CHANGING HIGH SCHOOL STEM TEACHER BELIEFS AND EXPECTATIONS ABOUT ENGINEERING LEARNING AND INSTRUCTION

摘要

In response to increased interest in engineering education at the high school level and the availability of new funding for pre-college STEM programs, a growing number of high school teachers are participating in professional development activities in engineering. Education research has demonstrated that meaningful and sustainable change in instruction is based on knowledge of teachers' judgments, beliefs and expectations about learning and instruction. Yet little is known about the "engineering teaching culture" and there are few methods in place to reliably measure teachers' views or how those views are influenced by participation in professional development programs. This study documented teachers' views and expectations regarding engineering learning and instruction, and measured the impact that professional development training for pre-college engineering had on these beliefs. We examined this in the context of a specific, well-regarded, pre-college engineering program, Project Lead the Way (PLTW). We measured teachers' views before and after training and teaching their first PLTW course, as compared to changes observed with a control group of STEM teachers. Some preexisting differences reached statistical significance: Prospective PLTW teachers were more likely than control teachers to identify sources of support for engineering in their schools, report that science and math concepts were integrated with engineering instruction; and to support greater access to engineering. Over time, teachers from both groups were significantly less inclined to use students' interests and backgrounds to shape classroom instruction. The primary change attributable specifically to the intervention was the increased belief among newly minted PLTW teachers that they were providing engineering instruction that effectively integrated science and math concepts. While this is seen as desirable and in keeping with current education efforts, the final section examines some of the challenges of implementing effective STEM integration in high school classrooms.