Examining the Impact of Job Satisfaction and Professional Learning on STEM Teachers' Perceptions of Instruction

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: Supporting Our Own: Experiences in Professional Development

Abstract

School culture and professional learning have been shown to impact student achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects Additionally, there are well-established links between school climate and teachers’ job satisfaction. However, what is less well-understood is the extent to which a teacher’s level of job satisfaction impacts their teaching practice and the likelihood that they might shift towards reform-oriented STEM teaching practice. The present study used multiple linear regression and qualitative coding of teachers’ responses to open-ended survey items to examine teachers’ professional development, job satisfaction, and STEM instructional practices. The study’s major findings indicate that job satisfaction influences teachers’ perceptions of practice. In addition, teachers’ perceptions of barriers to instruction differed between more and less satisfied teachers.

Authors

• Kim Boddie Wright, Texas A&M University - College Station

• Manjari Banerjee, Texas A&M University - College Station

• Hersh C. Waxman, Texas A&M University - College Station