Even though phenomena, observations or experiences that appear in our lives daily, are particularly important in STEM, historically they have been a missing component in science education, which frequently focused on general content knowledge. Concentrating primarily on content knowledge does not always give students the tools to apply knowledge to real-world situations. Initiating learning through the lens of a real-world phenomenon encourages students to build STEM knowledge. Rather than having a disconnected learning experience, with phenomenon-based learning, students are more equipped to make sense of the world around them, design solutions, and problems solve. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how STEM educators implement phenomenon-based learning and what techniques they use to increase STEM literacy in their classrooms. The participants in this study included STEM educators in an urban Middle Tennessee school district. Data sources included demographic surveys, interviews with each of the participants, and curricular artifacts. The research question that guided this study was "How are STEM educators implementing phenomenon-based learning?" Insight into the teachers' motivational, planning and implementation process was revealed. Several conclusions were drawn based on this study of teachers' reported use of phenomenon-based learning including: 1) teachers chose activities primarily based upon administrative support, the more resources, the more rigorous the activity; 2) teachers select activities that will gain attention and interest of their students based upon academy, hobbies, and culture; and 3) STEM literacy is promoted primarily with the use of journal articles while alternative options are available. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]