Are There Compelling Reasons to Establish a Connection between STEM and STS Education?

T ilogía Ciencia Tecnología Sociedad | Vol. 17 – Núm. 35 | 2025 | e-ISSN 2145-7778 1 Re lec ion a icle A e The e Compelling Reasons o Es ablish a Connec ion be ween STEM and STS Educa ion?** ¿Exis en azones sus anciales pa a es ablece alguna elación en e la educación STEM y la educación CTS? An onio Ga cía-Ca mona1 How o e e ence Ga cía-Ca mona, A. (2025). A e The e Compelling Reasons o Es ablish a Connec ion be ween STEM and STS Educa ion? T ilogía Ciencia Tecnología Sociedad, 17(35), e3350. h ps://doi.o g/10.22430/21457778.3350 * This a icle is no pa o any unded esea ch p ojec . 1 Uni e sidad de Se illa, Se ille, Spain, ga cia-ca [email protected] Recei ed: Decembe 11, 2024 Accep ed: Ap il 3, 2025 Abs ac This a icle examines whe he he e a e compelling easons o es ablish a ela ionship be ween he STEM (Science, Technology, Enginee ing, and Ma hema ics) and STS (Science, Technology, and Socie y) educa ional mo emen s. To add ess his issue, he analysis ocuses on he o igins, objec i es, de ining cha ac e is ics, and speci ic class oom implemen a ions o each mo emen . The indings sugges ha linking STEM and STS educa ion is a signi ican challenge, as su icien and s ong a gumen s a e lacking o suppo such a connec ion. Each mo emen eme ged om a dis inc his o ical, sociopoli ical, and economic con ex and pu sues equally di e en educa ional app oaches and in en ions. The only commonali y iden i ied be ween he wo educa ional mo emen s is ha nei he has ye succeeded in implemen ing an au hen ic and e ec i e in eg a ed educa ion in he class oom, despi e wha hei espec i e ac onyms sugges . Howe e , his does no imply any subs an i e connec ion be ween STS and STEM educa ion; i is me ely coincidence. Keywo ds: in eg a ed educa ion, science educa ion, STEM educa ion, STS educa ion. A e The e Compelling Reasons o Es ablish a Connec ion be ween STEM and STS Educa ion? T ilogía Ciencia Tecnología Sociedad | Vol. 17 – Núm. 35 | 2025 | e-ISSN 2145-7778 2 When I i s hea d abou STEM, I hough , “Oh—i ’s he new and imp o ed Science, Technology and Socie y (STS)!” Bu no, Socie y did no seem o play a pa in he new equa ion. Jaimie P. Cloud (2016) INTRODUCTION In discussions a ound STEM (Science, Technology, Enginee ing, and Ma hema ics) educa ion, STS (Science, Technology, and Socie y) educa ion is o en b ough up. This is ei he because he la e is seen as a didac ic e e en o p ecu so o STEM educa ion (Domènech-Casal e al., 2019; McComas & Bu gin, 2020; Pe ales Palacios & Aguile a, 2020; Tupsai, 2021), o because bo h educa ional mo emen s hin a a cu icula in eg a ion o di e en a eas o knowledge (And ade & Teixei a, 2025; Co bí San ama ía e al., 2023; Ga cía-Ca mona, 2020; Lo enzo, 2020; Pe ales Palacios & Aguile a, 2020; Toma & Ga cía-Ca mona, 2021). Fo ins ance, a he IX Ibe o- Ame ican STS Semina (Viei a e al., 2024), a ound able was o ganized o discuss a possible ela ionship be ween he wo app oaches. Likewise, he Educa ion Sciences jou nal ecen ly eleased a special issue en i led C i ical Pe spec i es on he Epis emologies and P ac ices o STEM Educa ion, which included a call o a icles add essing, among o he hemes, he ela ionship be ween STS and STEM educa ion (Sko doulis, 2024). In e es ingly, howe e , none o he published a icles ackled his opic. In a ecen s udy, And ade and Teixei a (2025) conduc ed a compa a i e analysis o STS and STEM educa ion om he pe spec i e o his o ical-c i ical pedagogy. Thei indings sugges ha he STEM app oach does no in oduce signi ican inno a ions in science educa ion. Acco ding o Resumen En es e a ículo se analiza si exis en azones de peso pa a es ablece algún ipo de elación en e los mo imien os educa i os STEM (Science, Technology, Enginee ing and Ma hema ics) and