Engineering Design Professional Development as a Mechanism for Changing Science Teachers' Beliefs (Fundamental)

Tamara J. Moore; Siddika Selcen Guzey; Amanda C. Johnston; Murat Akarsu; Peter Wesley Odom; Maurina Loren Aranda; Richard Lie

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Conference: 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Publication Date: June 23, 2018
Start Date: June 23, 2018
End Date: July 27, 2018
Conference Session: Teacher Attitudes, Beliefs, & Self-efficacy
Tagged Division: Pre-College Engineering Education
Page Count: 15
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--30408
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/30408
Download Count: 363

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Paper Authors

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Tamara J. Moore Purdue University, West Lafayette orcid.org/0000-0002-7956-4479

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Tamara J. Moore, Ph.D., is a Professor in the School of Engineering Education and Director of STEM Integration in the INSPIRE Institute at Purdue University. Dr. Moore’s research is centered on the integration of STEM concepts in K-12 and postsecondary classrooms in order to help students make connections among the STEM disciplines and achieve deep understanding. Her work focuses on defining STEM integration and investigating its power for student learning. Tamara Moore received an NSF Early CAREER award in 2010 and a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2012.

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Siddika Selcen Guzey Purdue University, West Lafayette

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Dr. Guzey is an assistant professor of science education at Purdue University. Her research and teaching focus on integrated STEM Education.

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Amanda C. Johnston Purdue University, West Lafayette orcid.org/0000-0001-5737-7798

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Amanda Johnston is a graduate student in engineering education at Purdue University.

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Murat Akarsu Purdue University, West Lafayette orcid.org/0000-0002-5883-5911

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Murat Akarsu is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Mathematics Education interested in pre-service teachers’ understanding of mathematics and geometry and STEM integration. Prior to arriving at Purdue University, he earned a master’s degree in the department of mathematics at the University of Cincinnati in the USA. He is currently writing a dissertation on the pre-service teachers’ understanding of geometric reflections in the USA. His dissertation explores pre-service secondary mathematics teachers’ motion and mapping views and contributes to current research by offering insights into the development of an understanding of geometric reflection. He is also working as a research assistant in Engineering Education. His work is focused on student learning and interest engineering design to teach engineering, science, and mathematics.

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Peter Wesley Odom Purdue University, West Lafayette

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Wesley is a PhD student in Engineering Education at Purdue University. His primary research interests surround assessment technologies, the psychology of student learning of STEM concepts, and international community development.

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Maurina Loren Aranda Purdue University, West Lafayette

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Dr. Maurina Aranda recently obtained a PhD in the Biological Sciences at Purdue University, and through this background in science, her interests in education span a variety of fields. Mainly, Dr. Aranda's research interests include cellular biology education and STEM education. With these interests in mind, her work focuses on how students conceptualize cellular biology, their discourse practices as they enact science and engineering, and the views of both teachers and students as they enact and complete interdisciplinary curricula.

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Richard Lie Purdue University, West Lafayette orcid.org/0000-0003-4389-7383

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Richard Lie is a graduate student in the Department of Biological Sciences and graduate research assistant in the School of Engineering of Education at Purdue University. He received his BS/MS in Biology from the University of California, San Diego. His interests include usage of primary literature in undergraduate biology courses, STEM integration, and science process skills.

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Abstract

Teachers should adopt effective pedagogical approaches in order to maximize student learning. The beliefs of teachers about instructional practice are an important construct in determining what and how they teach. This is especially important in light of recent reform efforts at the K-12 level to integrate engineering design into science curricula. Investigation into the area of engineering design-based STEM integration is necessary, as teachers are unfamiliar with engineering and are being asked to incorporate engineering into their teaching mid-career.

This study investigates the change in teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning in upper elementary and middle school science classrooms. This study is guided by the following research question: How do teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning change through participation in a long-term professional development in engineering design-based STEM integration?

Using a multi-case study design, six teachers were studied while they developed and implemented engineering design-based STEM integration units over a period of three years. Semistructured interviews were conducted with the teachers prior to the professional development project and after three years of participation in the project. Pre and post interviews were coded using a rubric that classifies beliefs on a scale from instructor-centered to student-centered.

Over the course of the three-year study, the beliefs of all six teachers shifted towards a more student-centered view of teaching. The teachers indicated that they were able to emphasize teamwork, real-world practice, problem-solving skills, communication, active learning, formative assessment through notebooking, and the discipline of engineering through the use of engineering practices. Their views of effective engineering instruction were also changed and they emphasized more of an integrated approach of teaching engineering and science in post interviews.

This study provides evidence that long-term professional development can help change teachers perceptions of engineering and provide the background needed to help teachers believe they can integrate engineering meaningfully in their classrooms. Engineering integration can help both experienced and beginning teachers change their beliefs toward a student centered view of instruction.

Citation
Format

Moore, T. J., & Guzey, S. S., & Johnston, A. C., & Akarsu, M., & Odom, P. W., & Aranda, M. L., & Lie, R. (2018, June), Engineering Design Professional Development as a Mechanism for Changing Science Teachers' Beliefs (Fundamental) Paper presented at 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--30408

TY - CPAPER
AB - Teachers should adopt effective pedagogical approaches in order to maximize student learning. The beliefs of teachers about instructional practice are an important construct in determining what and how they teach. This is especially important in light of recent reform efforts at the K-12 level to integrate engineering design into science curricula. Investigation into the area of engineering design-based STEM integration is necessary, as teachers are unfamiliar with engineering and are being asked to incorporate engineering into their teaching mid-career.

This study investigates the change in teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning in upper elementary and middle school science classrooms. This study is guided by the following research question: How do teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning change through participation in a long-term professional development in engineering design-based STEM integration?

Using a multi-case study design, six teachers were studied while they developed and implemented engineering design-based STEM integration units over a period of three years. Semistructured interviews were conducted with the teachers prior to the professional development project and after three years of participation in the project. Pre and post interviews were coded using a rubric that classifies beliefs on a scale from instructor-centered to student-centered.

Over the course of the three-year study, the beliefs of all six teachers shifted towards a more student-centered view of teaching. The teachers indicated that they were able to emphasize teamwork, real-world practice, problem-solving skills, communication, active learning, formative assessment through notebooking, and the discipline of engineering through the use of engineering practices. Their views of effective engineering instruction were also changed and they emphasized more of an integrated approach of teaching engineering and science in post interviews.

This study provides evidence that long-term professional development can help change teachers perceptions of engineering and provide the background needed to help teachers believe they can integrate engineering meaningfully in their classrooms. Engineering integration can help both experienced and beginning teachers change their beliefs toward a student centered view of instruction.

AU - Tamara J. Moore
AU - Siddika Selcen Guzey
AU - Amanda C. Johnston
AU - Murat Akarsu
AU - Peter Wesley Odom
AU - Maurina Loren Aranda
AU - Richard Lie
CY - Salt Lake City, Utah
DA - 2018/06/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Engineering Design Professional Development as a Mechanism for Changing Science Teachers' Beliefs (Fundamental)
UR - https://peer.asee.org/30408
DO - 10.18260/1-2--30408
ER -