Teacher-level factors of the implementation of STEM curriculum: Two cases from Hong Kong

Abstract

STEM Education remains relevant worldwide, and Hong Kong started its STEM curriculum in 2015. Yet, there is still consensus on the exact definition of STEM. To continue the effort in characterizing STEM in school education, the current study aims to understand the identity, status, and purposes of S their beliefs and conceptions. A case study approach was used, and 33 teachers from two secondary schools in Hong Kong were invited to interviews. It has been found that teachers from both schools considered the boundary between STEM and non-STEM was blurred, the status of STEM and related subjects were heavily influenced by external factors, and the purposes of STEM education did not lie in the development of subject-specific knowledge and skills. These views could be nature of the STEM curriculum in Hong Kong resulted in its blurred boundary, and the nature of STEM as a region could explain its relatively low status and focus on generic purposes. This work is expected to be helpful for further scholarly dialogue on the factors that influence school-level STEM curriculum implementation.