Professional development on connections to the world of work in mathematics and science education

Abstract

This paper addresses a particular aspect of 21st century skills: the potential of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) to support students in developing skills for citizenship, life and careers. In this respect, including connections to the world of work in mathematics and science classes seems to be indispensable. Therefore, in this paper we outline the necessity of including such connections in education and the related theoretical background. We then present an international research study of long-term professional development courses involving inquiry-based learning and connections to the world of work. The course was designed on an international level for use in 13 countries and was subsequently implemented in these countries. The results of the pre-post study across all these countries show that such a course can indeed lead to the desired outcomes concerning the teachers and their teaching, but also that these outcomes are associated with teachers’ beliefs as well as their perceptions of policy support, classroom management and time issues.