ERIC Number: EJ1251569
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2196-7822
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Increasing High School Teachers Self-Efficacy for Integrated STEM Instruction through a Collaborative Community of Practice
Kelley, Todd R.; Knowles, J. Geoffery; Holland, Jeffrey D.; Han, Jung
International Journal of STEM Education, v7 Article 14 2020
Background: Teachers can have a significant impact on student interest and learning in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects and careers. Teacher self-efficacy can also significantly affect student learning. Researchers investigated the effects of teacher professional development and integrated STEM curriculum development on teacher self-efficacy. Participants in the study included high school science and engineering technology teachers enrolled in a National Science Foundation-ITEST project called Teachers and Researchers Advancing Integrated Lessons in STEM (TRAILS). The TRAILS program sought to prepare teachers to integrate STEM content using engineering design, biomimicry, science inquiry, and 3D printing as pedagogical approaches. Teachers learned within a community of practice working alongside industry partners and college faculty. The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of the 70 h of professional development to train three cohorts of teachers over 3 years on teacher self-efficacy. The research design utilized a quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group approach, including an experimental group and an untreated control group. Results: Measurements on beliefs about teacher self-efficacy were collected on pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest survey assessments. Researchers analyzed the T-STEM survey results for teaching self-efficacy using the Wilcoxson signed-rank test for detecting significant differences. Science teachers showed a significant increase in teacher self-efficacy comparing the pretest and delayed posttest scores after TRAILS professional development and STEM lesson implementation (p = 0.001, effect size = 0.95). Additionally, significant differences between groups (science experimental vs science control group teachers) using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test were detected from pretest to posttest (p = 0.033, effect size = 0.46), posttest to delayed posttest (p = 0.029, effect size = 0.47), and pretest to delayed posttest (p = 0.005, effect size = 0.64). There were no significant differences detected in the control group. Engineering technology teachers showed no significant differences between the pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest self-efficacy scores. Conclusions: The results indicate the science teachers' self-efficacy increased after professional development and after lesson implementation. Potential implications from this research suggest that the science teacher participants benefited greatly from learning within a community of practice, engaging in science practices, and using science knowledge to solve a real-world problem (engineering design).
Descriptors: STEM Education, Communities of Practice, Curriculum Development, Faculty Development, Self Efficacy, High School Teachers, Science Teachers, Program Descriptions, Engineering, Design, Inquiry, Computer Software, Computer Peripherals, School Business Relationship, College Faculty, Comparative Analysis, Pretests Posttests, Problem Solving, Program Effectiveness, Scientific Research, Scores, Teacher Attitudes, Lesson Plans, Teaching Methods
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: DRL1513248
Author Affiliations: N/A