Capturing the exemplary instructional practices of STEM teachers in the Philippine STEM high schools : an appreciative inquiry

Abstract

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) permeate every facet of human life. The nation’s economic development, health, and social security depend on STEM. With this, STEM education has become an educational policy worldwide. However, for the Philippines, which has recently implemented STEM education in the senior high school, there is a need to define outcomes-based, student-centered STEM education instruction. Also, there is a need to define what professional development for teachers and instructional resources are needed to support the teaching of STEM education in the new normal. The study sought to develop an ideal STEM instruction framework. A qualitative research design was employed, specifically the appreciative inquiry (AI) design. Data were gathered from different sources, such as appreciative interviews, focus group discussions, document analysis, and a review of the literature. Three Philippine STEM-focused high schools under the Department of Science and Technology participated in the study from July 5, 2021, to October 15, 2021. Maximum variation sampling was employed, and 20 participants made up the sample of this study. Four research questions after the 4D AI model guided the inquiry. Twenty-seven categories and 11 themes emerged in response to these questions that helped develop the components and variations of the innovation configuration (IC) map. The development of the IC map concretized the conceptual and operational image of an ideal STEM education instruction. Eleven components and three variations comprised the IC map and integrating these components resulted in three dimensions of the ideal STEM instruction: (a) relationship, (b) transdisciplinary, and (c) empowerment. The study recommends further exploration of the effective implementation of STEM education instruction.