ERIC Number: EJ1129338
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Mar
Pages: 26
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0957 7572
EISSN: N/A
Assessing Changes in Teachers' Attitudes toward Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching
Al Salami, Mubarak K.; Makela, Carole J.; de Miranda, Michael A.
International Journal of Technology and Design Education, v27 n1 p63-88 Mar 2017
Integrating engineering and technology concepts into K-12 science and math curricula through engineering design project-based learning has been found to increase students' interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), however preparing teachers to shift to interdisciplinary teaching remains a significant challenge. Primarily teachers need to develop both skills and attitudes toward interdisciplinary teaching. In doing so, professional development (PD) is considered a key component in helping teachers through this transformation process. In an educational environment of accountability, measuring the effects of PD programs on teacher behaviors and capacity is essential but often elusive. The current study describes the change in attitudes to interdisciplinary teaching of 29 self-selected middle and high school teachers who participated a PD workshop and in delivering a 12-15 week interdisciplinary teaching and design problem unit that spanned multiple STEM subjects. This quasi-experimental pilot study implemented a single group pretest-posttest design using survey methods to collect data from the participants at two intervals; at the time of the PD workshop and at the completion of the teaching unit that emphasized a long-term engineering design problem. The goals of this research are to (1) assess the changes in attitudes to interdisciplinary teaching, attitudes to teamwork, teaching satisfaction, and resistance to change, (2) explore relationships among these changes, (3) and describe the variation in these changes across teachers' gender, school level, discipline taught, and education level.
Descriptors: STEM Education, Interdisciplinary Approach, Faculty Development, Teacher Attitudes, Attitude Change, Secondary School Teachers, Middle Schools, High Schools, Teaching Methods, Quasiexperimental Design, Pretests Posttests, Surveys, Gender Differences, Institutional Characteristics, Intellectual Disciplines, Educational Attainment, Teacher Workshops
Springer. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: service-ny@springer.com; Web site: http://www.springerlink.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education; Middle Schools; Junior High Schools; High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 0841259