Abstract:

In the last decades, advanced education systems worldwide have recognised that high quality science education and knowledge will be a prerequisite for the techno-technological modernisation of societies. The PISA and TIMSS assessments were based on similar considerations, and it was decided that, in addition to mathematics and reading comprehension, the measurement of science is the most important factor in assessing the quality and effectiveness of an education system, including public education. Due to its growing importance, most countries in the world today give science education a high priority in the education of young people, and science is often a compulsory part of the curriculum from kindergarten to the end of compulsory schooling. By developing scientific literacy, education should support two goals at the same time. On the one hand, it should provide the knowledge for the scientists and researchers of the future, and on the other hand, it should provide knowledge that is useful for both the individual and society, even for students who do not later commit themselves to science. Several international studies have shown that even in secondary schools in economically developed countries, young people's interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields is declining. Investigating this is one of the main aims of an ongoing research project looking at students' scientific and mathematical thinking, attitudes to STEM subjects, learning styles and algorithmic and problem-solving thinking. Among the research tools used, the STEM assessment test included a total of 20 tasks, 4-4 tasks from the subjects of mathematics, computer science, physics, biology and chemistry. In this article, we discuss the results of the aforementioned large sample study, with a focus on mathematical competences.

Keywords:

STEM education, STEM, mathematics education, problem solving.