STEM Education in Flanders: How STEM@school Aims to Foster STEM Literacy and a Positive Attitude towards STEM

Abstract

We are increasingly exposed to complex societal and technological problems. Qualified Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) professionals are needed to solve these problems and cope with contemporary demands such as sustainable energy and efficient healthcare [1]. It is not surprising then that the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report (2016) predicted a job gain in STEM fields for the following years [2]. However, we do not only need STEM professionals who can solve these problems. We also need people with a certain level of basic STEM literacy. All citizens, even non-STEM professionals, should have the skills and competences necessary to deal with the challenges of our information-based and highly technological society [3]. STEM-literacy, i.e., the awareness of the nature of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and the familiarity with fundamental concepts from each discipline, should be an educational priority for all students [3], [4]. STEM Literacy and Attitudes International achievement studies provide insight into current and past students' literacy level and attitudes towards STEM, in particular in the field of science and mathematics. Taking into account the increasing need for STEM professionals and STEM literacy, it is encouraging to read that there are more countries where the science and mathematics performance level of students increased than countries where the performance level decreased between 1995 and 2015 [5]. Also, the percentage of students liking science appears to have increased in more than half of the participating countries [6]-[9]. However, for mathematics, the results remain mixed [5], [8]-[9]. Moreover, students' positive attitudes towards science and mathematics appear to decrease with age. The percentage of students liking science and mathematics (a lot) declines between the 4 th and 8 th grade [5], [9]. Therefore, schools need to be encouraged to stop this decline and to avoid the situation in which fewer and fewer students end up in STEM fields when they grow older. The Leaking STEM Pipeline In Anglo-Saxon countries, the metaphor of a pipeline is often used to describe a declining interest in STEM fields with age. The STEM pipeline describes a career trajectory in STEM fields from secondary education to the labor market. The entrance of students into this pipeline in secondary education by encouraging them to choose STEM subjects at an advanced level is often considered a major challenge. However, the entrance of students into the STEM pipeline is not the only challenge. During every transition period in the educational and professional career pathway, the STEM pipeline appears to leak. Retention problems in STEM fields and leaks in the STEM pipeline are considered equally problematic. Moreover, flawed flows of students throughout the STEM pipeline are said to cause underrepresentation of women, minority and other socially disadvantaged students in STEM fields [10]. It comes as no surprise, then, that policymakers, the industry and educators are seeking ways to motivate students to choose a STEM field during their educational and professional career.