STEM and Migrant Students—On Becoming a New Zealander

Abstract This article reports on a small research project which explored the role that STEM education can play in the process of migrant students endeavouring to find a place in New Zealand society. An innovative methodology was used, drawing on data collected from stimulated-recall focus groups after students engaged with learning activities, which were situated within their current learning context. In total, 16 migrant students from Year 11, 12, and 13 years took part in this study. Data were analysed thematically, and this process showed that STEM educational experiences are relatively unimportant for these migrant students who were more concerned with a pragmatic approach that sought to find the most lucrative or appropriate career choice to have a prosperous life in New Zealand. Important issues were raised about the interplay between stereotypical views of STEM and New Zealand, and the contextualised, sophisticated understandings students also carried from their own lived experiences. The study also raised important questions about how schools might acknowledge and learn from the rich, linguistic, cultural knowledge and life experiences of migrant students which may be being obscured by a focus on their competencies in English and perceived need to integrate into New Zealand society. Lastly, the study showed that the methodology was partially successful but relies on teachers and schools having the capacity to carefully collaborate and plan with researchers. Indeed, time pressures on teachers is a very significant challenge to possibilities for empirical research in schools in general.