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• Published: 10 July 2020

Evidence of STEM enactment effectiveness in Asian student learning outcomes

• Bevo Wahono 1 , 2 ,
• Pei-Ling Lin 3 &
• Chun-Yen Chang   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-2373-2004 3  

International Journal of STEM Education volume  7 , Article number:  36 ( 2020 ) Cite this article

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This study used a systematic review and meta-analysis as a method to investigate whether STEM enactment in Asia effectively enhances students’ learning outcomes. Verifiable examples of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, effectively being applied in Asia, are presented in this study. The study involved 4768 students from 54 studies. Learning outcomes focused on the students’ academic learning achievement, higher-order thinking skills (HOTS), and motivation. The analysis results of effect sizes showed that the STEM enactments in Asia were effective at a moderate level (0.69 [0.58, 0.81 of 95% CI]) of improving students’ learning outcomes. Sequentially, the effectiveness of STEM enactment starts from students’ higher-order thinking skills, moves to students’ academic learning achievement, and ends with the motivation. In addition, STEM enactments in Asia were carried out with several variations where STEM integrated with project-based learning was preferred. The recommendations of this study include a combination of the learning approach, learning orientation, and duration of instruction, all of which contribute to the STEM enactment effectiveness and maximize results in STEM education. Some practical implications, such as the central role of the teacher during the STEM enactment, are extensively discussed. This study supports that STEM education is a universally crucial tool which effectively prepares students from various national and cultural backgrounds, across Asia, toward improved learning outcomes.

Introduction

The role of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in terms of students’ learning outcome is a central topic for the educational field. However, STEM education is a very broad term (Baran, Bilici, Mesutoglu, & Ocak, 2016 ; Bybee, 2013 ; Hsu, Lin, & Yang, 2017 ). Therefore, in this current study, STEM education (enactment) refers to teaching, learning, and integrating the disciplines and skills of science, technology, mathematics, and engineering in STEM topics, with an emphasis on solving real-world problems. Indeed, STEM education focuses on hands-on activity (Cameron & Craig, 2016 ; Yildirim & Turk, 2018 ) to prepare students in facing the developments of a new competitive era. In STEM learning activities, soft skills such as problem-solving, higher-order thinking skills, and collaborative work are the main focuses on which students’ learning is geared toward (Li, Huang, Jiang, & Chang, 2016 ; Meyrick, 2011 ).

STEM activities in the classroom endeavor to improve the quality of the learning process (Meyrick, 2011 ), as well as learning outcomes (Adam, 2004 ; Cedefop, 2017 ). Student-learning outcomes vary in areas, including academic learning achievement, attitude, motivation, and higher-order thinking skills. Moreover, some studies said that the learning process and learning outcomes might differ on many factors, such as the subject of study, learning duration, or even kinds of environmental conditions (Marton, Alba, & Kun, 2014 ; OECD, 2018 ). Furthermore, a strong link between the quality of the learning process and outcomes from STEM education, which originated from the west, constitutes a fundamental reason for educators and policy-makers to apply the same principles in Asian countries (Khaeroningtyas, Permanasari & Hamidah, 2016 ; Yildirim, 2016 ).

Even though the eastern countries (Asia) and western countries (notably, the USA) have many differences such as in teaching and learning characteristics as well as their culture (Di, 2017 ; Hassan & Jamaludin, 2010 ; Lee, Chai, & Hong, 2019 ), both regions have similarities, primarily in terms of problems and challenges faced in the education field. The birth and development of STEM education in the west were motivated by the low interest of the younger generation in work related to the STEM field (Chesky & Wolfmeyer, 2015 ). This low-interest condition was also exacerbated by the increasing competitiveness of workplace and uncertain global world challenges (Chesky & Wolfmeyer, 2015 ). Indeed, this condition is also the same as that faced by most countries in Asia. The problem of low student interest in a subject related to STEM, the lack of interest for young people in STEM-related work, and the highly competitive global challenges of the world, are similar to what happened in the USA (Jayarajah, Saat, Rauf, & Amnah, 2014 ; Kim, Chu, & Lim, 2015 ).

New changes are needed for the teaching and learning process that can address the challenges faced by Asian countries. Therefore, it is not surprising that over the last decade, there has been a good deal of research done by researchers and teachers in Asia, especially related to STEM enactment in classrooms (Lee et al., 2019; Lutfi, Ismail, & Azis, 2018 ; Yildirim, 2016 ; Yıldırım & Altun, 2015 ; Yıldırım & Sevi, 2016 ). Currently, STEM enactments in Asia not only focus on extending STEM-related subjects and students’ interest but also on concerns about students’ twenty-first-century learning outcomes such as real-world problem-solving capacity, academic learning achievement, as well as higher-order thinking skills (Lee et al., 2019). STEM implementation in Asia is often accompanied by a learning approach or model (Suratno, Wahono, Chang, Retnowati, & Yushardi, 2020 ). An evaluation and current status of whether STEM education also has a good impact, specifically in terms of learning outcomes in the Asian region, is logically necessary.

Several extensive works on the effectiveness of STEM education on learning outcomes have been published (Jayarajah et al., 2014 ; Saraç, 2018 ; Yildirim, 2016 ). Research showed that STEM education is effective in improving students’ learning outcomes, such as academic learning achievement, student motivation, attitude, problem-solving skills (Saraç, 2018 ; Yildirim, 2016 ). Further research shows that more than two-thirds of publications in the STEM field come from America (Lee et al., 2019). Lee et al. also state that further research is needed to adjust the STEM education for the conditions faced by Asian countries. The statement indicates that an important consideration is how to redesign curricula in Asia in a way that accommodates STEM education. Another research conducted by Mustafa, Ismail, Tasir, Said, and Haruzuan ( 2016 ) reviewed effective strategies in integrating STEM education globally for many purposes, including student-learning outcomes. Based on this study, project-based learning was the most effective strategy to implement STEM education among Asian countries; especially studies were focused on students in the secondary setting. Furthermore, some studies have recently reviewed the trend of research in STEM education. The studies argued that research in STEM education is increasing in importance globally and being an international field (Li, Froyd, & Wang, 2019 ; Li, Wang, Xiao, & Froyd, 2020 ). However, none of the studies revealed the effectiveness of STEM enactment in the Asian sphere with all the characteristics inherent in said countries. It is crucial to delve into the effectiveness of STEM enactment in Asian countries, which from some aspects, are quite different. However, many problems faced in education have similarities to the western country, the USA, where STEM education originated. Moreover, that is important to know whether STEM education is a fundamental tool in Asia toward improved learning outcomes. Therefore, this current study will have considerable impacts and substantial contributions to the knowledge body of STEM education throughout the world.

Research focus

This study points out a systematic result of the review and a meta-analysis pertinent to how the impact of STEM enactment to Asian students’ learning outcomes. The main focus of learning outcomes under investigation is students’ academic learning achievement, higher-order thinking skills, and motivation. The key questions that guide this study are as follows:

What is the portrait of STEM enactment in Asian countries in terms of region, subject, and education level?

Do the STEM enactments influence students’ academic learning achievement, higher-order thinking skills (HOTS), and motivation in Asian countries?

Under what circumstances and for what learning outcomes are STEM enactments more effective in Asian students?

STEM education and its significant development in Asian regions

STEM education has a very broad meaning. Therefore, many definitions were developed and discovered during the last two decades. Bybee ( 2013 ) states that STEM education can consist of a subject, intradisciplinary, interdisciplinary, or can be a particular discipline. Furthermore, Bybee ( 2013 ) and Sanders ( 2009 ) asserted that STEM education is a spectrum that focuses on solving real problems, which have an interdisciplinary nature at its core. Another opinion states that STEM education is a meta-discipline based on learning standards where teaching has integrated teaching and learning approaches, and where specific content is undivided, contemplating a dynamic and fluid instruction (Merrill & Daugherty, 2009 ). A more modern definition states that STEM education is an interdisciplinary teaching method that integrates science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and other knowledge, skills, and beliefs, in particular, to these disciplines (Baran et al., 2016 ; Koul, Fraser, Maynard, & Tade, 2018 ; Thibaut et al., 2018 ). Thus, STEM education is a term referring to teaching and learning in a STEM subject, which emphasizes problem-solving with real-world problems integrating many disciplines and other skills such as science, technology, mathematics, and engineering.

STEM education has been present for more than two decades (Timms, Moyle, Weldon, & Mitchell, 2018 ). The term STEM started from the term SMET (science, mathematics, engineering, technology), which came into existence in the 1990s (Chesky & Wolfmeyer, 2015 ). Some education experts from western countries (notably, the USA) initiated STEM education. This approach grew in popularity after the US government announced the plan to advance education into STEM education in 2009 (Burke & McNeill, 2011 ). STEM education is highly promoted in the USA to encourage the next generation into training within the fields of STEM. Furthermore, Burke & McNeill argued that another goal was to maintain the enthusiasm of the younger generation in their interest in STEM-related careers. However, the essential goal is that both students and the younger generation can face the competition of the new global world.

The rapid development and functional effects of STEM education programs in western countries have attracted the interest of many researchers and policy-makers from other countries (Sheffield et al., 2018 ; Timms et al., 2018 ), including Asia. Eastern countries face similar problems where there is a lack of interest from the younger generation in careers related to STEM (Jayarajah et al., 2014 ; Kim et al., 2015 ; Sin, Ng, Shiu, & Chung, 2017 ). Furthermore, Jayarajah et al. ( 2014 ) and Shahali, Halim, Rasul, Osman, & Zulkifeli ( 2017 ) exemplify Malaysia consistently registers lower numbers of citizens interested in science, engineering, and technology issues compared to the USA. As for the Malaysian population, it shows that more than one-third of the children clearly expressed a lack of interest in science and technology. Another researcher, Kim et al. ( 2015 ), asserts that in the last two decades, Korea has faced a problem in science and engineering education, which is students’ disinterest in science and math, even though their achievement in science and math is high. Another crucial reason is that STEM education promises as an appropriate tool for students in facing challenges and global competition (Kim et al., 2015 ; Meyrick, 2011 ; Yildirim, 2016 ).

Several parts of Asia, such as Western Asia, Eastern Asia, and Southeastern Asia, are now aggressively implementing and developing STEM education (Chen & Chang, 2018 ; Choi & Hong, 2015 ; Karahan, Bilici & Unal, 2015 ; Park & Yoo, 2013 ). Some countries such as Korea, Thailand, and Malaysia have focused on STEM/ STEAM education as an essential part of their education system (Cho, 2013 ; Hong, 2017 ; Hsiao et al., 2017 ; Kang, Ju, & Jang, 2013 ; Shahali, Ismail, & Halim, 2017 ). While in other countries in Asia, even though STEM education has not become a regular part of the education system, many researchers or teachers have enacted STEM education. Several review studies have pointed out that the trend of research on STEM education in Asia began in 2013. Today, STEM has become a phenomenon that attracts many people (Jayarajah et al., 2014 ; Lee et al., 2019). Therefore, during this booming stage in Asia, it is crucial to know the extent of the impact of STEM enactments, especially concerning the students’ learning outcomes.

The supporting of instructional strategies on STEM education

The implementation of STEM education is carried out in various ways throughout the world, including in Asia. Some learning approaches or learning models are combined and or juxtaposed with the STEM enactment (Chung, Lin, & Lou, 2018 ; Lou, Tsai, Tseng, & Shih, 2014 ). For example, the researchers used project-based learning, problem-based learning, or the 6E learning model in enacting STEM education. This combination is needed to strengthen the expected effect after STEM learning (Mustafa et al., 2016 ). Furthermore, the modification and or combination of STEM with learning approaches or models have a high potential in facilitating implementation and for achieving effective instruction (Martín-Páez, Aguilera, Perales-Palacios, & Vílchez-González, 2019 ; Mustafa et al., 2016 ). However, STEM learning may be implemented with or without other learning approaches (Chung, Lin, & Lou, 2018 ; Martín-Páez et al., 2019 ). Moreover, Jeong and Kim ( 2015 ) proposes that effective instruction occurs when students are given the learning opportunity to demonstrate, adapt, modify, and transform new knowledge to meet the needs of new contexts and situations. Successful implementation of instruction, of course, leads to the accomplishment of predetermined targets, in this case, improved student learning outcomes.