CTS (Ciencia, Tecnología y Sociedad). Pa a abo da es a cues ión, se analizan los o ígenes, inalidades, asgos iden i a ios y conc eciones en p opues as educa i as aplicadas en el aula de cada uno de los mo imien os educa i os. A pa i del análisis ealizado, se concluye que elaciona la educación STEM y la educación CTS es un e o desa ian e, p incipalmen e debido a la al a de a gumen os su icien es y sólidos que espalden una conexión di ec a en e ambas pe spec i as. Cada mo imien o su gió en un con ex o his ó ico, sociopolí ico y económico dis in o, y cada uno iene en oques e in enciones educa i as igualmen e di e en es. El único encuen o en común pa a los dos mo imien os educa i os es que ninguno ha log ado implan a aún una educación in eg ada au én ica y e ec i a en el aula, a pesa de lo que sugie en sus espec i os ac ónimos. Sin emba go, es o no implica ninguna conexión en e la educación CTS y la educación STEM; solo es una coincidencia. Palab as cla e: educación in eg ada, enseñanza de las ciencias, educación STEM, educación CTS. An onio Ga cía-Ca mona T ilogía Ciencia Tecnología Sociedad | Vol. 17 – Núm. 35 | 2025 | e-ISSN 2145-7778 3 hei analysis, i s main dis inc ion om STS educa ion lies in i s p onounced neo echnicis ea u es, cha ac e ized by a conse a i e and apoli ical ision o educa ion clea ly associa ed wi h neolibe alism. A he same ime, he au ho s no ed ce ain commonali ies be ween he wo amewo ks, such as hei ad ocacy o in e disciplina y eaching, e o s o os e s uden s’ in e es in scien i ic and echnological issues—albei d i en by di e en in en ions—and aim o mo ing beyond adi ional eaching me hods. Howe e , assuming hese simila i ies be ween STS and STEM educa ion isks o e simpli ying he ma e . I may obscu e hei undamen al di e ences, as he e a e mul iple ways o depa om adi ional eaching, o p omo e in e disciplina y educa ion, and o cul i a e in e es in science. In a simila ein, Pe ales Palacios and Aguile a (2020) compa ed he STS and STEM educa ional mo emen s. Based on he p emise ha he wo a e compa able, hey concluded ha STEM educa ion can be ega ded as an e olu ion o STS educa ion— hough one wi h limi ed o iginali y and shaped by policies g ounded in compe i i eness. Fu he mo e, hey a gued ha STEM educa ion ep esen s a di e gen e olu iona y pa h om app oaches cen e ed on socio-scien i ic issues, which cons i u e ano he b anch om which STS educa ion would ha e de i ed. Al hough he a gumen s p esen ed by Pe ales Palacios and Aguile a (2020) and And ade and Teixei a (2025) a e ele an , he p esumed ela ionship appea s o me i u he explo a ion. Speci ically, i is wo h ques ioning whe he he assump ion ha STS and STEM educa ion a e compa able o connec ed in any way is ully jus i ied. To add ess his, he p esen s udy examines he o igins, de ining cha ac e is ics, and objec i es o bo h mo emen s, as well as ele an con ibu ions om he li e a u e. STS EDUCATION The STS mo emen eme ged in he Uni ed S a es and he Uni ed Kingdom in he la e 1960s and ea ly 1970s, as a esponse o a sociopoli ical, economic, and cul u al c isis ied o he apid scien i ic and echnological de elopmen o he ime (López Ce ezo & Ve dade o, 2003; Membiela Iglesia, 1997; Waks, 1989). Roo ed in he p inciples o en i onmen alism1 and he sociology o science (Aikenhead, 2005), he mo emen ’s p ima y aim is o p omo e a mo e humanized science cu iculum, one ha is closely linked o ele an social issues (Ace edo-Díaz, 1997; Ace edo Díaz e al., 2003; Bencze e al., 2020; Ped e i & Nazi , 2011, 2015; Yage & Tami , 1993), wi h echnological ad ancemen s playing a cen al ole. In his ega d, Waks (1989) s a es ha “STS educa ion aims o p omo e scien i ic and echnological li e acy in o de o empowe ci izen pa icipa ion in democ a ic decision-making and ac ion p ocesses o esol ing he p essing, echnologically domina ed p oblems o ou la e indus ial socie y” (p. 201). 