Preparing Preservice Teachers to Teach Engineering: The Influence of a Cross-Disciplinary Partnership on Teaching Self-Efficacy

• In Event: Equity and Efficacy in STEM Education: Challenges and Possibilities for Multidimensional and Experiential Learning

Abstract

Elementary educators are beginning to recognize the importance of integrating engineering in their classrooms given the addition of engineering into the Next Generation Science Standards. Nevertheless, elementary teachers do not feel adequately prepared to teach engineering content and lack self-efficacy for teaching engineering. Teacher preparation programs are just starting to include instruction in engineering, thus there is a need to research these efforts. This paper investigates the influence of a multidisciplinary approach aimed at increasing PST confidence and competence for teaching engineering. Ed+gineering partners education and engineering students in cross-disciplinary teams to plan and deliver design-based engineering lessons to elementary school students. Preliminary results suggest that Ed+gineering positively impacted PSTs’ self-efficacy for integrating engineering.

Authors

• Jennifer Jill Kidd, Old Dominion University

• Min Jung Lee, Old Dominion University

• Kristie S. Gutierrez, Old Dominion University

• Pilar Pazos-Lago, Old Dominion University

• Stacie Ringleb, Old Dominion University

• Krishnanand Kaipa, Old Dominion University

• Orlando Ayala