Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching and Learning in Schools

Dear Colleagues,

In a rapidly changing and increasingly complex world facing significant challenges, such as climate change, traditional approaches to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) are becoming insufficient to develop learner knowledge, skills and dispositions for the future. An appreciation and understanding of the world as a series of interlocked complex systems is critical, both for individuals and communities (English, 2008). Teaching STEM in a more connected manner, especially in the context of real-world issues, can make STEM subjects more relevant to teachers and students (Honey et al., 2014), enhance student learning and engagement in disciplinary knowledge (Czerniak & Johnson, 2014), and facilitate their development of 21^st century skills (Li, Schoenfeld, Graesser, Benson, English & Duschl, 2019).

Interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and learning in STEM have been increasingly advocated as alternatives to traditional approaches, whereby students learn concepts and skills from two or more disciplines that are tightly linked to enhance student knowledge in each of these areas (Vasquez, Sneider, and Corner, 2013). However, empirical studies that demonstrate the benefits and challenges of such approaches are still emerging. Furthermore, examples of interdisciplinary curriculum and task designs, classroom practices, and assessments are urgently needed to provide guidance for researchers and teachers to bring this agenda to fruition. In this Special Issue, we welcome submissions of both conceptual and empirical research papers that shed light on the discussion of interdisciplinary approaches to STEM in schools.

We welcome submissions addressing topics including, but not limited to:

• Design of curriculum and tasks to enable student learning across disciplinary boundaries in STEM;
• Assessment of interdisciplinary learning;
• Teacher practices with interdisciplinary approaches;
• Theoretical and conceptual frameworks on how interdisciplinary learning can be facilitated;
• Innovative pedagogy for interdisciplinary STEM learning;
• STEM policy and curriculum to support interdisciplinary learning in schools;
• Teacher preparation for interdisciplinary STEM teaching;
• Learning environment that enables student interdisciplinary STEM learning.

Dr. Lihua Xu
Prof. Dr. Su-Chi Fang
Prof. Dr. Wanty Widjaja
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• STEM teaching and learning
• interdisciplinarity
• pedagogy
• curriculum and assessment
• policy
• learning environment