Engaging STEM Education for High School Student in Japan: Exploration of Perception to Engineer Profession

Abstract

While Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics (STEM) education is expanding worldwide, engineering reminds as both valuable and difficult element to integrate. Understanding students’ perceptions of the engineer might be key to enhancing their interest in engineering careers in the future. These perceptions also could be a valuable insight to science educators who demand to develop more STEM activities. In our framework, a case study was used to explore the perceptions of 16 students as they participated in STEM activities at a Junior High School in Japan. After participating in the activities, students completed a questionnaire about the profession. Data analysis was guided by a focus on general perceptions of engineering, it’s clusters, and discussions of how it related to the literature and socio-cultural of Japan. Text analysis was conducted, especially in terms of frequency network and hierarchical cluster analysis. Our findings indicate that students’ perceptions were related to making or creating, technology, and machines. Five clusters of responses were found. The “design” and “solve the problem faced by society” clusters were influential. There were disparities between the students’ perceptions and the definition of engineering, especially regarding constraints and the use of science and mathematics concepts. Therefore, STEM education needs to be promoted especially in problem solving and designing activities to support positive perceptions in engineering profession.