Improving primary STEM education by integrating the Australian Curriculum

A report commissioned by the Australian Council of Educational Research in 2018 titled Challenges in STEM learning in Australian schools: Literature and policy review found that the Australian Curriculum is packaged in discrete disciplines and is not future facing. It concluded that "the goal is to see students working in an integrative way" (Timms et al. Australian Council for Educational Research, 2018, p. 2). Accordingly, this paper reports on the first phase of a design-based research (DBR) project which integrates learning around 28 specific learning outcomes from the existing Australian Curriculum. The hypothesis presented is that students and teachers can expand their knowledge and skills in STEM by having a daily STEM focus built into each day. As a longitudinal study, this paper reports on the initial planning and findings which continue to refine the theoretical assumptions of the DBR methodology. Given that the consultation phase of a major review of the Australian Curriculum ended on 8 July 2021, these insights also capture a pivotal moment in time. The three emergent themes which were evident across the 28 STEM units have the potential to collectively signal the essence and future direction of STEM education, namely science inquiry skills, data and variables, and design.