Abstract:

The purpose of this research is to identify the opinions of graduate students about STEM education. The method of research is the work. The study group consists of a total of 10 students who have undergraduate education in two different universities of science knowledge education. A semi-configured interview consisting of 10 questions has been used as a data collection tool. The data obtained from the interviews are analyzed according to the content analysis. In the analysis of the data, the categories "Definitions related to STEM", "The advantages and disadvantages of the implementation of STEM training", "The similarities and differences of the STEM training approach with other approaches", "The qualities that learning environments for STEM training should have" and "The qualities that teachers should have to apply the STEM training approach" were created. Three researchers have coded the data independently to ensure the reliability of the data. The consistency percentage between the coders was calculated and the consistency between the coders was 0.85. Citations from student statements were presented to ensure the validity of the data. The research has shown that although graduate students have expressed more positive opinions about STEM education, they have an insufficient understanding. Graduate students also expressed their doubts about the implementation of STEM education in the conditions of our country and presented recommendations for the effective implementation of STEM education.

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