Importance of Assessing Chemistry Teacher Competency in Stem Integrated Education in Malaysia

Abstract

Ever since its establishment, STEM has been a famous topic in education internationally because it brings positive impacts to society therefore competency of teachers is important for student development and ensures the quality of learning among students. In Malaysia, STEM education has been implemented to raise teachers’ and students’ interest, motivation, and attitude in STEM and career awareness corresponding to the STEM field. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the importance of assessing chemistry teacher competency in STEM integrated education in Malaysia. This paper has referred to a few studies that have been undertaken in Malaysia and other countries from the year 2015 to the present regarding the importance of assessment for the chemistry teacher to integrate STEM in the teaching and learning process. The main importance of assessing chemistry teacher competency in STEM integrated education in Malaysia is to determine the prevalence, acceptance, and growth of STEM among academics, including teachers, researchers, and educational policymakers. The discussion also involves teachers’ competency, level of knowledge, and skills among chemistry teachers to integrate STEM during the teaching and learning process and also the attitude of the teacher toward integrating STEM. The discussion can improve chemistry teacher competency by giving awareness to teachers and administrators. Therefore, it is advised that a study be conducted to assess chemistry teacher competency in implementing and integrating STEM during teaching and learning to prepare pre-service and in-service teachers.