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STEM teacher agency: A case study of initiating and implementing curricular reform
Author(s) -
Balgopal Meena M.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
science education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.209
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1098-237X
pISSN - 0036-8326
DOI - 10.1002/sce.21578
Subject(s) - curriculum , agency (philosophy) , science education , mathematics education , pedagogy , teacher education , work (physics) , perception , professional development , sociology , psychology , engineering , mechanical engineering , social science , neuroscience
Most science curricular reform efforts are designed by administrators or science education experts. It is less common for teachers to work collaboratively across disciplines to create, implement, and disseminate an integrated STEM curriculum developed for noncollege‐bound students that ended up being popular across student populations at the school. The integrated Geometry in Construction curriculum was developed 12 years ago and has since been adopted by over 425 schools across the United States. This intrinsic case study describes the experiences and perceptions of two high school teachers (one in mathematics and one in industrial science/engineering) as they achieved agency to initiate a deep and sustained reform effort. Drawing on the theory of teacher agency, the factors motivating the teachers to enact their beliefs about students and teaching are described. As a result of increased professional agency (driven by professional discontentment, willingness to take risks, and encouragement by mentors), these two teachers (a) cogenerated integrated engineering‐math curriculum with one another and their students and (b) addressed the needs of their community for affordable housing.