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Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education has been identified as a keystone teaching and learning area for developing students' knowledge and skills on interdisciplinary critical thinking and problem solving (We use the term 'interdisciplinary' because discipline knowledge and methods were integrated from different disciplines in the project that used a synthesis of approaches). The position held by various government, industry and education stakeholders is that STEM learning, through different stages of education, will enable students to achieve their full potential. Underpinning this research was a response to an expressed school community need articulated through a primary school Principal's desire to integrate STEM learning into the classroom. Consequently, three primary schools from the mid north coast and north coast regions, New South Wales (NSW), Australia were involved in this research. In particular, the project facilitated teacher professional learning through authentic teaching and learning experiences coupled with transferable teaching and assessment strategies for the classroom. The rural and remote settings of the schools was influential in the design of the program. The methodology drew on Technacy Genre Theory to frame the interdisciplinary learning domains: Science (hypothesis testing literacies); Technology (digital microscope and robotics literacies); Engineering (food systems and biotechnology literacies) and Mathematics (data collection and statistics literacies). The findings indicated the teachers benefited through the development of effective strategies that led to successful outcomes on interdisciplinary teaching and learning and built up their confidence, knowledge and skills involved in the implementation of a STEM program into their primary school classrooms.

Over recent years, considerable effort has been put into increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) participation in higher education. While there are signs that enrolments are increasing, the sustained engagement and successful completion of higher education remains challenging, particularly in remote locations. With this in mind, a collaborative research project among researchers from three northern Australian tertiary education institutions was designed to understand student perspectives, particularly from remote contexts, about their engagement and success towards completion in higher education. Based on a qualitative research design situating Indigenist/interpretive research within a critical realism metatheory, we present findings from the study, based in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, and unpack implications for higher education provision in remote contexts. The findings point to the unique challenges faced by students who live in the Kimberley--and perhaps in other remote locations around Australia. In order to meet these needs, we suggest that tertiary education providers must tailor provision to ensure that engagement with Aboriginal students is relational and culturally safe.

Over recent years, considerable effort has been put into increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) participation in higher education. While there are signs that enrolments are increasing, the sustained engagement and successful completion of higher education remains challenging, particularly in remote locations. With this in mind, a collaborative research project among researchers from three northern Australian tertiary education institutions was designed to understand student perspectives, particularly from remote contexts, about their engagement and success towards completion in higher education. Based on a qualitative research design situating Indigenist/interpretive research within a critical realism metatheory, we present findings from the study, based in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, and unpack implications for higher education provision in remote contexts. The findings point to the unique challenges faced by students who live in the Kimberley—and perhaps in other remote locations around Australia. In order to meet these needs, we suggest that tertiary education providers must tailor provision to ensure that engagement with Aboriginal students is relational and culturally safe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]