Cultivating Teacher Agency: Professional Development for Culturally Sustaining Environmental STEM Education in South Texas

• In Event: Cultivating Teacher Agency & Knowledge: Innovations in STEM/STEAM Professional Development

Abstract

This qualitative multiple-case study examined how culturally and linguistically sustaining environmental STEM (CLSE-STEM) professional development transformed in-service teachers' practices across three South Texas high schools serving predominantly Hispanic populations. Through a three-phase design, eight STEM teachers participated in sustained professional learning focused on implementing culturally situated, liberatory pedagogies addressing educational inequities. Data included focus group interviews, classroom observations, teacher-created curricula, and student artifacts collected from Spring 2024 to Spring 2025. Findings revealed five interconnected themes demonstrating teachers' evolution from deficit-based to asset-based approaches: place-based environmental stewardship, strategic translanguaging implementation, teacher agency development, enhanced student engagement, and elder knowledge integration. Results demonstrate how sustained professional development supports teachers in complex settings to disrupt inequitable practices and foster environmental consciousness among marginalized communities.

Authors

• Uma Maheshwari Ganesan, University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley

• Angela Chapman, University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley

• Alexander Hernandez, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley