Several months ago, we invited English as a second language teachers to answer the questions on the integration of English language lessons into STEAM activities. Now we are back with the overview of the results received.
The results of the survey of the teachers of English as a second language working in Lithuanian schools have shown that:
- the majority of the respondents have already gained the experience of integrated teaching with one third of them having the experience of integrated teaching covering English as a second language and STEAM subjects; in the opinion of the respondents, an online learning platform and an exercises bank are the most useful types of materials necessary for integrated teaching;
- the majority of the researched tend to assess their own level of readiness for integrated education covering STEAM and English as a second language teaching as good or satisfactory;
- according to the research participants, the lack of both necessary material and guidelines/recommendations for integrated teaching is considered as the major barrier preventing teachers from more active engagement in integrated teaching.
Despite the obvious benefit of integrated STEAM education, teachers face obstacles preventing them from the successful implementation of this model. The most frequent factors that complicate the process of integrated education include the rigidity of the curriculum, standardized assessment process, and the lack of collaboration among teachers from different areas.
The results of this survey were presented at the International Scientific Conference on ‘Social Innovations for Sustainable Regional Development’ by Jevgenija Jerochina-Labanauskienė working as a coordinator at STEAM Klaipėda.