Ample studies suggest using the project-based learning (PjBL) approach to implement STEM education. Mustafa et al. ( 2016 ) investigated the dominant instructional strategies to promote the integration of STEM education at different institutional levels. Mustafa et al. argued that combined with project-based learning was the most effective way to implement STEM education. This assertion is reasonable because PjBL characteristics are quite similar to the integrated STEM approach (Siew, Amir, & Chong, 2015 ). Chiang and Lee ( 2016 ) said that the characteristics of PjBL are encouraging students to work cooperatively, developing students’ thinking skills, allowing them to have creativity, and leading them to access the information on their own and to demonstrate this information. Finally, Çevik ( 2018 ) revealed that a learning environment created with STEM-PjBL is vital for solving the complexity of critical concepts in STEM fields. Thus, the role of several factors, such as learning approaches (e.g., PjBL), learning models, and or modifying STEM itself, become critical elements that must be considered when implementing STEM education.

Students’ learning outcomes estimated on STEM enactment

Learning outcomes are the main target in a learning process, including on STEM enactment. Cedefop ( 2017 ) argued that students’ learning outcomes are all types of results expected during and after the learning process. Another researcher, Adam ( 2004 ), states that learning outcome is a teaching result, which is expected to be obtained by students after a learning process. Further, Adam stated that learning outcomes are usually expressed in the form of knowledge, skills, and or attitude. Slightly different, Gosling and Moon ( 2002 ) state that there is no precise way of defining or writing the meaning of such learning outcomes, but a learning outcome must be measurable. It can be concluded that a learning outcome is a result of the learning process. Consequently, learning outcomes can be various forms, depending on the purpose expected by a teacher.

In this study, the estimated learning outcomes after STEM enactments concentrated on academic learning achievement, higher-order thinking skills (HOTS), and motivation. Theodore ( 1995 ) defined students’ achievement as a measurable behavior in a standardized series of tests. HOTS is the ability to apply skills, knowledge, and values in reasoning as well as in reflection (Pratama & Retnawati, 2018 ; Wahono & Chang, 2019a ). Indeed, such an ability is crucial to making decisions, solve problems, innovate, and create. In terms of practical application, HOTS includes students’ thinking ranked above level three, according to Bloom’s taxonomy (Baharin, Kamarudin, & Manaf, 2018 ). Finally, the students’ learning motivation defines as a process where the learners’ attention becomes focused on meeting their educational objectives (Christophel, 1990 ; Kuo, Tseng, & Yang, 2019 ). Therefore, the educational and developmental fields give strategic reasons for the focus on these particular skills. For instance, these skills have been related to twenty-first-century skills, future educational attainment, and participation in STEM careers later in life (Martín-Páez et al., 2019 ; Wahono & Chang, 2019b ). Furthermore, HOTS can be used in STEM, and research verifies these abilities in STEM fields can be transferred to other learning fields (Lin, Yu, Hsiao, Chang, & Chien, 2018 ; Yıldırım & Sidekli, 2018 ). Moreover, the learning outcomes can be influenced by several external factors, including culture and learner characteristics.

Asian culture and characteristics of teaching and learning

Many factors may influence the effectiveness of learning outcomes in STEM learning. However, Han, Capraro, and Capraro ( 2015 ) explained that the two most important factors were the learning environment and the level of individual students. The learning environment can be either a classroom environment or a cultural environment. Based on the literature review, there are many definitions of culture. However, most general definitions include that culture is a combination of many things such as beliefs, values, and assumptions trusted and understood among society (Rossman, Corbett, & Firestone, 1988 ; Schein, 2010 ). It is widely accepted that the characteristics of a culture affect individuals’ social behavior (Hampden-Turner & Trompenaars, 1997 ; Hofstede, 2005 ). More specifically, when cultural influences are insignificant and less integrated into a learning activity, students will likely experience a misunderstanding that hinders interactions between students and teachers (Popov, Biemans, Brinkman, Kuznetsov, & Mulder, 2013 ; Popov et al., 2019 ). Many studies show that culture, ethnics, geographical position, gender, language proficiency, and/or a combination of these components have a significant influence on students’ learning success (Han et al., 2015 ; Konstantopoulos, 2009 ; Shores, Shannon, & Smith, 2010 ). Rodriguez and Bell ( 2018 ) mentioned that the instruction in the STEM learning should acknowledge some specific contributions of members from diverse cultures. Thus, culture holds a crucial role in the successful process of student learning in class. Therefore, highly probable that the Asian cultural characteristics and habits have a significant impact on students’ performance and learning outcomes by STEM enactment.

In general, in eastern education, students practice remembering concepts; this philosophy focuses mainly on learning and memorization within the teaching and learning process (Lin, 2006 ; Thang, 2004 ). The eastern education system is exam-oriented. Time (duration) is a fundamental factor in teachers’ performance (Tytler, Murcia, Hsiung, & Ramseger, 2017 ) as they must go over textbooks to prepare students for the final tests. As a result, students tend to memorize the facts in textbooks rather than understanding it due to time constraints. Thus, the situation creates positive competition among students and eventually triggers the efforts of students to obtain and understand the knowledge considered pivotal to achieving a good score in their examination. Eastern-culture education is more generally systematic, with a standardized syllabus and timetable, when compared to western-culture education (Hassan & Jamaludin, 2010 ; Tytler et al., 2017 ). However, it is undeniable that this type of character (rote learning, exam-oriented, and curriculum oriented) is one of the reasons many of the Asian countries score inside the top ten, in international tests (Marton et al., 2014 ; OECD, 2018 ). Therefore, in the case of STEM enactment, in-depth investigation, whether the time (duration) has a significant impact on the students’ learning outcome is paramount.

Moreover, Asian countries are very different from western countries, especially in their educational philosophy, which tends to be robustly laden with religious and cultural-centric elements (Hassan & Jamaludin, 2010 ). By contrast, the opinions on such characteristics of the eastern-culture education must be addressed carefully. However, any consequences of those educational characteristics in the implementation of STEM in Asia can be assumed, such as the main target of STEM enactments are not merely to attract student interest in the lesson or higher-order thinking skills, but also more to obtain a higher academic learning achievement. In terms of learning materials and processes, the consequences are seen from many STEM enactments that actively grappled to cultural values, i.e., identify halal products by augmented reality (Majid & Majid, 2018 ; Mustafa et al., 2016 ). We firmly believed that such consequences are unique, which led to the potential impact of STEM enactment outcomes in Asia. Therefore, the current research aims to prove that STEM enactments carried out in the past few years have generated a wide range of impacts, especially in Asia.

Research model

This research applied a quantitative approach. A meta-analysis method was used to determine the effectiveness of STEM education for students’ learning outcomes in the Asian region. The meta-analysis method was operative in this study because it enabled an objective investigation of the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable that is STEM education toward the student’s learning outcome, respectively. Cohen, Manion, and Morrison ( 2007 ) state that with a meta-analysis, researchers can evaluate, compare, or combine quantitative data obtained from previous experimental research studies to acquire more convincing and comprehensive results. We identified studies to include in the review, coded for potential moderators, and calculated and analyzed effect sizes.

Selection of studies

The data collection in this study was carried out over 3 months, from February to April 2019. In the screening, several databases, including Scopus, ERIC, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar, were utilized as the primary search references. We collected the data in the form of journal papers, proceeding conferences, books, or dissertations. Conferences, books, and dissertations were also included as data sources, namely to capture and find what is called the “file drawer” for information, which might not be published in journals (Rosenthal, 1979 ). Most of the data sources were in English, but there were also some non-English ones. However, from these data sources, at least the title or abstract were in English. The following keywords were at work upon data collection, including the effect of STEM, the effect of STEM learning, the effect of STEM approach, STEM and learning outcomes, STEM and student achievement, STEM and student motivation, and STEM and higher-order thinking skills. When searching, all the keywords used were in English.

A multilevel screening was carried out by applying several criteria, as shown in Fig. 1 . The first-level screening of the papers was geared to collecting research papers aimed to examine the effectiveness of STEM education, such as the effectiveness of STEM on academic achievement, motivation, and HOTS. The second screening was based on whether the data was collected from Asian countries or not. The third stage of screening was concerned with whether the study was qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-method research. At this stage, we applied quantitative and mixed-methods research. The last step dealt with whether the paper had the minimum quantitative data required for calculating an effect size, such as mean, standard deviation, variance, number of respondents, the value of t , and the value of F . The results obtained from the first stage were more than 283 papers, while those that satisfied the second-stage criteria were 86 pieces. In the third selection, there were 63 articles. Finally, at the ultimate stage, there were 54 studies (see Supplementary Materials for the list of reviewed articles).

Process of studies selection

Concerning the quality of studies collected in this review, most of the studies came from research papers published by peer-reviewed journals and conferences. The studies were taken from journal papers (46), conference papers (6), book chapter (1), and a thesis (1). All the studies were carried out in the form of classroom-based research from Asian countries. The total participants involved in this study were 4768 students, or in other words, about 111 students in each study. Those studies included primary school students, secondary school students, or higher-education students. The number of countries involved in this study was ten countries, including Turkey, Israel, Uni Emirate Arab, Taiwan, Korea, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.

Data coding

Coding in this study was done to make it easier to analyze the obtained data. The coding included several biographical features such as sample size, year of publication, region, topic or subject, education level, and the type of learning outcome. The year of publication in this search ranged from the publications in 2009 to those in 2019. This range allowed for a vast number of studies in the last decade to be investigated. In terms of the region, we divided the Asian region into five regions based on the United Nations. The region included Eastern Asia, Western Asia, Southern Asia, South-Eastern Asia, and Central Asia. The term “subject” here meant a name of discipline or a class where the STEM enactment took place in the data source. In this case, we focused on three groups, particularly science, mathematics, and technology or engineering subjects. For instance, a STEM enactment from Sarican and Akgunduz ( 2018 ) has a topic about force and motion, which is a sort of “science” subject source. Furthermore, we divided educational levels into three groups, namely higher education level, secondary education level, and primary education level.

Finally, we divided learning outcomes into three major groups, namely academic learning achievement (ALA), higher-order thinking skills (HOTS), and students’ motivation (Mo). ALA defined as students’ scores, from either the mean of pretest/posttest or only the mean of the posttest score. ALA was tested to get information regarding students’ content knowledge. Meanwhile, HOTS score was collected from HOTS subset codes such as problem-solving, design thinking, creative thinking, reflective thinking, and includes students’ thinking ranked above level three (level 4–level 6) according to Bloom’s taxonomy. The HOTS studies, in general, performed such as a creativity test (fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration), a score of analyzing, evaluating, and creating assessment tests. Then, we recognized the Mo score from the domain, namely student motivation or student interest. In general, students’ motivation was measured in the studies through a questionnaire, including intrinsic motivation, self-determination, self-efficacy, and grade motivation.

In doing so, a description of the measure or process on those variables (ALA, HOTS, Mo) in this current study are discussed. Inevitably, each outcome was measured differently among the studies reviewed. For instance, a HOTS study reported scores of students’ problem-solving abilities, whereas another study of HOTS reported a set score of students’ creative thinking, and even a study of HOTS had reported an effect size of what the article authors called “HOTS scores before and after an intervention.” To deal with this concern, we performed some technical works. For example, initially, as a primary resource, we collected all the existing effect size scores of ALA, HOTS, and Mo studies. In the situation where we could not directly find the effect size scores of the selected studies, we would collect other supporting data. We required the supporting data for calculating the effect size, namely standard deviation, mean score, number of respondents, the value of t , and the value of F . Finally, we computed and standardized the collected data by statistical software (see data analysis).

To address the third research question in this study, we coded three moderator variables that could contribute to the STEM enactment effectiveness, namely, approach or learning model, learning orientation, and duration of instruction. The coding was distilled from the theoretical review framework in the introduction part. For instance, several studies revealed that some learning approaches or learning models are combined and or juxtaposed with the STEM enactment (Chung, Lin, & Lou, 2018 ; Lou, Tsai, Tseng, & Shih, 2014 ). Likewise, the duration of instruction is a fundamental factor in teachers’ performance in Asia (Tytler, Murcia, Hsiung, & Ramseger, 2017 ). Eastern-culture education is more generally systematic, with a standardized syllabus and timetable, when compared to western-culture education (Hassan & Jamaludin, 2010 ; Tytler et al., 2017 ). Moreover, Asian countries tend to be robustly laden with religious and cultural-centric elements (Hassan & Jamaludin, 2010 ).

