Valuing in STEM education: Investigating Macau secondary students valuing in mathematics learning

Values are of paramount importance in our society and strengthening values in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (stem) education has the potential to weave an interactive pattern between stem and various societal structures so that these are continuously and critically examined. It could be argued that what students value in their mathematics learning steer their decisions and actions throughout the learning process. In this context, the ‘What I Find Important’ (WIFI) Study was designed to identify what students value in mathematics learning. Survey data collected from 612 Grade 8 students were analysed by means of Principal Components Analysis (PCA), showing that Macau students value achievement; relevance; practice; technology; communication and development. In this chapter we analyse and interpret these values in the cultural context of Macau. Differences between Macau students and their peers in the other three greater China regions (i.e., The Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, and Taiwan) are also discussed.