these learning goals; (3) present evaluation data and research emanating from the program; and (4) reflect on the successes, challenges, and lessons learned after 10 years of implementation of the K-12 Integrated STEM Education Certificate Program. This work has implications for STEM teacher educators who design learning experiences for teachers to build pedagogical approaches for integrating STEM instruction that are culturally responsive, respectful, and effective and reflect an understanding of sociocultural processes and discourse practices of learning.

ABSTRACT. Society 5.0 conceptually places humans and their activities at the center of technology- and data-transformation. In this society, people must utilize their creativity and the available technology to solve pressing concerns and invest in quality lives. Literature on Society 5.0 and national policy directions like the Pagtanaw 2050 highlight the role of STEAM education on talent development for STEM jobs and research and development initiatives. Therefore, it is imperative to envision the development of a STEAM teacher preparation aligned with Society 5.0 in the Philippines. The study employed an exploratory research design and a focus group discussion (FGD) as data collection procedure. In this study, fifteen (15) Filipino scientists and STEM professionals (SSP), employed locally and internationally, were purposefully selected because of their education, research, and industry experience and expertise. Through the FGD, the SSP shared their insights about STEAM education and teacher preparation. Through a validated FGD protocol, the data were transcribed, analyzed, coded, and underwent abstraction to generate codes and categories. The emerging categories were used to clarify and explain the STEM professionals' collective insights and visions regarding STEAM teacher preparation for Society 5.0. The data analysis process shows that the scientists have varying degrees of agreement on the nature of a contextualized Society 5.0 in the Philippines, the need for STEAM education and teachers, the drivers, what constitutes a STEAM teacher preparation and its outcomes, and enablers and challenges. The FGD data has elaborated that Filipino scientists support the vision of a Filipino Society 5.0 that promotes equal access to efficient government services, technology, and human talent development. They further defined the nature of the STEAM teacher outcomes in terms of functions such as research, instruction, leadership, and competencies that allow them to think creatively and critically, interact with others, and stay relevant. These outcomes would be realized through a robust STEAM teacher preparation curriculum characterized by depth of content, flexible curriculum delivery, interdisciplinary content, and collaborations with industry partners. The results of this study indicate the need for continuous curricular recalibrations in teacher education as a response to societal evolutions and disruptions such as Society 5.0.