This study examined the instructional strategies used by high school STEM teachers to incorporate real-world problem solving in their classroom teaching. A qualitative approach was utilized, and data was collected through teacher interviews, classroom observations, and documents. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data, and the following themes emerged: (a) there is no single instructional strategy, but teachers adapt their strategies to the context, (b) the importance of preparation using various sources and building on student’s prior knowledge, (c) a focus on asking "why" questions as a priority, (d) the necessity of making group work tangible, (e) the use of modeling as a common strategy, including data collection and analysis, sketching and documentation, (f) the promotion of student independence by being aware and performing tasks independently, and (g) the integration of real-world issues to relate learning to student lives, and (h) the challenges posed by time and diversity of student abilities. These findings suggest that STEM teachers should be flexible in their approach and emphasize preparation, questioning, modeling, group work, and real-world connections to improve student learning in an integrated STEM approach. These findings can inform professional development programs for STEM teachers and can help school administrators design collaborative and problem-solving learning environments. Lastly, policymakers can use the findings to develop policies that promote the integration of real-world problem-solving into STEM education, thereby contributing to the development of a workforce that is prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century
Alrashdi et al. (Thu,) studied this question.