Analyzing the Views of Middle School Science Teachers towards STEM education in

Ghana and Turkey.

This research aims to analyze the views of middle school science teachers on STEM
education in Ghana and Turkey. The study used a qualitative research method known as
the phenomenographical research method. The research included 11 in-service middle
school science teachers from Turkey's Mugla province and 14 in-service middle school
science teachers from Ghana's Accra metropolis. However, all the 25 teachers who
participated in the study were rendering their services in public schools. The data of
this study was obtained through structured interviews. Content analysis and descriptive
analysis were used in the analysis of the data. However, the teachers put forth their
views on what STEM education is: whether they are satisfied with its implementation,
to what extent they consider themselves competent to apply this educational approach,
how it can be applied in lessons, its benefits, and limitations, and how the approach can
be supported and disseminated.

INTRODUCTION
Although the advancements in science and technology in our modern age have brought
solutions to a variety of problems in our daily lives, they have created new concerns in
education, especially since the beginning of the 21st century. There have been concerns
about education stemming from technological developments concerning how teachers
can efficiently and effectively use technology in teaching and guiding students to cope
in a changing world of technology (Mishra, Koehler, & Kereluik, 2009). Currently,
educators and other stakeholders are faced with the significant challenge of tackling the
alterations brought about by technology in the education sector. For them, it is arduous
to ensure that students are trained to fit into the flexible, unpredictable, complex, and
unreliable future. It is much more challenging to decide which educational methods and
approaches to pursue and which ones should be changed. (Bates, 2015). Therefore, the
need to use alternative teaching methods to prepare today's students for the changing
future. One promising educational model for teaching in today's digital age is STEM
education. At its most basic level, STEM education entails collectively instructing
students in four distinct disciplines: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
(shortened as STEM). Rather than teaching the students in just one of these areas,
STEM incorporates all four disciplines in an interdisciplinary and applied approach to
better prepare students for STEM-related careers and real-world applications.
STEM is an educational approach from pre-school to higher education that aims to edify
students to identify problems and produce practical and accurate solutions to those
problems through an interdisciplinary approach by amalgamating science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics in the teaching and learning processes. This approach
prioritizes learning based on research and inquiry, by emphasizing on the feelings and
curiosity that exist in individuals but atrophied over time. It is expected that individuals
will be able to transform the knowledge and information they have acquired into
manufacturing products and solving problems by stimulating their sense of curiosity
(Altunel, M, 2018). The integration of all the four areas and benefits of STEM
education into or through art is called STEAM. STEAM adds art as the fifth discipline
between science, technology, engineering, and mathematics branches, taking STEM
education to another level. STEAM allows students to learn by connecting what they
have learned in these essential areas with an art understanding or perspective, elements,
designs and standards. In STEAM education, where borders and restrictions are
eliminated, a learning environment full of curiosity, critical thinking, questioning, and
innovation is provided.
STEM education aims at raising generations who can ask questions, research, produce
and make new inventions through an educational approach like a project-based
educational approach. With the STEM educational approach, students' creative thinking,
critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities are developed, leading to production and
invention. It can be said that STEM education is one of the most critical educational
approaches of today, as it directs science and technology towards production and
engineering by providing students with an interdisciplinary perspective and enabling
them to implement their projects concretely.
The role of experienced and well-trained teachers in implementing and disseminating
STEM education throughout various countries is paramount (Wang, 2012). The ability
to carry out STEM education per its purpose is directly related to teachers' competence,
experience and skills related to STEM education and its practices (Tutak Aslan,
Akaygün, & Tezsezen, 2017). Teachers allow students to investigate problems in
greater depth through inquiry-based learning. Because the instructor plays such an
essential part in this process, it is indispensable to foster their STEM abilities (Margot &
Kettler, 2019). The teacher's competence is one of the most important points for the
success of STEM education (Stohmann, Moore, & Roehrig, 2012). It is inevitably
incumbent on countries and education systems in this period when innovation and
transformation have ceased to be a choice but a necessity for teachers to give
importance to STEM education as soon as possible and raise their capacities in this
regard. In many ways, the characteristics of teachers directly or indirectly affect their
students. The attitudes and beliefs of teachers affect the methods and techniques they
use in their classrooms (Eroğlu & Bektaş, 2016). In addition, it was found that teachers'
self-efficacy and awareness were related to students' motivation, self-esteem, and
development level (Stohmann, Moore, & Roehrig, 2012).
Three educational institutions and organizations are responsible for offering STEM
teacher education to pre-service and in-service STEM teachers in Turkey. These three
large institutions and corporate organizations include the universities, the Higher
Education Council, and the Ministry of Education. As part of the traditional mandates of
universities, prospective STEM teachers are trained in the various faculties of
education. According to Kizlay (2017), the first STEM-related activity in Turkey was
conducted through the structured STEM team formed by the Kayseri Provincial
Directorate of National Education. In this activity, pre-service and in-service teachers
from various branches were given various training on STEM (KAYSERİ
PROVINCIAL NATIONAL EDUCATION DIRECTORATE-STEM, 017). Whereas
the Higher Education Council takes responsibility for organizing curricula for teacher
education programs, including STEM education programs, the functional task of the
Ministry of Education (MoE) is to select new teachers to be recruited into public
schools besides its many other duties.
Turkey's STEM education was not based on a specific action plan, but the "2015-2019
Strategic Plan" contained some objectives that support STEM education. However, a
limited number of institutions, including Hacettepe University, Istanbul University, and
Middle East Technical University, started offering STEM-related educational programs
and projects for students and teachers in STEM centers. These are considered the first
steps to promote STEM education in Turkey. This implies that the number of
universities (institutions and organizations) undertaking studies or projects related to
STEM education in teacher education programs is limited. As a national contact point,
the Scientix Project, which represents the science education community in Europe, takes
part in the Directorate-General for Innovation and Educational Technologies. This
project aims to share best practices, projects, and tools for STEM education with the
participation of 30 countries in Europe (MoE, 2016 a). According to Kearney (2015),
STEM teachers working in schools should have the following duties and
responsibilities;
v Disseminating arrangements for STEM education with the project-based
learning method in their schools.

