Expanding Elementary STEM Education Through Teacher-Researcher Complementarity: A Rural STEM Education Research Case Study

• In Event: Science Teacher Education and Professional Development

Abstract

Rural educators, specifically in large, low-population, midwestern states, are historically missing from science and engineering research. Yet, rural elementary teachers are tasked with the same challenge to implement rigorous science and engineering instruction as their non-rural counterparts. This study aimed to understand how a university educator can support an early elementary classroom teacher. We sought to identify and characterize the sources of practical knowledge the teacher and researcher each brought to the collaboration and to understand how they manifest in the partnership using a participatory research approach. We contribute to the development of greater conceptual clarity regarding school–university research partnerships and their potential to contribute to the creation and translation of knowledge about teaching and learning.

Author

• Christine McGrail, University of North Dakota