TY - JOUR
T1 - Expressed Willingness of STEM Teachers to Teach Engineering
AU - Kucuk, Zerrin Doganca
AU - Genek, Selvet Ece
AU - Bozoglu, Hayriye Sinem
AU - Corlu, Mehmet Sencer
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, Purdue University Press. All rights reserved.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Teaching engineering at the middle and high school levels has been a topic of discussion among scholars regarding the challenges it creates. One of the most critical challenges at the school level is identifying qualified teaching staff to lead engineering courses. The present study explored teachers’ willingness to lead an engineering course and the reasons behind their willingness or unwillingness to do so. The study involved 434 participants, who were enrolled in a STEM professional development program and were diverse regarding their teaching subjects, the grade levels they taught, and the locations of their schools in Turkey. In this mixed-methods study, researchers collected data at the beginning of an online professional development program. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, while qualitative data were analyzed with a data-driven codebook. Almost two-thirds of the participants were keen to teach an engineering course, yet differences were observed according to the subjects they taught and their professional backgrounds. Most of the mathematics teachers, the group with the highest percentage of willingness, seemed to have a holistic approach towards engineering, with half emphasizing collaboration between teachers and engineers. The study provided further insights into how initial teacher training and continuous professional development programs can be structured based on teacher expectations and needs.
AB - Teaching engineering at the middle and high school levels has been a topic of discussion among scholars regarding the challenges it creates. One of the most critical challenges at the school level is identifying qualified teaching staff to lead engineering courses. The present study explored teachers’ willingness to lead an engineering course and the reasons behind their willingness or unwillingness to do so. The study involved 434 participants, who were enrolled in a STEM professional development program and were diverse regarding their teaching subjects, the grade levels they taught, and the locations of their schools in Turkey. In this mixed-methods study, researchers collected data at the beginning of an online professional development program. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, while qualitative data were analyzed with a data-driven codebook. Almost two-thirds of the participants were keen to teach an engineering course, yet differences were observed according to the subjects they taught and their professional backgrounds. Most of the mathematics teachers, the group with the highest percentage of willingness, seemed to have a holistic approach towards engineering, with half emphasizing collaboration between teachers and engineers. The study provided further insights into how initial teacher training and continuous professional development programs can be structured based on teacher expectations and needs.
KW - K-12 engineering education
KW - integrated STEM education
KW - professional development
KW - teacher collaboration
KW - teaching engineering
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85160218850&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.7771/2157-9288.1358
DO - 10.7771/2157-9288.1358
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85160218850
SN - 2157-9288
VL - 13
SP - 55
EP - 69
JO - Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research
JF - Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research
IS - 1
ER -