Valuing Science as Culture in Integrated STEM Teaching

There is a growing emphasis on integrated forms of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) (Teo et al., 2021) curricula that provide students with authentic, real-world problem-solving learning experiences (Tan et al., 2019). Such experiences entail the application of knowledge and practices from two or more disciplinary domains to solve problems. Different frameworks in teaching STEM, such as the S-T-E-M Quartet (Tan et al., 2019), have been used to inform the design and enactment of integrated STEM curricula. However, questions such as ‘Does teaching STEM lessons mean that individual disciplinary knowledge and practices have less importance?’ and ‘Should teachers continue to teach the content and practices of the individual disciplines and sub-disciplines?’ remain a conundrum for teachers as they undertake this new endeavour. Takeuchi et al. (2020) tackled these difficult questions by challenging the macrosystemic discourse and hegemonic practices in STEM teaching and education. They argued for the need to reconsider the disciplinary boundaries by asking, ‘Who are the learners?’, ‘How are they positioned in relation to STEM?’ and ‘For whom is STEM education oriented?’