In terms of the approach or learning model , the authors coded each study, whether it was accompanied by another approach/learning model (present) or only STEM lesson without clearly the presence of other approaches (absent). The authors have coded learning orientation into two types, namely culture centric and universal oriented. The culture centric refers to the study, which much follows the unique characteristics of Asian students, such as strongly curriculum oriented, more systematic with standardized syllabus and timetable, or tends to be robustly laden with religious and local cultural elements. The universal oriented study refers to a freer lesson, the selected studies because the curriculum was not as strict, and or the themes on STEM lesson did not much emphasize unique themes, in particular, Asian countries. Finally, the authors coded the duration of instruction as a short or long period. The long duration refers to STEM enactment that was conducted by more than two-time class periods, and the short was conducted by only one-time class periods (2 h or less).

Publication bias

Another thing that needed to be clarified was how the researchers coded whether a study investigated the STEM enactment or not. In this case, the researchers referred to several works (Bybee, 2013 ; Li, Wang, Xiao, & Froyd, 2020 ; Martín-Páez et al., 2019 ). The researchers point out that there is not a fixed consensus in the literature about under what condition(s) learning was said to be STEM learning. However, in general, they (Bybee & Martin-Paez et al.) say that STEM learning emphasizes problem-solving with real-world problems involving many disciplines and other skills such as science, technology, mathematics, and engineering in integrated ways. Furthermore, this study focused on articles related to such STEM definitions, and/or at least, the authors in the paper mentioned that they used the STEM education approach (an integrated STEM). Moreover, we selected publications from 2009 to 2019, meaning that a vast number of STEM enactments by this time were included in the intended definition.

Concerning publication bias, we have met some difficulties in obtaining unpublished papers, especially in the research area of STEM enactment in Asia, in terms of its impact on learning outcomes. In terms of an alpha level significance (0.05), this current study shows, specifically, that more than 14% of the reported effects were not/less significant. These findings are consistent with the varieties in perspectives concerning the inferiority, superiority, or equivalence of STEM enactment for various learning styles. The condition that only 14% of the study was not a significant effect is not because of the file drawer studies remain unpublished due to the magnitude, significance, or direction of their effects, but rather because of other factors such as written in local language as well as the quality of the studies (McElhaney, Chang, Chiu, & Linn, 2015 ).

Data analysis

The data collected from various references, such as journals, books, proceedings, and dissertations investigating the effect of STEM enactment, were then analyzed using the meta-analysis method. Data were all aimed at accessing the same target, namely students’ learning outcomes (academic learning achievement, motivation, and higher-order thinking skills). The multitude of data was examined using the meta-analysis method for systematic and beneficial analysis. We argued that making quantitative data comparisons of various studies as one of the challenging and vital jobs in the world of research today.

A summary effect size (E.S.) using a random effect model value was the dependent variable in this study, while the independent variable was the STEM enactment in diversified ways and types. A random effect model assumes that the true E.S. varies from one study to the next, and the summary effect is our estimate of the mean of these effects (Pigott, 2012 ). Therefore, in this study, we do not want that overall estimate to be overly influenced by any of them. Meanwhile, in terms of potential moderator variables, a mixed-effect model was used. The mixed-effect model allows us to get a trade-off from the true E.S. In the moderator variable case, the trade-off from the true E.S. is vital due to the comparison between two sub-variables (e.g., short and long of the instruction duration). In doing so, the investigations of effect size and visualization were carried out using the Jeffreys’s amazing statistics program (JASP) version 0.11.1 program, especially by the Hunter-Schmidt method. This method was used due to the ability to estimate the variability of the distribution of effect sizes through a two-step process, namely subtracts to yield a residual variance and boosts by a function of the reliability and range restriction distributions (Hunter & Schmidt, 2004 ). To deal with the effect sizes for some studies reporting only F or t values, or even reported Hedges g , the authors used algebraic techniques (Lipsey & Wilson, 2001 ) as well. In social science, a common practice for overcoming this task is to calculate Cohen’s coefficient (Cohen, 2013 ). In this study, Cohen’s theory was determined by the difference between the average control group and the experimental group (see Eq. 1 ) or the difference between the average posttest score and the pretest score (Eq. 2 ) (Howell, 2016 ).

Let \( \overline{x} \) i , S i , and n i be the sample mean, standard deviation, and size of the group I, while S pooled , S diff , r , and S d be the pooled standard deviation, the differences of standard deviation between pre and post, the correlation between pre- and post-treatment score, and standard deviation of Cohen’s d.

When the calculated magnitude effect size was large, a classification was deployed in this meta-analysis method. In the current study, the authors used the classification level of (Sawilowsky, 2009 ). This classification system was a revised version of Cohen’s work in 1988. Thus, when the effect size was less than 0.20, it was considered very small, while when it ranged from 0.20 to 0.49, it was classified as small. The effect size, which ranged from 0.49 to 0.79, was at a medium level. A large level was evident from 0.80 to 1.19. Between 1.20 and 1.99 was classified at a very large level. A value over 2.0 was regarded to have a huge effect. A d coefficient of one indicates that the difference between two means is equal to the standard deviation (S.D.). If Cohen’s d is larger than one, the difference between two means is larger than one S.D. Anything larger than two means that the difference is larger than two standard deviations. This calculation afforded a uniform scale in expressing all possibilities that show a relationship between variables. Regarding the variability observed in this study, we have standardized the magnitudes between the differences in interventions and outcomes measured. The results of the study were summarized and combined systematically using a commonly termed the standardized effect size, namely the standardized difference in means.

The main objective of this study was to investigate whether STEM education originating and developing from the western countries (the USA) also affected students learning outcomes in the Asian environment. Another aim was to investigate whether there is a specific factor that contributes to the effectiveness of STEM enactment. Finally, another aim was to know more about the development and the enactment of STEM education in Asian countries. As a result, in terms of effect size, this current study found varies or heterogeneity. The value ranged from negative (− 0.19; 95% CI = − 0.78 to 0.40) to positive effect (+ 2.81; 95% CI = 2.01 to 3.61) (see Supplementary Materials for the list of effect sizes, study features, and coding elements).

The general portrait of study

Based on the literature reviewed, the first publications to assess the effect of STEM education on the learning outcome in Asia began in 2013. This time was only 4 years after the advent of STEM by the US government in 2009. Nevertheless, the authors assume that STEM education studies in Asia began to gain traction long before 2013. However, many of those studies were qualitative research, or the studies were not directly related to students’ learning outcomes. Table 1 illustrates the descriptive analysis of STEM educations in Asia, especially those related to the students’ learning outcomes.

In this study, we found that three Asian regions substantially contributed to the implementation and development of STEM education. Table 1 also shows that the Asian countries have conducted most studies on STEM education and its impact on students’ learning outcomes, with East Asia being the biggest contributor (25 studies), followed by West Asia (16 studies) and Southeast Asia (13 studies). However, there were significant differences in results between the three regions (Q .B. = 4.208, p < .05). Furthermore, the difference evinces that STEM education is significantly effective in Southeast Asia, as evidenced by its impact on the learning outcome, greater than that in other regions (E.S. = 1.211). This value is a combination of the value of academic learning achievement, higher-order thinking skills, and motivation.

In terms of the subject or topic guiding the implementation of STEM education in Asia, Science is the most widely researched. Conversely, mathematics is the least popular topic. However, there was no significant difference (Q .B. = 0.638, p > .05) when the effect of STEM education on the learning outcome related to topic or subject matter was investigated. Also, related to the level of education, this study found that the level of secondary education (junior and senior high school) has been widely researched (28 studies). In contrast, the higher education level (college or university level) is the least researched area (10 studies). At the same time, the statistical analysis also showed no significant difference (Q .B. = 2.880, p > .05), the effect of STEM enactment on learning outcomes in terms of education levels. Nevertheless, this difference suggests that STEM education tends to influence at secondary-level education (E.S. = 1.009) compared to the other two levels (primary and higher education level).

The effect of STEM enactment on students’ learning outcomes

In terms of student learning outcome, in line with the second research question, the investigated focused on academic learning achievement, higher-order thinking skills, and motivation. Furthermore, based on the analysis results, the summary effect of the overall effect size is 0.69 [0.58, 0.81 of 95% CI]. According to Sawilowsky ( 2009 ), this value is classified as a medium level of effect. Detailed results between the three types of learning outcomes (learning achievement, higher-order thinking skills, and motivation) can be seen in Figs. 2 , 3 , and 4 .

A forest plot of students’ academic learning achievement (ALA)

A forest plot of higher-order thinking skills (HOTS)

A forest plot of students’ motivation (Mo)

Academic learning achievement

This study assumes that academic learning achievement is crucial in Asian students, even for the students’ parents. The rationale of this statement is related to the culture and characteristics of education, which is embraced in Asian countries (Hassan & Jamaludin, 2010 ; Tytler et al., 2017 ). Thus, one of the objectives of this study was to determine whether the implementation of STEM enactment in Asian countries affected the students’ academic learning achievement. In this study, we analyzed academic learning achievements from 24 studies that met the criteria (see the criteria on the “Selection of studies” section). The results of the analysis and distribution are shown in Fig. 2 . Figure 2 below is a forest plot of students’ academic learning achievement.

The forest plot shows black squares and whisker lines (see Fig. 2 ). The black squares indicate the magnitude of the STEM effect on academic learning achievement, whereas the whisker lines indicate the upper and lower limit of the value of the confidence interval. The vertical dashed line is a line that shows the position of the effect size with a zero value. Thus, the right area of the line is positive values, whereas the left area of the line shows a negative value of effect sizes.

In Fig. 2 , there are 20 studies where the Cohen value of d is below 1.0, while the other four studies have an effect size of more than 1.0. In addition, it is also known that a study seems a different appearance from the others, namely a study from Han, Rosli, Capraro, and Capraro, (2016) with Cohen’s values d 0.28 [0.16, 0.40 of 95% CI]. The black squares with short whisker lines indicate that the study has a very small range of the confidence interval. The minimum value of the confidence interval was due to the huge sample size in the study. Overall, the effect of STEM enactment for students’ academic learning achievement was 0.64 [0.48, 0.79 of 95% CI]. This positive d value indicates that STEM education affects students’ academic learning achievement in Asia. In classifying effect size, the value of .64 belongs to the medium effect category.

Higher-order thinking Skills

The second objective of this research is to find out more about whether STEM education affects students’ higher-order thinking skills (HOTS). To address this question, Fig. 3 below is a forest plot from Cohen d analysis about 16 previous studies that helped provide sufficient details.

Figure 3 illustrates the spread of effect size from 16 studies on students’ higher-order thinking skills (HOTS). The analysis results of the forest plot illustrate ample information. One interesting insight is the summary effect of 1.02 [0.71, 1.32 of 95% CI]. According to Sawilowsky ( 2009 ), this value is classified as a large effect. However, the largest d value in the study is reaching 2.81 [2.01, 3.61]. The value of d (2.81) means that the effect size value is twice the standard deviation value, while the smallest d value is at .06 [− 0.45, 0.57]. At a glance, there is a considerable difference between the largest values, the data distribution pattern, and the summary effect. This state is due to a study, which is Han et al. ( 2016 ) study reports the highest magnitude. The highest magnitude occurred because the study includes the largest sample size (1187 people). A large sample size certainly affects the result of the summary effect.

Another goal to be achieved in this study is to find out whether STEM education is effective in increasing student motivation in Asia. Figure 4 below illustrates the details of the data distribution from 14 previous researchers. The studies measure student motivation distributed across many topics, including science, mathematics, technology, and engineering.

The illustration of Fig. 4 , designated by the forest plot, are normally distributed ( p > .05). However, Cohen’s d value is spread from the smallest (− 0.08) to the largest d value (1.58). Furthermore, the figure indicates the summary effect value is 0.49 [0.32, 0.65 of 95% CI]. The summary effect value of .49 in the Sawilowsky classification is categorized as a medium effect. Therefore, the STEM enactment is Asia has a great impact on students’ motivation as well as two others (academic learning achievement and higher-order thinking skills).