1 Some au ho s add an “E” o he STS ac onym— o ming STSE— o emphasize en i onmen al issues wi hin his educa ional app oach. In his s udy, howe e , he e m STS is used, as en i onmen al conce ns ha e been in eg a ed in o he mo emen since i s incep ion (Aikenhead, 2005). A e The e Compelling Reasons o Es ablish a Connec ion be ween STEM and STS Educa ion? T ilogía Ciencia Tecnología Sociedad | Vol. 17 – Núm. 35 | 2025 | e-ISSN 2145-7778 4 As such, STS educa ion inco po a es a s ong social and c i ical componen , making i especially e ec i e in os e ing c i ical hinking skills and a sense o esponsibili y among s uden s (And ade & Teixei a, 2025; Fy e, 1987; Gue e o-Má quez & Ga cía-Ca mona, 2020; Ten ei o-Viei a & Viei a, 2020). Fu he mo e, i aligns wi h he educa ional philosophy o science o all, which p io i izes he de elopmen o basic scien i ic li e acy o all ci izens, as opposed o mo e eli is and p opaedeu ic models o science educa ion (Ace edo Díaz e al., 2003; Ma ín Go dillo, 2017; NSTA, 1990; Solbes & Vilches, 2005). STS Educa ion in P ac ice The ac onym STS e e s o an educa ional app oach ha in eg a es science and echnology con en wi hin a social backg ound. Howe e , he e is no single ision o how STS educa ion should be implemen ed (Ped e i & Nazi , 2011). In p ac ice, STS educa ion has basically ansla ed in o science eaching ha is con ex ualized wi hin socially ele an issues (Ál a ez-Tobón e al., 2021; Benne e al., 2003; Ga cía Ca mona, 2005, 2006, 2008; Lugo Blanco e al., 2022; Solbes & Vilches, 1997). Fo example, in a s udy on he e ec s o in eg a ing STS in e ac ions in o he eaching o physics and chemis y, Solbes and Vilches (1997) ound ha : The ea men o STS in e ac ions con ibu es o imp o ing he opinion o science, inc easing he s uden s’ in e es in he subjec and he s udy o physics and chemis y no only because o i s mo i a ing cha ac e , bu also, and abo e all, because i helps p omo e a mo e con ex ualized image o hese disciplines. (p. 385) Simila ly, in a class oom-based esea ch wi h seconda y-le el physics and chemis y s uden s, whe e a mosphe ic pollu ion was examined om an STS pe spec i e, Ga cía Ca mona (2005) concluded ha expe iences in which science is con ex ualized wi hin social eali ies enhance s uden s’ in e es in i s s udy, he eby con ibu ing posi i ely o hei scien i ic li e acy (p. 12). Technology, o i s pa , is equen ly absen om he mos common STS-based educa ional p oposals. One eason o his is ha science eache s do no o en eel su icien ly p epa ed o in oduce i alongside science in o hei classes (Ga cía-Ca mona, 2021). This conce n was al eady no ed o e wo decades ago by Aikenhead (2003) in his e iew o he implemen a ion o STS educa ion. Acco ding o him, “mos educa o s who had been socialized in o academic science we e no com o able wi h he inclusion o echnology in STS ( he science-and-socie y c owd, mysel included)” (p. 5). Mo eo e , echnology is mis akenly assumed o be “applied science” (Bunge, 2016) and he e o e subsumed unde he scien i ic domain (Lay on, 1988). As a esul , many app oaches de eloped unde he STS amewo k a e now ca ego ized as “socio-scien i ic issues,” pa ly due o he nea - comple e omission o he “T” ep esen ing echnology2. In e es ing discussions con as ing STS 2 Clea ly, he e e ence he e is o echnology as an academic discipline, a he han me ely as a esou ce o ool—an in e p e a ion ha , un o una ely, emains p e alen in he ield o educa ion. An onio Ga cía-Ca mona T ilogía Ciencia Tecnología Sociedad | Vol. 17 – Núm. 35 | 2025 | e-ISSN 2145-7778 5 educa ion wi h educa ion based on socio-scien i ic issues can be ound, o ins ance, in he wo ks by Ma ínez Pé ez and Pa ga Lozano (2013), Solbes (2019), and Zeidle e al. (2005). Gi en his con ex , i is di icul o