The Research of Need Assessment to Develop Innovation for Promoting STEAM Education in Pre-service Primary School Teachers

Abstract

The purposes of this research article were 1) to assess the necessary needs of innovation development; and 2) to determine guidelines for developing innovations to promote STEAM Education for student teachers at the elementary level. This research was a survey research. The survey was conducted by asking for opinions of 400 teachers taught subjects related to Steam Education under the office of Bangkok Primary Educational Service Area and its vicinity, interviewed 3 experts in Steam Education, and interviewed 3 art teachers with integrated arts teaching. Data were analyzed, namely 1) in general information of the sample, the results were summarized by descriptive statistics, including frequency and percentage; 2) for opinion data, the results were summarized by descriptive statistics, including mean and standard deviation. Then the priority index of necessary needs was calculated; issue information was put in order. Demand information, comment, and suggestions were summarized to present in the form of a tabular essay; 3) the qualitative data was divided into analytical data from questionnaires using classification of data types and the data from the interviews were analyzed by content analysis. The results of the research revealed that 1) there was a necessary need for the development of innovations for promoting STEAM Education by asking for opinions of teachers. In terms of knowledge and concepts of STEAM Education, the average need and priority index was 0.213; for the implementation of the concepts of STEAM Education, the average need and priority index was 0.197; the level of problems and obstacles had a moderate average (= 3.38), with opinions consistent with the results of interviews with experts in STEAM Education and art teachers with integrated art instruction; 2) innovation design guidelines can be summarized as “CHILD Model” showing the focus of innovation design in 5 elements, namely 1) promoting cooperation; 2) creating mutual understanding; 3) making it important; 4) providing knowledge; 5) practicing practical skills.