Breaking Down Barriers
Teachers’ Attitudes towards Transitioning from Specialization to Integrated Science Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7160/eriesj.2025.180402Keywords:
teachers’ attitudes, integrated science, integrated teaching, education reform, contextual factorsAbstract
Even though integrated science education (ISE) has been advocated globally for decades to enhance students’ scientific literacy, developing countries with their own contextual conditions still face ongoing struggles in transitioning from subject specialization to integration. To ensure educational efficiency, specifically by reducing disciplinary fragmentation and optimizing resource use, understanding teachers’ attitudes, along with diverse contextual factors, plays a pivotal role in the ISE movement. This quantitative study examines the attitudes of Vietnamese science teachers at various school levels, emphasizing differences in their attitudes across contextual variables, which informs strategies to enhance ISE promotion. The questionnaire-based methodology was employed to collect 203 responses, and the data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA. Our findings proved that (1) science teachers favored ISE despite the obstacles and anxiety of an educational reform; (2) traditional assumptions of contextual variables such as gender, years of teaching experience, and educational qualifications do not statistically differ in teachers’ attitudes; (3) the quality of professional development might relate to teachers’ perceived difficulty, anxiety, and self-efficacy towards ISE. Therefore, a sustainable, high-quality provision of professional development is essential to help teachers achieve ISE instructional objectives, alongside more practical solutions.
References
Al Salami, M. K., Makela, C. J. and De Miranda, M. A. (2017) ‘Assessing changes in teachers’ attitudes toward interdisciplinary STEM teaching’, International Journal of Technology and Design Education, Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 63–88. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-015-9341-0
Aldahmash, A. H., Alamri, N., M. and Aljallal, M. A. (2019) ‘Saudi Arabian science and mathematics teachers’ attitudes toward integrating STEM in teaching before and after participating in a professional development program’, Cogent Education, Vol. 6, No. 1, p. 1580852. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2019.1580852
Åström, M. (2008) Defining Integrated Science Education and Putting it to Test, Norrköping: Swedish National Graduate School in Science and Technology Education, FontD.
Bandura, A. (1986) Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Bandura, A. (1997) Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control, New York: W.H. Freeman.
Bastian, K. and Fortner, C. K. (2018) ‘Is Less more? Subject-area Specialization and Outcomes in Elementary Schools’, Education Finance and Policy, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 1–49. https://doi.org/10.1162/edfp_a_00278
Bati, K. (2023) ‘Education of integrated science: Discussions on importance and teaching approaches’. In Integrated Education and Learning, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 337–354. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15963-3_19
Bodewig, C., Badiani-Magnusson, R., Macdonald, K., Newhouse, D. and Rutkowski, J. (2014) Skilling up Vietnam: Preparing the Workforce for a Modern Market Economy, Washington, DC: World Bank Publications.
Clark, L. M., DePiper, J. N., Frank, T. J., Nishio, M., Campbell, P. F., Smith, T. M., … Choi, Y. (2014) ‘Teacher characteristics associated with mathematics teachers’ beliefs and awareness of their students’ mathematical dispositions’, Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, Vol. 45, No. 2, pp. 246–284. https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc.45.2.0246
Cohen, J. (2013) Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences, 2nd edn, New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203771587
Curtis, A. (2021) ‘What do we mean by under-resourced context?’. In Research on Teaching and Learning English in Under-Resourced Contexts, London: Routledge, pp. 14–28.