main ain ha STS educa ion is eally a cu iculum in eg a ion app oach. Al hough some in e es ing heo e ical con ibu ions ha e add essed he ela ionship be ween science and echnology wi hin he STS amewo k (e.g., Ace edo Díaz, 2006; Aikenhead & Ryan, 1992), hese ha e ha dly ansla ed in o conc e e eaching p oposals. Wha empi ical esea ch does indica e, in ela ion o he e ec i eness o STS educa ion, is ha i a o s he de elopmen o (i) scien i ic knowledge and skills in he con ex o eal-wo ld p oblems, (ii) c i ical hinking skills, (iii) a mo e in o med unde s anding o he na u e o science, and (i ) mo e posi i e a i udes owa d science (Acu & An onio, 2023; Yage , 2007). In o he wo ds, he ou comes achie ed h ough STS educa ion a e amed in e ms o lea ning o , abou , and om science. Some s udies, ne e heless, also e eal ha science eache s a e o en insu icien ly p epa ed o implemen STS app oaches in hei class ooms (Mansou , 2007). Fu he mo e, in many cases, he adop ion o STS amewo ks emains supe icial and lacks a c i ical examina ion o he social implica ions o scien i ic and echnological de elopmen (S iede e al., 2017). Despi e he g ea suppo ha STS educa ion has ecei ed om he science educa ion esea ch communi y o e he pas decades, i s each and impac in he class oom a e s ill limi ed (Re e e e al., 2023). Iden i y Fea u es o he STS Cons uc and I s Componen s Since i s incep ion, he STS mo emen has in eg a ed aspec s ha oday a e claimed o a holis ic unde s anding o he na u e o science (Ace edo-Díaz & Ga cía-Ca mona, 2016; Ped e i & Nazi , 2011), as well as o dis inguishing i om he na u e o echnology (Ace edo-Díaz, 1998, 2006). Thus, he epis emological, on ological, and sociological cha ac e is ics o he ela ionships (and di e ences) be ween science and echnology a e well de ined wi hin his educa ional amewo k (Ace edo-Díaz & Ga cía-Ca mona, 2016; Aikenhead & Ryan, 1992). Simila ly, in his con ex , enginee ing is conside ed a pa o echnology, wi h he la e unde s ood as a b oade ield o knowledge (Ga cía-Ca mona, 2023). Acco ding o Ace edo Díaz (1995), he e a e basically wo di e en ways o unde s anding echnology. The mos common—and, a he same ime, he mos concep ually es ic ed—is he one based only on he mo e enginee ing aspec s, i.e., he capabili ies and skills equi ed o pe o m p oduc i e asks and he a i ac s ha esul . A b oade in e p e a ion o echnology, one ha places i wi hin i s social con ex , also akes in o accoun he socio echnological issues de i ed om i s o ganiza ional and cul u al dimensions. Acco dingly, enginee ing is assumed o be he b anch o echnology conce ned wi h he design and p oduc ion o machines, de ices, and applica ions (Ga cía-Ca mona, 2023). Mo eo e , STS s udies ha e deal wi h hose scena ios in which science and echnology con e ge, mu ually in luencing one ano he and blu ing he bounda ies be ween hem. This phenomenon has been concep ualized wi h he e m echnoscience (Channell, 2017; Eche e ía, 2005; Tala, 2013), which A e The e Compelling Reasons o Es ablish a Connec ion be ween STEM and STS Educa ion? T ilogía Ciencia Tecnología Sociedad | Vol. 17 – Núm. 35 | 2025 | e-ISSN 2145-7778 6 e e s o a hyb idiza ion be ween science and echnology—wi hou annulling he iden i ies o each— whe e he e hical, poli ical, social, and en i onmen al p oblems associa ed wi h hei de elopmen a e ecognized (Cas año Tama a, 2013). STEM EDUCATION The ac onym STEM was coined in he Uni ed S a es du ing he 1990s as pa o a poli ical s a egy aimed a enhancing he ele ance o he disciplines included in he e m wi hin he con ex o educa ion. Such s a egy a ose om he coun y’s conce n o main ain i s capi alis hegemony in he ace o he g owing scien i ic and echnological de elopmen o o he wo ld powe s (And ade & Teixei a, 2025; Blackley & Howell, 2015; Ga cía-Ca mona, 2020; Pe ales Palacios & Aguile a, 2020). Consequen ly, STEM soon became an educa ional mo emen (Sande s, 2009; Bybee, 2010) wi h huge p opaganda and clea neolibe al conno a ions (Ca e , 2017; Delahun y, 2024; Toma & Ga cía-Ca mona, 2021). Unsu p isingly, one o he main jus i ica ions o p omo ing his mo emen is o p epa e s uden s o he labo ma ke , which demands mo e and be e p o essionals in STEM ields (And ade & Teixei a, 2025; Blackley & Howell, 2015; Ejiwale, 2013; He o & Quigley, 2017). Thus, he co e o STEM educa ion is o en in s ong ension wi h he pu ely li e acy- ocused objec i es ha school science should pu sue (Zeidle e al., 2016), as ad oca ed by STS educa ion. Fu he mo e, he STEM app oach equen ly igno es he social issues associa ed wi h science (Ga cía-Ca mona, 2020; McComas & Bu gin, 2020; Pe ales Palacios & Aguile a, 2020; Zeidle , 2020), he eby placing i in opposi ion o STS educa ion. In his ega d, Bencze e al. (2020) a gue he ollowing when compa ing STEM educa ion wi h STS educa ion and wi h educa ion based on socio-scien i ic issues: Fo complex and somewha unce ain easons, many STEM […] educa ion ini ia i es […] end o s ongly p io i ize eaching/lea ning o co e knowledge and skills in hese disciplines […], signi ican ly comp omising s uden s’ educa ion abou la ge con ex s in ol ing poli ics, economics, cul u al s udies, e c. (p. 845) Indeed, he e ha e been some a emp s o iew STEM educa ion as an oppo uni y o add ess s uc u al and social inequali ies in schools (Basham e al. 2010; Mo ales-Doyle & Gu s ein, 2019; Vakil & Aye s, 2019). Simila ly, ce ain app oaches ad oca e o a STEM educa ion ha inco po a es humanis ic alues (Bush e al., 2024; Co bí San ama ía e al., 2023; O iz-Re illa e al., 2020) o p omo es p inciples o equi y and sus ainabili y (Couso, 2017), gi en ha hese alues a e no in insic o he mo emen ’s o iginal concep ualiza ion. Ne e heless, his endea o p o es pa icula ly challenging because i con lic s wi h he neolibe al pe spec i e inhe en in STEM educa ion (Ca e , 2017; Chen & Buell, 2018; Johnson & Cze niak, 2023), which is p ima ily cha ac e ized by a ocus on compe i i eness. An onio Ga cía-Ca mona T ilogía Ciencia Tecnología Sociedad | Vol. 17 – Núm. 35 | 2025 | e-ISSN 2145-7778 7 Some au ho s such as F eeman e al. (2015) sugges ha i is possible o STEM educa ion o p omo e basic scien i ic li e acy o all while also ying o o m an eli e o STEM s uden s. Howe e , econciling hese wo goals is ce ainly di icul , as he o ma ion o such an eli e la gely equi es a p opaedeu ic educa ion, which ends o p io i ize he mos con en ional (i.e., alue- ee and decon ex ualized) con en o p epa e s uden s o success in subsequen highe educa ion s udies (Fu ió e al., 2001; Bane , 2007; Vázquez-Alonso e al., 2005). In doing so, no only is a key dimension o scien i ic li e acy—namely, he abili y o c i ically assess he social implica ions o scien i ic and echnological de elopmen (Hodson, 2003)—neglec ed, bu many s uden s would also be le behind (Ace edo-Díaz, 2004; Vázquez Alonso & Manasse o Mas, 2009). In o he wo ds, his eli e o STEM s uden s would clea ly be a small mino i y, as e lec ed in he la es PISA esul s o science and ma hema ics skills (O ganiza ion o Economic Co-ope a ion and De elopmen , 2023). STEM Educa ion in P ac ice The STEM app oach is no uni ocal, and mul iple p oposals can be ound in he li e a u e. Mos o hem, howe e , coincide in p omo ing eaching p ac ices ha in eg a e a leas wo o he disciplines in he ac onym (Toma & Ga cía-Ca mona, 2021). The p edominan model is he one ha in eg a es science and enginee ing (McLu e e al., 2022), while ma hema ics and echnology a e o en educed o “ ools” o “ esou ces” o lea ning in hese a eas (Ga cía-Ca mona, 2020; Po illo-Blanco e al., 2024). Fu he mo e, he mos commonly employed s a egy o implemen ing STEM educa ion in he