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Conditions and decisions of urban elementary teachers regarding instruction of STEM curriculum
Author(s) -
Smith Erica L.,
Parker Carolyn A.,
McKinney David,
Grigg Jeffrey
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
school science and mathematics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.135
H-Index - 2
eISSN - 1949-8594
pISSN - 0036-6803
DOI - 10.1111/ssm.12276
Subject(s) - mathematics education , curriculum , situated , general partnership , professional development , process (computing) , qualitative research , school teachers , science education , pedagogy , primary education , perception , psychology , sociology , computer science , political science , social science , artificial intelligence , neuroscience , law , operating system
The study was situated in a National Science Foundation supported Math Science Partnership between a private university and an urban school district. This study sought to understand the decision‐making process of elementary teachers as they implement an integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum in their classrooms and the interactions that occur between the teachers and curriculum during that process. This qualitative study utilized a comparative case study approach to understanding the decision‐making process of three elementary teachers enacting the same lesson. Analysis of the interactions revealed that the teachers' perceptions of student ability, their pedagogical design capacity, and time were influences that impacted implementation. These findings have implications for STEM‐focused professional development of elementary teachers.