Society 5.0‘s impact on STEM help-seeking: unpacking teacher-student interactions

Teacher-student interactions (TSIs), help-seeking behaviours (HSBs), Society 5.0, and STEM education are interconnected and vital for shaping the future of education. TSIs foster a supportive learning environment, while STEM education equips students with the necessary skills for the technologically advanced era. We aimed to explore the quality and nature of TSIs and HSBs in STEM education in the context of the principles of Society 5.0 in Pakistan. Following constructivist philosophy, the qualitative method was deployed in the current study. The research design of the present study was phenomenology. The study’s sample comprised teachers and students (5, 5) selected from four provinces (Punjab, Sindh, KPK, and Baluchistan) and a federal area (Islamabad) using the purposive sampling technique. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview guide, which was analysed using the thematic data analysis technique. To ensure credibility, trustworthiness, and dependability of the results. We triangulated data, which helped to identify similarities and differences between teachers and students, providing a more robust understanding of the research findings. We found that teachers and students equally emphasize the importance of quality TSIs and HSBs in STEM classes for edging towards Society 5.0. We found some potential challenges to developing healthy interactions in STEM classrooms. The study had several social, practical, and research implications.