Teachers’ perception of stem/steam education in elemen tary school (study on a purpose-sample of participants of the ODM program): the gap between importance and implementation practice
Abstract
The article examines the contradiction between the proclaimed importance of STEM/STEAM education in primary school and the actual practices of its implementation in educational settings. The aim of the study is to identify the nature and scale of the gap between teachers’ perceptions of the importance of STEM-oriented learning activities and the level of their systematic implementation in primary school classrooms, as well as to determine the factors that explain this discrepancy. The study employed a mixed-methods design with quantitative priority. The empirical base consists of data from an author-designed survey of 96 primary school teachers in Ukraine, covering aspects of their understanding of STEM/STEAM education, assessment of the importance of various learning activities, levels of practical implementation, as well as the conditions and barriers to project-based learning.
The results demonstrate a consistent perception–practice gap: despite near-unanimous endorsement of a wide range of STEM-oriented activities (96–98%), systematic implementation of complex components — hypothesis formulation, modelling, product improvement, and reflection — ranges from only 33% to 55%. The identified gap widens as the cognitive complexity and meta-cognitive demands of activities increase. Analysis of students’ readiness for project-based work confirms that stage-based preparation is a decisive factor for successful STEM learning.
The findings make it possible to formulate concrete recommendations for the methodological support of STEM education in primary school and to justify the need for stage-based organisation of learning aligned with pupils’ developmental capacities.
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