v Participating in professional development trainings related to STEM training

methods and research to be conducted.

v To use educational materials and apply learning methods appropriate to the

curriculum's educational objectives and learning processes.
v To improve learning, creativity and collaboration among students using
technology.
v To cooperate with the school administration in teaching the STEM curriculum.
v Organizing, developing, and coordinating STEM activities.
v Guiding other teachers on STEM initiatives and training issues.
v Enhance the learning experience of students by selecting the best STEM
resources.
v Initiating new training programs with the STEM vision.
Sungur Gul and Marulcu (2014) emphasized that the Ministry of National Education
should regularly provide professional development training to teachers to achieve an
adequate level of engineering design. In collaboration with the General Directorate of
Teacher Training, the Ministry of National Education has developed basic and
advanced, educative training programs in the field of STEM for teachers (MEB OYGM,
2017). Aslan-Tutak, Akaygün, and Tezsezen (2017) provided Cooperative STEM
training module (IFEM) for the training of pre-service chemistry and mathematics
teachers on STEM education and its application methods. According to the research
conducted by Aslan-Tutak et al. (2017), while most preschool teachers initially saw
STEM as an instrumental approach in attracting pupils' attention, they started to see it as
integrated teaching of the STEM disciplines after going through training.

From the result of the "Global STEM Approaches", a research carried out by the
General Directorate of Innovation and Educational Technologies of Turkey in 2017 on
42,207 teachers, 85.4% of the teachers were with the view that teaching with STEM
activities was beneficial, 88.3% of them mentioned that these activities attract students'
interest, 84.4% stated that it increases the success of the students, 90.9% emphasized
that students' design within the scope of STEM activities increases their success. In
addition, during the field visits, the teachers underscored their intentions to implement
STEM activities in their lessons. However, they needed a guidance document on how
these activities should be applied in the school and classroom environment.

The cabinet of Ghana approved two initiatives in 2019 to strengthen science and STEM
education at primary and secondary education levels. They approved the construction of
regional Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics Centres.
Additionally, the provision of equipment and the training of STEM teachers aimed to
enrich the secondary education (high school) system with STEM education. This project
aims to provide school-based interactive science and technology learning centers that
will enable teaching and learning through practical approaches in high schools.
According to the minister of information (2019), the overall goal of this project is to
enhance basic mathematics and science pedagogy by enriching the academic content
offered by STEM in formal education, as well as the provision of technology kits for
math and science education to alleviate the fear of learning these disciplines. According
to him, ICT equipment will also be provided to improve the competencies of both
teachers and students. In addition to the establishment of 10 centres with 88 million
cedis, an additional six centres are expected to be completed within two years upon
approval by parliament and the release of the funds by the finance minister. The
Minister of Information also announced that, with the second approval, a Basic Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program worth 76 million cedis will be
created to deliver and install BSTEM equipment to increase the quality of science and
mathematics education in the primary education system.