class oom is p ojec -based lea ning (Domènech-Casal e al., 2019; He o & Quigley, 2017; Johnson & Cze niak, 2023; To as Galán e al., 2021). To da e, nume ous s udies analyzing he easibili y and e ec i eness o in eg a ed educa ion wi hin he STEM amewo k ha e yielded inconclusi e esul s (Ga cía-Ca mona e al., 2025; Ma go & Ke le , 2019; Ma ín-Páez e al., 2019; Whi e & Delaney, 2021). This can be a ibu ed o se e al ac o s: (1) science eache s being inadequa ely p epa ed o implemen STEM educa ion (Ejiwale, 2013; Ga cía-Ca mona, 2020; Ga cía-Ca mona & Toma, 2024; He o & Quigley, 2017; Johnson & Cze niak, 2023; Pulsawad e al., 2025), (2) he absence o uni e sally accep ed heo e ical amewo ks o STEM educa ion (Ma ín-Páez e al., 2019; Quílez, 2022; Toma & Ga cía- Ca mona, 2021), and (3) a lack o alida ed and p ac ical cu icula esou ces o inco po a ing au hen ic STEM educa ion in he class oom (Ga cía-Ca mona, 2020; Honey e al., 2014; Lupión- Cobos e al., 2023; Toma & Ga cía-Ca mona, 2021). As a esul , he in eg a ion o STEM disciplines o en appea s o ced, supe icial, o anecdo al (Cas año To es & Gue a Ramos, 2023; Toma & Ga cía-Ca mona, 2021). Iden i y Fea u es o he STEM Cons uc and I s Componen s As p e iously indica ed, wi hin he STS amewo k, he epis emological and on ological ela ionships be ween science and echnology a e easonably well de ined, including hei hyb idiza ion unde he cons uc o echnoscience. In con as , less p og ess has been made in he ield o STEM. A e The e Compelling Reasons o Es ablish a Connec ion be ween STEM and STS Educa ion? T ilogía Ciencia Tecnología Sociedad | Vol. 17 – Núm. 35 | 2025 | e-ISSN 2145-7778 8 STEM is o en desc ibed as a me adiscipline (Kennedy & Odell, 2023; Mo ison, 2006), ha is, a discipline o disciplines. A he same ime, i is equen ly assumed o be a ansdiscipline (Colakoglu, 2018; Flogie & Abe šek, 2015; Holb ook e al., 2020), implying ha i anscends he sum o he indi idual disciplines wi hin he ac onym. Howe e , unlike echnoscience in he STS amewo k— whose concep ual bounda ies a e ela i ely well es ablished—i emains unclea whe he STEM is a me a- o ansdiscipline (Ake son e al., 2018; E du an, 2020; Pe e s-Bu on, 2014). In an a emp o un a el he na u e o STEM, expe s in he didac ics o he espec i e disciplines concluded, based on a join analysis, ha : Once we had some idea abou he na u es o he indi idual disciplines, we deba ed and ied o de ine a na u e o STEM ha would combine hese disciplines. A e qui e a bi o hough and deba e we said as a g oup, “The e is no STEM—i is no hing!” (Ake son e al., 2018, p. 5) Rega ding how he di e en disciplines a e concep ualized and in e ela ed wi hin he STEM amewo k, no able di e ences eme ge when compa ed o he STS app oach. STEM in eg a es closely ela ed disciplines, such as enginee ing and echnology, whose dis inc ions and ela ionships a e o en unclea (Ga cía-Ca mona, 2023). In addi ion, hese ela ionships a e usually de ined in ways ha di e om hose es ablished wi hin he STS amewo k (Ace edo-Díaz, 1995). In he STEM con ex , some au ho s ega d echnology and enginee ing as i ually indis inguishable (Pa k e al., 2020). Fo o he s, echnology becomes supe luous once enginee ing is included (McComas & Bu gin, 2020), as echnology is o en educed o a me e “ ool” o “p oduc ” o enginee ing in STEM educa ion (Ellis e al., 2020; Ga cía-Ca mona, 2020). Fu he mo e, in e o s o a ibu e an on ological iden i y o enginee ing, ai s and p ac ices ha we e conside ed un il no so long ago cha ac e is ic o echnology ha e been asc ibed o enginee ing (Ga cía-Ca mona, 2023). Consequen ly, a dis o ed image o echnology ends o be p ojec ed in he STEM amewo k (Ace edo Díaz, 2006; Ga cía-Ca mona, 2023; Sande s, 2009). I is, he e o e, unde s andable ha u u e seconda y school echnology eache s, e en hose wi h an enginee ing