Investigation of mathematics teachers' opinions towards STEM education in the context of the problems they encountered and solution suggestions

The main purpose of this study is to examine the views of mathematics teachers on STEM education in the context of the problems they encounter and solution proposals. The study is within the scope of the case study model, which is one of the qualitative research methods. The study group of the research consists of 35 volunteers from Mathematics teachers who have received basic or advanced STEM education in Siirt. The data of the study were obtained by using a semi-structured interview form developed by the researcher based on the literature findings and the opinions of the field experts. The obtained data were analyzed by content analysis. In this direction, similar data were gathered around 10 themes and interpreted in a way that the reader could understand. In the findings, it was determined that they agreed on the importance of STEM education in mathematics education, but they had problems about STEM education in mathematics teaching, about time constraints, difficulty in planning due to the curriculum, low teacher competency, cost, lack of equipment and lack of theoretical infrastructure. It was observed that the teachers mostly thought that the integration of mathematics with other disciplines would be easier in STEM education and that they used STEM-based Mathematics activities in their lessons after STEM education to better perceive and visualize geometric objects. Another important finding of the research is that teachers who receive theoretical and applied STEM education try to apply the results they obtained from this education in their lessons. As a result of the research, it was determined that STEM was very useful for students, but teachers experienced various problems in STEM applications. Solving these problems will be for the benefit of the students. In this regard, it has been suggested by different institutions and organizations to disseminate theoretical and applied STEM education. Keywords: Mathematics, Qualitative research, STEM education