The African Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Ghana (AIMS-Ghana), a non-profit

network of African centers of excellence in education and research, launched a
Mathematics Teacher Training Workshop Series to promote mathematics teaching and
learning through outreach programs at all educational levels in Ghana. This initiative is
a collaboration between the Ghanaian government's Ministry of Education and AIMS-
Ghana to train teachers in modern methods of teaching mathematics and break down the
barrier of the subject being perceived as abstract.AIMS-Ghana believes that the
educational models used to teach STEM in primary, secondary, and higher education
need to be changed.

Until 2016, there was an increasing shortage of STEM teachers, especially at some
levels of the school system. This was due to the general embargo placed by the
government on employment in the public sector coupled with the desire of STEM
graduates to work in industries rather than the education sector. This led to the
engagement of older, retired teachers, younger high school (SHS) graduates, and
National Service Staff (NSS) to take on the challenge of teaching STEM in schools.
Even though the last two groups do not have the necessary qualifications and experience
to take responsibility for STEM teaching, their elimination might have made the
situation worse. Teaching and learning these disciplines (STEM) should be encouraged
by scholarships, grants, or loans to SHS graduates and NSS staff to acquire the
necessary qualifications and experience in teaching STEM subjects to consider a career
in STEM education. This will result in improved teacher-student ratios in STEM-related
courses. Workshops and conferences should be held regularly to enable STEM
educators and learners to follow new trends, innovations, and developments to increase
the interest in STEM education in Ghana.

Since 2019, Siemens Stiftung has been working in Ghana on teacher education and
STEM education advancement. Their activities are centred on high schools. Their
educational program promotes vocational orientations under Ghana's national
curriculum. They aim to assist instructors in developing STEM classes that are high-
quality and demonstrate the importance of STEM education to students and inform them
about the related employment opportunities. Teacher education curricula at Teacher
Training Colleges and other educational institutes such as the University of Education,
Winneba, and the University of Cape Coast should include STEM teacher training.
Furthermore, through the GET-Fund and the Scholarship Secretariat, the state should
make grants and scholarships available to teachers and national service members who
want to pursue a career in STEM education. This will enable them to obtain the
necessary qualifications to effectively teach STEM subjects and supervise students to
develop innovative ideas (Osei-Tutu, 2020).

METHOD

In this research, a qualitative research methods known as the phenomenological

research method is used to examine the views of the middle school science teacher on
STEM education. The phenomenological research method is used in educational
research to find answers to various questions based on the perceptions and knowledge
of individuals by considering their respective differences (Marton, 1986; Çepni, 2014).
A framework of personal experience and subjectivity is the foundation of the
phenomenological approach, emphasizing the importance of personal insight and
perception. As such, the method is influential in interpreting subjective experience,
gaining insights into the motives and views of individuals (Stanley,1999).

SAMPLE

The research was conducted on 25 science teachers (11 Turkish and 14 Ghanaian). This
number was obtained with the help of a purposeful sampling method known as
maximum diversity sampling. Purposeful sampling is a tool generally used in qualitative
research to define and select cases rich in knowledge for the most productive use of
limited resources (Patton 2002). It includes identifying people or groups who are highly
informed about a phenomenon of concern or familiar with it (Cresswell and Plano Clark
2011).

Table 1. Demographic Information of the Study Group.

Turkey Ghana Turkey + Ghana

Demographic Information
N % N % % %
Female 6 54,5 5 35,7 11 44
Gender
Male 5 45,5 9 64,3 14 56
Total 11 100 14 100 25 100
20-30 0 0 4 28,6 4 16
Age 31-40 7 63,6 8 57,1 15 60
41-50 4 36,4 2 14,3 6 24
Total 11 100 14 100 25 100
Teacher
Training 0 0 4 28,6 4 16
Level of College
education
Undergraduate 8 81,8 10 71,4 18 72
Master's degree 3 18,8 0 0 3 12
Total 11 100 14 100 25 100
STEM Yes 6 54,5 11 78,6 17 68
Workshop
Experience No 5 45,5 3 21,4 8 32
Total 11 100 14 100 25 100
DATA COLLECTION

For the purpose of the research, the researcher prepared open-ended questions
(interview) on a paper on which the participants were instructed or guided to present
their responses to each question in a space provided under each question. The
explanations given by the participants were analyzed to reveal their views about STEM
education. An interview is one of the most frequently used data collection methods in
qualitative research, and it is very powerful in revealing data, views, and experiences of
individuals (Yıldırım & Şimşek, 2016). The researcher conducted the interview by
giving the questions to the respondents individually or in groups, in which an average of
40 minutes was used.

