A TPACK-based intervention to improve pre-service STEM teacher’s pedagogical and disciplinary knowledge: a pre-experimental field study

Background Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) youth interest and enrollment is experiencing a globally extended global decline. The capabilities of K-6 educators to motivate every learner towards pursuing STEM careers have been considered a focus of interest to revert the trend.Purpose This study examined the professional development process of K-6 pre-service educators participating in an online course centered on the curricular and pedagogical integration of STEM via educational robotics. The course was structured following the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework.Sample A total of n = 679 K-6 pre-service STEM teachers participated in this study.Design and Methods A pre-experimental study design was followed. Data included self-reported quantitative measures pertaining to STEM disciplinary knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and the attainment of the often STEM-related 21st century skills, alongside ad-hoc indices reflecting perceived barriers to STEM education. The course was administered following a MOOC-like format: students were able to freely access course materials on demand.Results The findings reveal improvements in all areas, as well as underlying gender and degree-based gaps in baseline attainment and professional development. Males showed better baseline levels and development throughout the intervention of STEM knowledge. Females showed a similar trend with regards to attainment of 21st century skills, as well as a higher increase in perceived barriers to STEM education. Early childhood pre-service educators tended to show less development and improvement of STEM disciplinary knowledge and didactic barriers to STEM education.Conclusion The online course showed satisfactory results regarding the attainment of knowledge and skills pertaining to STEM education. Nonetheless, the interiorization of barriers to STEM education amongst prospective teachers, as well as the varying profiles based on sex and enrolled degrees, needs to be taken into consideration to define an initial teacher training curriculum that fulfills the needs of every enrolled profile.