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AbstractHigher education institutions are responsible for delivering university-level mathematical knowledge to prospective mathematics teachers in a manner relevant to their future professional practice for teaching a core competency of 4C skills. The ability to teach these skills in the mathematics classroom is demanded by educational reform in the 21st century. However, creating learning experiences that allow them to acquire 4C skills is becoming increasingly difficult. Thus, the study was interested in discovering challenges faced by teacher education institutions in equipping prospective mathematics teachers with 4C skills-based instruction by considering similar challenges experienced by school teachers in the classroom. The study used semi-structured interviews to gather data from 10 teacher educators seeking university perspectives and 10 in-service teachers for school perspectives. A constant comparative analysis of gathered data yielded five themes, discovering critical challenges experienced by participants in integrating 4C skills. The study highlights that prospective mathematics teachers did not receive proper training in teaching 4C skills because educators had limited knowledge, facilities and support. This study suggests universities employ a dynamic new learning system to equip incoming mathematics teacher graduates with the essential resources such as a School-University Partnership mediated Lesson Study (SUPER-LS) program as an approach to overcome the challenges. This novel TPD program supports the professional development of pre-service teachers at university and in-service teachers at school in two ways, including emphasising PD activities on mathematics transposition promoting student learning 4C skills and facilitating them through the collaborative learning communities of lesson study groups.

Student learning outside the formal classroom is inextricably linked to informal learning environments. In many countries, most activities that employ informal learning prioritize the integration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines and have shown a positive impact on increasing students' interest, self-efficacy, and awareness of the STEM field. Thus, this study aims to systematically review the activities reported in the relevant studies focusing on informal STEM learning for K-12. High-index journals published under SCOPUS and Web of Science databases were utilized using a predetermined search strategy and retrieved two research team members' screened articles. Only empirical studies containing the terms "STEM education", "summer camp", and "informal learning" in the title, abstract, and keyword were included. Data were coded and organized into a matrix that was qualitatively assessed and categorized into themes. Based on the 25 studies reviewed, it was found that the integration of STEM disciplines in informal learning is notably varied. The characteristics of the STEM activities can be organized into seven themes: inquiry, focus on problems, design, cooperative learning, student-centred, hands-on, and 21st-century skills. Practice recommendations include a quality curriculum that aligns with informal STEM learning needs.

In order to compete worldwide, the school system must be transformed by raising educational standards by implementing the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education approach. The purpose of the primary school curriculum is closely aligned with the teaching goals of STEM education, which is to develop each child's full potential, foster an interest in learning and promote children to develop skills in life. Training qualified science and mathematics primary teachers through professional development (PD) programs is necessary to raise young children who are knowledgeable and skilled in STEM. Therefore, a systematic literature review examined the significance and implementation of STEM PD programs for science and mathematics primary school teachers. The Scopus and Web of Science databases were utilized to find articles written and published between 2018 and 2022. This review gathered 22 articles and produced 14 subthemes under the main themes: Significance and the implementation of STEM PD for primary school teachers. Recommendations for further research are stated at the end of this paper.