Data Analysis

Descriptive analysis and content analysis were used in analyzing the data obtained from
the Science Teachers' interview scale for STEM. These method are used to present the
obtained findings in an organized and interpreted form, for this purpose, direct
quotations are often included (Yıldırım & Şimşek, 2016). The qualitative data obtained
from this section were used to determine the opinions of teachers about STEM.

FINDINGS

What is the basic understanding of the participants regarding STEM education?

As illustrated in the table below, the basic understanding of middle school science
teachers relative to STEM education is presented as follows: 56% of the teachers
indicated that STEM consists of integrated and interdisciplinary teaching and learning
activities. 24% of the participants stated that STEM is an abbreviation of science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics. 8% of teachers mentioned that STEM is
related to using the knowledge acquired from the four areas of STEM in problem-
solving, while 8% of them thought that STEM is the harmony of STEM branches by
learners to produce new products. However, 4% of participants were not aware of the
STEM education approach.

Table 2. Science Teachers' Opinions on the Question "What is the Basic Understanding
of STEM Education?"
 Participants
Codes f %
Turkey Ghana
P2/G, P3/G,
P17/T, P18/T,
An integrated and interdisciplinary P7/G, P8/G,
14 56 P19/T, P23/T,
approach P9/G, P12/G,
P24/T, P25/T
P13/G, P14/G,
P1/G, P4/G,
Science, technology, engineering,
6 24 P15/T P5/G, P10/G,
mathematics
P11/G.
Using the information acquired in 4
2 8 P20/T, P22/T
areas of STEM in problem solving.
Creating new products by
2 8 P16/T, P21/T
harmonizing the STEM branches
No idea 1 4 P6/G

Some of the answers given by the participants are presented below:

"I think it is a program that can help students learn and understand by
associating science and mathematics with technology and engineering. P2/G "

"It is an educational approach based on the idea of teaching students the four
special disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) through
an interdisciplinary and practical approach. P8 / G"

"As far as I know, STEM is derived from the initials of the terms: science,
technology, engineering and mathematics. "P15/T"

What is the level of content and pedagogical competence of the participants

regarding STEM applications?
As shown in the table below, 8 science teachers consider themselves very competent, 10
are moderately competent, and 5 evaluated themselves as not competent in applying this
educational approach. However, 2 of the participants stated that they were unsure about
what to say.

Table 3. Opinions of the Science Teachers on the Question "To what extent do you
consider yourself competent in applying STEM?"
Participants
Codes f %
Turkey Ghana
I think I am highly 8 32 P19/T, P21/T, P1/G, P4/G, P5/G,
 competent P24/T P7/G, P12/G,
I am moderately P15/T, P17/T, P3/G, P8/G, P9/G,
10 40
competent P18/T, P23/T. P11/G, P13/G, P14/G,

I am not competent 5 20 P16/T, P25/T P2/G, P6/G, P10/G,

Uncertain 2 8 P20/T, P22/T

Some of the answers to the questions given by the participants are presented below:

"I am competent in STEM application, as I can help the student gain useful
information by integrating science and mathematics. P1 / G"

"I cannot say I am competent. Since I do not do the practical side of this
approach, I only know it in terms of its name by the theoretical information I
have about it. P16/T"

"I think I can apply STEM as much as my informatics and experience requires.
However, I have not received any training (relative to the application) on this
area. I have ever attended a seminar of this nature. However, a long time has
passed since then. "P19/T"

To what extent were the participants satisfied with the implementation of STEM in
their lessons?
As portrayed in the table below, while 40% of the science teachers were satisfied with
implementing the STEM educational approach, 44% were not satisfied with the
implementation, and 8% had no idea about this approach. However, another 8% of
participants stated that they were undecided.

Table 4. The Middle School Science Teachers' Opinions on the Question "Are You
Satisfied with STEM Education Application?"
Participants
Codes f %
Turkey Ghana
P15/T, P18/T, P19/T,
Yes 10 40 P20/T, P21/T, P22/T, P8/G, P13/G, P14/G,
P24/T.
P1/G, P2/G, P3/G, P4/G,
No 11 44 P5/G, P6/G, P7/G, P9/G,
P10/G, P11/G, P12/G
No idea 2 8 P23/T, P25/T
 Undecided 2 8 P16/T, P17/T

Some of the responses to the question given by the participants are presented below:

"No. Because STEM education mostly requires the involvement of practical

lessons and I think our school does not have the necessary facilities. P1/G"

"No, STEM education often requires the combination of practical aspect of the
lessons with the theory. Unfortunately, lessons in Ghana are mostly theory-
based. Therefore, teachers implement little or no practical. P11/G"

"I am satisfied. However, I am unable to comment due to the fact that STEM
education practices are not implemented nor practiced in this school or the
previous schools I have ever worked. P19/T"

How did the participants think STEM education can be implemented in lessons?

