Research on the Integration of STEM Education into the Rural Elementary School Science Curriculum - An Example from Rural Elementary Schools in Western China

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mary Man

Due to social and economic constraints, science teaching in rural elementary schools remains underperforming and has been insufficiently studied. This research integrates STEM education into rural elementary school science courses to evaluate whether STEM can improve students’ knowledge and abilities. An experimental STEM curriculum was implemented at Jiujiang Elementary School in Shuangliu County, Chengdu, China, and results show the STEM group outperformed the traditional group in total scores, basic knowledge, and expanded abilities, indicating feasibility and effectiveness.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

STEM education development and research gaps in rural areas

Methods

Practical exploration of STEM courses

Study setting and identified problems in the school

Experimental study questions

Research on the Integration of STEM Education into the Rural Elementary School Science Curriculum: An Example from Rural Elementary Schools in Western China Xiuping Qiao, 1 Xinyi Zhou2 1. Jiujiang Elementary School, Shuangliu District, Chengdu 610200, Sichuan, China 2. Network and Information Center of Chengdu Normal University, Chengdu 610200, Sichuan, China Abstract. Due to the limitation of social economic conditions, the teaching effect of science in rural elementary schools remains unsatisfactory and poorly studied. This research integrates STEM education into rural elementary school science courses to explore whether STEM courses are effective in improving students ’ knowledge and ability, asking: Are STEM courses better than traditional science courses in improving students ’ knowledge and abilities? An experimental study of STEM curriculum teaching was conducted in science education at Jiujiang elementary School in Shuangliu County, Chengdu, China. The experimental group receiving STEM classes had increased total score, basic knowledge, and ability expansion compared to the control group receiving traditional classes. This showed that the integration of STEM education into rural elementary school science courses is feasible and effective. Best Evid Chin Edu 2020; 5(1):581-590. Doi: [10.15354/bece.20.ar034](10.15354/bece.20.ar034). Keywords: STEM Education; Chinese Elementary Education; Elementary School Science Curriculum; Rural School; Student Scientific Knowledge and Ability About the Author: Xiuping Qiao, Principal of Jiujiang Elementary School, Shuangliu District, Chengdu 610200, Sichuan, [China. Email: 496569839@qq.com](China. Email: 496569839@qq.com); Correspondence to: Xinyi Zhou, Professor, Network and Information Center ofChengdu Normal University, Chengdu 610200, Sichuan, China. Email: [neemo@126.com](neemo@126.com). Introduction STEM, short for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, emphasizes the intersection and integration of multiple disciplines. Since the introduction of STEM education in the United States in 1986, both developed countries, such as those in Europe and the United States, and developing countries have increasingly paid attention to STEM education. In China, a national strategy exists to vigorously develop STEM education through national policy intervention (Yu & Hu, 2015) . Because STEM education has made outstanding contributions to socioeconomic and technological development in terms of key capabilities and innovative thinking, STEM education research has also become a hot topic that is experiencing rapid development (Li et al., 2019) . The research includes four categories: STEM conceptualization, educational equity, student academic achievement, and teaching practice. The focus of research is gradually shifting from value-oriented to curriculum practice (Du, 2018) . With the rapid development of STEM education on a global scale, China “has also entered the vigorous development stage of STEM education, and has made significant progress in educational practice, theoretical research and educational policy”(Chinese Academy of Educational Sciences, 2017) . In practical research of STEM courses, higher education is the main research object and followed by elementary and middle school education There are also comparative studies on China-American STEM education. However, less research has been done on STEM education courses in areas with rural economic conditions in China. Rural areas in China account for 94.7% of the country’s land area, but this vast land area is economically behind and weaker in basic education than urban areas (Zhang, 2015) . In recent years, China has implemented education poverty alleviation policies and education investment in rural areas has been strengthened (Yu, 2006) . However, due to various factors, such as economics, humanities, family and geography, the teaching of science courses in rural elementary schools is limited,

FAQs

Why does the study focus on rural elementary school science teaching?

The study highlights that, under limited social and economic conditions, rural science teaching effectiveness is unsatisfactory and improvement of students’ scientific knowledge and ability remains subpar.

What does the research investigate about STEM courses?

It asks whether STEM courses are more effective than traditional science courses in improving students’ knowledge and abilities, especially through integration into the elementary science curriculum.

What were the key outcomes of the STEM curriculum experiment?

The experimental group receiving STEM classes achieved higher total scores, stronger basic knowledge, and greater ability expansion compared with the control group receiving traditional classes, demonstrating feasibility and effectiveness.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mary Man