Secondary School Students’ Perceptions of Subjects in Integrated STEM Teaching

• Published in: Education sciences Vol. 15; no. 7; p. 821
• Main Authors: Kellinghusen, Anna, Sprenger, Sandra, Zieriacks, Catharina, Orschulik, Anna, Vorhölter, Katrin, Schulz, Sandra
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.07.2025
• Subjects: 21st century; 21st Century Skills; Algorithms; Apple; Classrooms; Climate; Cognitive Processes; Computer science; Computer Use; Computers; Data analysis; Didacticism; education for sustainable development; Educational technology; Engineering; Engineering Education; Engineering Technology; Geography; Holistic Approach; Influence of Technology; Integrated Activities; Integrated approach; Intellectual Disciplines; Interdisciplinary Approach; Interdisciplinary aspects; interdisciplinary education; Mathematical Models; Mathematics education; modeling; Perceptions; Problem solving; qualitative research; Science education; Scientific Concepts; Space Sciences; STEM education; Student Attitudes; Student Improvement; Students; Surveys; Sustainable development; Teaching; Technology education; Germany
• ISSN: 2227-7102; 2227-7102
• DOI: 10.3390/educsci15070821

This study examines students’ perceptions of the subjects geography, mathematics, and computer science in integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) lessons. Although the importance of an integrated approach in STEM education is emphasized, researchers are not clear about whether students perceive connections between the subjects on the one hand and subject-specific working methods and content in integrated lessons on the other. Data was collected in an integrated teaching unit on the sustainability of apples using an open-ended digital questionnaire in to two ninth grade classes in Hamburg, Germany (n = 38); this data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The results reveal that students perceive the subjects differently, but similarities can also be identified. While subject-specific content is perceived—such as the use of maps in geography, the calculation of volumes in mathematics, and Dijkstra’s algorithm in computer science—methodological connections, such as calculating, analyzing diagrams, or solving problems, are anchored across disciplines. This suggests that the subject-specific contents are not lost in integrating lessons, and that connections among the subjects are, to a certain extent, promoted.