Exploring the Advantages of Rural Spaces for Teaching and Learning STEM: A Scoping Review of Research Exploring How Rural Social Spaces Enable STEM Education Practices

Overview & Synopsis

The rural STEM education narrative is dominated by deficit views--rural students underparticipate and underperform in STEM compared to metropolitan students, and rural schools struggle to staff and resource STEM classes. Despite these challenges, research is emerging that suggests rural spaces can be rich sites for learning STEM and arguably have potential advantages in STEM education compared to metropolitan sites. This scoping review identified peer-reviewed research articles reporting on how rural social spaces enabled STEM education practices. Analysis of the characteristics of this body of research shows a bias towards science education, and a stronger focus on impact on student engagement compared to achievement. We share how the elements of rural social space (geography, economy, and demography) were described as enabling STEM education for rural students, either through direct interaction with these elements or through using these familiar contexts to enhance classroom learning. The body of literature also provides insights into who should drive effective STEM education in rural areas, and even into how effective STEM education should be conceived. This review highlights future opportunities to adopt an advantages driven approach to rural STEM education.