A Review on STEM Enrollment in Higher Education of Cambodia: Current Status, Issues, and Implications of Initiatives

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education has received priority in the policy agendas of many countries around the world. As Cambodia is undergoing a shift in her economic development trends in this regional and global industrial revolution 4.0, it has been emphasized that the nation has a great demand for graduates in STEM fields. However, currently the country faces critical challenges in enhancing the uptake of students into these fields in higher education. This paper, thus, was aimed to present the current status of students’ enrollment in STEM majors, discuss key issues Cambodia is facing, and draw implications of policy initiatives from five OECD nations to enhance students’ enrollment in STEM fields in higher education. The results of the review suggested that to increase students’ uptake into STEM majors in higher education, not only classroom level but also extracurricular initiatives should be taken into consideration at the upper secondary schools as well as society

Factors Affecting Cambodian Upper Secondary School Students’ Choice of Science Track

Upper secondary school years have been considered as a critical period for attracting students into future science-related majors and careers; yet, Cambodia is facing a worrisome decline trend in the students’ choice of science track. Through the lens of the making of engineers and scientists conceptual framework, the study aims to investigate the factors affecting Cambodian upper secondary school students’ choice of science track. With self-rating questionnaire survey, which randomly covered 751 11th graders in nine upper secondary schools in three provinces of Cambodia, the researcher collected data on three significant factors namely individual ability and personality, family background and encouragement, and upper secondary school experience and support. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that performance in science and mathematics subjects, attitude towards science, plan to major in STEM, time spent self-studying in science and mathematics subjects, family encouragement, mother’s education, and school location significantly predicted students’ choice of science track. Some important implications for pedagogical orientation were also discussed

An Examination of the Measurement in Civic Scientific Literacy of Japanese Adult: An Examination of the Validity of Miller's 3-dimension Model

The purpose of this study is to examine the validity of the three - dimension measurement model of civic scientific literacy. The construct and the predictive validity of the model were estimated by the confirmatory factor analysis and the chi-square analysis. The result of the confirmatory analysis presented the sufficient correlation between the measurement items and 3 constructs (understanding of basic science knowledge and concepts, understanding of scientific process, and understanding of social impact of science). In addition, the chi-square analysis present that each of these construct variables will differentiate the level of the commitment to scientific information. Therefore, the study conclude that the measurement model will satisfy the measurement of the scientific literacy

Public Attitudes Toward Animal Research: Some International Comparisons

A comparative analysis was made of the public\u27s attitudes toward the use of animals in scientific research in 15 different nations. The intensity of opposition to animal research was found to vary from relatively low levels in Japan and the United States to much higher levels in France, Belgium, and Great Britain. More women than men were opposed to animal research in all 15 nations. Scientific knowledge, or the lack of knowledge, was not found to have a consistent relationship with attitudes toward animal research. Concern about the environment was found to be related to opposition to animal research in some western European nations, in particular West Germany. Cluster analysis was used to group the nations into four patterns based on intensity of opposition, level of opposition, gender differences in opposition, and the relationship between attitudes toward animal research and both environmental concern and scientific knowledge

Cambodian Teacher Educators’ Attitudes towards the Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Education: Trends and Patterns

The effective use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can improve educational quality, especially develop the 21st century skills. Whether teachers use ICT in their teaching or not depends on their attitudes towards the use of ICT. The purposes of the study were to investigate the trends and patterns of Cambodian basic education teacher educators’ attitudes towards the use of ICT. The total sample of 135 teacher educators from both Phnom Penh Teacher Education College and Battambang Teacher Education College were purposively selected to participate in the survey. The findings indicated that teacher educators had a positive attitude towards the use of ICT. They had very high intention towards the use of ICT compared to their emotion and belief. There were significant differences across gender, computer experience, and ICT training while their age did not. To enhance teacher educators’ attitudes, the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport (MoEYS) of Cambodia should consider the provision of sufficient ICT training so as to equip them with more computer experience before being able to use it in their teaching and learning process

An Evaluation of the Effect of the Improvised Experiments on Student-teachers’ Conception of Static Electricity

