AN ANALYSIS OF STEM INTERDISCIPLINARY TALENT CULTIVATION IN TAIWAN’S HIGHER EDUCATION: A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Author: Yi-Huang Shih

ABSTRACT

This article examines the cultivation of interdisciplinary STEM talent in Taiwan’s higher education through a sociological lens. From a social-structural perspective, STEM education functions not only as a driver of innovation and economic development but also as a critical site for the reproduction of power relations. Ensuring equitable development of interdisciplinary talent therefore requires educational policies and institutional arrangements to confront the underlying mechanisms of social reproduction—including disparities rooted in gender, class, and cultural capital. By addressing these structural inequities, higher education institutions can create conditions in which students from diverse social backgrounds have equitable opportunities to participate, succeed, and flourish.

Keywords: critical thinking, interdisciplinary education, knowledge economy, STEM, higher education

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