Article – Peer-reviewed Journal

Impacts of STEM Professional Development on Teachers’ Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, and Practice

The authors describe how a STEM education descriptive framework was used to design and enact a year-long professional development with eight middle and secondary teachers at non-STEM focused schools in Southeast USA. They examined the professional development impact on teacher content knowledge, self-efficacy, and practice using pre- and post-test scores on a content exam, pre- and post-test scores on a self-efficacy instrument, and self-reported STEM integration efforts.

Using the UTeach Observation Protocol (UTOP) to Understand the Quality of Mathematics Instruction

We describe how the UTeach Observation Protocol draws upon theories and practices heavily emphasized in teacher preparation—including deep student engagement, classroom management, STEM content fluency, lesson structuring, and innovative instructional models. We then present the ratings of three sample elementary mathematics lessons on the UTOP.

Developing STEM Teachers through Both Informal and Formal Learning Experiences

This article highlights the impact of teachHouston on students’ pursuing STEM teaching careers. Both informal and formal learning opportunities were created and implemented to better prepare preservice STEM teachers and to build self efficacy. The outcomes indicate that formal and formal experiences can impact self-efficacy which may lead to increased production and retention of STEM teachers.

A Glimpse into the Effectiveness of Mentoring and Enrichment Activities for Scholarship Recipients in a Teacher Preparation Program

Students selected for the TAMIU Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program at Texas A&M International University in Laredo, TX receive additional mentoring from university faculty and other professionals in the field. This paper will outline this mentoring scheme as well as examine its preliminary effectiveness.

Evaluation of a Noyce Program: Development of Teacher Leaders in STEM Education

This paper describes how both the Utilization-Focused Evaluation and Theory-Driven Evaluation frameworks were used concurrently to design evaluation methods that were effective for assessing the impact of a dynamic teacher leadership program. The evaluation is situated within the context of a Robert Noyce Scholarship Program, which aimed to grow veteran science teachers into teacher leaders.