Moderator variable of STEM enactment’s learning outcomes effectiveness

In addition to knowing the extent to which STEM enactment in Asia affects the students’ learning outcome that includes academic learning achievement, higher-order thinking skills, and motivation, this study also answers whether there are specific factors behind that effectiveness. In particular, this section addresses the research question about under what conditions and for what learning outcomes are STEM activities more effective in Asian students. Several potential variable moderators, such as approach or learning model, research design, learning orientation, and duration of instruction, were analyzed to address the research question.

As shown in Table 2 , several moderator variables reveal identical results in terms of student academic learning achievement. STEM enactment has a significant effect on the approach or learning model variable ( p = .037). The presence of an approach or learning model contributes better to the effectiveness of STEM enactment. Other moderator variables that also show significant results are learning orientation ( p = .039). STEM enactment, which tends to be culturally centric, gives a different effect compared to what is only universal oriented. Also, the last moderator variable that addresses significant results is the duration of instruction ( p = .016). In this variable, a longer time provides better effectiveness in terms of student academic learning achievement.

Heterogeneous results in higher-order thinking skills, especially in terms of the potential moderator variable, are shown in Table 3 . The factor, the duration of instruction, shows a significant result ( p = .046). Furthermore, the variable duration of instruction shows that time (long duration) has a crucial role in increasing the higher-order thinking skills of students in STEM enactment. Unlike the case for the duration of instruction, the other two factors (approach or learning model and learning orientation) do not address any significant differences ( p > .05). This condition proves that whether STEM is carried out, with or without another approach or learning model, and whether learning orientation tends to be cultural centric or universal oriented, the higher-order thinking skills of students have relatively the same effectiveness.

The results that are quite different concerning the potential moderator variables affecting the effectiveness of STEM enactment are shown in Table 4 . In Table 4 , the table shows that no moderator variables have the potential to differ rather significantly in the motivation of students in Asia. The three moderator variables, namely approach or learning model, learning orientation, and duration of instruction, show identical results that there is no significant difference ( p > .05). These results mean that whether STEM enactment is accompanied or not by other learning approaches, cultural centric or universal oriented, or done with short or long periods, the effect on students’ motivation tends to be the same.

The overview of STEM enactment in Asia

As a portrait of STEM enactment in Asia, this current study tends to focus on the three variables, namely region, subject, and education level. We found that Eastern Asia was the most contributed to STEM researches, especially those related to the impact on student learning outcomes. On the other hand, the difference evinces that STEM education is significantly effective in Southeast Asia, as evidenced by its impact on the learning outcome higher than that in other regions. The different effects among regions are mostly due to an interaction of some factors, such as the differences regarding the number of published studies and the differences in students’ learning outcomes baseline (Saraç, 2018 ; Yildirim, 2016 ). For instance, the result showed that students’ motivation and HOTS were proven higher than students’ academic learning achievement, which is mostly found in the studies on Southeast Asia (Lestari, Astuti, & Darsono 2018 ; Lestari, Sarwi, & Sumarti, 2018 ; Ismayani, 2016 ; Soros, Ponkham, & Ekkapim, 2018 ; Surya, Abdurrahman, & Wahyudi, 2018 ; Tungsombatsanti, Ponkham, & Somtoa, 2018 ). The baseline of Southeast Asia learning outcome is lower than in other regions due to the low quality of educational practice (OECD, 2018 ). Thus, this study suggests that those students with a lower baseline of higher-order thinking skills will benefit the most from the STEM enactments. In terms of education level, the result showed that most studies were conducted at the secondary education level. The condition of most studies conducted in STEM education from the secondary education level is in line with the resulting study from Saraç ( 2018 ). The only difference from Sarac’s study is that the reviewed subjects came from all over the world and did not focus distinctively on the Asian region. However, in terms of effect size, there was no significant effect appearing in this variable.

Furthermore, STEM education applications on mathematical topics or subjects are small in the number when compared to topics or subjects of science and engineering. This case is in line with the results of research from Saraç ( 2018 ). Sarac has found that the application of STEM education related to the learning outcome is still very limited in mathematics-related topics. The situation reflects that STEM education research on the other focuses, such as students’ attitudes (besides focusing on the learning outcome), is also lacking. This condition is because quite challenging to associate mathematics-related topics and STEM education. Wahono and Chang ( 2019a ) revealed that, when utilizing the STEM education approach, teachers felt challenged in connecting subject matter topics. The characteristic of mathematics, which is fundamentally theoretical and abstract (Acar, Tertemiz, & Tasdemir, 2018 ; Sabag & Trotskovsky, 2013 ), represents a stark contrast to the characteristics of STEM education, which involves activity that is more physical. Thus, it represents a critical reason why STEM enactment of the mathematical topic has a small number. However, there is still a tremendous opportunity to apply STEM education to mathematical-related topics. Examining students’ learning outcomes through particular STEM activities in mathematics is one of the worth for next future research. As evidenced in this study, we found only eight studies in Asia related to mathematics and learning outcomes.

Impacts of STEM enactment on Asian students’ learning outcomes

The results of the meta-analysis in this study suggest that the outline of STEM education of students’ learning outcomes in Asian countries differs among variables. The results showed the effect of STEM enactment by order; those are effect sizes on students’ HOTS at a large level (1.02), meanwhile the academic learning achievement and motivation at a moderate level (0.64 and 0.49). This result is advantageous because HOTS generated more of an effect in Asia when compared to students’ academic learning achievement. As Martín-Páez et al. ( 2019 ) and Chang, Ku, Yu, Wu, and Kuo ( 2015 ) stated that, in general, STEM education has the potential to increase students’ interest and higher-order thinking skills. The more substantial effect of students’ HOTS and interest could be due to the nature of the learning tools and processes of STEM education, which are based on eastern cultures and emphasize hands-on activities (Hassan & Jamaludin, 2010 ). The characteristics of STEM education (real-world problem and problem-solving) represent excellent potential for increasing students’ HOTS. Higher-order thinking skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and creative thinking are the leading targets in STEM learning in Asia (Barak & Assal, 2018 ; Lee et al., 2019). Therefore, HOTS is a decisive asset for Asian students in coping with global competition and industrial revolution 4.0.

Moreover, the result of academic learning achievement showed that the highest value of effect size (1.86) is in the Majid and Majid ( 2018 ) study. Based on an advanced analysis (a sample case), the study indicated that the researchers deeply embraced the Asian cultural characteristics of education. The study was devoted to several learning topics, particularly about chemical properties, atomic theory, and periodic tables. This Majid and Majid study also provides an example of the application of augmented reality, which is a topic familiar to students in their daily life, namely, to identify halal products. The result showed that the highest effect size value of students’ motivation is in the study of Ugras ( 2018 ). Based on further analysis, this study indicated that the learning process was influenced by the habits that are commonly faced in that particular place (Turkey/Asia). Most of the themes carried out in the learning process using STEM, such as how to build a strong house to withstand an earthquake or other often-encountered themes from daily life by Asian students. Furthermore, the themes or topics (culture and real-world problems) are the central themes in STEM learning. Such learning conditions certainly could encourage students’ enthusiasm and motivation in learning.

Moreover, a large variation has found naturally in the effect size of the Asian student learning outcomes. This condition is logically influenced by several factors such as learning instruction quality (McElhaney et al., 2015 ) and how effective the learning instruction, in this case, STEM enactment, fits into the Asian culture and characteristics (Hassan & Jamaludin, 2010 ). Indeed, a fit and comfortable the instruction to the learner characteristics (i.e., much grappled to cultural values) has strongly supported gaining a better impact on the STEM enactment outcomes. Furthermore, this moderate effect indicates that STEM education is quite promising to prepare students to face unpredictable global competition in the future. However, of course, there are still numerous efforts required to maximize the impact of implementing STEM education in the Asian region, including trying to find the hidden factor behinds the effectiveness of STEM enactment in terms of students’ learning outcomes.

Potential factors contributing to STEM enactment

Therefore, another exciting result to discuss is the role of the moderator variables on the effectiveness of student learning outcomes. Based on the analysis of the academic learning achievement of learning outcomes, better results would be obtained if the STEM enactment is accompanied by an approach, learning model, or other methods. This result is in line with the research from Lee, Capraro, and Bicer ( 2019 ). They (Lee et al.) investigated the role of companion another approach or learning model, in increasing the effectiveness of STEM lessons in the classroom. Lee et al. found that STEM combined with another approach or method (e.g., project-based learning or 6E learning model) would be more effective when compared to STEM lessons without other combinations.

Furthermore, the integration of STEM enactment with another approach or learning model provides better direction and control in the achievement of learning objectives (Mustafa et al., 2016 ). Besides, the results of the present study also show that STEM enactment, which tends to be culture centric, was more effective than universal oriented. This result is probably because culture-centric learning is more in line with most of the characteristics of Asian students who tend to rote learning, curriculum orientation and exam orientation (Di, 2017 ; Hassan & Jamaludin, 2010 ; Lin, 2006 ; Thang, 2004 ; Tytler et al., 2017 ). Therefore, the characteristics are more helpful in terms of increasing students’ academic learning achievement. In addition, the duration of the instruction factor also shows one of the potential factors in influencing the student’s effectiveness in academic learning achievement. Longer times of STEM enactment show to be more effective than shorter times; this result makes sense because, with sufficient time, students could better absorb and gradually improve their academic learning achievement (Çevik, 2018 ; Sarican & Akgunduz, 2018 ).

On the other hand, different conditions were found at higher-order thinking skills and motivation for learning outcomes. The results of both learning outcomes show that only the duration of instruction is significant, especially at the higher-order thinking of learning outcomes. This result means that a long time has the potential to be more effective in increasing higher-order thinking skills for Asian students. Lestari et al. (2018) and Lin, Hsiao, Chang, Chien, and Wu ( 2018 ) stated that time played a vital role in honing students’ higher-order thinking skills such as problem-solving and creative thinking of a STEM education field. However, the duration of the instruction factor is not significantly different from the motivation of learning outcomes. Whether STEM enactment is done in a short or over a long period, student motivation is equally effective. The same conditions are shown in other factors such as approach or learning model and learning orientation. Furthermore, this condition indicates that whether there are other approaches involved in STEM enactment, and whether it is culture centric or universal oriented, STEM enactment will provide relatively the equivalent effectiveness, especially in higher-order thinking skills and student motivation. That is, higher-order thinking skills and motivation are very closely tied to its STEM enactment, not from the supporting factors. This reason is reinforced by the opinion of Chiang and Lee ( 2016 ) and Ugras ( 2018 ), which states that STEM lessons have a robust character to increase learning motivation and higher-order thinking skills of students.

Conclusion and practical implications

The results of this study indicate a propitious effect of implementing STEM education on students’ learning outcomes in Asia. The effect is evident in the students’ learning achievement, higher-order thinking skills, and motivation. We have also concluded that STEM education in Asia leads to a higher effect on students’ higher-order thinking skills, students’ learning achievement, and finally, motivation. Furthermore, STEM education constitutes the most promising teaching and learning innovation, especially to prepare students honing higher-order thinking skills as well as to attract students’ interest in learning, which is crucial in adapting to the competitive era.

Likewise, based on the results of this study, when implementing STEM teaching and learning within a classroom, several factors must be considered; first, teachers may combine STEM lessons with any teaching approach or learning model. For instance, the teachers can combine STEM teaching with the 6E learning model or project-based learning approach. The combination would give a strong direction for a teacher in realizing the lesson goal. Another suggestion is to involve the local culture in STEM lessons. Such involvement is crucial to academic performance and essential to culturally responsive pedagogy. Local culture can be in the form of the main lesson topics, enrichment material, the way of teaching and learning process, or even the use of localized languages and properties. Lastly, when applying STEM lessons, calculating the amount of time needed, then utilizing a sufficient amount of time toward application is fundamental. The study suggests more than 2 h, spread over two or more class periods, will assist students’ academic learning achievement and higher-order thinking skills. Indeed, these three factors are significant in maximizing STEM effectiveness in Asian student learning outcomes.

