Research in Science Education - Call for Papers: Special Issue: Enterpreneurial STEM Education
Guest Editors
James P. Davis (Queensland University of Technology)
Lyn English (Queensland University of Technology)
Feng-Kuang Chiang (Shanghai Jiaotong University)
Entrepreneurial science has existed for more than 30-years, typically associated with the promotion of utilitarian value. The idea of entrepreneurial education is often resisted in education more broadly because of its utilitarian association: Entrepreneurship is the problem in entrepreneurship education.
This special issue seeks submissions that investigate the integration of entrepreneurial education with STEM education, in ways that contribute to a surplus model of entrepreneurial STEM education. A surplus model looks to entrepreneurial STEM education as supporting the localised social and cultural values of learners and communities, rather than responding to simplistic utilitarian demands. This may be achieved by embracing a concept of entrepreneurial education comprising three fields: (1) Enterprise education that focuses on the development of individual skills, behaviours, and attributes for developing entrepreneurial mindset regardless of context; and (2) Entrepreneurship that involves collective efforts in any context to identify and act on opportunities, and to seek access to new resources, enabling the creation of social, cultural and/or financial value for self and/or others (QAA, 2018). (3) Curriculum integration of entrepreneurial education via school-enterprise or school-industry partnerships within an innovation ecosystem. This is a broad definition and could apply to any context such as business, social enterprise, improving a person’s confidence to see and act on life’s opportunities, a group of students learning through a STEM project, or a teacher learning to be an innovative practitioner (Davis, 2019; 2023; Kaya-Capocci & Peters-Burton, 2023). How this broad conceptualisation connects with a broad view of science education inclusive of technology, engineering and mathematical perspectives is the focus of this special issue.
We are calling for papers that advance knowledge about entrepreneurial STEM education across any educational context. Current literature on this topic touches upon mindset, points of contact and the nature of science, learning experiences and pedagogical practices, and the development of STEM teachers as innovators. There is much more to be explored within these topics and beyond, and particularly with the broader conceptualisation of entrepreneurial education defined above. What other perspectives, concepts, curriculum, pedagogies, practices are possible? How can a broadly conceived entrepreneurial turn shift the way we think about STEM education, while contributing to a surplus model of education that enhances learner experiences?
Empirical research papers are a priority for this special issue, but high quality and relevant conceptual papers will be considered. Papers must be theoretically or conceptually grounded, relevant to entrepreneurial and STEM education theory and practice, highlight limitations of the study, and identify possible future research opportunities. It is essential that abstracts foreground science education. This may be achieved by highlighting explicit connectivity to science education in cases where the empirical data may draw from other aspects of STEM education (e.g., technology, engineering, mathematics). The editorial team are seeking a broad international authorship with the aim of generating submissions on the following themes:
• Creating entrepreneurial and innovation cultures and/or ecosystems in STEM education contexts.
• Co-operation, collaboration or partnerships via school-enterprise, school-industry connections.
• Developing teacher and/or learner entrepreneurial skills, behaviours, and attributes.
• Teaching and/or learning STEM through managed risk and productive failure.
• Design thinking, entrepreneurial thinking, and STEM education.
• Entrepreneurial skills and techniques for generating and/or validating STEM inquiry ideas.
• Individual, social, and epistemic values in entrepreneurial STEM education.
• Leadership skills for becoming an innovative STEM teacher.
• The relationship between entrepreneurial intent, gender, and personality.
• Other, related themes that build the knowledge base for connecting these broad perspectives of entrepreneurial and STEM education that may include a diverse range of educational contexts.
Submission Guidelines
Potential authors are invited to submit structured abstracts, no longer than 2 pages, single-spaced. Abstracts should include Purpose/Background, Conceptual/Theoretical Framework, Methods, Findings (can be omitted if conceptual), and Contribution, and must be submitted no later than 1 September 2023.
Submit Abstract Here: https://forms.gle/9odLNK37WsSzT5aKA
Time schedule
• 2-page, extended abstracts should be submitted via Google form by 1 September 2023
• Authors invited to submit full papers: 3 October 2023
• Full manuscripts due in the Research in Science Education system: 23 February 2024
• Reviews of full papers sent back to authors: 5 April 2024
• Final papers due: 31 May 2024
• Articles published: 30 June 2024
Questions regarding the special issue should be directed to:
James Davis jp.davis@qut.edu.au
Lyn English l.english@qut.edu.au
Feng-Kuang Chiang fkchiang@sjtu.edu.cn