Students of Teacher Training Programs and Their Views on STEM: A Focus Interview
Students of Teacher Training Programs and Their Views on STEM: A Focus Interview

Summary/Abstract: This paper presents the outcomes of a pilot study conducted witha group of students pursuing teacher training programs as part of theinternational research project called “Kitchen Lab for Kids” deliveredunder the “Erasmus+; Key Action 2” scheme. The aim of the researchwas to find out about students’ opinions on STEM education,including the determination of the level of their knowledge aboutthis trend. In this context, particular attention was paid to issuesrelated to the goals of STEM education, problems and challengesthat they may generate, as well as the needs (organizational conditions)necessary to implement this type of activity. The respondentsalso had the opportunity to present their own experiences in organizingand conducting STEM classes. The research was carried out withthe use of the qualitative methods, where the basic research methodwas focus interview. The research group consisted of 8 students ofteaching faculties, mainly pre-school and early school education. Theselection of research units was purposeful. The conducted qualitativeanalysis of the material collected during the focus interview showedthat STEM education is still a novelty among students of teachingfaculties. Future teachers have little experience in the implementationof activities taking into account the STEM model, but it should beexpected that the coming years will result in a number of changes andactivities in this area.

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