Challenges in STEM Learning – Filipino High School Students

Context and Rationale

The study responds to heightened global demand for STEM skills amid the fourth industrial revolution and the COVID-19 disruption. In the Philippines, STEM is offered in Grades 11-12; it is the third most chosen academic strand, yet shows low completion rates and poor $PISA$ performance. Understanding learners’ obstacles is therefore critical for improving national STEM outcomes.

Methodology

A qualitative case design examined challenges faced by $20$ Grade 12 STEM learners in a government school in Zambales. Semi-structured interviews were transcribed, coded manually, and validated through informant feedback, producing ten themes grouped into three categories.

Key Findings: Challenges in STEM Learning

Course-Related

Students struggle with heavy course requirements, high difficulty of STEM subjects, performance tasks perceived as irrelevant, and subjects misaligned with intended college majors.

Individual

Learners report difficulty conducting research projects, problems with time management when deadlines cluster, and financial constraints that hinder completion of costly requirements.

Socio-Cultural

High expectations from teachers and families, misalignment with some teachers’ pedagogy, and compulsory use of English during science discussions create additional pressure.

Recommendations

Revisit and re-engineer the STEM curriculum to ensure relevance to $IR\,4.0$ and post-pandemic demands, integrate contextualized performance tasks, expand academic and financial support schemes, and sustain teacher upskilling to deploy innovative, learner-centered pedagogy suited to Gen Z and Gen Alpha students.

Limitations

Findings derive from a small, single-school sample gathered pre-pandemic; results may not generalize to other contexts. Further mixed-methods work across wider settings is advised.

The study identified ten specific themes related to challenges in STEM learning