Abstract

One of the furthermost essential reforms in education is STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education. To implement STEM education effectively at the elementary level, the teachers must be well equipped to face the complicated web that enshrouds the STEM education field. Identifying teachers’ perceptions of STEM education is considered one of the ultimate significant processes that need to be considered by the STEM education stakeholders as the teachers’ STEM practices are highly influenced by their perceptions of STEM.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the teachers’ perceptions of STEM education in Abu Dhabi private elementary schools. The researcher conducted an empirical study with a mixed methods design to meet the purpose of the study. 75 STEM elementary teachers from different private schools in Abu Dhabi participated in this study via an online survey method. The instrument of this study was a teacher questionnaire which was adopted from the valid and reliable cross-sectional Vietnamese survey of Thi To Khuyen et al. (2020) based on their official permission.

The quantitative findings related to the teacher questionnaire revealed that 75% of the elementary teachers in STEM private schools in Abu Dhabi strongly understand what STEM education is and they strongly agreed that STEM competencies are extremely important. Yet, 50% of the teachers agreed that they find difficulties in implementing STEM education. Qualitative data related to the teacher questionnaire revealed that these difficulties were related specifically to the lack of STEM resources, the constraint of time, and the need for professional development.

This study is unique in the UAE as no studies up to the best of the researcher’s knowledge were conducted to investigate the teachers’ perceptions of STEM education in private elementary schools in Abu Dhabi. Hereafter, this study is significant by contributing to the STEM literature in the UAE. More, the results of the study are valuable in terms of stipulating implications for STEM elementary education program developers as teachers’ perceptions affect and shape their decisions in STEM field.

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