THE READINESS OF TEACHERS AND CURRICULA FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF STEM PROGRAMS: THE CASE OF ONE EXPERIMENTAL SCHOOL IN KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

The education systems around the world focus on developing students’ soft skills such as critical thinking, innovative thinking, and the ability to quickly retrain. In order to prepare professionals for the global economy, many countries of the world have adopted STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education as the basis for the formation of a national curriculum (Yakman & Lee, 2012). The demand for STEM specialists is growing, and education systems in many countries are changing approaches to attract more potential workers to STEM-related areas (Prinsley & Johnston, 2015; Sanders, 2008; Tytler, 2020). This study aimed to explore teachers' perceptions of implementing STEM programs in one of the mainstream schools in Northern Kazakhstan. In addition, the factors supporting and impeding the implementation of STEM programs were studied. A qualitative study design was used to provide an in-depth exploration of teachers' attitudes. This approach first identified to what extent teachers were prepared for the implementation of STEM programs, and then explained their answers in more detail by analyzing the curricula and lesson plans. The findings of the qualitative analysis showed that most teachers had positive beliefs about STEM programs; only a few statements demonstrated skeptical attitudes of teachers towards curriculum reforms. The interview findings demonstrated that teachers were poorly satisfied with the quality of facilities and laboratories. Keywords: STEM curriculum, curriculum reform, teachers' attitudes