While the authors strongly recommend educators, and researchers, apply STEM education as a regular part of learning in Asian countries, a concern is that this study only involves 54 selected studies. We believe there are still other studies that are also related to STEM education and the effectiveness of students’ learning outcomes that were not identified. These limitations can be caused by several things, such as the language used in the title and abstracts written in languages other than English. Another limitation is that this study is more focused on the meta-analysis method that evaluates quantitative research, so we cannot ascertain whether the learning outcome obtained so far has anything to do with teacher attitudes and knowledge of STEM education or not. Also, concerning to calculation of effect size on the potential moderator variables, this current research is still a limited number of studies. A power analysis indicated that the sample size showed relatively weak results to obtain significant and substantial effects for the targeted variables. A larger number of studies are needed to verify result analysis as well as to continue future research. Nevertheless, we believe this research is a comprehensive, valid, and reliable starting point in providing up-to-date information about the conditions of STEM enactment in Asia.

Potential future research based on the results, discussion, and limitations of this study includes investigating Asian teachers’ perceptions (based on their philosophy and belief) and current knowledge concerning STEM education as well as how to apply the approach in different fields. This study serves as an inspiration for researchers to develop or modify STEM lessons, originating from western countries, into diversified STEM types and variances that comply with the cultural background and geographical conditions of each country. Moreover, an attempt to develop, implement, or modify STEM-related curriculum is also a promising future research opportunity.

Availability of data and materials

Not applicable.

Abbreviations

Higher-order thinking skills

Science, technology, engineering, mathematics

STEM-project-based learning

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express the gratefulness to Terrence from the Science Education Center, NTNU, who have helped in the English editing process. We also would like to say thank you, for having received funding from the Ph.D. Degree Training of the 4 in 1 project of University of Jember, Ministry of Research Technology and Higher Education Indonesia, and Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).

This research is supported in part by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Taiwan, R.O.C., under the grant number MOST 106-2511-S-003-050-MY3, “STEM for 2TV (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam): A Joint Adventure in Science Education Research and Practice; The “Institute for Research Excellence in Learning Sciences” of National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) from the Featured Areas Research Center Program within the framework of the Higher Education Sprout Project by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Taiwan; and National Taiwan Normal University Subsidy for Talent Promotion Program.

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Wahono, B., Lin, PL. & Chang, CY. Evidence of STEM enactment effectiveness in Asian student learning outcomes. IJ STEM Ed 7 , 36 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-020-00236-1

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Asia Pacific countries need to work harder to make STEM education attractive, say experts.

[MANILA] The Philippines, despite numerous attempts to improve its educational outcomes, has instead become an educational laggard, taking the ignominious distinction of getting low rankings in three different global evaluations that scored students’ performance in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

As the country grapples with an education crisis, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. – who admitted in a vlog that the Philippines is falling behind in sciences and mathematics compared to other countries – vowed in his first State of the Nation Address in July 2022 to improve Filipino students’ performance in STEM under his watch. This pledge came on the heels of the country’s poor performance in global and regional rankings, lagging behind many of its Asian neighbours. Calling himself a “ frustrated scientist ”, Marcos committed to making science an ”instrument of progress and prosperity”.

Appointing Vice-President Sara Duterte, his running-mate in the 2022 Philippine elections and the daughter of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, as the secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd), seemed to be in line with his commitment to renew focus on improving the performance and capacity of students.

Meanwhile, Arsenio Balisacan, who was appointed by Marcos as the economic chief, underscored the importance of promoting science, technology and innovation .

These statements make it appear that the country will pivot to science under the Marcos administration. Yet it comes in the context of a system plagued by long-running issues, including limited government funding , poor quality of teaching and curricula, and insufficient school facilities.

Bottom ranking

There are several significant hurdles in improving STEM education in the Philippines, if Marcos is to be successful in fulfilling his commitments.

While the Philippine Statistics Authority reported in its 2019 functional literacy, education and mass media survey that 91.6 per cent of the population have functional literacy – higher than the 90.3 per cent functional literacy rate in 2013 –  it has received low rankings in three different evaluations that scored students’ performance in STEM within the past five years.

“We can’t find more young people in STEM careers if we can’t guarantee quality education that will equip students to comprehend and solve basic problems or calculations” Raoul Manuel, Kabataan partylist

In the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) , which evaluated the performance of 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics and science, the Philippines took the second-lowest spot in science and mathematics, with Dominican Republic being the only country that ranked lower than the South-East Asian country. The Philippines also took the lowest spot in reading.

PISA is a programme of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) . It is conducted every three years to assess whether 15-year-old students have acquired the knowledge and skills necessary for their social and economic participation.

The Philippines did not fare better in the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) , which evaluated the performance of Grade Four students in math and science proficiency. It ranked the lowest among the 58 countries that were included in the study.

The Philippines also did not do well in the 2019 Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) , which measured the capacity of Grade 5 students in reading, writing and mathematics. The country – one of six in the region that participated in the assessment, alongside Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam – performed below the regional average in all three areas.

Only ten per cent of Filipino students were able to meet the minimum required proficiency level for reading at the end of  lower primary education. More alarmingly, nearly half of them belonged to the lowest proficiency band in writing literacy, and only six per cent were able to demonstrate proficiency expected of Grade Five students. Meanwhile, 41 per cent failed to meet the minimum proficiency level in mathematics expected at the end of lower primary education.

DepEd’s statement in response to the SEA-PLM results said that they will evaluate short-, mid- and long-term interventions to “further raise the literacy and numeracy skills” of learners. The statement also noted that the agency has made progress since the release of the 2018 PISA results.

Meanwhile, the country fell eight slots lower in the 2022 Global Innovation Index and is now on the 59th spot among 132 economies. While the report recognised the country as having a strong potential for transforming the global innovation landscape, it is noteworthy that the country-specific report indicated that education in the Philippines as a weakness, putting special attention on low PISA scores and pupil-teacher ratio at the secondary level. The report also noted that the number of graduates in science and engineering has gone down by four percentage points between 2019 and 2020.

While appointing Duterte – who is not an education degree holder but has degrees in respiratory therapy and law – as the education secretary on paper looks like the new administration will give renewed focus on education and STEM. However, she has yet to announce the agency’s plans on STEM and how much of its proposed Philippine peso (Php) 848 billion (US$14.8 billion) budget for 2023 will be allotted for that.

Instead, she pushed hard for a non-STEM program making the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), which provides basic military education and training to first-year college students, mandatory once more. The program became optional in the previous administrations following controversies such as corruption and bullying allegations, culminating in the death of a student. But like her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, she is one of the advocates to reinstate mandatory training. Reinstituting ROTC is also included in Marcos’s legislative agenda .

Duterte also defended her controversial position to include Php150 million (US$2.6 million) for confidential expenses in the 2023 budget of DepEd. Confidential and intelligence funds are used for peace and security. An opposition policymaker has questioned this budget, saying that the surveillance activities that DepEd proposed they will be doing will be “ redundant ” given that there are existing law enforcement bodies in the country. They also said that the funds can be used for education reform, the salary increase of teachers or nonteaching personnel, rehabilitate classrooms, or purchase school equipment such as chairs.

In a statement , DepEd defended its position, saying that confidential expenses are allowed for all civilian offices and they will be using the funds to support “surveillance and intelligence gathering” for the “broader protection” of their students and personnel.

DepEd, as well as the Science Education Institute , did not provide information on their STEM education plans despite several attempts by SciDev.Net to get inputs from both organisations.

Meanwhile, Philippine Senator Alan Peter Cayetano disclosed during a meeting of the Committee on Science and Technology the proposal to slash the proposed 2023 budget of the country’s Department of Science and Technology of Php44.2 billion (US$771 million) by nearly half to Php24.1 billion (US$420.3 million) in the 2023 National Expenditure Plan, which is also slightly lower than what the science agency received in 2022.

“A focus on science and technology is what takes countries into the 21st century. Innovation translates to bigger and more efficient manufacturing and tech industries, generating more jobs and lifting all other sectors in the economy,” Cayetano said.

“When young people are made aware of the benefits and significance of STEM, they can see its importance. It will lead them to pursue STEM” Lilia Habacon, Philippine Science High School System

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who is the chair of the basic education committee, said in a privilege speech that he is sponsoring the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2 Act), which he said will assess and evaluate the current system to come up with recommendations directed toward educational reforms.

Gatchalian tells SciDev.Net that the aim would be to “strengthen focus on numeracy and literacy from Kindergarten to Grade Three because this will build foundational competencies”.

At the same time, it will also look into the capacity of the teachers. He cites a 2016 education note released by the World Bank and Australian Aid that indicates the “poor” performance of teachers in science and math. He also tells SciDev.Net that only a few or no teachers have been trained to teach all branches or areas of a subject.

“Science teachers, for example, were only trained to teach in one area of expertise rather than the different branches of the subject such as chemistry, biology and physics,” Gatchalian says.

In terms of policy support to promote STEM education, Gatchalian says that “deserving” students who are interested or show an aptitude for math and science can be provided access and adequate funding. The senator recently filed a bill that seeks to establish math and science high schools in provinces across the country.

Intertwined issues in education

Quality issues are not limited to basic education. A 2022 Philippine education situationer done by Aniceto Orbeta, Jr. and Vicento Paqueo of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) noted that there are very few universities in the country that are rated in the top 1,000 in the world.

The private higher education institution Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) was ranked as the top university in the Philippines, according to the Times Higher Education’s (THE’s) World University rankings . It fell under the 351-400 bracket,  putting it ahead of the University of the Philippines (UP), which was ranked under the 801-1,000 bracket. The state-run university, which previously led the country’s universities in the rankings, dropped by at least 200 spots. The University of the Philippines released an official statement saying they are currently reviewing the indicators and data to gain insights on future measures and direction.

The recently released 2023 QS Asia University Rankings , on the other hand, shows that UP is the top university in the country, taking the 87th spot, followed by AdMU, which placed 134th.

Regardless of the order in which these two universities place in the Philippines, both, along with De La Salle University (DLSU) dropped in their rankings not just in the QS Asia University Rankings, but also the QS World University Rankings .

The 2022 situationer said that the low quality in higher education can be blamed on the low quality of basic education and inadequate qualifications of teaching personnel with only a handful of faculty members holding graduate degrees.

Progressive youth partylist member Kabataan Raoul Manuel tells SciDev.Net that problems in basic education prevent the Philippines from properly equipping its youth in STEM. He says that longstanding issues in basic education, including classroom shortages, meagre compensations for teachers, and lack of educational resources deprive students of quality education.

According to the PISA 2018 country-specific report, the Philippines had the lowest expenditure per student among all PISA-participating countries and economies and is 90 per cent lower than the OECD average of US$89,000 per student.

“The country must go back to the basics and improve the teaching of science and math in the basic education level,” Manuel says. “We can’t find more young people in STEM careers if we can’t guarantee quality education that will equip students to comprehend and solve basic problems or calculations.”

The education situationer also pointed out that the Philippines has an underdeveloped research and innovation system. It cited a 2020 survey that said that STEM training in higher education is heavily focused on getting students to pass board examinations and less on research and innovation.

“If we refer to Philippines’ performance in maths and science in TIMMS around 20 years ago, we were already doing very badly. For those of us who have been paying attention to these results, we’ve been dropping decades ago” Allan Bernardo, De La Salle University

There are currently only 174 researchers per million inhabitants in the Philippines, which is nearly half the Department of Science and Technology’s target of 300 researchers per million population. Even with the higher end of the target, this is already behind countries within South-East Asia alone: Singapore has 6,730 researchers per million people while Malaysia has more than 2,200 researchers per million.

For marine biologist Jean Utzurrum, there are additional barriers that may prevent researchers from the global South, including the Philippines, from having their research published in scientific journals. These include language barriers, high publishing fees, and little incentive to write manuscripts that may wind up rejected by journal editors. She also tells SciDev.Net that multiple responsibilities can prevent researchers from writing.

“Being underpaid and/or overworked in a country where there are cultural expectations to fulfil familial obligations means that researchers have little to no time to write a manuscript,” Utzurrum tells SciDev.Net.

“The Philippine education sector needs to exert more relevant effort not just to make the Filipino youth interested in STEM but also to lead them to pursue STEM careers,” Philippine Science High School (PSHS) System executive director Lilia Habacon tells SciDev.Net.

“We need to expose them at a young age to how STEM makes a difference in the lives of people in the areas of medicine , engineering, research, technology, and innovation,” Habacon also says. “When young people are made aware of the benefits and significance of STEM, they can see its importance. It will lead them to pursue STEM.”