The responses of the middle science teachers from the two countries regarding how
STEM education could be effectuated in their lessons, as illustrated in the table below
include: a practical approach, problem-based, integrated methods, project-based,
inquiry-based, doing experiments, living by doing, and technology-based. However, two
of the participants had no idea concerning the educational approach.

Table 5. The Opinions of the Middle School Science Teachers on the Question "How Do
You Think STEM Education Can Be Applied in Lessons?"
Participants
Codes f %
Turkey Ghana
Practically P1/G, P3/G,
6 24 P18/T P5/G, P10/G,
P11/G
Problem based P19/T, P20/T,
5 20 P9/G
P22/T, P24/T
Project based 2 8 P15/T P8/G
In an integrated way P12/G, P13/G,
5 20 P17/T, P21/T.
P14/G,
Inquiry Based 2 8 P4/G, P7/G
By conducting experiments 1 4 P6/G
Living by doing 1 4 P23/T
 Technology based 1 4 P16/T
No idea 2 8 P25/T P2/G

Below are some of the answers given by the participants to the question:

“Teachers can implement this educational approach through inquiry-based

learning and exploring hands-on activities using locally available materials. P7/
G

“In the current science curriculum, there are science - engineering applications
sections. Integrating those departments with more STEM will increase
efficiency. However, the approach would have been much more effectively
implemented with the presence of evaluation criteria accordingly. Students
could be given the chance to exhibit their works in the end of the year
exhibitions. P21 / T”.

“With the project-based or problem-based methods, the students could

effectuate specific solutions to available problems by using the knowledge they
acquired from science and mathematics with the help of their skills in
technology and engineering during their learning processes. P24 / T”.

What are the Benefits and Limitations of STEM Education According to the
Participants?

According to the middle school science teachers, the benefits of STEM, as outlined in
table 6, include: It improves students' problem-solving skills, it brings about learning by
entertainment, it improves the understanding and permanent learning of students, it
develops the 21st Century skills of students, it helps the students in the selection of their
future professions, and the approach aids in transforming theoretical knowledge into
practice. However, the participants identified some limitations of STEM, which include
problems relating to time constrains, class size, incompetence on the part of
implementers in this field, inadequate or lack of resources and infrastructure and
negative perception.

Table 6. The opinions of the Middle School Science Teachers regarding the question:
“What are the Benefits and Limitations of STEM Education”
Codes f % Participants
M
ts

E
fi

T
n

ti

n
o

o
e

c
f
 Turkey Ghana
P1/G, P4/G,
Improves students' problem-
7 28 P17/T. P5/G, P10/G,
solving skills
P11/G, P13/G
Enables learning by
1 4 P3/G
entertainment
P15/T,
Improves understanding and P6/G, P7/G,
8 32 P21/T,
permanent learning P8/G, P12/G
P23/T, P25/T
Develops the 21st Century P18/T,
4 16 P14/G
skills P19/T, P24/T
Helps students in the
selection of their future 1 4 P16/T
careers
Turns theoretical knowledge
3 12 P20/T, P22/T P9/G,
into practice
No idea 1 4 P2/G
Time constraints 3 12 P16/T, P21/T P1/G
P3/G, P7/G,
Inadequate information 6 24 P15/T, P18/T
P10/G, P11/G
Limitations of STEM education

Inadequate resources and P4/G, P9/G,

6 24 P19/T, P25/T
infrastructure P12/G, P14/G
Class size issues 3 12 P23/T, P24/T P5/G
Inadequate in-service
2 8 P6/G, P8/G
training
Cost constraint 1 4 P13/G
Negative perception 2 8 P17/T, P20/T
Students’ anxiety about
1 4 P23/T
catching up with the exam
No idea 1 4 P2/G

Some of the answers to the questions given by the participants are presented below:

"Benefit: With the help of STEM education, students will be able to analyze
problems they encounter and then try to offer authentic solutions. Limitation:
Not enough resources. "P4/G".

