Integrated STEM Education for Diverse Rural Settings in the United States

• In Event: Thursday Roundtable Session 4:20 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Special Delivery: Meeting Diverse Learner Needs in Rural Schools (Table 20)

Abstract

This presentation aims to discuss the potential benefits of place-based integrated STEM education for rural high school students. It will showcase the summer institutes conducted for life science and engineering teachers, highlighting the unique contextual differences between two regions: Cohort I (DE, MA, VA) during the 2022-2023 school years and Cohort II (CO, KS, NM) during the 2023-2024 school years. The presentation will delve into the preliminary results of teacher surveys, focusing on the changes in teacher self-efficacy and the growth of their community of practice network size. Furthermore, it will explore the impact of teacher implementation of place-based integrated STEM lessons on student learning and investigate the relationship between students' sense of place and their interest in STEM careers.

Authors

• Jung Han, Purdue University

• William L. Weaver, University of Maryland - Eastern Shore

• Joel Tomlinson, University of Maryland - Eastern Shore

• Todd R. Kelley, Purdue University