Initial Impacts of Community-Engaged Learning in a Pre-Service Teacher Course on Science & STEM Education
Location
D.P. Culp Center Room 303
Start Date
4-5-2024 1:30 PM
End Date
4-5-2024 2:30 PM
Name of Project's Faculty Sponsor
Alissa Lange
Faculty Sponsor's Department
Center of Excellence in STEM Education
Competition Type
Competitive
Type
Oral Presentation
Presentation Category
Education
Abstract or Artist's Statement
Teacher retention, especially in STEM fields, is a challenge in Appalachia, and many early childhood teachers report a need for enhanced knowledge and self-efficacy in teaching STEM. Incorporating community-engaged learning (CEL: Jacoby, 2015) with pre-service teachers in a science and STEM course could increase self-efficacy, enhance learning, and potentially increase retention, because, 1) intentional interactions with professionals have been shown to increase commitment to the profession, and 2) authentic, applied experiences that link theory to practice can lead to transformative learning. To this end, we integrated a focus on community-engaged learning into our existing Early-Elementary STEM Collaboration approach. This included visits to a children’s science museum; integration of the museum exhibits into final projects; early childhood and elementary pre-service teachers meeting across the semester; guest lectures by teachers and faculty; applied microteaching with students; and opportunities to co-write and co-present. To determine the effects of the community-engaged learning, data collected throughout the semester from 25 undergraduate pre-service teachers in CEL-enhanced Early Childhood-Elementary STEM Collaboration courses was analyzed using a convergent parallel mixed methods design. Qualitative data was coded inductively with grounded theory as the guided approach and quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS. The data collected include participants’ written reflections; a pre- and post-semester survey with open-ended questions, pedagogical content knowledge questions, and the STEBI-B instrument. Quantitative data analysis showed a statistically significant increase in the participants' pre-and post-test scores for both personal science teaching self-efficacy (p < .001) and outcome expectancy (p = .013). The qualitative data revealed three emerging themes which include: 1) Awareness of community resources; 2) Disequilibrium; 3) Pedagogical shifts. These findings indicate that early childhood teacher preparation courses focused on science and integrated STEM could benefit from the incorporation of a community-engaged learning component because the quantitative data indicate increases in science-teaching self-efficacy and outcome expectancy and qualitative data confirm these increases by demonstrating transformative learning for the pre-service teachers.
Initial Impacts of Community-Engaged Learning in a Pre-Service Teacher Course on Science & STEM Education
D.P. Culp Center Room 303
Teacher retention, especially in STEM fields, is a challenge in Appalachia, and many early childhood teachers report a need for enhanced knowledge and self-efficacy in teaching STEM. Incorporating community-engaged learning (CEL: Jacoby, 2015) with pre-service teachers in a science and STEM course could increase self-efficacy, enhance learning, and potentially increase retention, because, 1) intentional interactions with professionals have been shown to increase commitment to the profession, and 2) authentic, applied experiences that link theory to practice can lead to transformative learning. To this end, we integrated a focus on community-engaged learning into our existing Early-Elementary STEM Collaboration approach. This included visits to a children’s science museum; integration of the museum exhibits into final projects; early childhood and elementary pre-service teachers meeting across the semester; guest lectures by teachers and faculty; applied microteaching with students; and opportunities to co-write and co-present. To determine the effects of the community-engaged learning, data collected throughout the semester from 25 undergraduate pre-service teachers in CEL-enhanced Early Childhood-Elementary STEM Collaboration courses was analyzed using a convergent parallel mixed methods design. Qualitative data was coded inductively with grounded theory as the guided approach and quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS. The data collected include participants’ written reflections; a pre- and post-semester survey with open-ended questions, pedagogical content knowledge questions, and the STEBI-B instrument. Quantitative data analysis showed a statistically significant increase in the participants' pre-and post-test scores for both personal science teaching self-efficacy (p < .001) and outcome expectancy (p = .013). The qualitative data revealed three emerging themes which include: 1) Awareness of community resources; 2) Disequilibrium; 3) Pedagogical shifts. These findings indicate that early childhood teacher preparation courses focused on science and integrated STEM could benefit from the incorporation of a community-engaged learning component because the quantitative data indicate increases in science-teaching self-efficacy and outcome expectancy and qualitative data confirm these increases by demonstrating transformative learning for the pre-service teachers.