Can we expect to recruit future engineers among students who have never repaired a toy?

Abstract

Education has traditionally focused primarily on content and cognitive goals. While content knowledge is important, to enter to the labour market today, graduates must also develop manual skills and technical literacy. The paper deals with engineering and technology education in Slovenia. It portrays the problem of the decline in interest in technical studies, seeks reasons behind this and advances proposals for improving the situation. The main goal of our research is the wish to identify and explore potential epistemological obstacles to a better appreciation of STEM education among lower secondary school students, and to offer solutions to the problem. The results of the study showed that practical and hands-on activities are, to a large extent, lacking in lower secondary education in Slovenia. The findings call for redesigned curricula and reform of teacher education towards more practically oriented and inspiring teaching.