The Impact of Intense Professional Development on Student STEM Achievement and Attitudes Toward STEM

• In Event: Poster Session 4
  In Poster Session: Contemporary Topics in Engineering Education Research

Abstract

This study assesses the effectiveness of an intense professional development (PD) program focused on engineering design-based science instruction on 4-8 grade students’ STEM achievement and attitudes towards STEM. The analysis examined student STEM achievement and attitudes toward STEM for a sample of 30 teachers who participated in the PD program for 1, 2, or 3 years. In a few cases students whose teachers implemented an engineering design-based science curricula for multiple years on average had higher levels of achievement in engineering and mathematics compared to those whose teachers who did so for one year, but the general pattern was that multiple years of PD had minimal impact on achievement or attitude towards STEM. Implications for future research are discussed.

Authors

• Selcen Guzey, Purdue University

• Yadira Peralta, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

• Wei Song, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

• Michael R. Harwell, University of Minnesota

• Tamara Jo Moore, Purdue University

• Richard Lie, Purdue University