Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education
ORCID IDs
Hasseler 0000-0001-8682-8092
Date of this Version
4-20-2023
Citation
Presentation given April 20, 2023
National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) International Conference, held April 18-21 in Chicago, Illinois, United States
Abstract
A multiple case study was conducted to investigate six districts’ approaches to integrating science and engineering curricula in their secondary education programs. Data collected included classroom observations, interviews with teachers and administrators, college transcripts, professional development, and curriculum, as well as how, and how district personnel supported, and teachers enacted classroom instruction to align with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Six districts were chosen due to their ranges in their size, urban or rural context, and demographics. There were 25 participants in the study who were either district personnel or secondary teachers. All school districts in the study incorporated STEM into their program through either extracurriculars, courses, and/or formal focus programs, regardless of their size; however, engineering integration was not consistent across science instruction. Also, although two of the districts have required curriculum for their middle schools that integrates engineering, teachers may or may not use the engineering portions of these curricula. Professional development (PD) offerings for teachers ranged in availability due to the size and rural or urban context of the districts; however, none of the districts offered engineering-specific teacher PD. As science teachers have limited experience with engineering, districts and educational service units need to provide long-term engineering-specific teacher PD.
Strand 4: Science Teaching — Middle and High School (Grades 5-12): Characteristics and Strategies
Advisor: Beth Lewis
Committee members: Gwen Nugent, Justin Olmanson, and Heidi Diefes-Dux
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Engineering Education Commons, Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching Commons, Science and Mathematics Education Commons, Secondary Education Commons, Secondary Education and Teaching Commons
Comments
Copyright 2023, the authors. Used by permission