"Benefit: Being an interdisciplinary approach makes the lessons more

understandable. Limitation: Teachers are not sufficiently acquainted with the
 competencies of STEM due to inadequate or lack of training for teachers.
"P7/G".

"Benefit: I think there will be benefits, of course. I think it will be useful to the
students in the selection of their occupations in the future. Limitation: It could
be problematic in terms of time. "P16/T".

What are the Projects that Supports or Can Support STEM in Both Countries?

The responses given by the participants, as presented in the table below, include: the
need to improve the curriculum, technical and vocational institutions and the use of
technology in the classrooms. Organizing more STEM education training and
workshops for STEM teachers, ERASMUS projects that support STEM, and the need to
support and disseminate science competitions.

Table 7. The Opinions of The Middle School Science on The Question “What Can You
Say About Projects Supporting Stem Education and What Kind of Projects Can You
Produce to Develop and Disseminate This Approach?”
Participants
Codes f %
Turkey Ghana
P16/T,
The Curriculum should be improved 4 16 P4/G
P17/T, P20/T
More STEM education training and P5/G, P8/G,
6 24 P19/T, P22/T
workshops for STEM teachers P10/G, P14/G
Improvement of technology in the
1 4 P7/G
classroom
ERASMUS projects that support
1 4 P23/T.
STEM
P15/T,
Supporting and dissemination of
4 16 P18/T, P21/T
science competitions
P24/T
P1/G, P2/G,
No idea 7 28 P25/T P6/G, P9/G,
P11/G, P13/G,
Improvement of technical and
2 8 P3/G, P12/G
vocational education institutions

Some of the answers to the questions given by the participants are presented below:
 "Through the government and the ministry of education, much more attention
should be given to technical and vocational high schools, which I think are
directly related to the STEM educational model. These institutions should be
provided with the necessary resources. P3/G".

"Actually, I don't know of any projects that support this educational model.
However, I think that more workshops should be held for prospective teachers in
the STEM fields. P5/G".

"Students should be guided in creating products, preparing programmed and

long-term projects to improve their research skills. It should be executed to meet
the expectations and in line with the deficiencies and needs of daily life. P20/T".

The participants' opinions on "STEM education and stem activities"

The views of the participants in relation to STEM education and its activities were : It
should be implemented and supported, It is an interesting educational approach, it
develops students' ability to solve problems and obtain products in daily life, It can be
developed further, it provides students with 21st century skills, it increases the country's
competitiveness, it is useful, beautiful and very educative, It will help improve science
education, It is a program that is implemented in a planned and programmed way in a
broad framework, it encourages active participation of students, and no idea.

Table 8. The middle school science teachers' opinions on the question "what are your
opinions about STEM education and STEM activities?"
Participants
Codes f %
Turkey Ghana
It should be implemented and P1/G, P5/G,
4 16 P21/T
supported P11/G
It is an interesting educational
2 8 P2/G, P6/G
approach
Develops students' ability to solve
P15/T, P16/T,
problems and obtain products in 4 16 P3/G
P20/T,
daily life
It can be developed further 3 12 P17/T, P19/T P4/G
Provides students with 21st century
2 8 P24/T P7/G
skills
Increases the country's
1 4 P8/G
competitiveness
 P9/G, P10/G,
Useful, beautiful, and very educative 5 20 P22/T, P23/T
P14/G
It can help improve science
1 4 P12/G
education.
It is a program that is
implemented in a planned and
1 4 P18/T
programmatic way in a broad
framework.
Encourages active participation
1 4 P13/G
of students
No idea 1 4 P25/T.

Some of the replies to the question given by the participants are presented below:

“STEM education should be implemented across the country, and the gvernment
should provide schools with the necessary facilities to assist in the successful
implementation of STEM activities. P1/G”.

“With STEM education, students will be able to obtain products and solve
problems through the combination of digital sciences with technology. P18/T”.

“All science teachers should be given training and education in relation to the
STEM program and its activities in one way or the other and they should be
given the chance to implement these activities in schools. P21/T”.

DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

It has been determined that the middle. School science teachers generally had positive
views and opinions on the STEM educational approach. When the existing literature is
examined, similar results such as (Wang, Moore, Roehring, & Park, 2011; Wang, 2012;
Uğraş & Genç, 2017; Kocakaya & Ensari, 2018) are found.