Dinh, H. (2023) ‘Teacher-generated instructional materials for integrating content and language learning: Actualizing the translanguaging for English language learners’. In Actualizing Translanguaging for English Language Learners, Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore, pp. 323–341. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9350-3_22
Dinh, H. and Nguyen, L. T. H. (2023) ‘Teacher-practitioner inquiry in professional development a case of adaptation and resistance to genre-based systemic functional linguistic as a new writing instruction: A case of adaptation and resistance to genre-based systemic functional linguistic as a new writing instruction’, Journal on Efficiency and Responsibility in Education and Science, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 65–80. https://doi.org/10.7160/eriesj.2023.160107
Fryer, R. G. Jr. (2018) ‘The ‘pupil’ factory: Specialization and the production of human capital in schools’, American Economic Review, Vol. 108, No. 3, pp. 616–656. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20161495
Guerrero, G. and Reiss, M. (2020) ‘Science outside the classroom: Exploring opportunities from interdisciplinarity and research-practice partnerships’, International Journal of Science Education, Vol. 42, No. 9, pp. 1522–1543. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2020.1767317
Haatainen, O., Turkka, J. and Aksela, M. (2021) ‘Science teachers’ perceptions and self-efficacy beliefs related to integrated science education’, Education Sciences, Vol. 11, No. 6, p. 272. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11060272
Hackman, S. T., Zhang, D. and He, J. (2021) ‘Secondary school science teachers’ attitudes towards STEM education in Liberia’, International Journal of Science Education, Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 223–246. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2020.1864837
Hu, L. and Bentler, P. M. (1999) ‘Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives’, Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118
Kalliontzi, M. (2022) ‘Teachers’ attitudes towards S.T.E.M. in secondary education’, Advances in Mobile Learning Educational Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 389–400. https://doi.org/10.25082/AMLER.2022.02.007
Kelley, T. R. and Knowles, J. G. (2016) ‘A conceptual framework for integrated STEM education’, International Journal of STEM Education, Vol. 3, No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-016-0046-z
Kennedy, T. J. and Odell, M. R. L. (2014) ‘Engaging students in STEM education’, Science Education International, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 246–258. Retreived from: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1044508.pdf
Kucuk, T. (2023) ‘Technology integrated teaching and its positive and negative impacts on education’, International Journal of Social Sciences and Educational Studies, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 46–55. https://doi.org/10.23918/ijsses.v10i1p46
Li, Y., Wang, K., Xiao, Y. and Froyd, J. E. (2020) ‘Research and trends in STEM education: A systematic review of journal publications’, International Journal of STEM Education, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-020-00207-6
Linh, D. N. and Bell, L. R. (2024) ‘A comparative analysis of teacher education pathways: United States vs. Vietnam’, VNU Journal of Science: Education Research, Vol. 40, No. 4. https://doi.org/10.25073/2588-1159/vnuer.5208
Margot, K. C. and Kettler, T. (2019) ‘Teachers’ perception of STEM integration and education: A systematic literature review’, International Journal of STEM Education, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-018-0151-2
Mâță, L., Clipa, O. and Tzafilkou, K. (2020) ‘The development and validation of a scale to measure university teachers’ attitude towards ethical use of information technology for a sustainable education’, Sustainability, Vol. 12, No. 15, p. 6268. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156268
Mellati, M., Khademi, M. and Shirzadeh, A. (2015) ‘The relationships among sources of teacher pedagogical beliefs, teaching experiences, and student outcomes’, International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 177–184. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.4n.2p.177
Ministry of Education and Training (2023) Document No. 5636/BGDĐT-GDTrH, [Online]. Available at: https://thuvienphapluat.vn/cong-van/Giao-duc/Cong-van-5636-BGDDT-GDTrH-2023-xay-dung-ke-hoach-day-hoc-cac-mon-hoc-Khoa-hoc-tu-nhien-584066.aspx [Accessed 19 December 2025].
Nadelson, L. S., Callahan, J., Pyke, P., Hay, A., Dance, M. and Pfiester, J. (2013) ‘Teacher STEM perception and preparation: Inquiry-based STEM professional development for elementary teachers’, The Journal of Educational Research, Vol. 106, No. 2, pp. 157–168. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2012.667014
Nguyen, T. D. and Pham, V. D. (2021) ‘The teacher’s competence in integrated teaching at secondary schools: A case study in Vietnam’, International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, Vol. 8, No. 8, pp. 113–117. https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2021.08.014
Nguyen, V. H., Nguyen, V. B. H., Vu, T. M. H., Hoang, T. K. H. and Nguyen, T. M. N. (2020) ‘Vietnamese education system and teacher training: Focusing on science education’, Asia-Pacific Science Education, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 179–206. https://doi.org/10.1163/23641177-BJA10001
Nunnally, J. C. (1978) Psychometric Theory, 2nd edn, New York: McGraw-Hill.
