Sustainable STEM Education for Disadvantaged Communities.
Disadvantaged local communities frequently face significant barriers to recognising the value of STEM education and are hesitant to engage in partnerships with external organisations due to mistrust or unfamiliarity. As a result, students from these communities miss opportunities to enhance their le...
| Published in: | Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities Vol. 34; no. 2; pp. 705 - 730 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Article |
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Universiti Putra Malaysia
Apr2026
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=193950336&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 193950336 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 01287702 TKQ jtl: Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities issn: 01287702 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Apr2026 vid: 34 iid: 2 pid: 20751 pub: Universiti Putra Malaysia artinfo: ui: 193950336 10.47836/pjssh.34.2.08 ppf: 705 ppct: 25 formats: fmt: @attributes: type: P size: 3.6MB tig: atl: Sustainable STEM Education for Disadvantaged Communities. aug: au: Liew, Chin Ying Ling, Siew Eng Tang, Howe Eng Gail Leask, Marilyn affil: Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 96400 Mukah, Sarawak, Malaysia School of Applied Social Science, De Montfort University, Leicester, LE1 9HB United Kingdom su: STEM education Poor communities Mixed methods research STEM occupations sug: subj: STEM education Poor communities Mixed methods research STEM occupations keyword: Challenges community education model inclusive education informal learning rural and interior sustainable development goals twenty-firstcentury skills ab: Disadvantaged local communities frequently face significant barriers to recognising the value of STEM education and are hesitant to engage in partnerships with external organisations due to mistrust or unfamiliarity. As a result, students from these communities miss opportunities to enhance their learning and career prospects, thereby creating a gap compared to urban students who have better access to innovative programmes, mentorships, and STEM career pathways. This study aims to bridge the gap by exploring the perceptions of disadvantaged communities regarding factors influencing students' performance in STEM education. It also examines their level of involvement in STEM programmes and explores the issues they faced in accessing and engaging with such education. The study involved 11,827 respondents, who were the local communities of 1,224 primary and secondary schools. Using a mixed-methods approach, quantitative data were collected through surveys, and qualitative data were gathered through in-depth interviews. The findings indicate that these communities tend to leave the responsibility for STEM education to teachers, schools, and students. Key obstacles to their partnership include gaps in STEM knowledge, a mindset toward STEM education, and cultural factors that hinder progress in STEM education within disadvantaged communities. Consequently, a local community STEM education model is proposed as a holistic approach to sustaining STEM education by strengthening community support in these communities. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y custom: Copyright of Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities is the property of Universiti Putra Malaysia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. item: Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities holder: Universiti Putra Malaysia dt: @attributes: year: 2026 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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