Why are we so obsessed with STEM?
Disclaimer:
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.
Humanities essentially encompasses everything else: History, linguistics, language, economics, religion, art, law, politics, civics, philosophy, ethics, human geography, fine arts, and so much more.
(For clarity’s sake, social sciences and the arts should be a separate category, but they will be considered under the blanket term of humanities as of right now).
Coming out of the Cold War in the 1990’s, the United States couldn’t afford weakness. As it watched the USSR crumble to democracy, it couldn’t show anything less than the strength it gained as a victor of the Cold War. Due to the late 20th century Cold War competitions: the Space Race and Nuclear Arms Race—competitions that required highly technical, mathematical, and scientific skills to excel in—many countries continued to emphasize STEM in education and job prospects coming into the 21st Century (Hallinen).
The United States in particular realized its apparent shortcomings in mathematics and science through internationally administered examinations such as TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) and PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) that tested fourth/eighth graders and fifteen-year-olds respectively (Baldi). The PISA 2006 had the USA ranked 21st out of the 30 countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development due to the large proportion of students who performed poorly in assessments of scientific competency (There are now 37 countries in the OECD). Additionally, reports from nonprofits such as the U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine emphasized that if the US continued on this path of low performance in STEM disciplines, their place on the global economic stage would be threatened (Rising above the Rising Storm). In an attempt to resolve this issue, President Obama even called for greater STEM education in 2009 (Hallinen).
While examples such as Isaac Newton, Leonardo Da Vinci, and even Pythagoras demonstrate that humanity has a rich history of blending STEM subjects with the humanities, the United States has been on a mission to separate these two disciplines as best it can since the Great Depression of 1929-39. Because of this collision course of division, a pressure to offer more STEM related opportunities still remains present at universities where “the number of STEM majors in bachelors-and-above programs [has grown] by 43%, [and] humanities [has] declined -0.4%” (Stenburg).
This demonstrated popularity is mainly the product of the belief that STEM contributes to innovative solutions to global problems and is thus profitable. Problematically, by devaluing the importance of a humanities-based education, many companies are less willing to pay lucrative salaries to students who are studying humanities subjects. This only furthers the narrative that STEM majors should be pursued because graduates prove to receive better economic opportunities in the workplace (Stenburg).
However, humanities subjects are wide and varied disciplines that allow their students to explore their ability to debate, explain, and understand the world around them. They allow for the context that many STEM disciplines disregard. For example, by studying history and economics, a person knows why the US has managed its domestic and foreign interests as it has instead of merely being a bystander to how the United States’ government functions. Additionally, by learning more about their own native languages, as well as exploring foreign ones, people are able to communicate and understand the world on a much deeper level than before. By studying fine arts, many Americans learn the value of commitment, expressing oneself, and creating a talent they can hone.
The consequence of losing the skills that come with studying the humanities is that Americans are now losing touch with their own country’s founding values. In 2023, the Annenberg Public Policy Center ran its Civics Knowledge Survey and found that 17% of Americans could not name all three branches of government, 10% could name two, and 7% could only name one. Problematically, only around 25% of US citizens could currently pass the citizenship test required of those who are on the path of becoming a naturalized citizen. Even more concerning, the same survey found that only 1 in 20 Americans could name all the five freedoms protected by the First Amendment (Maroni). The First Amendment protects a citizen’s freedom of speech, to practice their religion, freedom of press, freedom to assembly, and the right to petition the government to fix things a citizen may care for.
These large scale disparities of what many people assume to be common knowledge reveals the gaps in our educational system. Schools would rather prioritize student’s ability to solve equations with only one solution than allow them to develop their capability to thoughtfully discuss and create.
After all these statistics, surely America must now be one of the leading countries in STEM education if they’re not even focusing on its rich history.
The PISA would beg to differ.
While the United States has improved its scores in science (12/37), the US is still ranked in the bottom 10 countries for scores in math (Kennedy).
While we cannot blame our students for these low scores, it is possible to continue to blame the educational system. It’s found that a combination of the pandemic, teacher shortages, low school funding, and gender/racial disparity are contributing to a lack of STEM achievement from all parts of America. However, this fails to acknowledge that the educational system at least funds and supports STEM programs. Instead, fine arts programs such as art or band are regularly cut, literacy levels are to the level that high schoolers are at least a year behind in comprehension if not more, and history is considered one of more boring subjects in school (Rea). The United States is a country that says the pledge of allegiance to the flag every day, but has not empowered its citizens enough to understand what pledging allegiance really means.
Sources:
“The Future of American Education: It’s Not All about STEM.” Council on Foreign Relations, www.cfr.org/blog/future-american-education-its-not-all-about-stem.
Hallinen, Judith . “STEM | Description, Development, & Facts.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 13 Sept. 2022, www.britannica.com/topic/STEM-education.
Rea, Amy. “How Serious Is America’s Literacy Problem?” Library Journal, 29 Apr. 2020, www.libraryjournal.com/story/How-Serious-Is-Americas-Literacy-Problem.
Baldi, Stéphane, et al. Highlights from PISA 2006: Performance of U.S. 15-Year-Old Students in Science and Mathematics Literacy in an International Context PISA Program for International Student Assessment. 2007.
“Read “Rising above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future” at NAP.edu.” Nap.nationalacademies.org, nap.nationalacademies.org/read/11463/chapter/1#ii. Accessed 1 June 2024.
Maroni, Emily. “Many Don’t Know Key Facts about U.S. Constitution, Annenberg Civics Study Finds.” The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, 14 Sept. 2023, www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/many-dont-know-key-facts-about-u-s-constitution-annenberg-civics-study-finds/.
Stenberg, Mark. “A Battle Unjustified: STEM versus Humanities.” Study Breaks, 2 Dec. 2019, studybreaks.com/college/stem-vs-humanities/.
