Degree Name
PhD (Doctor of Philosophy)
Program
Early Childhood Education
Date of Award
8-2025
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Alissa A. Lange
Committee Members
Jane T. Broderick, Amy Malkus
Abstract
Increasing interest has been evident in implementing integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teaching in public schools. However, teachers need to be professionally prepared and increase self-efficacy in teaching integrated STEM in their classrooms. Little is known about how teachers' self-efficacy in teaching integrated STEM is related to teachers' practices around STEM integration, particularly in K-5 classrooms.
This convergent mixed-methods study involved surveys with open- and close-ended questions to determine the integrated STEM perceptions, definitions, classroom teaching practices, and self-efficacy level in teaching integrated STEM for 79 northeast Tennessee K-5 teachers. The study also investigated the relationship between teachers' personal and external characteristics, 1) their integrated STEM self-efficacy, and 2) their teaching practices.
The qualitative results suggested that in-service K-5 teachers hold different definitions of integrated STEM. K-5 teachers who responded to the instrument engaged in various STEM activities to support STEM learning in their classrooms. The quantitative data indicated that K-5 teachers revealed an average level of integrated STEM teaching self-efficacy that was slightly higher than expected. The data also demonstrated a significant association between teachers' professional development and using inquiry-based learning and between the school support that teachers received and the extent to which they implemented cooperative learning. The data showed that the most influential factors in terms of teachers' personal and external characteristics were professional development and school support. The results indicated significant differences in K-5 teachers' self-efficacy based on 1) professional development in integrated STEM, and 2) the school support teachers received to teach integrated STEM. Furthermore, the findings demonstrated a weak positive correlation between teachers' self-efficacy in teaching integrated STEM and the number of teaching practices teachers reported using. Ultimately, the data did not reveal strong moderating effects of teachers' professional development and school support on the relationship between self-efficacy for teaching integrated STEM and teaching practices (pedagogical approaches). Only the early childhood teachers' preparation type demonstrated a positive effect on one dimension of self-efficacy. Based on this evidence, recommendations are proposed to optimize the conceptions of the STEM approach and the usual practices of the teaching staff.
Document Type
Dissertation - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Alhassan, Amani, "Integrated STEM Education for In-Service K-5 Elementary Teachers: Definitions, Self-Efficacy, and Teaching Practices" (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4586. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/4586
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Early Childhood Education Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Elementary Education Commons
