Concepts and Practices of STEM Education in Asia

Book excerpt: The purpose of this edited book is to enrich the literature related to STEM education at kindergarten, primary and secondary levels in Asia, with particular attention given to the analysis of the educational context in a number of Asian countries, including STEM-related policies, pedagogical practices, and the design and evaluation of STEM programmes. The discussions look into impacts on student learning outcomes and the ways in which STEM education is catering for schools and students’ interests and needs. The contributors are experts in STEM education or are leading major research and development projects in STEM in their regions. The book’s first section is focused at the macro-level on the conceptualization and formulation of STEM education policies in different regions, contributing to our understanding of the current status of STEM education in Asia. The second section examines some features of STEM learning and teaching at the classroom level and includes studies on student learning in STEM programmes. Pedagogical innovations implemented in different parts of Asia are also reported and discussed. The third section moves to teacher education and teacher professional development. It discusses practices of teacher professional development in the region and reports on current provisions as well as challenges. Together, the contributions from different Asian regions invite researchers and educators to learn from effective STEM practices, and point out areas for further development. Chapters "An Overview of STEM Education in Asia" and "STEM Teacher Professional Development for Primary School Teachers in Hong Kong" are available open access under a CC BY 4.0 license at link.springer.com.