Core value and implementation of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics curriculum in technology education

The integrative science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum has become the primary focus of American education reform, as well as a new curriculum development trend in some developed countries in recent years. This study sought to develop a holistic understanding of the core value of the STEM curriculum and its implementation regarding American technology education. This study employed a qualitative in-depth interview method to explore and describe the educational philosophy and core value, curriculum design models, and instructional approaches involved in implementing the STEM curriculum. Eleven technology education experts from the United States were interviewed individually. The results are summarized as follows: (1) From the perspective of American technology education, the STEM curriculum is an integrative teaching and learning approach. (2) The core value of the STEM curriculum is to provide a balance between hands-on learning and minds-on learning. (3) Technological and engineering concerns should be the driving force of STEM-based projects; specifically, “engineering design” should be the foundation, and “science inquiry” and “mathematics analysis” should be the key capabilities for integrating and applying knowledge. From the results, three recommendations are offered for Taiwanese technology education: (1) The inclusion of “design and make” in the Taiwanese technology education curriculum should be considered as the major content for developing students’ problem-solving abilities, whereas “engineering design” should be the core content used in high school to develop students’ problem-solving abilities with STEM knowledge; (2) Technology education should provide students with more learning experiences in design, inquiry, analysis, testing, and evaluation; (3) The key to successfully implementing the STEM curriculum is to equip technology teachers with an understanding of the curriculum and the involved teaching approaches.