Rural High School Students’ Interest and Perception Towards STEM Education

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education is pivotal for equipping students with skills for 21st-century industries, yet its effective implementation faces challenges such as resource limitations and varying student engagement. Understanding student perspectives is crucial for enhancing STEM initiatives. This study investigated rural high school students' perceptions towards STEM education and examined the relationship between these perceptions and their interest in STEM fields. A quantitative correlational research design was employed, with data collected from 47 rural high school students in Malaysia using a structured questionnaire assessing STEM interest and perceptions on a 5-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics revealed generally positive student perceptions, particularly regarding the enjoyable nature of STEM (M = 4.40), the effectiveness of group discussions (M = 4.23) and group activities (M = 4.28), comprehensible teacher instruction (M = 4.19), and the relevance of STEM to daily experiences (M = 4.19) and technology/engineering concepts (M = 4.17). Pearson correlation analysis indicated a statistically significant moderate positive relationship (r = 0.575, p < 0.001) between students' interest in STEM and their perceptions of STEM education. These findings highlight the interdependence of interest and perception, suggesting that fostering positive, engaging, and relevant STEM learning experiences is key to cultivating sustained student interest and participation in STEM.