STEAM Approach as the Means of Providing Integrated Knowledge
NEF 2076BS of Nepal has mentioned that the government would establish specialized Science, Music, Sports, Ayurveda and Ethnomedicine teaching secondary schools (MoEST, 2019 ). The National Education Policy 9.33, 10.55 has emphasized Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education (STEM- Education) at all levels of a teaching institution. It would have integrated other subjects such as language, art, culture, history, and geography in an integrated form. It indicates that it attempted to link the education system with life-related knowledge, skills and competency (MoEST, 2019). The model proposed by Yakman (2008) also indicated that the ultimate teaching of STEAM education aims to develop lifelong holistic knowledge, skills and attitude for students, which our basic level curriculum (grades1-3) named integrated curriculum.
In the Nepalese context, Belbase (2019) argued that STEAM education is a transformative curricular and pedagogical approach to teaching at the school level. The STEAM approach aims to provide 21st-century skills, including creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, self-direction, initiative, environmental and technological literacy and collaboration in teaching (Biffle III, 2016; Decoito & Myszkal, 2018). Both integrated and STEAM approaches are based on the theory of socio-constructivism, inquiry learning and context-based pedagogy (Upadhyay et al., 2021). In the context of Nepal, an integrated approach was applied in our surrounding (grades 1-3) subject in 2050BS, but there was lacking the integratied pedagogical as well as evaluation (assessment) practice as said UNICEF (2017), so it was not implemented for a long time.
National curriculum framework 2007BS attempted to reflect STEAM education at the primary level from Grade one to three by integrating language, mathematics, creative arts, social studies, and local need-based education to some extent, although it has not labelled it as STEM or STEAM education in Nepal (Belbase, 2019). However, it has also not been fully implemented in the Nepalese context of education in the absence of teaching-learning facilities in the schools ( Dahal, 2018). NCF, 2076BS has recommended the application of integrated knowledge at the basic level and the curriculum of the basic level (grade 1-3) is completely prepared to integrate both contents, learning competencies, learning pedagogies and assessment systems to make the learning more life-related, cultural-oriented, eastern knowledge-based and interest-based. For that, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary integration can be seen in the present curriculum design. Interdisciplinary integration is seen in “our surrounding” subjects. In which science, social, physical, health, creative arts and environment-related subject matter are integrated. Under the multidisciplinary, Math, Our surrounding, Nepali and English subjects are integrated based on the prescribed 19 themes, and learning competencies and outcomes are determined based on the effective pedagogical practice, which can be called the STEAM approach.
Education as the Means of Transformation of Knowledge
In the Nepalese context, community knowledge is only applied at the policy level. As mentioned earlier, the National Education Framework somehow tried to value it, and an integrated curriculum is developed in basic levels 1-3 based on limited learning themes (Ministry of Education Science and Technology, 2019). However, the implication part of the STEAM-based integrated curriculum is seen very poor. Many learning competencies are found related to Our Surroundings (previously called science), Nepali, Math and English common, but head teachers as well as teachers are not found oriented and got the opportunity to train how to implement them in the classroom practice. Our frequent school visit did not see the applicable knowledge in head teachers, the school management team and other teachers about how to implement STEAM-based integrated knowledge in classroom teaching by connecting the students' previous knowledge as said by (King, 2022). There is a lack of professional and pedagogical training for applying the newly revised curriculum for both headteachers and teachers. It has been seen that no one has got the opportunity to be trained about the newly revised STEAM-based integrated curriculum. I observed the same scenario in basic-level (grade 1-3) teaching. The teaching-learning of the revised integrated curriculum is prepared based on the formative assessment prescribed as in the curriculum but its implication cannot be seen in school practices as it should be.
Role of Head/ Teachers for Application of Integrated and Transformative Curriculum
In Nepal, Head teachers can play a crucial role in the implication and knowledge transformation process. The curriculum should be prepared based on the transformative and social action approach rather than the contributive and adaptive approach (Banks, 2016; Mensah et al., 2018). It should be implied in classroom teaching effectively for personal and social transformation. For that, teachers and head teachers should be creative in applying the newly revised present curriculum. However, because of the gap in the proper instruction, pedagogical and self-esteem knowledge, most head teachers show reluctance to implement it. This is proved by the headteachers who participated in a one-day workshop conducted by Gorkha Municipality. No head teacher understands about the Integrated STEAM approach. Most of them show ignorance about the implication of the newly prescribed curriculum. Whenever head teachers do not try to understand the integrated/ multidisciplinary approach of the revised curriculum, the effective implication of the prescribed curriculum could be paralysed. From the above literature review, we found that the STEAM approach is based on the integrated curriculum. However, its implication part in the school education system of Nepal seems poor. So in this study, we want to explore the school head teachers' perceptions and practices of its implication in the school context for transformative learning.
Theoretical Review
Under the theoretical review, transformative learning theory was applied to this study.
Transformative Learning Theory
Transformative learning theory was developed by Mezirow date? which is based on the change in the pedagogical practice of teachers as well as the learning culture of students. Mazirow date? focused on the indigenous community's views, experiences, beliefs and perspectives (Bullen & Roberts, 2019) in learning and accepting their activities which support achieving the bookish knowledge/ prescribed curricular contents.
Levitt (2008) viewed transformative pedagogy as the cultural empowerment and the process of educational reform where students, head teachers, teachers, parents, and scholars can play as free agents of social change through critical inquiry, dialogue and debate for the emancipation of students. Not only that, transformative pedagogy encourages students to examine their assumptions critically, grapple with social issues, and engage in social action as reflective thinkers (Meyers, 2008). For active participation of students in learning activities that supported transformative pedagogy. Furthermore, transformative pedagogy also supports the development of problem-solving capacity, discussion abilities, role-playing, project work, experimental work and engagement of the students in humanistic learning rather than the mere act of teaching how to read and write (Santos, 2009).
In transformative learning, students feel free in classroom learning and teachers engage all students equally in the classroom discourses, listen to the marginalized students' voices, and create explorative learning connecting sociocultural knowledge, skills and practices during classroom teaching. So transformative pedagogy can act like a reformative paradigm enabling students from non-dominant groups to get their voice and empowering them through interdisciplinary activities and knowledge (Held, 2019; Meyers, 2008; O'Sullivan et al., 2016). (Held, 2019) also views transformative learning as the dialectical epistemology of knowledge construction of community students from their culture. The STEAM-based integrated curriculum could play a crucial role in transforming the learners' knowledge, skills and competencies as well as teachers and school administrators; however, the lack of adequate practice of integrated curriculum in the present context could not support the transformation of learners.