Integrated STEM in School-Based Agricultural Education

Abstract

The agricultural, food, and natural resources (AFNR) system provides a rich context for solving complex and authentic problems. Agricultural educators have been teaching science, technology, and mathematics for many decades. Yet, the integrated STEM approach is an emergent pedagogy to intentionally teach academics in the context of AFNR. The authors argue that school-based agricultural education (SBAE) plays a unique and important role in serving as an integrator for STEM. AFNR can drive integrated STEM. The authors introduce the history of STEM and how it evolved in SBAE. They provide a rationale why integrated STEM should be taught in AFNR and SBAE and how epistemological thinking in AFNR provides a unique and complementary approach to solving complex problems using STEM. Integrated STEM in AFNR is defined and with characteristics. A review of research studies is summarized, and the authors propose a research agenda for future studies. This chapter on integrated STEM in AFNR has raised more questions, philosophically, conceptually, pedagogically, and empirically, which they hope launches scholarly discussions.