As the 2022 PISA evaluation is underway, Habacon says that the issues with the educational system need to be resolved alongside the impact on learning brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Whatever the results of PISA 2022 with regard to the status of Filipino learners in mathematics, science and reading, the government needs to address the root cause of the previous dismal performance, aggravated by the learning loss during the pandemic,” Habacon says. She tells SciDev.Net that there were some children who qualified in the PSHS system but did not pursue their scholarship because of the pandemic, as well as proximity issues and other personal reasons.

For their future

Students Claire, Jane, Melissa and John* are enrolled in the STEM Senior High School track in a public high school in central Manila. As the four are in the process of preparing their college applications, they are concerned about what to pursue post-high school.

Claire believes that the education system in the Philippines has to be improved by the government even as she appeals to political leaders to listen to the concerns of teachers and students should they introduce educational reforms.

For John, the major concern is the difficulty of finding a job after finishing the K-12 program despite the fact that the program has been packaged as helping students become job-ready.

“K-12 is supposed to prepare students for work but it is not enough to land a job after graduation from Senior High School,” he says. “I hope the government can coordinate with companies so that Senior High School students and graduates can be hired.”

John says this is also an issue of youths who want to become working students so that they can earn to support their education.

Jane says that income potential directly affects career choices of students and whether they will choose to stay in the Philippines. “Opportunities should be made available for students after graduating,” Jane says, pointing out that many Filipinos, particularly those in the medical field, opt to leave the country because they earn more overseas.

Brain drain is a concern, especially for health professionals. The Philippines is the top country of origin for foreign-born nurses and top tenth country of origin for foreign-born doctors working in OECD areas .

Jane points out how the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the plight of medical frontliners in the country, serving as the front line of defence against the disease but receiving little compensation for their efforts.

Melissa points out the need for assistance beyond free or subsidised tuition.

“Even if you say the tuition fee is free, STEM students still have various needs beyond notebooks and pens. If you need to do research, you need WiFi and a gadget,” she says. “I don’t see that many computer shops now because the thinking is everyone has internet access at home but that is not the case. Connectivity is also an issue. Not everyone has internet access. It is very hard to achieve your dreams because you need sufficient support.”

The education situationer noted that a household survey done by the Department of Information and Communications Technology in 2019, just one year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, showed that only 18 per cent of households had internet access while only 24 per cent had computers at home. It also reported that only 17 per cent of the poorest decile of the population enrolled in higher education institutions, as opposed to 49 per cent of the highest decile.

Melissa also mentions experiencing barriers to particular interest in pursuing a STEM-related career: while she is interested in taking up nursing as her pre-medicine (pre-med) course, she says that most scholarships only offer biology and medical technology. “Why isn’t nursing included as a pre-med course? I wish they would also offer spots for nursing.”

“The country must expand access to degree programs in STEM, which are among the most expensive options in higher education because they charge higher tuition and other school fees for laboratory courses and internships,” Manuel says.

Issues are ‘not new’

While various education reforms have been introduced to try to address these issues – the latest being the K-12 programme – these issues continue to persist, as discussed by a paper released over a decade ago.

Allan Bernardo, distinguished university professor and university fellow, DLSU, tells SciDev.Net that the performance of the Philippines in international large-scale assessments of educational outcomes is not new nor recent”.

“If we refer to Philippines’ performance in maths and science in TIMMS around 20 years ago, we were already doing very badly (i.e. in bottom three). For those of us who have been paying attention to these results, we’ve been dropping decades ago,” Bernardo tells SciDev.Net.

Bernardo says that there is no single cause to the problems, but numerous interrelated factors that have not been addressed in decades, including access issues, lack of good learning resources, inadequate teacher training in pedagogies for effective facilitation of learning, and inflexible curriculum guides.

Besides these issues, psychosocial factors can also affect student performance, says Bernardo, who co-authored research funded by the DLSU’s Angelo King Institute  for Economic and Business Studies, with support from the National Academy of Science and Technology to look into students’ perceptions of maths and science in relation to their aspirations in Philippine society.

“Poor-performing students in math and science have more negative experiences in the classroom and social environment,” Bernardo says. “They tend to report feeling a low sense of belonging, have higher self-reports of being bullied, and perceive lower cooperation among students.”

Bernardo says that their research also indicates that students may not see science and math as relevant to future aspirations. “These kids are thinking about their future and looking at their communities and the country at large (where anti-science anti-intellectual discourses are becoming stronger), and they’re thinking, ‘I don’t really need to learn math and science’,” he says.

Results of their research show that poor Filipino students who have parents that have “low status occupations” also expect to have low occupations when they reach adulthood. They have low motivations and ascribe little importance to work hard in school for their future.

This finding is in line with the Philippine-specific PISA 2018 report , which said that only 31 per cent of students in the Philippines holds a growth mindset. Growth mindset is the “belief that someone’s ability and intelligence can be developed over time”.

In contrast, the fixed mindset is the belief that skills and intelligence are innate and cannot be honed even with training.  People with a growth mindset tend to have a greater passion for learning and are more likely to make an effort to reach their full potential.

Isy Faingold, chief of education, UNICEF Philippines , said the low number of students with a growth mindset may also explain why there are students that feel intimidated by STEM.

“With a 2018 PISA study showing a disturbing number of Filipino students displaying very low growth mindset (believing that their intelligence cannot change much), it is not surprising that students would feel intimidated by STEM subjects and shy away from pursuing it as a learning/career path,” Faingold tells SciDev.Net .

Bernardo tells SciDev.Net that educational policymakers need to have a deep understanding of what skills, knowledge, and competencies are needed now and in the future.

“I am not convinced our decision makers understand that in a deep and principled manner, especially when pronouncements seem to emphasise other education goals like instilling discipline and developing citizens who are not critical thinkers,” Bernardo says.

He adds that “talk and mere gestures” should not be the only ways in which science and math can be brought to the national discourse, saying that resources from both the government and the private sector should be allocated strategically to make a difference.

Primary education expenditure per child of primary education age is at US$569, which is 83.5 per cent below the average for East Asia and the Pacific and 29.5 per cent below the average for lower middle-income countries, according to the World Bank .

STEM education in Asia

Asia as a region is a mixed bag in terms of its performance in STEM education.

Countries such as the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia did not perform well in PISA 2018. On the other hand, Singapore is one of the best-performing countries worldwide in the evaluation, ranking second only to China across all three categories (science, math, and reading). Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have also had good standings in the World University Rankings and the QS World University Rankings , penetrating the top 200 universities in the world. Brunei and India were also able to have one university each penetrate the World University Rankings, while Malaysia was able to have two of its higher education institutions placing within the top 150 universities.

Other countries in the region, however, did not fare as well.

“Countries and official UNESCO Member States in Asia and the Pacific are currently at varying stages of implementing STEM in their education systems. Five of the top ten high performing economies in the PISA 2018 are located in Asia, and we may already observe that students in these contexts perform well in STEM-related subjects,” Faryal Khan, programme specialist for education at the UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education, tells SciDev.Net.

“ On the other hand, if we examine the STEM education policy environments across the region and how some countries have developed STEM initiatives, we may also observe emerging challenges in STEM policy, curriculum design, context and the training programmes undertaken by STEM teachers,” Khan continues.

While India, a major country in the region, has its own initiatives to promote STEM education, there are inadequacies that came to the fore when close to 20,000 Indian medical students were found stranded in Ukraine when Russia invaded the country in February.

Currently, there are over a million Indian students enrolled in universities outside the country, the vast majority of them studying medicine or other STEM subjects. The trend of Indian students going abroad for higher studies has been steadily increasing and a RedSeer report projects that 1.8 million Indians will be spending annually US$85 billion on education overseas by 2024.

UK immigration statistics show that nearly 118,000 Indian students received a student visa in the year ending June 2022 — an 89 per cent increase over the previous year. With this India has overtaken China as the largest nationality on sponsored study visas in the UK.

Differences in perceptions

“Countries like Singapore and Vietnam show what is possible, including for disadvantaged populations,” Andreas Schleicher , director for education and skills and special advisor on education policy to the OECD Secretary-General, tells SciDev.Net.

Schleicher notes that one difference among these countries that are performing well in education is the “deep belief that every student can learn”.

“These systems have advanced from sorting human talent to developing human talent,” he says. “They realise that ordinary citizens can have extraordinary talents.” This is in contrast to some countries that segregate students into different tracks or perceived skills.

Schleicher also notes that top-performing school systems also encourage teachers to be innovative.

“Countries like Singapore and Vietnam show what is possible, including for disadvantaged populations” Andreas Schleicher, OECD

“Top school systems select and educate their teaching staff carefully, and they provide an environment in which teachers work together to frame good practice, and they encourage teachers to grow in their careers,” he says.

As with the Philippines, teachers’ ability in STEM is also an area of concern for Indonesia and Thailand.

“The teaching capacity of the science teachers is the main factor that may affect Indonesia’s performance in STEM courses,” says R. Ahmad Zaky El Islami, assistant professor in science education at Universitas Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa , in the province of Banten.

El Islami says that the capacity of STEM teachers in Indonesia still needs to be improved. He also says that the frequent curriculum changes confuse teachers.

“Whatever the government policy about curriculum in Indonesia, it should be focused on the teacher training on implementation of STEM education,” El Islami says.

Nonetheless, El Islami is optimistic about the future of STEM in Indonesia, given its history of innovation, citing the development of the first Indonesian aircraft by a local scientist in 1995 as an example.

“Based on history, Indonesia can give more contributions to the real world if science teachers are able to capacitate the students’ skills and abilities in relation to STEM,” El Islami.

Chatree Faikhamta, an associate professor of science education at Kasetsart University in Bangkok, also raised the importance of teacher quality in Thailand.

“Teachers’ understanding of STEM is varied, particularly in terms of degree of integration of STEM disciplines,” he says. Engineering in particular is an area of concern among teachers since it is “very new for science and mathematics teachers”.

“Some research studies indicated that teachers still face difficulties in their implementation of STEM activities in their classroom such as time constraints, students learning, designing STEM lessons,” Faikhamta tells SciDev.Net.

Faikhamta also says that students, while generally interested in STEM subjects, are not familiar with hands-on activities that are required in STEM.

El Islami and Faikhamta are team members of MII-STEM , a project in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam that is looking into developing a modelling-based curriculum for science teachers.

“It is not just a question of how many courses are taught or made available to learners, but how we might expand the concept of STEM in response to the ever-changing education and economic landscape to make STEM even more adaptable and relevant to education systems and youth throughout the region” Faryal Khan, UNESCO Asia and Pacific

Khan says that beyond opportunities, STEM education in Asia also needs to be widened to make it more responsive to growing needs.

“It is not just a question of how many courses are taught or made available to learners, but how we might expand the concept of STEM in response to the ever-changing education and economic landscape to make STEM even more adaptable and relevant to education systems and youth throughout the region,” she says.

Broadening opportunities also means ensuring that the education is inclusive to accommodate all students, according to Khan.

“Currently there is a growing need for us to pay greater attention to each country’s rural and geographically disadvantaged groups to ensure that they have access to STEM education as readily as their urban peers,” Khan says.

“Students who are interested in STEM can excel regardless of their geographic location if the government equitably allocates its resources to promote scientific innovation across regions rather than concentrate its resources in selected, relatively more developed areas only,” Manuel says, echoing Khan’s recommendation.

Khan also recommends teaching science, mathematics and reading in the mother tongue of the students.

“UNESCO has been advocating for multilingual education based on the mother tongue from the earliest years of schooling. Research shows that education in the mother tongue is a key factor for fostering inclusion and quality learning, and it also improves learning outcomes and academic performance,” Khan says.

Manuel shares the same sentiments.

“Primary-level learners in several other countries use their mother tongue when they start counting, reading and grasping foundational concepts in various subjects, but in the Philippines, students are forced to learn the basics using languages that they do not usually use at home or in daily conversation,” Manuel says.

Khan also emphasises the importance of increasing the interest and participation of female youth in STEM education. Results of a Philippine baseline study indicated that male youths have more confidence across science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The difference is particularly high with engineering, with 63 per cent of males saying they are confident as opposed to 49 per cent of females. The same study showed that 73 per cent of male youths planned to take STEM in university as opposed to 59 per cent of females.

“A general condition of gender inequality through the region is also proving a significant barrier,” Khan says. “For a multitude of social, cultural and psychological reasons, girls and women are often found to be at a distinct disadvantage in pursuing STEM education and subsequent work,” she says.

