ABSTRACT

There have been calls for Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education to become more interdisciplinary, reflecting the reality of contemporary research. However, communicating across disciplines is challenging. In this article, I explore what and how students read in the STEM disciplines`. I provide an overview of key topics in literacy research, and discuss the disciplinary nature of literacy. I compare disciplinary literacy requirements in STEM through thematic analysis of UK quality subject benchmark statements, which identifies considerable variation in the expectations of undergraduates to engage with primary research literature. I explore implications this has for interdisciplinary teaching, and present some published pedagogical strategies for engaging students in research literature. I call on STEM educators to embed inclusive disciplinary literacy teaching within curricula to support students in their reading. I also highlight the need for clear understanding of disciplinary conventions and reading expectations when designing interdisciplinary educational programmes.

摘要

有人呼吁科学技术工程和数学（STEM）教育变得更加跨学科，以反映当代研究的现实。但是，跨学科的交流具有挑战性。在本文中，我将探讨学生在STEM学科中所学的内容和方式。我概述了扫盲研究的关键主题，并讨论了扫盲的学科性质。我通过对英国质量主题基准声明的主题分析，比较了STEM中的学科素养要求，该发现确定了大学生对从事基础研究文献的期望的巨大差异。我探讨了这对跨学科教学的意义，并提出了一些已出版的教学策略，以使学生参与研究文献。我呼吁STEM教育者将包容性学科素养教学纳入课程中，以支持学生的阅读。我还强调指出，在设计跨学科的教育课程时，需要对学科惯例有清晰的了解并阅读期望。