Challenge and Obstacles of STEM Education in Malaysia

Rashidin  Idris; Priyalatha  Govindasamy; Suppiah Nachiappan

STEM education is a very important element of education for the development and progress of a developing country like Malaysia. For this reason, the government has introduced the Malaysia Education Blueprint (2013-2025) to ensure that the country keeps pace with the development of science and technology. At the same time, it does not exclude the strengthening of technical and vocational fields in the current national education system. The purpose of this study is to examine the challenges and obstacles of STEM education in Malaysia, especially as the implementation is now entering the final phase of the wave for the year 2021-2025. This study also discusses the declining trend of student participation in high school toward STEM education as of the current year. The goal of 60:40 percent student participation in Science and Arts policy is still far from being achieved. By shedding light on the challenges and obstacles facing STEM education in Malaysia, this research is motivated by the need to enhance the quality and accessibility of STEM education in the country, and its findings will provide valuable insights and recommendations for policymakers, educators, and stakeholders in the academic community, thereby contributing to the ongoing discourse on the development of STEM education in Malaysia and beyond.

Abdullah, M. A. (2019). Small and medium enterprises in Malaysia: Policy issues and challenges. Abingdon: Routledge.
Abdul Rahman, A., & Surat, S. (2019). Attitudes towards STEM careers in rural secondary schools in Sarawak. Proceeding International Conference of Research and Education for Educators (ICREE) 2019, 7-12. ISBN: 978-967-14616-5-5.
Academy of Sciences Malaysia. (2017). Science Outlook 2017: Unlocking the Future, Kuala Lumpur, Academy of Sciences Malaysia.
Academy of Sciences Malaysia. (2020). Science Outlook 2020: Unlocking the Future, Kuala Lumpur, Academy of Sciences Malaysia.
Amelia, A., & Lilia, H. (2019). The Challenge of Integrating STEM Education in the Malaysian Curriculum. Education Discourse Seminar, 2019.
Becker, K., dan Park, K. (2011). Effects of integrative approaches among science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects on students’ learning: A preliminary meta-analysis. Journal of STEM Education, 2(10): 862- 875.
Belalang, W. N. A., & Abd Rahman, M. J. B. (2016). ICT literacy skills amon Iban student in rural Sibu, Sarawak. In Proceeding 7th International Seminar on Regional Education (Vol. 1, pp. 606-622).
Black, S. E., Muller, C., Spitz-Oener, A., He, Z., Hung, K., & Warren, J., R. (2021). The importance of STEM: High school knowledge, skills, and occupations in an era of growing inequality, Research Policy, 50 (7), ISSN 0048-7333.
Breiner, J. M., Harkness, S. S., Johnson, C. C., & Koehler, C. M. (2012). What is STEM? A discussion about conceptions of STEM in education and partnerships. School Science and Mathematics, 112(1), 3–11.
Bryan, L. A., Moore, T. J., Johnson, C. C., & Roehrig, G. H. (2015). Integrated STEM education. In C. C. Johnson, E. E. Peters-Burton, & T. J. Moore (Eds.), STEM roadmap: A framework for integration (pp. 23e37). London: Taylor & Francis.
Clyton, D., & Moses, K. (2017). Implementation of STEM curriculum in rural secondary schools in Zimbabwe: Limits and possibilities. Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies (JETERAPS), 8(1), 11-15.
Khairani, A. Z. (2017). Assessing Urban and Rural Teachers’ Competencies in STEM Integrated Education in Malaysia. MATEC Web of Conferences 87. Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia: EDP Sciences.
Lavi, R., Tal, M., Dori, Y. J. (2021). Perceptions of STEM alumni and students on developing 21st-century skills through methods of teaching and learning, Studies in Educational Evaluation, 70, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2021.101002.
McIntyre, M. M., Gundlach, J. L., & Graziano, W. G. (2021). Liking guides learning: The role of interest in memory for STEM topics, Learning and Individual Differences, 85, 101960, ISSN 1041-6080, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2020.101960.
Ministry of Education. (2013). Malaysia Education Blueprint Plan 2013-2025. Putrajaya: Ministry of Education Malaysia.
Ministry of Education. (2016). Annual Report of the Malaysian Education Development Plan. Putrajaya: Ministry of Education Malaysia.
Ministry of Education. (2022). Annual Report of the Malaysian Education Development Plan. Putrajaya: Ministry of Education Malaysia.
Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation. (2022). List of Malaysian Government Policies. Retrieved from https://mastic.mosti.gov.my/sti/sti-policies/national-science-technology-and-innovation-policy.
Ong, E., Govindasamy, D., Swaran Singh, C., Ibrahim, M. N., Wahab, N., Borhan, M. T., & Tho, S. W. (2021). The 5E inquiry learning model: Its effect on the learning of electricity among Malaysian students. Cakrawala Pendidikan, 40, (1). https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v40i1.33415
Ramli, N. F., & Talib, O. (2017). Can education institution implement STEM? From Malaysian teachers’ view. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 3, 721–732. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v7-i3/2772.
Razali, F., Abdul Manaf, U., & Ayub, M. A. F. (2020). STEM Education in Malaysia towards Developing a Human Capital through Motivating Science Subject. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 19(5). doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.5.25. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.5.25
Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2009). Research methods for business students (5th Ed.). Essex: Pearson Education Limited.
Thibaut, L., Ceuppens, S., De Loof, H., De Meester, J., Goovaerts, L., Struyf, A., Boeve-de Pauw, J., Dehaene, W., Deprez, J., De Cock, M., Hellinckx, L., Knipprath, H., Langie, G., Struyven, K., Van de Velde, D., Van Petegem, P., & Depaepe, F. (2018). Integrated STEM Education: A Systematic Review of Instructional Practices in Secondary Education. European Journal of STEM Education, 3(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.20897/ejsteme/85525
Thomas, B., & Watters, J. J. (2015). Perspectives on Australian, Indian and Malaysian approaches to STEM education, International Journal of Educational Development, 45, 42-53, ISSN 0738-0593.
Vela, K. N., Pedersen, R. M., & Baucum, M. C. (2020). Improving perceptions of STEM career through informal learning environments. Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching & Learning,13(1), 2020 pp. 103-113 Emerald Publishing Limited 2397-7604. DOI 10.1108/JRIT-12-2019-0078.
Yusof, Y. M., Ayob, A., & Saad, M. H. M. (2021). The use the engineering technology in integrated STEM education. Jurnal Kejuruteraan, 33(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.17576/jkukm-2020-33(1)-01.
Zhongming, Z., Linong, L., Xiaona, Y., Wangqiang, Z., & Wei, L. (2016). Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI), Malaysia [06-02-10-SF0195]. Retrieved from https://www.mosti.gov.my/web/en/corporate-profile/management/ menteri/

In-Text Citation: (Idris et al., 2023)
To Cite this Article: Idris, R., Govindasamy, P., & Nachiappan, S. (2023). Challenge and Obstacles of STEM Education in Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 13(4), 773– 780.

Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s)
Published by Human Resource Management Academic Research Society (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non0-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode

International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

Open Access Journal

Challenge and Obstacles of STEM Education in Malaysia

Rashidin Idris, Priyalatha Govindasamy, Suppiah Nachiappan

Further Information

Our Journals

Get intouch with us