Integrative STEM Education for Teachers of Young Students

Millersville University, Millersville PA

Investigators

Abstract

Early childhood educators who are enthusiastic and confident in integrating STEM into their teaching are crucial to engaging students early and motivating them along a path to become the next generation of STEM innovators, workers, and knowledgeable citizens. This Exploration and Design for Engaged Student Learning project will target Millersville University undergraduates enrolled in a teaching integrative STEM (iSTEM) education minor as part of their Pre-kindergarten to grade 4 (PK-4) teacher preparation program. The minor will be designed to prepare them with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to integrate STEM concepts across the PK-4 curriculum. The project will investigate selected research-based components of the iSTEM program and has the potential to result in data that can inform other PK-4 teacher preparation programs which want to prepare educators who are equipped with a toolkit to open the world of science, technology, engineering and mathematics to the early elementary students they engage. This project will establish five research-based programmatic features that are designed to enhance teacher candidates' integrative STEM skills, understandings, and perspectives. The features investigated will include: development of an iSTEM Laboratory and Resource Center, coursework that engages learners in problem-based, inquiry-based, and design-based learning experiences that build deeper understandings of STEM concepts, STEM focused practicums in elementary schools, STEM professional development opportunities, and access to STEM-related community resources. The overarching goal of this project is to determine which component(s) of the iSTEM minor at Millersville University have the greatest impact on undergraduates' ability to integrate iSTEM concepts/skills in non-iSTEM education courses, their motivation to seek out STEM opportunities in their personal and professional lives, and their STEM perspectives. Undergraduates in the iSTEM minor will be compared to PK-4 teacher preparation undergraduates who did not choose the iSTEM minor. Researchers will investigate which research-based features of MU's iSTEM program are the most significant transformational elements that may increase the likelihood that undergraduates who complete the minor will effectively integrate iSTEM techniques in their future classrooms. By evaluating which features have the maximum impact, researchers will be able to make recommendations on how to replicate these outcomes at other teacher preparation institutions, thereby contributing to an understanding of how to better prepare PK-4 teachers as competent and passionate iSTEM educators.