Elementary Teachers' Beliefs and Perceptions About Spatial Thinking in STEM

• In Event: Understanding, Supporting, and Improving STEM Teachers' Work

Abstract

Teachers’ beliefs and perceptions influence intervention effectiveness. We created novel measures to survey elementary teachers’ beliefs and perceptions about spatial thinking, skills that are essential for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics learning. Measures exhibited high internal consistency and showed that teachers experience low anxiety when solving spatial problems and feel strongly that their skills can improve with practice. Teachers were able to identify educational problems that rely on spatial problem-solving and believed that spatial skills are more important for older students. Despite reporting high efficacy in their general and science teaching, teachers reported significantly lower efficacy in cultivating students’ spatial skills during science instruction. Results are discussed within the broader context of teacher beliefs and implications for professional development.

Authors

• Kristin M. Gagnier, AnLar

• Kelly R. Fisher, Johns Hopkins University

• Steven J. Holochwost, Wolf Brown

• Tara M Adam, AnLar