Informal Learning Environments and Science Teacher Education: Teacher Identity and Enactment

• In Event: 35.075 - Identity, Relationships, and Research in the Science Classroom

Abstract

This paper describes the first phase of a multi-level research on the role of informal learning environments in STEM teacher education. We use a framework of teacher identity described as beliefs, behaviors and practices and pedagogical knowledge to describe STEM teacher identity. This paper describes a quantitative survey of teachers who participated in university-based formal informal credit-bearing courses. Sixty-nine K-12 teachers responded to an online survey based on the identity framework. The survey instrument had a Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of .955. Significant linkages were found between the teacher’s ILE experiences and their instructional practices as measured by frequencies. The results demonstrate that ILE-based teacher experiences has the potential to create equitable STEM learning experiences in urban schools.

Authors

• Jennifer Dawn Adams, Brooklyn College - CUNY

• Sharon Anne O'Connor-Petruso, Brooklyn College - CUNY

• Eleanor A. Miele, Brooklyn College - CUNY