Exploring the Professional Development Needs of Public Elementary School Teachers for STEAM Education: A Qualitative Study in Sukkur, Sindh

Abstract

In today’s evolving education system STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and mathematics) education has emerged as a key approach that enhances student’s critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Implementation of (STEAM) education in elementary schools necessitates educators to hold not only specific pedagogy but also hone the set of interdisciplinary teaching skills which meets with the standard of STEAM education. Nevertheless, educators in public elementary schools in Sukkur, Sindh experience challenges in applying the concepts of STEAM. Owing to, lack of prospects in personal development, insufficient training courses, and the shortage of resources. This Qualitative research paper investigates how public elementary school teachers in Sukkur district understand STEAM education, identify the needs of professional development, and examine the challenges they face in implementing STEAM practices in classrooms. A purposive and a snowball sampling method were used to sample 25 teachers at public elementary schools in Sukkur. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data and analyze it using thematic analysis. Results showed that teachers do not have the Sufficient information about STEAM pedagogy, not only the exposure to the technological integration but also leadership and management hardly support professional development. Teachers shared content knowledge improvement, practical training disclosed as the needs in teaching methods that cover interdisciplinary and mentorship programs. The study suggests that centers of professional development, context relevant STEAM training programs and learning communities amongst elementary teachers in Sukkur should be established.