Key points:
AI is becoming increasingly critical in STEM education, and 96 percent of teachers say they believe AI will become an intrinsic part of education within the next decade, according to a new survey from Samsung Solve for Tomorrow.
Despite this growing belief, 97 percent of surveyed teachers say they lack the necessary resources to integrate emerging technology like AI and concepts like entrepreneurship into their curriculum.
Samsung Solve for Tomorrow’s second “The State of STEM Education” survey, conducted in partnership with DonorsChoose, polled 1,039 U.S. public middle and high school teachers. The findings uncovered educators’ optimism about the value of AI in classrooms and the urgent need to modernize STEM education.
Fifty-nine percent of teachers named professional development, updated curriculum resources, collaboration with tech industry professionals, or improved technology as a crucial need, with another 38 percent saying they need all of the above.
Drilling down on AI in education
Samsung’s educator survey found that a majority (53 percent) are already using AI tools in their classrooms, with another 33 percent exploring possible uses for AI. Among AI applications respondents currently use are interactive learning tools (20 percent), personalized student learning experiences (22 percent), and data analysis to gain insights into student performance (11 percent).
The survey also revealed a range of teacher concerns about AI in education. These include plagiarism (20 percent), insufficient training on AI education tools (15 percent), the potential to spread misinformation (13 percent), and reduced human interaction in learning (12 percent). Notably, only 5 percent of teachers expressed concerns about AI leading to job displacement, indicating a broader focus on the opportunities AI presents for teaching and learning.
Encouragingly, 88 percent of teachers stressed the importance of educating students on the ethical use of AI, underlining its potential to shape responsible, tech-savvy learners.
STEM perceptions improving–but staffing shortages persist
The survey results represent a dramatic shift in teachers’ perceptions across the two years since Samsung Solve for Tomorrow’s first State of STEM Education survey during the 2022/2023 school year. At that crucial post-pandemic inflection point for U.S. education, the survey uncovered a mix of anxiety and concern among STEM educators–65 percent of whom reported STEM faculty shortages, with 13 percent describing those shortages as severe. In the new survey, reports of faculty shortages have dropped to 37 percent, and teachers were generally positive about the support their schools provide for STEM education, with nearly three-quarters (73 percent) saying STEM receives “strong” (18 percent) to “some” (55 percent) support. This represents an increase from our first survey, when 65 percent of teachers reported that local school boards and communities were “generally supportive” of STEM in their schools.
The new survey’s findings also reflected guarded optimism among educators, and a belief in the positive contributions STEM education is making for student achievement. That optimism is in line with the recent NAEP findings that, nationwide, student performance scores in math generally showed a halt to post-pandemic declines, with some locales even showing improvement (as opposed to generally declining reading scores).
Urgent need to modernize STEM curriculum
The STEM educators surveyed are highly passionate about the value of STEM education in preparing students for the future, with 93 percent of teachers agreeing that STEM skills are vital for students to flourish as they move into the workforce. Yet only 36 percent of teachers feel their school’s current STEM curriculum effectively addresses emerging trends such as AI, data science, robotics, automation, and accessible and green technologies.
Entrepreneurship: A missed opportunity
Despite near-unanimous agreement (99 percent) that entrepreneurship benefits students by fostering creativity, teamwork, and business ethics, only 20 percent of public middle and high schools currently offer entrepreneurship classes. Teachers overwhelmingly believe such courses would boost student confidence and motivation to pursue innovative careers and social impact initiatives.
Material from a press release was used in this report.
