| STEM education advocates multi-disciplinary integration and pays attention to the cultivation of practical ability and innovative spirit.Because of its significance to the cultivation of innovative talents,more and more countries have promoted it to the national strategic height related to national security,scientific and technological level and social and economic development.Accelerating the development of STEM education has also become an important part of China's talent cultivation strategy.Since the introduction of STEM education concept into our country's education circle,there is some misunderstanding and confusion in practice.For example,what is the value and goal of integrated STEM curriculum? What is the form and implementation of curriculum? What are the resistance and support elements of the curriculum?Curriculum is the key to promote the development of STEM education.How to construct a new form of integrated STEM curriculum is one of the core issues of STEM education research.The scientific and localized development of STEM education needs further theoretical research.We should pay attention to the value and social appropriateness of STEM curriculum for the development of Chinese students,explore the goal and connotation of STEM curriculum,curriculum and teaching practice path,and develop its essential and local understanding.Enriching STEM curriculum theory and providing guidance for STEM curriculum practice must come from a clear understanding of STEM curriculum.The purpose of this study is to construct the framework of integrated STEM curriculum characteristics,and provide theoretical basis,operational definition and possible action path for the disciplinary integration,teaching implementation and curriculum support of STEM curriculum in China.This study makes an exhaustive reading of the key English literature in STEM curriculum and instruction,and continues to track the new trends of the research to cultivate the theoretical sense and broaden the theoretical perspective for the follow-up empirical research.Based on the review of STEM education connotation development,and integrated methods and paths of integrated STEM curriculum,this paper focuses on the research results of integrated STEM curriculum form,teaching modes,learning effects and evaluation,and reviews 239 STEM curriculum and teaching research literatures published in Chinese core and CSSCI journals from 2012 to 2020.Bibliometric analysis shows the trend and context of STEM education research in the field of curriculum and teaching in China through keyword co-occurrence map,keyword clustering map and research hot time line,and finally establishes the anchor point of this research.Based on the understanding of integrated curriculum and the research perspective of Curriculum'n'instruction,this study uses Delphi method to develop the questionnaire of integrated STEM curriculum characteristics on the basis of key literature,and conducts a two-month three-round survey on 29 experts f STEM professional field and education field,to explore the experts' views,and to gather the expert opinions of the value goals,STEM curriculum design,STEM curriculum implementation and resistance that reach the requirements of consensus and stability.The framework and specific meaning of the integrated STEM curriculum characteristics from the perspective of experts are preliminarily obtained.At the same time,according to the research questions and key literature,the interview outline of integrated STEM curriculum characteristics for STEM teachers was compiled,and 8 STEM teachers were interviewed to reflect the voice from practice.Grounded theory is used to encoding transcripts of 15,000 words,and interview notes,teaching materials,lectures,research papers and other data are used to verify theoretical saturation,and assigned five core categories including STEM curriculum value goals,STEM curriculum design,STEM curriculum implementation,STEM curriculum requirements for teachers and STEM curriculum support.This study establishes a theory to reveal teachers' real qualitative understanding of the characteristics of integrated STEM curriculum.Finally,through the comparison and reflection between what should be and what it is,the framework of integrated STEM curriculum characteristics is constructed from four dimensions: curriculum value goal,curriculum design,curriculum implementation and curriculum support,and the key elements of each dimension are extracted.According to the empirical results,the integrated STEM curriculum characteristics framework can be divided into 4 dimensions and 16 core elements.The first dimension,the value goal of integrated STEM curriculum,including(1)cultivating STEM literacy is the overall goal of STEM curriculum;(2)the greatest value of STEM curriculum is to provide an transdisciplinary integrated learning method;(3)aiming for all students,attaching importance to the cultivation of holistic literacy;and(4)helping students to improve their academic literacy.The second dimension,integrated STEM curriculum design,including(1)putting emphasis on interdisciplinary integration,rather than all-round multi-disciplinary platter;(2)designing student-centered,project-based learning tasks in real and complex situations,demonstrating the school or regional features,and including experts and teachers in the interdisciplinary curriculum development team;(3)curriculum evaluation should be performance-based and process-oriented;and(4)STEM curriculum is a beneficial supplement to the current curriculum system.The third dimension is the implementation of integrated STEM curriculum,including(1)promoting problem-based and project-based teaching mode;(2)the main teaching process includes three stages:creation and preparation,design and implementation,evaluation and optimization;(3)considering the learning results of ability improvement and knowledge acquisition;and(4)the role of STEM teachers change from knowledge imparters to guides,supporters,promoters and lifelong learners.The fourth Dimension,integrated STEM curriculum support,including(1)forming STEM curriculum value identity and a clear understanding of curriculum status;(2)developing integrated STEM curriculum resources,providing supporting policies and funds;(3)improving the quality of STEM teachers,paying attention to teachers' professional development and teaching efficacy;and(4)constructing a multi-party participated and harmonious linked STEM curriculum ecology.The integrated STEM curriculum characteristic model obtained in this study can provide useful reference for the exploration of STEM curriculum in China's basic education stage,promote the generation of consensus understanding of integrated STEM curriculum,provide feasible strategies for the design and implementation of integrated STEM curriculum at the classroom level,and build an operational framework for effective STEM teachers' professional development and systematic STEM curriculum support.Specific suggestions are as follows.First,changing the utilitarian goal,pursuing STEM literacy and the value of holistic education.Second,reflect the local understanding,and build a balanced,coherent and shared integrated STEM curriculum.Third,deepen the understanding of STEM teaching,and promote the project-based,problem-driven transdisciplinary teaching method.Fourth,rely on the professional learning community,and empower teachers to integrative STEM teaching practice.Fifth,unite the common vision and promote the systematic transformation of integrated STEM education.In the current situation,there is no unified understanding in the academic circle,and various forms of STEM curriculum and teaching practice have emerged one after another,this study attempts to transcend the disciplinary boundaries of science,technology,engineering and mathematics,to construct the theoretical framework and operational definition of the characteristics of STEM curriculum based on the integrated perspective,and to characterize the features of integrated STEM curriculum.There are some innovations in research contents and the application of methods,and the research intention highlights localization.At the end of the paper,the shortcomings of this study are reflected,and the future research is prospected. |
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