Beyond the basics: a detailed conceptual framework of integrated STEM

Abstract

Given the large variation in conceptualizations and enactment of K− 12 integrated STEM, this paper puts forth a detailed conceptual framework for K− 12 integrated STEM education that can be used by researchers, educators, and curriculum developers as a common vision. Our framework builds upon the extant integrated STEM literature to describe seven central characteristics of integrated STEM: (a) centrality of engineering design, (b) driven by authentic problems, (c) context integration, (d) content integration, (e) STEM practices, (f) twenty-first century skills, and (g) informing students about STEM careers. Our integrated STEM framework is intended to provide more specific guidance to educators and support integrated STEM research, which has been impeded by the lack of a deep conceptualization of the characteristics of integrated STEM. The lack of a detailed integrated STEM framework thus far has prevented the field from systematically collecting data in classrooms to understand the nature and quality of integrated STEM instruction; this delays research related to the impact on student outcomes, including academic achievement and affect. With the framework presented here, we lay the groundwork for researchers to explore the impact of specific aspects of integrated STEM or the overall quality of integrated STEM instruction on student outcomes.

Multidisciplinary Modelling in a Sixth-Grade Tsunami Investigation

“…Students' freedom to create their own models, rather than being specifically directed, revealed a range of responses indicative of their capabilities in these STEM domains. As Roehrig et al (2021) emphasized, it is imperative that students are afforded opportunities to determine their own solution paths-"Teacher proscribed directions will result in a single design solution", when integrated STEM education calls for multiple possible solution options (p. 4).…”

“…One of the under-researched challenges in STEM integration is not only making connections between the disciplines and between context and disciplines but also making these connections explicit to students (English, 2016;Roehrig et al, 2021). Complicating this challenge are the various forms of STEM integration reported in the literature.…”

“…Multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary approaches are frequently cited, with various definitions proposed (e.g., Bybee, 2013;Vasquez et al, 2013). Research suggests that multidisciplinary approaches yield the best outcomes for students to apply disciplinary content and develop an understanding of the ways in which this content is connected (Roehrig et al, 2021). Such approaches enable two or more disciplines to be foregrounded "explicitly and purposefully" in an integrated STEM investigation, which is not always the case in efforts to integrate two or more disciplines (Baldinger et al, 2021;Roehrig et al, 2021, p. 9).…”

Identifying the Research and Trends in STEM Education in Pakistan: A Systematic Literature Review

“…It has become an international priority to improve academic skills in STEM disciplines to ensure students are adequately prepared for careers in the field of STEM (Thibaut et al, 2018). In recent years, the implementation of STEM in K-12 education in the United States has been focused on interdisciplinary or integrated instruction (Kennedy & Odell, 2014), commonly referred to as “integrated STEM education.” (Roehrig et al, 2021). “The approach to teaching the STEM content of two or more STEM domains, bound by STEM practices within an authentic context to connect these subjects to enhance student learning” (Kelley & Knowles, 2016, p. 3), has become an integral component of 21st-century learning environments (Kennedy & Sundberg, 20203).…”

Uncovering Core Dimensions of K-12 Integrated STEM

“…Although there is a lack of consensus in the literature regarding how best to define and implement integrated STEM instruction, it is clear that integrated STEM is a multidimensional construct. The development of our STEM observation protocol was guided by our framework (Roehrig, Dare, Ellis et al, 2021) which includes seven key characteristics of integrated STEM: (a) focus on real-world problems, (b) centrality of engineering, (c) context integration, (d) content integration, (e) STEM practices, (f) 21st century skills, and (g) informing students about STEM careers. In the following section, we first situate our framework by discussing engineering as a discipline within K-12 settings.…”