backg ound, encoun e di icul ies when in eg a ing enginee ing p ac ices in o he design o STEM p oposals (O ega-To es, 2022). The same is ue when p ac icing science eache s a e asked abou he inco po a ion o enginee ing in o hei classes (Ga cía-Ca mona & Toma, 2024). Despi e his, some p oposals ha e been pu o wa d o de ine he na u e o STEM. Fo example, Quinn e al. (2020) conside ha he na u e o enginee ing would bes ep esen he na u e o STEM; especially design p ocesses (Halls öm & Ankiewicz, 2023). Con e sely, O iz-Re illa e al. (2020), inspi ed by he “ amily esemblance” amewo k used o concep ualizing he na u e o science (I zik & Nola, 2011), sugges ha he di e en a eas encompassed by he ac onym sha e ce ain ai s, much like he sciences do. Acco ding o his, he na u e o STEM would be gi en by hose ai s in which science, enginee ing, echnology, and ma hema ics ind a esemblance. An onio Ga cía-Ca mona T ilogía Ciencia Tecnología Sociedad | Vol. 17 – Núm. 35 | 2025 | e-ISSN 2145-7778 9 None o hese app oaches, ne e heless, has ye been consolida ed, no is he e any hin o consensus wi hin he STEM educa ion communi y. In his ega d, STEM educa ion emains a om achie ing wha has al eady been achie ed in his espec in STS educa ion (Ace edo Díaz, 2006; Aikenhead & Ryan, 1992), a leas a a heo e ical le el. As s a ed in a epo by he Eu opean science educa ion communi y, Scien ix, “a he le el o Eu opean coun ies, howe e , he e is no common unde s anding o wha STEM e e s o” (Eu opean Schoolne , 2018, p. 6). CONCLUDING REMARKS Based on all he poin s ou lined abo e, he e a e no compelling a gumen s o suppo he idea ha STEM educa ion is an e olu ion o STS educa ion, o , in o he wo ds, ha i is a “b anch” s emming om he STS app oach. No do he a gumen s a ailable demons a e a signi ican simila i y be ween he wo educa ional mo emen s. F om hei espec i e o igins, he p inciples and educa ional pu poses unde lying each mo emen a e qui e dis inc . In ac , he sociopoli ical and economic c ises ha ga e ise o each esul ed in e y di e en educa ional esponses: a neolibe al pe spec i e in he case o STEM educa ion e sus he socio-humanis ic app oach cha ac e izing STS educa ion. These di e gen pe spec i es a e also e lec ed in he heo e ical amewo ks and mos ep esen a i e educa ional p oposals o each mo emen . Al hough his analysis is no o sugges ha STS and STEM educa ion a e en i ely an agonis ic, i does emphasize ha hei philosophical and socio-educa ional ounda ions di e signi ican ly, making i di icul o es ablish meaning ul ela ionships be ween hem. The e o e, highligh ing supe icial commonali ies, such as he p omo ion o in eg a ed educa ion o a depa u e om adi ional eaching app oaches, o e simpli ies he issue and ul ima ely con ibu es o masking he p o ound di e ences be ween hem. Some p oposals in he li e a u e, ne e heless, ad oca e o inco po a ing STS educa ion’s inhe en quali ies and pu poses in o STEM educa ion. These include add essing social issues ela ed o scien i ic and echnological de elopmen , os e ing c i ical analysis, and p omo ing scien i ic li e acy o all. In his case, he mos app op ia e way o wa d may be o adop he STS amewo k di ec ly, as i has long p o ided nume ous e e ence p ojec s and cu icula ma e ials (Ace edo Rome o & Ace edo Díaz, 2002; Cas año Tama a, 2013; Ma ín Go dillo, 2017). Ye , he e appea s o be esis ance o dispensing wi h he “STEM” label in hese educa ional p oposals, which only ein o ces he idea ha STEM educa ion encompasses e e y hing, u he complica ing i s concep ualiza ion and making i inc easingly ambiguous and con using. In p ac ice, STS educa ion has ma e ialized in a socially con ex ualized app oach o science educa ion, wi h no a en ion o echnology and a s ong emphasis on he c i ical pe spec i e. 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