Transdisciplinarity in STEM education: a critical review

ABSTRACT

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education garnered significant attention in recent years and has emerged as a key field of research globally. The goal of this article is to offer a critical review of how STEM education and its transdisciplinarity were defined and/or positioned in empirical studies published during the early formulation of the field. In particular, we sought to identify how these studies conceptualise learners and learning and portray the underlying assumptions in light of the macrosystemic discourses that often serve as ideological forces in shaping research and practice of STEM education. We examined 154 peer-reviewed articles published between January 2007 and March 2018 and analysed them along several emergent dimensions: their geospatial focus, focal disciplinary areas, methodological and theoretical assumptions, and major findings. Grounded in a critical transdisciplinary perspective, we used critical discourse analysis to identify how macrosystemic and institutionalised forces – overtly and implicitly – shape what counts as STEM education research, including its goals and conceptualisations of learners and learning. Our analysis highlights the need for aesthetic expansion and diversification of STEM education research by challenging the disciplinary hegemonies and calls for reorienting the focus away from human capital discourse.

KEYWORDS:

• STEM education
• critical theory
• transdisciplinarity
• discourse analysis

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge Venise Bryan and Donghyun Seo for their technical help with coding. This project was funded by a grant from the Office of Research at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary and the US National Science Foundation (NSF-DRL 1842358). All opinions expressed are the authors’ and not endorsed by the funding agencies.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Miwa A. Takeuchi

Dr. Miwa A. Takeuchi is an Associate Professor at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. Dr. Takeuchi’s expertise includes critical epistemologies in mathematics education and the relationships among languages, identities, and social justice in mathematics and STEM learning.

Pratim Sengupta

Dr. Pratim Sengupta is a Professor and a Research Chair of STEM Education at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. Dr. Sengupta’s expertise includes designing agent-based computational languages for STEM education in classroom and public spaces, grounded in justice-oriented, critical phenomenological approaches.

Marie-Claire Shanahan

Dr. Marie-Claire Shanahan is an Associate Professor at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. Dr. Shanahan’s expertise includes conceptualization of publicness and interactions between insiders and outsiders in the context of STEM learning.

Jennifer D. Adams

Dr. Jennifer D. Adams is an Associate Professor and a Canada Research Chair in Creativity and STEM. She is cross appointed with Department of Chemistry and the Werklund School of Education. Her expertise includes theorization of a critical stance towards creativity and STEM.

Maryam Hachem

Maryam Hachem is a PhD candidate at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. Her expertise includes neuroscience and education within the context of STEM education.