Encouraging Asian academic STEM teachers to research their own teaching practice

Abstract

It might be a challenge for a STEM researcher to engage in research that is not directly relevant to his or her own field of specialization. The CUP EASTEM course, described in this paper, aims to support academic Asian STEM teachers in overcoming the challenge of researching their own teaching practices. In this paper we discuss, with CUP EASTEM, as a case study, how we have supported academic STEM teachers to take the steps needed to conduct research on their own teaching practices. The key is to broaden the perspective to also include theoretically sound, qualitative interpretative research. Furthermore, this is a journey that must be made without losing sight of the object of the students' learning, that is, the fundamental concepts within the STEM disciplines.