Efforts to Increase Students’ Interest in Pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Studies and Careers✎
This publication is the latest in a series of reports about national efforts to increase students’ interest in pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) studies and careers. The report is the result of an analysis of country responses to a survey launched
in the summer of 2015, addressing recent, current or planned priorities, policies and initiatives aimed at improving the relevance and quality of STEM education to encourage more students to study and choose a career in the STEM field. The report is written within the framework of the project Scientix – the community for Science education in Europe (http://www.scientix.eu). Scientix promotes and supports a Europe-wide collaboration among STEM teachers, education researchers, policymakers and other STEM education professionals.
The information provided in this report is based on the national contributions received from the Scientix National Contact Points (NCPs) representing 30 countries. This 2015 edition of the report has a special focus on teacher education policies and initiatives. This focus is the result of the previous edition of the report (covering a wide range of issues in relation to STEM education), which identified improving initial teacher education and continuous professional development at the heart of the drive to make STEM studies and professions a more popular
option for young learners. This current edition looks more deeply into how countries are developing initiatives in these areas.