When the findings related to the question "What is the basic understanding of STEM
education?" are examined, as given in table 2, the majority of the participants defined
STEM education as an interdisciplinary approach. This could imply that the participants
believed that STEM could positively impact students' interdisciplinary skills since it
involves the association of the science lessons with some other disciplines. Identical
results were obtained in studies of Red Crescent, 2016; Ugraş and Genc, 2017;
Endeavor, 2017; Ozcan and Kostur, 2018. Also, many of the teachers stated that STEM
is basically the abbreviations of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It
could be considered that these teachers did not possess enough competence concerning
STEM education since they did not give a comprehensive and detailed explanation of
what STEM education is. However, 8% of the participants mentioned that STEM uses
the information learned from the 4 related areas of STEM in problem-solving and the
production of new products by harmonizing the STEM-related areas. This result is
parallel to the findings of Ugraş, 2017; and Bakirci and Kurtlu, 2018. It could be
thought that the reason for this situation is the high level of interest in STEM education
in recent years and the updating and upgrading of the Science Curricula in accordance
with the standards of the STEM approach in both Turkey and Ghana.

When the findings regarding the question "To what extent do you consider yourself
competent in applying STEM?" are analyzed, it could be noticed that the majority of the
middle school science teachers do not see themselves as competent enough to pursue
STEM in the classroom. This could be explained as the teachers' lack of expertise and
experience to implement STEM activities. Moreover, since STEM education is based on
interdisciplinary teaching and learning, the teachers might have difficulty establishing
the necessary connections. Most of the participants believed that they possess
insufficient proficiency or skills in integrated STEM implementation. Since the teachers
are not adequately acquainted with the competencies related to the integrations in
STEM, they might not understand when and how to use technology, mathematics,
engineering, and the interaction between these four disciplines in their lessons.

From examining the results related to the question "Are you satisfied with the
implementation of STEM education?" less than half of the total number of the
participants were satisfied with how the STEM education is implemented. However,
through a detailed examination of the results, it could be seen that all the discontented
teachers were Ghanaian science teachers (Table 4). The teachers thought that the
implementation could be done through merging the practical aspects with the theory of
the science course by according equal importance to both sides. Unfortunately, in
Ghana, the science lessons are mostly theory-based. For this reason, it has been
determined that the middle school science teachers in Ghana incorporate little, and in
most instances, no practical or experiments in their lessons. According to them, the lack
of the necessary systems and conducive environments to encourage and support the
STEM educational approach result in the inability of the schools and teachers to
earnestly implement this approach.

Contrary to this result, most of the participating Turkish middle school science teachers
were satisfied with applying STEM education. Although there are no studies in the
literature on whether teachers are satisfied with the execution of STEM education in
Turkey, similar studies imply that teachers are satisfied with its implementation. Bakirci
and Kutlu, (2018) stated that teachers think the inclusion of the STEM education
applications in the curriculum generally brings about positive contributions. The
positive replies from the Turk participants could stem from the assumption that the
Turkish science teachers are more exposed to more STEM education training and
workshops than their Ghanaian counterparts and hence, better competence in its
application.

The findings regarding the question "How do you think STEM education can be
implemented in lessons?" were analyzed. However, the participants had varied views on
what they considered suitable methods through which the STEM education approach
could be implemented in their lessons, the majority of them (24% + 20% + 20% = 64%)
opined that this could be done through practical by way of experiments, problem-based,
and integration, respectively. This result is equivalent to the research of Ugras and Genc
(2017). Furthermore, the most common method encountered in the literature about how
STEM can be implemented in lessons is the integrated way. This could be because
STEM opposes educating students in just one of its areas. Instead, it incorporates all
four in an interdisciplinary and applied approach to better prepare students for STEM-
related careers and real-world applications.

The analysis of the findings related to the question "What are the benefits and
limitations of STEM education?" led the researcher to the following revelations,

a) Benefits
While 24 of the 25 participants had views about the benefits of STEM education, one
teacher had no idea. The participants believed that STEM education could lead to
advancement in the problem-solving skills of students, ensures learning through fun,
improvement in permanent learning, development of the 21st-century skills of the
students, guiding students in selecting their future profession, and students being able to
turn theoretical knowledge into practice (Table 6). Based on the responses given by the
participants, it can be considered that these teachers are aiming to effectively implement
STEM education and its activities in their lessons due to the positive consequences they
foresee. It is noteworthy that when the related literature was examined, many similar
findings such as (Morrison, 2006; Wang, 2012; Chesloff, 2013; Eroğlu & Bektaş, 2016;
Cinar, Pirasa, & Sadoglu, 2016; Erdogan and Ciftci, 2017; Uğraş and Genç, 2017;
Bakırcıa and Kutlu, 2018; Doğan and Saraçoğlu, 2019) were encounted. However, Cho
& Lee, (2013) found that STEM-based activities positively increase students' academic
achievement and creative thinking skills are similar to the results of this research.