Palomares-Ruiz, A., Cebrián, A., López-Parra, E. and García-Toledano, E. (2020) ‘ICT integration into science education and its relationship to the digital gender gap’, Sustainability, Vol. 12, No. 13, p. 5286. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12135286
Park, H., Byun, S., Sim, J., Han, H.-S. and Baek, Y. S. (2016) ‘Teachers’ perceptions and practices of STEAM education in South Korea’, Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, Vol. 12, No. 7, pp. 1739–1753. https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2016.1531a
Parmin, P., Saregar, A., Deta, U. and El Islami, R. A. Z. (2020) ‘Indonesian science teachers’ views on attitude, knowledge, and application of STEM’, Journal for the Education of Gifted Young Scientists, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 17–31. https://doi.org/10.17478/jegys.647070
Pham, K. T., Ha, X. V., Tran, N. H. and Nguyen, Y. T. X. (2023) ‘Curriculum reform in Vietnam: Primary teachers’ views, experiences, and challenges’, Education 3-13, Vol. 51, No. 3, pp. 440–451. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2022.2162829
Pillai, A. K., Pereira, M., Roe, J. and Luong, L. K. (2022) ‘Curriculum innovation in Vietnam: A study on teachers’ attitudes using the dimensions of ACB (Affective, Cognitive and Behavioral) model’, Vietnam Journal of Education, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 20–31. https://doi.org/10.52296/vje.2022.141
Pryor, B. W., Pryor, C. R. and Kang, R. (2016) ‘Teachers’ thoughts on integrating STEM into social studies instruction: Beliefs, attitudes, and behavioral decisions’, The Journal of Social Studies Research, Vol. 40, No. 2, pp. 123–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jssr.2015.06.005
Ryu, M., Mentzer, N. and Knobloch, N. (2019) ‘Preservice teachers’ experiences of STEM integration: Challenges and implications for integrated STEM teacher preparation’, International Journal of Technology and Design Education, Vol. 29, No. 3, pp. 493–512. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-018-9440-9
Shahali, E. H. M. and Halim, L. (2024) ‘The influence of science teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, self-efficacy and school context on integrated STEM teaching practices’, International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 787–807. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-023-10403-9
Shidiq, G. and Faikhamta, C. (2020) ‘Exploring the relationship of teachers’ attitudes, perceptions, and knowledge towards integrated STEM’, İlköğretim Online, Vol. 19, No. 4, pp. 2514–2531. https://doi.org/10.17051/ilkonline.2020.764619
Strat, T. T. S., Henriksen, E. K. and Jegstad, K. M. (2024) ‘Inquiry-based science education in science teacher education: A systematic review’, Studies in Science Education, Vol. 60, No. 2, pp. 191–249. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057267.2023.2207148
Thi To Khuyen, N., Van Bien, N., Lin, P.-L., Lin, J. and Chang, C.-Y. (2020) ‘Measuring Teachers’ Perceptions to Sustain STEM Education Development’, Sustainability, Vol. 12, No. 4, p. 1531. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12041531
Thibaut, L., Knipprath, H., Dehaene, W. and Depaepe, F. (2017) Development and validation of an instrument for measuring teachers attitudes toward teaching integrated STEM, [Online], Leuven: HIVA KU Leuven. Available at: https://kuleuven.limo.libis.be/discovery/fulldisplay/lirias1733272/32KUL_KUL:Lirias [Accessed 19 December 2025].
Thibaut, Lieve, Knipprath, H., Dehaene, W. and Depaepe, F. (2018) ‘How school context and personal factors relate to teachers’ attitudes toward teaching integrated STEM’, International Journal of Technology and Design Education, Vol. 28, No. 3, pp. 631–651. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-017-9416-1
Thibaut, Lieve, Knipprath, H., Dehaene, W. and Depaepe, F. (2019) ‘Teachers’ attitudes toward teaching integrated STEM: The impact of personal background characteristics and school context’, International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, Vol. 17, No. 5, pp. 987–1007. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-018-9898-7
Thuan, A. D. T. and Mau, D. N. (2021) ‘Vietnamese student teachers’ existing ideas about integrated teaching in chemistry and STEM education’, Asia Research Network Journal of Education, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 25–31. Retrieved from: https://so05.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/arnje/article/view/250651
Tran, D. T., Doan, M. H. and Do, N. T. (2020) ‘Vietnam after 2020: toward a prosperous economy, social inclusion and environmental sustainability’, International Journal of Economic Policy Studies, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 313–326. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42495-020-00046-x
Tweed, S. R. (2013) Technology implementation: Teacher age, experience, self-efficacy, and professional development as related to classroom technology integration, unpublished PhD thesis, East Tennessee State University.
