Early Childhood Teacher Beliefs About STEAM Education After a Professional Development Conference.
- Resource Type
- Article
- Authors
- Jamil, Faiza M., ; Linder, Sandra M., ; Stegelin, Dolores A.,
- Source
- Early Childhood Education Journal; Jul2018, Vol. 46 Issue 4, p409-417, 9p, 3 Charts
- Subject
- STEM education
Project method in teaching
Curriculum planning
Teacher education
Educational programs
- Language
- ISSN
- 10823301
The success of new pedagogies depends on teachers’ beliefs about what they entail, and the promises and challenges they hold. This study uses a mixed-methods approach to understand the beliefs of early childhood teachers who attended a professional development conference on STEAM teaching, an emerging approach that combine STEM disciplines and the arts through problem-based learning to engage students and push deep thinking. Data from a post-conference survey (N = 41) and follow-up interviews (N = 4) showed teachers varied in their beliefs about STEAM and the supports they needed to implement it successfully. Implications for teacher education are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]