Investigating Preschool Teacher Candidates' STEM Teaching Intention and the views about STEM Education

Year 2018, Volume: 7 Issue: 2, 724 - 744, 30.06.2018

Mustafa Uğraş , Zülfü Genç

https://doi.org/10.14686/buefad.408150

Cited By: 32

Abstract

The objective of the present
study was to determine the views of pre-service preschool teachers on
Integrated Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and
their tendencies about integrated STEM instruction. The study group included 35
pre-service preschool teachers. The present study, conducted as a single group
research model with pre-test-post-test experimental method, was completed in 8
weeks. Semi-structured interview form developed by the authors and the
"Integrated STEM Instructional Tendencies Scale" developed by Lin and
Williams (2016) adapted to Turkish by Hacıömeroğlu and Bulut (2016) were used
as data collection instruments. The qualitative data obtained are described with
the content analysis methodology. The quantitative data were analyzed with
paired sample t-test. After the implementation of the STEM education program,
it was determined that pre-service preschool teachers had positive views on
STEM education approach in general. Furthermore, it was determined that STEM education
would encourage student to think, transform theoretical knowledge into
practice, and to acquire the skills to obtain concrete products using the
theoretical knowledge that they acquired in the class. The majority of the participating
pre-service teachers indicated that undergraduate programs should include
science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses, teachers from
different fields should collaborate, and the teachers should receive STEM training.

Keywords

Preschool STEM education, tendencies towards STEM instruction, views on STEM, TEACHER EDUCATİON

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