Am I a STEAM Teacher? Professional Identity and PCK through STEAM Project-Based Learning Professional Preparation

Abstract

The purpose of the current study is to investigate pre-service teachers’ professional preparation (PP), especially as science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) teachers. A mixed-methods approach was used in this study. In study 1, professional identity and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) of two groups of participants (STEAM PBL PP and non-STEAM PBL PP) were compared (N=135). The results of quantitative research indicated the correlation between professional identity and PCK. Also, pre-service teachers who had STEAM PBL PP experience had greater positive professional identity and PCK as compared to the pre-service teachers who did not have STEAM PBL PP experience. In study 2, semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 5 pre-service teachers. The participants expressed the implementation of real-world situations in the instruction, collaborative work, and actual teaching experience were the most valuable factors to develop their professional identity and PCK to become STEAM teachers. These findings are expected to provide meaningful insights that influence instructional approaches for future PP curricula as the emphasis on STEAM PBL continues to grow.