Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemGirls can do science!!! : a personal history of professional development(University of Melbourne, 1992)
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ItemWhat are the challenges for STEM education in the Australian context?( 2020)The introduction and implementation of STEM Education internationally and in Australia was centred around governments’ concern for future economic growth and prosperity within a highly technology driven and global environment. Attention was also drawn to decreasing student enrolments in the physical sciences, higher level mathematics and engineering and technology-based courses and, the under-representation of females in tertiary engineering and, physical and computer sciences in schools and higher education. The literature review identified who led the introduction of STEM education and the multiple approaches available for its implementation. This qualitative empirical study investigated the challenges facing STEM education in the Australian context. It was underpinned by a curriculum development framework and presented using a narrative inquiry approach. Data was collected and analysed from a document analysis, a Delphi study and semi-structured interviews. A document analysis of thirty-two selected international and Australian documents related to the introduction and implementation of STEM education was undertaken to identify themes common to these documents. The selected documents were representative of government policies and programs, published research and reports from business, industry and professional associations and organisations. Five common themes were identified. A Delphi study was conducted with eleven participants with a diverse range of experiences and positions in STEM education and the STEM disciplines from across Australia. The Delphi study sought to determine the purposes of and requirements for STEM education and whether a vision for STEM education in Australia in the Australian context could be constructed. The semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten Delphi study participants and with an additional six selected participants. The interviews explored how the participants’ conceptualisation of STEM Education shaped their approach to the implementation and future of STEM education in the Australian context. The study found three key challenges facing STEM education in the Australian context. The first challenge is that people have very different conceptualisations of STEM education which then hinders the design or implementation of STEM education programs. The second challenge is the establishment and sustainability of partnerships of people interested in STEM education to develop programs to implement STEM education that are inclusive of all Australian students. The third challenge is the use of local contexts to better engage students in STEM education programs that are also relevant to global issues within the context of increasing accountability against set national and international standards.