Corporate
STEM Education Programs Rise Above “Culture War” Issues says Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Survey
3/23/2023
Despite Challenges of Staffing Shortages & Burnout, Nearly 60% of Teachers Say That STEM Education Offers Unique Rewards
The positive impacts that U.S. public schools and their communities enjoy from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) programs were underscored in a new survey conducted among some of the nation’s leading middle and high school STEM educators. Nearly 60% of teachers indicate that although teaching STEM is challenging – it offers educators unique rewards by engaging their student’s curiosity and enhancing their motivation, according to Samsung Solve for Tomorrow’s “The State of STEM Education” survey.
Additionally, the study finds that STEM education has been insulated from controversial issues (35%) – with 65% reporting that local school boards and communities are either “generally supportive” of STEM in their school or that the success of the STEM program has been a “solid positive” with the community.
Teachers also told us that implementing the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) techniques utilized in their Samsung Solve for Tomorrow STEM projects helped counteract the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on education at their schools. Among respondents, 46% agreed that by helping students see that their work can have an impact outside of the classroom and in their communities PBL has been a strong antidote to COVID-induced feelings of isolation, helplessness, and anxiety about the state of the world.
In December 2022 and January 2023, Samsung polled nearly 430 U.S. educators who led their school’s efforts in entering the company’s annual Solve for Tomorrow STEM competition, which is currently in its 13th year. Solve for Tomorrow challenges U.S. public school students in grades 6-12 to explore the role STEM can play in solving some of the biggest issues in their local communities. The competition requires participating students and teachers to engage in active, hands-on learning that can be applied to real-world problems – making STEM more tangible and showcasing its value beyond the classroom.
Among the survey’s top-line findings:
Responding teachers agreed that within their schools, STEM education is perceived as a “valuable contribution to our education mission” (74%) and a “doorway to tomorrow’s opportunity for a diverse student cadre” (53%). However, while these front-line educators feel “respected by students” (60%) and “energized by students’ enthusiasm for STEM” (60%), significant numbers of teachers also report being “underpaid” (41%) or “burned out” (26%).
“The State of STEM Education” validated that STEM teacher shortages are no myth. More than two-thirds of educators (65%) said that their school is experiencing a shortage of STEM faculty, with 13% indicating that it’s a severe issue. Probing the challenges of teaching STEM classes today versus other subjects, the majority of respondents (59%) reported that, “STEM education is challenging – but it also offers unique rewards in terms of encouraging student curiosity and motivation.” At the same time, fewer than 8% felt that remote learning took a heavier toll on STEM education than on other disciplines.