ERIC Number: ED585271
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 4
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Impact of an Integrated Pre-K STEM Curriculum on Teachers' Engineering Content Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, and Teaching Practices
Sibuma, Bernadette; Wunnava, Susmitha; John, Melissa-Sue; Anggoro, Florencia; Dubosarsky, Mia
Grantee Submission, Paper presented at the IEEE Integrated STEM Education Conference (ISEC) (2018)
This paper reports a pilot study to determine the potential impact of an integrated STEM curriculum on Pre-K teachers' engineering content knowledge, self-efficacy and teaching practice. Using a randomized control trial design, researchers examined the impact of the curriculum in 17 Pre-K classrooms (8 intervention classrooms, 9 control classrooms) in central Massachusetts. Questionnaires measuring STEM and engineering content knowledge, self-efficacy and teaching practice were administered to participating Pre-K teachers (N = 42; 21 intervention, 21 control) in Fall 2017 and again in Spring 2018. Baseline analysis showed no significant differences in engineering and STEM content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, or teaching self-efficacy at the start of the pilot study between intervention and comparison classroom teachers. Fidelity of implementation was measured using an observation instrument developed by the project team based on a published implementation science framework. We hypothesized that teachers who implement the integrated STEM curriculum will have significantly higher engineering pedagogical content knowledge and self-efficacy than teachers in the comparison group. As well the teachers who implement the integrated STEM curriculum will show significant gains in their engineering pedagogical content knowledge and self-efficacy in teaching engineering and STEM as a result of their participation. [This paper was published in: "2018 IEEE Integrated STEM Conference (ISEC)" p234-237. ISBN 978-1-5386-3309-0. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.]
Descriptors: STEM Education, Preschool Teachers, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Self Efficacy, Teaching Methods, Randomized Controlled Trials, Curriculum, Control Groups, Experimental Groups, Knowledge Level, Hypothesis Testing, Comparative Analysis, Teacher Surveys, Program Implementation, Regression (Statistics)
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Research
Education Level: Preschool Education; Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Massachusetts
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305A150571
Author Affiliations: N/A