Since the beginning of the 21st century the concept of competence has been introduced as a new paradigm in several educational systems. It reflects the need of educational systems to respond to societal and economic changes, i.e. the transition from industrial- to information-based societies. In contrast to earlier ed-ucational goals that focused more on basic skills and knowledge expectations, competences are more functionally oriented. They involve the ability to solve complex problems in a particular context, e.g. in vocational or everyday situations. In science, technology, and mathematics education, the concept of competence is closely linked to the concept of literacy. Apart from these rather cognitive and af-fective perspectives influenced by the need to assess students’ achievement of de-sired learning goals in relation to their interest and motivation, the perspectives of the concept of Bildung as well as of the labour market influence today’s definition of educational goals. In order to address these perspectives, 21st century skills were defined that encompass skills believed to be critically important to success in today’s world like e.g., innovation and communication. Chapter 1 addresses these developments by describing the concept of competence, by explaining its rele-vance for science, technology, and mathematics education, and by examining fu-ture directions. The chapter concludes with some remarks regarding commonali-ties and differences between the three domains: science, technology, and mathematics.