Sustaining Teacher Professional Learning Outcomes in Engineering Education Within Rural and Indigenous School Contexts

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 11:40 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Teacher Education and Professional Learning for Sustainable Change (Table 7)

Abstract

We investigated how three rural teachers continued to implement locally relevant engineering practices in the absence of formal support after the conclusion of a five-year nationally funded project. Our research focused on identifying key factors that either facilitated or impeded the sustained use of these practices in their classrooms. Although the practices were initially adopted successfully, maintaining them without formal support proved difficult. Our findings indicate that the levels of administrative support, teacher autonomy, and resource availability played crucial roles. Additionally, the unique rural settings of each teacher presented specific challenges in preserving the benefits accrued during the project. We conclude that achieving sustainable change in engineering teaching practices requires a collective effort that addresses variations across school/classroom contexts.

Authors

• Tugba Boz, University of North Dakota

• Rebekah Hammack, Purdue University