Addressing Humanities Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers’ Concerns in Integrating STEM Education—A Case Study of Geography Education

Bibliographic Data

ID22045664
AuthorsSung Ho Cheuk (0009-0000-5901-0105, University of Hong Kong), Yun Fat Lam (0000-0002-5917-0907, University of Hong Kong, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume15
Issue4
Pages446
Publication date2025-04-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEducation Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/educsci15040446
OpenAlexW4409107479
LanguageEN
References cited25

STEAM education has become a global agenda to integrate humanities subjects with STEM elements. With a lack of science-related teacher training, promoting STEM education under humanities curriculums faces challenges. However, limited research has been conducted to understand the concerns of humanities teachers in applying STEM education in their classrooms. In this study, we examined the concerns of pre-service and in-service geography (GEOG) teachers (N = 49) in Hong Kong (HK) secondary schools and evaluated the effectiveness of trainer workshops in alleviating their concerns. We applied an in-depth questionnaire analysis based on a 5-point Likert scale under a “Stages of Concern” model. The ordinal regression and t-test results suggested that (1) the pre-service and in-service GEOG teachers were highly concerned in most of the stages of concerns (Mean = 4.06/5); (2) unique yet different concerns about GEOG STEM education were identified from the pre-service teachers and in-service teachers; (3) teacher training workshops that offer scientific and STEM training could be effective in addressing the concerns of in-service teachers. As such, this study supports the development of geography STEM education and promotes the education community’s ability to address teachers’ concerns in embracing STEM education

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