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A Theoretical Framework for Developing an Intercultural STEAM Program for Australian and Korean Students to Enhance Science Teaching and Learning

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Abstract

Recently, pedagogical approaches have focused on creating arts-integrated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) or STEAM classes, which have drawn attention to the importance of the arts in science education. Despite increasing development and implementation of STEAM initiatives in science, there is limited discussion on the theoretical foundations, which could provide sound guidelines for science educators and teachers in planning and teaching STEAM curricula. In this paper, we set out the theoretical framework that explains and justifies integration of the arts and socio-cultural interaction into science teaching and learning. We explain in some detail the component theoretical elements and describe how these elements translate into teaching/learning practices in STEAM lessons. We conclude by re-emphasising the application of theoretical frameworks for the design of teaching/learning practices in an intercultural STEAM program.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia-Korea Foundation, AKF-2015 Grant 0098), by the Macquarie University New Staff grant (GT-00058), and by the National Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the Korean Government (NRF-2016S1A3A2925401).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Studies, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia

    Hye-Eun Chu

  2. Earth Science Education Department, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Sonya N. Martin

  3. Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Jennifer Park

Authors
  1. Hye-Eun Chu
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  2. Sonya N. Martin
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  3. Jennifer Park
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hye-Eun Chu.

Additional information

Dr Jennifer Park participated in the Intercultural STEAM project when she was a postdoctoral research fellow working with Dr Hye-Eun Chu at the Department of Educational Studies, Faculty of Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.

Appendix

Appendix

Table 3 Australian and Korean students’ science performance scores from 1995 to 2015 in TIMSS
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Chu, HE., Martin, S.N. & Park, J. A Theoretical Framework for Developing an Intercultural STEAM Program for Australian and Korean Students to Enhance Science Teaching and Learning. Int J of Sci and Math Educ 17, 1251–1266 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-018-9922-y

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