Gaining Science Teachers’ Perceptions Toward STEM Education in Indonesia

Abstract

This study focused on teachers’ perception of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education as an initial step in Indonesian curriculum development. It was expected to provide information about how STEM education emerges into Indonesian curriculum and what the challenges of STEM implementation from teachers’ view as a significant element in education. Twenty-five in-service teachers participated in the STEM professional development program in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, which was divided into four sessions; Presentation, Simple Experiments, and Developed Experiments. The last session of the program was an Interview which was conducted for data collection. The findings revealed that STEM is considered an old instruction in Indonesia but emerges as a new term to most teachers. Furthermore, teachers need support from the government to improve the capabilities for well-implemented STEM class. Some challenges are also revealed as part of the government’s responsiveness.