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Understanding teachers’ conceptions surrounding integrated STEM education is vital to the successful implementation of integrated STEM curricula in K-12 classrooms. Of particular interest is understanding how teachers conceptualize the role of the STEM disciplines within their integrated STEM teaching. Further, despite knowing that content-agnostic characteristics of integrated STEM education are important, little is known about how teachers conceptualize the real-world problems, 21st century skills, and the promotion of STEM careers in their integrated STEM instruction. This study used an exploratory case study design to investigate conceptions of 19 K-12 science teachers after participating in an integrated STEM-focused professional development and implementing integrated STEM lessons into their classrooms. Our findings show that all teacher participants viewed STEM education from an integrative perspective that fosters the development of 21st century skills, using real-world problems to motivate students. Our findings also reveal that teachers have varying ideas related to the STEM disciplines within integrated STEM instruction, which could assist teacher educators in preparing high-quality professional development experiences. Findings related to real-world problems, 21st century skills, and STEM careers provide a window into how to best support teachers to include these characteristics into their teaching more explicitly.
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This content will become publicly available on October 1, 2026
What is STEM? Preservice elementary teachers’ conceptions of integrated STEM education
Teachers’ conceptions can relate to their teaching practices, but integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education does not have a consistent definition. This study included 627 preservice elementary preservice teachers across 11 different teacher preparation programs to identify common conceptions of integrated STEM education and how these conceptions shifted during science methods coursework. Findings from survey and interview data showed that participants commonly referred to the STEM acronym and surface-level integration across and beyond STEM disciplines. Key experiences that shaped their conceptions and preparedness to teach included planning and implementing STEM lessons and discussing quality integrated STEM instruction.
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- PAR ID:
- 10684725
- Publisher / Repository:
- Elsevier
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Teaching and Teacher Education
- Volume:
- 165
- Issue:
- C
- ISSN:
- 0742-051X
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 105108
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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