“We Believe in STEAM Education, but We Need Support”: In-Service Teachers’ Voices on the Realities of STEAM Implementation

The integration of STEAM education is widely recognized as a pathway to foster creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration, yet its implementation remains fragmented due to systemic and organizational barriers. This study examines educators’ perspectives on STEAM by focusing on three key questions: their attitudes toward STEAM, the challenges and needs they report, and how these vary by professional development experience, disciplinary background, and teaching experience. Drawing on a large-scale survey of in-service educators, the analysis shows that teachers hold strongly positive attitudes across dimensions of application, higher-order thinking, motivation, and collaboration. However, these attitudes are accompanied by substantial needs, particularly in curriculum guidance, instructional time, resource availability, and assessment frameworks. Professional development was found to strengthen educators’ enthusiasm but did not reduce broader systemic challenges, while disciplinary background and years of experience shaped specific needs and perceptions. The findings highlight that teacher motivation is a necessary but insufficient condition for meaningful STEAM implementation. Addressing the gap between vision and practice requires a multi-level approach that integrates competence-based professional development with structural reforms in curriculum, leadership, and institutional culture.