publisher
Integrating well-being strategies into STEM education
- Source
- Frontiers in Education
- Published
- Last verified
- 9 Aug 2026
- Confidence
- Moderate
- Evidence
- Original document retained
- Reading time
- 1 min
- Country
- International
- Relevant to
- Research & Evidence, Strategy & Planning, Executive Leadership
Executive summary
What happened, and why should leadership care?
A study published in Frontiers in Education explores the integration of well-being strategies into STEM education, particularly in South Africa, to address student stress, engagement, and belonging. It highlights the high demands of STEM programs and the compounding challenges of historical inequalities, using Self-Determination Theory as a guiding framework.
Why this matters
Why is this strategically important?
Addressing student well-being in demanding educational fields like STEM is critical for talent development and maintaining a skilled workforce. This research underscores the need for educational institutions to strategically integrate support systems that foster psychological health, thereby enhancing student retention and overall academic outcomes.
Key insights
What should be noted from the evidence?
- Student well-being is a critical factor influencing academic engagement, persistence, and success in higher education.
- STEM programs inherently present high cognitive demands, intensive assessment, and practical requirements that can elevate student stress and diminish a sense of belonging.
- In South Africa, existing challenges in STEM education are exacerbated by historical inequalities and limited access to academic and psychosocial support.
- The study, guided by Self-Determination Theory, investigated embedding well-being strategies to support students' psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
- The research employed a qualitative, interpretivist design, conducting semi-structured interviews with 20 unnamed participants.
Evidence and confidence
How far can this assessment be trusted?
Moderate confidence. Provenance established; supporting evidence remains partial.
Analysis is prepared editorially by Aziz Shuaib Ausi. The original publication remains the authoritative record, and executive judgement remains entirely human.
Source
Where does this originate?
Reported by Frontiers in Education · International. This briefing summarises the publication for executive use; the document itself is not reproduced here.
Read the original publication