Exploring the Impact of a STEM Integration Teacher Professional Development Program on Secondary Science and Mathematics Teachers' Perceptions of Engineering and Their Attitude toward Engineering Integrated Teaching

Abstract

This study explores the impact of a STEM integration teacher professional development program focusing on teachers' perception of engineering and their attitudes toward integrating engineering into teaching. A total of sixty-eight teachers from ten schools participated in the program for five days. Data are collected from three main sources including (1) pre and post concept maps probing teachers' perceptions about the engineering discipline, (2) a pre and post survey measuring teachers' self-efficacy of teaching science/mathematics within the engineering context, and (3) engineering integrated science and (or) mathematics lesson plans and teaching reflections. This study utilizes both qualitative and quantitative research methods depending on the data we have collected. The results show that both science and math teachers thought that integrating engineering into teaching provided valuable outcomes, i.e., promoting students' learning about engineering and improving their interest in science or math through real-world problem solving exercises. Participants also felt more comfortable about integrating engineering in their teaching after the program. The results also imply that the teachers' understandings of engineering become more concrete after the program. This study also provides an overview of the challenges and advantages of teaching engineering in K-12 science and mathematics classrooms.

Professional Development for Science Teachers on Integrating STEM: A Case Study

“…Particularly strong themes that arose were those specifically associated with planning and implementing STEM learning activities for K-12 students as a result of the PD. These results are in agreement with the literature which reports that through quality PD, teachers' self-efficacy and dispositions towards STEM positively increase (Nugent et al, 2010;Nadelson et al, 2013;Wang & Nam, 2015). We can connect the quality of the PD back to Vygotsky's constructivism processes and Bandura's social learning theory as participants experienced the authentic STEM instruction through the modeling of the STEM teaching and through social interaction with their peers on the various challenges presented.…”

“…Teachers self-efficacy related to STEM teaching, in particular of engineering principles and processes, affect their pedagogical approaches to teaching engineering, thus the importance of this type of PD for teachers (Wang & Nam, 2015). Wang and Nam (2015) revealed that teachers' understanding of engineering and implementation strategies was more concrete with a heightened sense of self-efficacy after engagement in PD.…”

“…Teachers self-efficacy related to STEM teaching, in particular of engineering principles and processes, affect their pedagogical approaches to teaching engineering, thus the importance of this type of PD for teachers (Wang & Nam, 2015). Wang and Nam (2015) revealed that teachers' understanding of engineering and implementation strategies was more concrete with a heightened sense of self-efficacy after engagement in PD. This phenomenon heightens the importance of the role teachers play as change agents and the impact that their efficacy towards teaching principles of engineering education has on K-12 students' STEM learning (Tran, Nathan, Prevost, Phelps, & Atwood, 2011).…”

“…The term engineering education can be intimidating to many teachers who feel unprepared to teach the newest STEM concepts represented in the NGSS standards (Goffin & Clegg, 2014;Duncan, Diefes-Dux, & Gentry, 2011). Wang and Nam (2015) found in their study regarding the effect of providing PD on integrating engineering into teaching that teachers' unpreparedness to teach engineering education often negatively impacts their self-efficacy towards STEM teaching, which in turn can negatively influence their students. Nugent, Kunz, Rilett and Jones (2010) report that through PD, teachers' self-efficacy towards STEM teaching positively increased.…”

Academic Collaborative Efforts to Promote STEM Equity in High Needs Schools

“…The engineering piece however is what teachers struggle with the most when implementing STEM into their curriculum (Wang & Nam, 2015). Previously, engineering education was not part of preservice teacher training at any level, however, now that it is part of the NGSS framework, it has become more commonplace, but much work still needs to be done.…”