Educational finance is another area that needs to be looked into. “We need to increase levels of educational finance to enable transformations of education systems that advance STEM education. Political will in support of inclusive, high-quality STEM education, and high-level commitment to competency-based educational objectives, will be enabling factors,” Khan says.

Manuel also has a similar recommendation for the Philippines.

“Students must have access to well-furnished laboratories in their campuses, as well as necessary technologies and infrastructure such as reliable Internet connection across the country,” he says. “This demands greater funding into the public school system.”

*Names have been changed to protect the students’ privacy.

With additional report from Ranjit Devraj.

This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Asia & Pacific desk.

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• DOI: 10.30870/jppi.v7i2.11293
• Corpus ID: 244901995

Challenges in STEM Learning: A Case of Filipino High School Students

• D. V. Rogayan Jr. , Renzo Jay L Rafanan , Clarisse Yimyr De Guzman
• Published in Jurnal Penelitian dan… 30 November 2021
• Education, Engineering, Environmental Science

Figures and Tables from this paper

3 Citations

Factors for successful science learning in a flexible mode amid covid-19 educational disruption: students’ assessment, secondary school teachers’ interest and self-efficacy in implementing stem education in the science curriculum, effects of 7e learning model on science learning in the philippine context: a scoping review, 23 references, pursuing stem careers: perspectives of senior high school students, enhancing elementary pupils’ conceptual understanding on matter through sci-vestigative pedagogical strategy (sps), the influence of teachers’ attitudes and school context on instructional practices in integrated stem education, identification of basic technology difficult topics as perceived by upper basic education teachers and students in ibadan metropolis, aghamic action approach (a3): its effects on the pupils’ conceptual understanding on matter, testing the relationships of motivation, time management and career aspirations on graduate students’ academic success, efforts to improve scientific literacy of students through guided inquiry learning based on local wisdom of baduy’s society, covid-19 transitions to online formats and pre-pandemic foundations for student success: time management and lifestyle variables, prospective teachers’ scientific literacy through ethnoscience learning integrated with the indigenous knowledge of people in the frontier, outermost, and least developed regions, global higher education in a vuca world: concerns and projections, related papers.

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An Inquiry into the K to 12 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Students’ Persistence

IOER International Multidisciplinary Research Journal, Volume 2, Issue 1, March 2020

9 Pages Posted: 9 Apr 2020

Marisol D. Andrada

DepEd, Iriga City, Philippines

Arlyne P. Marasigan

Philippine Normal University, Manila, Philippines

Date Written: 2020

Due to the unprecedented change in science and technological advancement, strengthening of STEM Education in the Philippines becomes an important goal under the K to 12 Curriculum aimed to produce 21st century and globally competitive learners. The educational reform was implemented even in rural areas to lessen inequalities and poverty in consonance with Education for All (EFA) and Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs). Senior high school (SHS) students can take STEM strand towards STEM-related careers without going into Science high schools or universities. However, very few students are opting for STEM because of grade requirements and negative perceptions towards STEM. Those who enrolled failed to finish and graduate as STEM students. Hence, this study aimed to explore the factors that contributed to the persistence in STEM of selected SHS students. The study utilized a purposive selection of the seven participants (n=7) who are among the first successful STEM graduates under the K to 12 Curriculum in 2018. The participants underwent a one-on-one in-depth interview. Transcription, coding, and thematic analysis were employed to arrive at the insightful narration of their lived experiences as STEM students. Based on the results gathered, the factors that contributed to the persistence of the SHS students are self-efficacy and social support. The result of the study provides sound evidence that cognitive, affective, and psychosocial support from parents, family, peers, teachers, and school are essential for students’ success. Students should have the freedom to choose the track/strand they wanted to pursue. School authorities must provide relevant activities that could strengthen STEM initiatives and implementation among SHS students.

Keywords: STEM Education, Persistence, phenomenological study, K to 12 Curriculum, Philippines

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Marisol D. Andrada (Contact Author)

Deped, iriga city, philippines ( email ).

Manila, 02 Philippines

Philippine Normal University, Manila, Philippines ( email )

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Challenges in STEM Learning: A Case of Filipino High School Students

https://doi.org/10.30870/jppi.v7i2.11293

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STEM education faces monumental challenges which are aggravated by the Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0 and the current COVID-19 global contagion. These challenges also affect how students learn in the STEM discipline in the senior high school. This qualitative study employed a case research design which sought to investigate nature of the challenges in STEM learning among senior high school students in the Philippines. Semi-structured interview guide was used in gathering the qualitative data from the 20 STEM learners in a government-run secondary school in Zambales, Philippines. Findings showed that the students encountered challenges in the STEM program. Ten themes emerged based on the students’ responses. These challenges encountered by the students revolved around three categories – course-related challenges, individual challenges and socio-cultural challenges. The study recommends that schools offering STEM academic strands may reframe and rethink their processes, practices and policies to address the students’ challenges in STEM learning. Policy recommendations are also discussed in the paper to equip the students towards the demands of Industrial Revolution 4.0 and in the post-pandemic world.

The demand for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce in the contemporary society is very high.Globally, educational institutions encourage students to take up STEM to enhance their STEM skills and literacy which are needed in the modern industries

The present study explored the challenges in STEM learning of a case of Filipino students

The challenges encountered by students in studying STEM

The demand for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce in the contemporary society is very high. The first batch of STEM senior high school students in the Philippines enrolled in June 2016 which marked the full implementation of the K12 basic education curriculum. The Commission on Higher Education report as cited in Rafanan et al (2020) reveals that the completion rate across STEM disciplines is only 21.10% based on the average 5year data up until 2016-2017 They cite the completion rates as follows, science (25.52%), mathematics (21.20%), information technology (19.56%), engineering and technology (18.97%), and medical and allied fields (14.38%). With the challenges of low STEM enrollment and low scientific literacy, the researchers sought to explore through this qualitative case research the nature of challenges of senior high school students in learning STEM in the Philippine context. Twenty Grade 12 STEM students sampled conveniently from one Philippine government school served as participants in the case study. To ensure validity and credibility of the emerging themes and its corresponding descriptions, the researchers employed informant feedback via interview among select participants (Lincoln & Guba, 1985)

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Filipinas stare through the glass ceiling in STEM fields

by SciDev.Net

The Philippines is celebrating March as women's month while citing its achievements in gender equality from increased female educational attainment to political empowerment.

But does this advancement holds true for women in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields?

A report by the Philippines' Science Education Institute (SEI) offered a picture of women's engagement in these sectors based on data from 1990 to 2015. It said, optimistically, that the number of women in science and technology careers was increasing, including in the engineering and ICT fields. The report also said that roughly 45% of the 3.7 million bachelor's degree holders in science and technology were women.

However, the grounds for optimism were limited. "Despite the increase in the number of women engaged in the S&T (science and technology) industries in the past 25 years, it is also observed that the percentage gap between female and male S&T professionals did not diminish but rather increased," the Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (PBCWE) said in a statement to SciDev.Net.

"The competence and skills of women in STEM are on par with that of men, and yet the gender gap persists if you investigate a more detailed picture of the STEM professions women occupy," the PBCWE statement said.

Barriers in engagement

Overall, the Philippines has achieved significant gains in bridging the gender gap ranking 19th in the 2022 Global Gender Gap report although it's two rungs lower than the 17th place in 2021. However, focusing on STEM, there are cracks that need to be fixed in order to encourage more women.

Nantawan Hinds, program coordinator for UNESCO Bangkok's section for inclusive quality education, tells SciDev.Net that barriers which prevent girls and women from engaging in STEM may occur at the individual, family, school and societal levels.

"At the individual level, girls may be discouraged from pursuing STEM fields due to their perceptions of these fields and their own abilities," Hinds says, citing a Philippine survey that showed that girls may lose interest in STEM as early as at the primary education level because of the perception that STEM is male-dominated.

"This perception is linked to gender stereotypes and biases that portray girls and women as less capable in STEM fields, which in turn can discourage them from pursuing these areas," she says.

Families may also discourage girls from pursuing studies and careers that are outside women's stereotypical roles.

"Girls and women may not receive the same level of encouragement and support from their family to pursue studies and career paths that are considered 'non-traditional,' such as STEM fields, compared to boys and men," Hinds says. "This lack of encouragement and support can result in self-doubt, reinforcement of negative stereotypes, and discouragement among girls and women who may have a genuine interest in STEM fields."

School and societal structures can also perpetuate gender stereotypes. For instance, with very few women role models or presenting them in supportive or passive roles, girls may feel excluded from STEM. In the Philippines, only 11 of the 41 recognized National Scientists of the Philippines are women.

A UNESCO report discussed how girls gradually lose interest in STEM while still in school. This can happen as early as fourth grade because they are seeing that STEM-related careers are primarily male-dominated, dissuading them from pursuing careers in these fields.

A study on Filipino youths' insights on STEM, reported that girls make up only 43% of STEM enrolments. It also reported that girls themselves perceived males to be better in the fields of technology, engineering and mathematics.

The 2022 Gender Gap Report of the World Economic Forum, meanwhile, reported that women only make up a quarter of the female graduates of engineering, manufacturing and construction in the Philippines. PBCWE noted that this is the field with "the most glaring difference among the educational attainment of male and female graduates in the country."

In contrast, information and communication technology is the STEM-related field with the smallest gap, with 48% of the graduates women. The PBCWE also points out that 72% of the technical vocational graduates employed in S&T occupations are men while only 28% are women.

Workplace discrimination

Gender bias does not end in the classroom. A 2019 report cited respondents saying that they felt discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace. "There's always a bias of what women can or cannot do," one respondent was reported saying.

Another respondent of the study raised the issue of workplace harassment, saying that there is a clear bias against women, and those who could not deal with that end up quitting.

Gender pay gap, family-related concerns, under-utilization of women, and unmet achievement needs were also some of the issues that hinder women's entry, continuation and retention of women in STEM, according to the report .

Automation is also projected to have a heavier impact on women than men. According to a report by the International Labor Organization, women in STEM-related industries tend to hold low-skilled professions and are more than twice likely to lose their job due to automation compared to men.

"Beyond families, it is important for companies and employers to ensure an enabling and safe environment for women and girls if and when they go into STEM," Sarah Knibbs, regional director ad interim for UN Women Asia and the Pacific, tells SciDev.Net. "It is critical for women to feel a sense of belonging, be given the space to thrive, and be supported especially during changes in their life stages from the time they enter the workforce, have children, prepare for leadership roles, and retire."

But Knibbs believes encouraging more women to engage in STEM starts at home.

"There is no one solution to this but it is critical we start with the families of women and girls," she says, pointing out that families tend to invest in providing tech gadgets and access to tools and trainings for boys than girls . "Parents need to be supportive and appreciate that they play an important role in ensuring that their daughters are able to achieve their fullest potential free from stereotypes and barriers."

Provided by SciDev.Net

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STEM in the PH workforce: A critical, ever-growing need

To facilitate progress, a country must strive to make the most out of its human capital. This means providing ample employment opportunities to the working population.

According to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the Philippines had an unemployment rate of 5.7% in 2017, falling short of its 5.1-5.4% target. However, as of  April 2018, the Philippines has bounced back somewhat, further knocking its rate down to 5.5%.

Unfortunately, these numbers cannot be taken at face value in terms of gauging the country’s overall development. Even with the decline in unemployment rate, underemployment — the underutilization of a worker due to a skill gap, a contractual arrangement, or too much idle time — increased to 17%, 0.9 percentage points higher compared to April last year.

At present, an estimated 6.9 million workers are employed, but still yearn for more work or working hours. Meanwhile, approximately 2.36 million of the population remain jobless.

STEM in the workforce: steps toward progress

Addressing the limitations in the workforce also necessitates talking about the segment of the working population responsible for creating solutions and optimizing our quality of life.

Without science and technology, humanity would not be where it is right now. You would not be holding a phone in your hand or using a laptop to read this very article. We would all still need to walk or run to get to our preferred destinations – forget about your favorite ridesharing app, or taxis, or jeepneys , or trains, or even bicycles. Without science, you would never know what ice cream tastes like. Without science, your chances of living long enough to see your grandchildren would likely decrease significantly, considering all the vitamins, food supplements, and medicine you have consumed in your lifetime. Without science, you would not even know when or how to prepare for a storm .