This study is investigating the student-teachers’ conception of static  electricity in Rwandan teacher training colleges. The study used a preand post-intervention design, where two groups of students were randomly  assigned in two groups. Along a period of four weeks, one group was taught using the traditional method (TRAD) while another using improvised  experiment (IME) method. The student-teachers were given a test before teaching while after teaching the same test was administered to both groups. The study was not interested in testing student-teachers’  achievement rather the conception of static electricity. The test was composed of six item questions and their answers were coded as “out of the topic, unrelated information and opposite answers”. After performing pre-test, student-teachers showed confusions related to non-mastery of content and alternative conceptions related to static electricity and  magnetism. Though about 27 per cent and 17 per cent of student-teachers in TRAD and IME respectively, reduced the gaps in their confusion after getting teaching intervention, however, there was found to be no statistically significant difference (p>.05 at df=10) in all of the item questions between these teaching methods in favour of IME. Four item questions showed an improvement while student-teachers developed more conceptual confusions in other two item questions. Not only examining student-teachers’ conception in static electricity but also teachers were recommended to be aware of students’ ideas, opinions and confusions prior to their lesson planning, teaching materials preparation, as well as teaching implementation. Keywords: Conceptions, Static electricity, Improvised experiments, Student-teacher

EXPLORING MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SOLID, LIQUID, AND GAS AMONG JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KAMPOT PROVINCE, CAMBODIA

Research shows that students’ misconceptions interfere with students’ learning of scientific concepts. Meanwhile, the significant effects of students’ misconceptions on their achievement has been a concern for teachers who strive to find ways of dealing with the misconceptions. This study was conducted to explore Cambodian students’ misconceptions of states of matter (Solid, liquid, and gas), which main aimed to investigate what type of misconceptions which they held in the concept of characteristics of solid, liquid, and gas. Data was collected using a 15 multiple-choice two-tier test which was administered on 330 junior high school students in Kampot province, Cambodia. In this test, students’ responses were categorized into three: correct answer, misconception, and incorrect answer. Data analysis through descriptive statistics showed the frequencies of each students’ misconceptions. Students’ responses to the items revealed that 20 misconceptions were held by less than 50% of the students whereas 4 misconceptions were held by more than 50% of the students who took the test. Interviews with some of the students revealed the nature of students’ understanding of the concept of states of matter. Two main conclusions were derived to explain these results: 1) students tend to attribute macroscopic view to microscopic view and 2) students believe matter exist unless they see

Integrating STEM Approach in K-12 Science Education Teaching Practice: A Systematic Literature Review

The integration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in K-12 education is widely recognized as a critical means to ensure future prosperity, security, and a skilled workforce in these fields. This integrated STEM approach entails teaching these four STEM disciplines in a cohesive manner. However, several barriers have arisen, including the lack of a clear consensus on the key features of implementing integrated STEM education effectively. There remains uncertainty about which science subjects should be integrated with the other three disciplines and at what level within K-12 science education this integration should occur. Therefore, this study aims to establish a well-defined framework for teaching science through an integrated STEM approach (ISTEMA) and identify the types of integrated STEM disciplines employed in various educational settings through a systematic literature review. Secondary data, including scholarly journal articles and book chapters, were collected through searches in databases such as the Educational Resource Information Center (ERIC) and Web of Science. Data analysis was conducted using within-case and cross-case analysis methods. The findings of the study revealed that the framework of teaching science ISTEMA generally consists of six elements: inquiry-based, engineering-based, technology-based, problem-based, teamwork-based, and robotic-based learning. This approach primarily focuses on primary and lower secondary education. Engineering and technology content is predominantly integrated into the science subject. In primary education, science and engineering and science and technology are extensively used, while in lower and upper secondary education, science, engineering, and mathematics, science, technology, and engineering, or STEM are commonly employed

Suggestion for the teaching method in real-work oriented preservice teacher education curriculum : Some considerations based on the observation of internship program in Michigan State University

The purpose of this study is to identify the key to the success in the clinical teaching method in pre-service teacher education. The author observed the internship program of teacher education department in the Michigan State University, which has been ranked the top for several years. The observation was conducted during November 2nd through 24th, 2005. The observation result indicates that the theoretical part of the educational theory is not only emphasized even in the practical internship, but also blended into the practice of intern, by emphasizing the construction of "if..., then..., because..." statement to the intern and by introducing the cutting-edge educational theories to the mentor teachers