Tytler, R., Anderson, J. and Williams, G. (2023) ‘Exploring a framework for integrated STEM: challenges and benefits for promoting engagement in learning mathematics’, ZDM – Mathematics Education, Vol. 55, No. 7, pp. 1299–1313. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-023-01519-x
Ualesi, Y. and Ward, G. (2018) ‘Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Teaching Science in a New Zealand Intermediate School’, Australian Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 43, No. 6, pp. 35–49. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2018v43n6.3
van Aalderen-Smeets, S. I. and Walma van der Molen, J. H. (2015) ‘Improving primary teachers’ attitudes toward science by attitude-focused professional development’, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Vol. 52, No. 5, pp. 710–734. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21218
van Aalderen-Smeets, S. I., Walma van der Molen, J. H. and Asma, L. J. F. (2012) ‘Primary teachers’ attitudes toward science: A new theoretical framework’, Science Education, Vol. 96, No. 1, pp. 158–182. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.20467
van Aalderen-Smeets, S. and Walma van der Molen, J. (2013) ‘Measuring primary teachers’ attitudes toward teaching science: Development of the dimensions of attitude toward science (DAS) instrument’, International Journal of Science Education, Vol. 35, No. 4, pp. 577–600. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2012.755576
Vaziri, R. and Mohsenzadeh, M. (2012) ‘A questionnaire-based data quality methodology’, International Journal of Database Management Systems, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 55–68. https://doi.org/10.5121/ijdms.2012.4204
Vu, T. T. H. (2021) ‘Integrated teaching competency framework for general education program: Suggestions and recommendations for natural science teachers’, VNU Journal of Science: Education Research, Vol. 37, No. 4, pp. 71–80. https://doi.org/10.25073/2588-1159/vnuer.4609
Wei, B. (2020) ‘An exploratory study of teacher development in the implementation of integrated science curriculum’, Research in Science Education, Vol. 50, pp. 2189–2206. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-018-9768-x
Weinberg, A. E. and Sample McMeeking, L. B. (2017) ‘Toward meaningful interdisciplinary education: High school teachers’ views of mathematics and science integration’, School Science and Mathematics, Vol. 117, No. 5, pp. 204–213. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssm.12224
Whitworth, B. and Chiu, J. (2015) ‘Professional development and teacher change: The missing leadership link’, Journal of Science Teacher Education, Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 121–137. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10972-014-9411-2
Wi̇narno, N. (2020) ‘Implementation of integrated science curriculum: A critical review of the literature’, Journal for the Education of Gifted Young Scientists, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 723–745. https://doi.org/10.17478/jegys.675722
Additional Files
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Thi-Ngoc-Trinh Nguyen, Hanh Dinh, Thi-Thi Vu
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors declare with this manuscript intended for publication to ERIES Journal that:
- all co-authors agree with the publication of the manuscript even after amendments arising from peer review;
- all co-authors agree with the posting of the full text of this work on the web page of ERIES Journal and to the inclusion of references in databases accessible on the internet;
- no results of other researchers were used in the submitted manuscript without their consent, proper citation, or acknowledgement of their cooperation or material provided;
- the results (or any part of them) used in the manuscript have not been sent for publication to any other journal nor have they already been published (or if so, that the relevant works are cited in this manuscript);
- submission of the manuscript for publication was completed in accordance with the publishing regulations pertaining to place of work;
- experiments performed comply with current laws and written consent of the Scientific Ethics Committee / National Animal Care Authority (as is mentioned in the manuscript submitted);
- grant holders confirm that they have been informed of the submitted manuscript and they agree to its publication.
Authors retain copyright and grant ERIES Journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the published work with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in ERIES Journal. Moreover, authors are able to post the published work in an institutional repository with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in ERIES Journal. In addition, authors are permitted and encouraged to post the published work online (e.g. institutional repositories or on their website) as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
