•  
  •  

Home > HCAS > HCAS_PUBS > HCAS_JOURNALS > TQR Home > TQR > Vol. 26 > No. 12 (2021)

 

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore teacher and administrator perspectives on STEM education and how they demonstrate characteristics of STEM education. The five schools in this study are part of a greater network of elementary, middle, and high schools that collaborate and learn together. Data were collected through interviews with teachers and administrators and observational notes from meetings and other events. Interviews were recorded and transcribed and then coded to look for themes in the data. Findings indicate teachers and administrators view a supportive leadership, teacher buy in, and comfort in teaching STEM as essential to the implementation of STEM initiatives. Without these necessary components, inequities may arise and lead to less opportunities for students. Overcoming obstacles may require a change in mindset to embrace a culture of STEM teaching and learning. Understanding how teachers and administrators view the importance of STEM and benefits of participating in a community of STEM can help understand how to shift the culture of a school to one more inclusive of STEM education.

Keywords

STEM education, teacher perspectives, administrator perspectives, characteristics of STEM, interviews, observations

Author Bio(s)

Dr. Katie Laux graduated with her Ph.D. in Science Education from the University of South Florida in 2019 and now works at the K-12 STEM Coordinator for Hillsborough County Public Schools. Her research interests include equity in STEM education, teacher perspectives on student voice, and action research. Correspondence can be addressed directly to: katielaux@gmail.com

Publication Date

12-19-2021

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2021.5055

Download

Share

 
COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.