b) Limitations
Despite the benefits mentioned above, the middle science teachers stated varied
limitations they are likely to face in the process of implementing STEM education and
its activities in teaching science. These include time constraints, inadequate knowledge
or information, inadequate resources and infrastructure, problems related to class size,
inadequate in-service training, cost, negative perception, and students' anxiety about
having enough time for their exams (in the case of Turkey). It is thought that the middle
school science teachers' awareness of the limitations of the STEM approach could imply
that they make compelling observations and experiences in respect to STEM at the
schools where they are rending their teaching services. It was observed that many public
middle schools in both countries, especially in Ghana, do not have science laboratories.
In many cases where the laboratories exist, they were not adequately equipped. When
the related literature was examined, similar research has established that some science
teachers think that STEM education and its activities have some limitations similar to
the aforementioned. (Brown et al., 2011; Siew et al. 2015; Eroğlu and Bektaş, 2016;
Erdogan and Ciftci, 2017; Park et al., 2017; Uğraş and Genç, 2017; Uğraş, 2017;
Bakırcıa and Kutlu, 2018).

When the findings regarding the question "What are the projects supporting STEM
education, and what kind of projects can you produce to develop and disseminate this
approach?" were examined, some of the participants were neither aware of any projects
supporting STEM education, nor did they have any idea about what kind of projects
could be produced to support and disseminate it. Even though findings similar to this
result were not found when the related literature review was done, the reason for this
situation is that the STEM educational approach has not yet reached the desired level in
both Turkey and Ghana. However, some teachers stated that STEM education could be
supported and disseminated by organizing more STEM education training and
workshops, upgrading educational technologies in classrooms and schools, improving
projects such as ERASMUS, disseminating and supporting science competitions, and
developing and improving the technical and vocational education institutions. When the
studies related to this in the literature were examined, parallel results regarding ways
and means through which STEM education could be disseminated were found (Yamak,
Kavak and Hacıoğlu 2016; Aslan-Tutak, Akaygün, Tezsezen, 2017; Bakırcı and Kutlu,
2018; Doğan and Saraçoğlu, 2019). This situation was thought to be a result of the
STEM-related training such as project-based, student-centred and activity-based
approaches, and STEM education participants partook and are still undergoing, through
which they acquire some level of competence in STEM education and its activities.

From the analysis of the finding related to the research question "What are your views
on STEM education and STEM activities?" the middle school science teachers alluded
that the approach should be supported, it is an interesting educational approach, it
develops the students' ability to solve problems and obtain products in their daily lives,
it should be improved further, it provides students with the 21-century skills, it increases
the competitiveness of the country, is useful, prepossessing and very educational, it
improves science education. The aforementioned result determined that the participants
generally had positive opinions about STEM education and STEM activities. Similar
results, such as Siew, Amir, and Chong (2015), which aimed to determine the opinions
of pre-service teachers and in-service teachers about the use of STEM applications in
science lessons, concluded that the participants generally used positive statements about
STEM applications. Additionally, In Ansari (2017), pre-service teachers had positive
thoughts about STEM and STEM activities. Moreover, in the research of Saracoğlu
(2019), science teachers were positive about the STEM applications.

RECOMMENDATIONS.

The conclusion that the middle school science teachers generally had positive views and
opinions toward STEM education and its applications implies that they will be willing
to acquaint themselves more with the necessary competencies if given the opportunity.
Therefore, education and training with respect to STEM education should be made
accessible at any time to all in-service science teachers so they would be able improve
themselves which will help them to apply the approach adequately.
The views of the middle school science on the STEM education including what they
considered effective ways of implementing this approach could be significant in
shedding on light on STEM and science education in both countries as well as serving
as a guide for future researcher in this area.
It could be suggested that various arrangements should be made available for both
prospective and in-service middle school science teachers regarding organizing course
contents in line with the STEM education approach by upgrading or updating the
current science curricula.
Cooperating with different faculties of education both at national and international level
is recommended when training prospective science teachers on designing and
implementing projects relative to the interdisciplinary STEM educational module.
STEM training centers should be established throughout the countries to aid in
organizing conferences and seminars for students, in-service and prospective science
teachers at all levels in the education systems to promote, support, develop and
disseminate STEM education.

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