Cultivating Sustainable STEM Education: The Role of Communities of Practice in Teacher Identity Formation

• Published in: Sustainability Vol. 17; no. 10; p. 4586
• Main Authors: Yang, Lin, Wu, Pengze, Yin, Xuerou, Xu, Xueqi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.05.2025
• Subjects: Collaboration; Communities of practice; Curricula; Education reform; Educational research; Group identity; Interdisciplinary aspects; Learning; Literature reviews; Mathematics; Mathematics education; Methods; Participation; Practice; Professional development; Professional identity; Qualitative research; Quality of education; Researchers; Science education; Sciences education; Self image; Self-efficacy; Social aspects; STEM education; Study and teaching; Sustainable development; Teacher education; Teachers; Teaching; Technology education; China
• ISSN: 2071-1050; 2071-1050
• DOI: 10.3390/su17104586

Although the existing literature provides some evidence of identity transformation among STEM teachers following their participation in various communities of practice (CoPs), the specific mechanisms driving this transformation remain unclear. This study attempted to narrow this gap by analyzing the transformation process of STEM teacher identity among CoP participants. This study constructed a STEM teacher identity model comprising six dimensions (motivation, task perception, self-image, teaching interest, self-efficacy and recognition). Six STEM teachers from Guangdong Province, China, were interviewed, and interview data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The findings revealed that, first, CoPs generally facilitated the transformation of STEM teachers’ identities, though anomalies were observed in the dimensions of teaching interest and parental recognition. Second, the degree of transformation in two identity dimensions (motivation and task perception) increased with STEM teaching experience, while teachers of science subjects demonstrated a stronger degree of self-efficacy. Third, case development and case presentation emerged as the most impactful CoP activities in fostering STEM teachers’ identity transformation. This study provides critical insights for advancing quality STEM education within the SDG4 framework by examining the identity transformation process of STEM teachers participating in CoPs.