Science has made our existence much more convenient. At the end of the day, however, we owe these innovations and inventions to science practitioners themselves: scientists, inventors, engineers, doctors, computer scientists, statisticians, mathematicians, and many more.

As a developing country, we are in dire need of such people in order to further push us towards progress. With our archipelago blessed with teeming wildlife, vast fields for crop development, lengthy coastline for fishing, and even the presence of minerals in our lands, science is absolutely critical to our way of life, and in making the most out of what we’ve been given.

A growing demand for PH scientists and researchers

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the recommended ratio of researchers and scientists within a given country to its population (called  research/scientist per million) is 380/million. As of the moment, the Philippines falls short, with a meager 189 researchers/million as of 2013. In comparision, Israel registered a ratio as high as 8300/million, Malaysia has 2100/million, South Korea has 6,900/million, Thailand rests at 974/million, and Vietnam clocks in at 674/million. All of these are way above the baseline value. We are currently in the same boat as countries such as Brunei (286/million) and Indonesia (89/million).

The country also pales in terms of budget allocation for research and development. According to a report from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the country has consistently posed a gross expenditure for R&D (GERD) of only 0.14 percent of its GDP over the years. UNESCO’s baseline for this is at one percent.

Due to these factors, the Philippines faces the inescapable of task of boosting its workforce for research and development (R&D). In order to meet the recommended value of UNESCO, PH should be able to produce close to 19,000 new researchers and scientists. Related to this, DOST is providing S&T scholarships for undergraduate, Masters, and PhD levels .

In addition, the ‘Science for Change’ bill has been approved, which aims to address the country’s shortage of scientific innovations and inventions. The bill sets a budget of Php 21 billion for R&D in 2018, which will double yearly for the next five years, capping off at Php 672 billion by 2022. These numbers are much higher than 2017’s measly Php 5.8 billion budget.

With these initiatives and the recent signing of the Balik Scientist program — which provides incentives for Filipino scientists working overseas to take advantage of local employment opportunities and share their skills here — into law, one can e xpect the demand for scientists and researchers in the Philippines to rise in the years to come.

Duterte’s Build, Build, Build

As part of President Rodrigo Duterte’s “Build, Build, Build” initiative, the Philippines is set to embark on an infrastructure spending bonanza worth Php 180 billion for the next 10 years. There are 75 flagship projects in mind, including six airports, nine railways, three bus rapid transits, 32 roads and bridges, and four seaports. All of these projects are expected to benefit the economy by lowering costs of production, improving rural income, creating more employment opportunities, and increased investments in rural areas, as indicated by Philippine Department of Finance chief economist Karl Chua.

As of May 30 2018, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) had already opened 11,000 jobs for the “Build, Build, Build” program. DPWH secretary Mark Villar indicated that the jobs are available not only for Metro Manila, but also in Visayas and Mindanao. He is optimistic that with the program offering competitive salaries, it may be a good reason for overseas Filipino engineers and workers to come home. 

PH lacks thousands of doctors

In October 2016, then-Department of Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial indicated that the Philippines lacked around 15,000 doctors. She stressed the shortage of new doctors; statistics that year showed that the country was producing only 2,600 new doctors annually.

She also noted the significant difference between the healthcare services provided here and in other countries. Ubial praised the excellent health care system of Cuba, which currently has a ratio of one doctor for every 1,075 patients. This is far from the country’s current ratio, which is estimated to be one doctor for every 33,000 patients.

In 1993, the department started its “Doctors to the Barrios” program, which sends doctors  to far-flung areas in order to accommodate the oft-ignored needs of people from such places. The challenge lies in the fact that only a handful of doctors appear to be willing to accept these posts. Despite increasing the monthly salary to Php 56,000, as of October 2016, 116 posts remain vacant.

With the campaign for more doctors, the DOH also started its AY 2018-2019 scholarship program for aspiring public health doctors. Considering that state universities and colleges (SUCs) are already offering undergraduate programs for free, more people can pursue medicine and be readily given employment by the government itself.

The need for STEM practitioners in the Philippines

Aside from the jobs listed above, a plethora of in-demand and hard-to-fill science jobs are also on the rise in our country, according to edukasyon.ph founder Henry Motte-Munoz. These jobs include web developers, software engineers, agriculturists, electricians, and even science teachers.

The need for science and its application in the country can no longer be ignored. For us to triumph over the pains of a developing nation, more innovators, creators, and problem solvers are needed. We need people who can provide solutions to diseases in aquaculture and pests in crops, as well as experts in mitigating damage in typhoons. These seemingly mundane yet ever-present problems can be solved through investment in research and development.

And for all the Filipinos out there with a science degree, now would be an excellent time to use your skills and education to help in building the nation. –MF

References:

• Asia O of. Duterte’s Ambitious “Build, Build, Build” Project To Transform The Philippines Could Become His Legacy. Forbes. [accessed 2018 Jun 28]. https://www.forbes.com/sites/outofasia/2018/02/28/dutertes-ambitious-build-build-build-project-to-transform-the-philippines-could-become-his-legacy/ .
• BPM, IT, tourism, construction jobs in demand in 2018 —DOLE. GMA News Online. [accessed 2018a Jun 28]. http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/638378/bpm-it-tourism-construction-jobs-in-demand-in-2018-dole/story/ .
• Cabuenas JV. Duterte signs Balik Scientist Program into law. GMA News Online. [accessed 2018 Aug 9]. http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/scitech/science/657997/duterte-signs-balik-scientist-program-into-law/story/
• DepEd to hire more Math, Science teachers. The Manila Times. [accessed 2018b Jun 28]. http://www.manilatimes.net/deped-to-hire-more-math-science-teachers/286207/ .
• DOH Secretary: Philippines lacks 15,000 doctors. cnn. [accessed 2018 Jun 29]. http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2016/10/13/department-of-health-lack-of-doctors.html .
• imoney. 2014. 5 In-Demand Jobs in the Philippines until 2020 | iMoney. iMoney.ph. [accessed 2018 Jun 28]. https://www.imoney.ph/articles/top-5-demand-professions-philippines/ .
• Motte-Munoz H. In demand and hard to fill: Jobs to consider and prepare for. Rappler. [accessed 2018 Jun 28]. http://www.rappler.com//life-and-style/career/122236-high-school-college-courses-in-demand-jobs .
• More investments in R&D needed. BusinessMirror. [accessed 9 Aug 2018]. https://businessmirror.com.ph/more-investments-in-rd-needed/.
• News A-C. What courses will be in demand in the next 5 years? ABS-CBN News. [accessed 2018 Jun 28]. http://news.abs-cbn.com/business/05/05/17/what-courses-will-be-in-demand-in-the-next-5-years .
• Palace: Duterte wants swifter implementation of Build, Build, Build projects. GMA News Online. [accessed 2018 Jun 28]. http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/658235/palace-duterte-wants-swifter-implementation-of-build-build-build-projects/story/ .
• Pernia EM. 2016 Jan 13. Science a sine qua non for human progress. [accessed 2018 Jun 29]. http://opinion.inquirer.net/91980/science-a-sine-qua-non-for-human-progress .
• PH needs 19,000 more scientists, researchers – SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center. [accessed 2018c Jun 29]. http://bic.searca.org/site/ph-needs-19000-more-scientists-researchers/ .
• PH needs more doctors, 42,000 hospital beds. Manila Bulletin News. [accessed 2018d Jun 29]. https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/08/14/ph-needs-more-doctors-42000-hospital-beds .
• PH seeks to meet UN benchmark with more scientists in 10 years. 2017. Newsbytes Philippines. [accessed 2018 Jun 29]. http://newsbytes.ph/2017/09/05/ph-seeks-to-meet-un-benchmark-with-more-scientists-in-10-years/ .
• Philippines Unemployment Rate | 1994-2018 | Data | Chart | Calendar. [accessed 2018e Jun 29]. https://tradingeconomics.com/philippines/unemployment-rate .
• PressReader.com – Connecting People Through News. [accessed 2018f Jun 29]. https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/the-philippine-star/20170309/282200830717072 .
• Unemployment down, underemployment up in April 2018. Rappler. [accessed 2018g Jun 29]. http://www.rappler.com//business/204130-unemployment-underemployment-philippines-rate-april-2018 .
• Why invest more in R&D. The Manila Times. [accessed 2018h Jun 29]. http://www.manilatimes.net/why-invest-more-in-rd/373755/ .

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Author: Rafael Ambag

A science kid at heart, Paeng aims to spark the interest of the common man in science through science journalism and organizing science camps for elementary children. He is an incoming freshman under UP Diliman’s BS Molecular Biology and Biotechnology program.

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STEM as the most preferred strand of Senior High School Student's

2020, STEM as the most preferred strand of Senior High School Student's

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Why PH needs to strengthen delivery of STEM in the classroom

Latest reports from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and World Bank ranked the Philippines as one of the countries struggling the most with basic literacy, basic numeracy, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) delivery.

The World Bank Report, as published in Singapore’s The Straits Times, showed that the Philippines had the highest percentage of learning poverty, with 90% of Filipino children aged 10 struggling to read simple text.

Recognizing the urgent need to better equip teachers in the delivery of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education, the National Teachers College (NTC) has teamed up with Globe in kicking off the IT academy program this school year.

To further empower and enable schools to enhance the delivery of STEM Education at all levels, the Globe IT Academy has become a crucial step in driving the country’s global education standing.

Responding to call for development of competitive Filipinos

The academy’s program is responsive to the new administration’s call for the development of competitive Filipino talent fit for an increasingly borderless employment landscape amid growing digitalization across the globe.

To get things running, Globe and NTC carried out in August a train-the-trainers certification workshop on progressive approaches to STEM delivery in the classroom.

As the main participant for the pilot launch, NTC handpicked educators who will be specializing in Math and Science for both the K+12 and college levels.

Founded in 1928, NTC is the first Philippine private school dedicated to teacher education. It has a long track record of commitment to excellence in teaching, growth, and inclusion.

“As an agile and innovative teacher education institution, the National Teachers College is committed to working with like-minded partners that offer relevant, disruptive, and game-changing professional development programs,” NTC Vice President for Academic Affairs Edizon Fermin said.

Fermin added that NTC’s partnership with Globe for STEM Teacher Training and Digital Citizenship is “our way of ensuring the enhancement of the competence and confidence of our teachers especially as they transition to the better normal.”

Improving STEM delivery in classrooms

Meanwhile, Globe said that it intends to work with NTC in the long-term to expand the IT Academy program to more schools ---- especially state colleges and universities determined to improve STEM delivery in the classroom.

“While there are a lot of highly-skilled and committed teachers in the country, the upskilling of teachers to take on the modalities of learning should be addressed,” Globe’s Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications Officer Yoly Crisanto said.

Crisanto said that in today's digital environment, students must be encouraged to be creative and engaged. “This can be done if teachers are empowered with more technical teaching resources,” she explained, adding that Globe is “committed to do its part to equip our educators through teacher training, tech support, and more.”

The Globe IT Academy is supported by Globe’s training partner, Mano Amiga Philippines.

Mano Amiga empowers people and communities through education and development programs focused on enabling every individual to achieve their fullest potential. They develop training programs that are crafted based on the teacher’s skill level and the student's educational needs.

Through training, teachers can look after the students and their well-being and ensure that students are not just taking in information, but learning important life skills they will need to thrive and succeed in the future.

The recent workshop covered lessons on Futures Thinking, an approach to strategic planning and design, and the use of Socio-Emotional Learning (SEL) as a teaching and learning tool to nurture critical thinking, better self-awareness, and build on many other interpersonal skills.

"Innovative solutions arise from a profound understanding of the world and the factors that shape it,” Mano Amiga Philippines Executive Director Lynn Pinugu said.

Futures Thinking and Social Emotional Learning, Pinugu added, are “essential tools for STEM teachers to develop the necessary skills and mindset among their students with the goal of empowering them to address real-world challenges by combining mastery of STEM concepts with creativity, empathy, and strategic foresight.”

Meanwhile, Crisanto noted that the Globe IT Academy Program and the partnership with the NTC are “meant to be the start” of many things to come.

“Better delivery of STEM is something that both Globe and NTC value a great deal,” Crisanto said. “And, we believe equipping our Filipino teachers is an important step towards addressing challenges that the education sector is currently facing,” she added.