Non-STEM-trained employees' creativity in using STEM knowledge or skills
Abstract
[EMBARGOED UNTIL 8/1/2024] While there are many studies on STEM-trained people's creativity with STEM/non-STEM knowledge and skills in the workplace, few have focused on non-STEM people's creativity using STEM knowledge and skills. According to US labor statistics, non-STEM jobs outnumber STEM jobs, and non-STEM employees in non-STEM occupations are facing increasing tasks requiring STEM knowledge and skills. Creatively completing these tasks with STEM knowledge and skills can lead to better promotions or higher incomes. Thus, understanding how non-STEM-trained employees in non-STEM occupations use STEM knowledge and skills creatively is significant. In this phenomenological study, I interviewed 15 non-STEM employees from different non-STEM occupations to learn how they value creativity and STEM knowledge and skills and how they perceive the relationship between creativity and STEM knowledge and skills. I also conducted task-based observations with six additional non-STEM employees to understand how they use STEM knowledge and skills. Our findings reveal that non-STEM employees consider math, statistics, computer programming, data analysis, data visualization, and troubleshooting as crucial STEM knowledge and skills. They value STEM knowledge and skills more than creativity. While they claim to value creativity, they use it less in work tasks. They use creativity at a lower level by adapting or borrowing from existing ideas rather than at a higher level by synthesizing existing ideas or generating brand-new ideas. These findings have important implications for learning or training design for professional development programs. By understanding how non-STEM-trained employees perceive creativity and STEM knowledge and skills and how they use their creativity to apply STEM knowledge and skills in work tasks, professional development programs can be designed to enhance STEM skills, foster creativity, and better integrate technology. Additionally, the study provides a new perspective on learning how creativity and STEM knowledge and skills shape non-STEM people's minds and help them succeed in their careers.
Degree
Ph. D.