The Complexities and Challenges Associated with the Implementation of a STEM Curriculum

There have been recent calls for the integration of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) in K-12 education. In this collective case study, we describe three teachers' implementations of a new STEM curriculum that integrates mathematics, engineering, and technology. These tea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inTeacher education & practice Vol. 26; no. 4; pp. 616 - 636
Main Authors Holstein, Krista A, Keene, Karen Allen
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Rowman & Littlefield 22.09.2013
Subjects
Alignment (Education)
Barriers
Beliefs
Case Studies
Curriculum Implementation
Engineering Education
Fidelity
Integrated Curriculum
Mathematics Education
Negative Attitudes
Observation
Pedagogical Content Knowledge
Performance Factors
Praxis
Program Descriptions
Qualitative Research
Secondary School Teachers
Semi Structured Interviews
STEM Education
Teacher Expectations of Students
Teaching Methods
Technology Education
United States (Southeast)
Online AccessGet more information
ISSN0890-6459

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Summary:There have been recent calls for the integration of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) in K-12 education. In this collective case study, we describe three teachers' implementations of a new STEM curriculum that integrates mathematics, engineering, and technology. These teachers ranged in their faithfulness to the curriculum authors' intentions. The common conceptions that influenced teachers' implementations were (1) negative beliefs about students and their abilities (e.g., "my students can't do that"), which caused teachers to stray from the authors' intended curriculum; (2) nontraditional beliefs about teaching, which caused teachers to use pedagogical techniques similar to those envisioned by the curriculum authors; and (3) a lack of subject matter knowledge, which caused one teacher to create a teacher-centered classroom that went against the authors' pedagogical intentions. Overall, this study illustrated how intricate and involved the implementation of a STEM curriculum can be.
ISSN:0890-6459