Barriers and levers driving change in a STEM science subject in the Australian higher education sector: a focused study

ABSTRACT

Background

This study explored the challenges around enacting change in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subject at an Australian higher education institution and examined key elements required to ensure change.

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to examine the barriers and levers driving change during the collaboration of discipline experts, in both science and education disciplines and professional staff across education and science faculties to change the delivery of an existing subject within a science faculty, from traditional lectures to an active learning approach. Sample: Participants from the education faculty and science faculty formed the participant interview pool of five academics for this study.

Design and Methods

Research design of semi-structured interviews of participants was conducted to answer the research questions. Instruments were used to test the research questions, such as factors to facilitate and support change to teaching a science subject and the elements required for successful interdisciplinary collaboration for bringing about change to the teaching of a science subject. Thematic analyses were conducted on the data responses to answer the research questions.

Results

The findings revealed that participants found that factors such as time, resources, understanding of and commitment to the proposed change represented potential barriers to change in the subject. The existence of multiple, time-sensitive champions, additional human resources and a collaborative network of participants, however, were identified as some of the key elements that supported enacting changes to a science subject.

Conclusions

The findings of the study provide insights into interdisciplinary collaborations enacting changes to the teaching of a science subject. For instance, the need for establishment of a dynamic network of participants engendered with multiple interdisciplinary expertise, as well as the need for a change champion and implementation champion, throughout the curriculum re-design, planning and implementation phases of the change.

KEYWORDS:

• Collaborative work
• interdisciplinary projects
• change
• science education
• university teaching

Acknowledgments

This study was part of a federally funded project by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training: Step Up that sought the interdisciplinary collaboration of a number of institutes of Higher Education to transform the nature and delivery of mathematics and science pre-service secondary teacher education through: phased activities that develop innovative courses and curriculum; transformative partnerships; renewed academic communities; and smart recruitment strategies Dawes et al. (2017).

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training [OLT Ref: MS13-3184].