Examining correlations between preparation experiences of US technology and engineering educators and their teaching of science content and practices

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to investigate the extent of the relationship between select technology and science preparation experiences of United States (US) technology and engineering (T&E) teachers and their teaching of science content and practices. Utilizing a fully integrated mixed methods design (Teddlie and Tashakkori in Res Schools 13(1):12–28, 2006), this study was conducted to inform the pre- and in-service preparation needs for US T&E educators. A random sample of 55 Foundations of Technology (FoT) teachers across 12 US county school systems within an International Technology and Engineering Educators Association consortium state participated in an online survey, leading to eight teachers being purposefully selected for classroom observations. Data collected from the surveys and classroom observations were analyzed through Spearman’s rho tests to examine the strength of the relationships between certain formal/informal preparation factors and the teaching of science content and practices. These data were corroborated with FoT curriculum content analyses, classroom observation audio recordings and notes, and interview responses to help validate the results. Analyses of the data revealed significant correlations between specific formal and informal preparation experiences and the observed teaching of science content and practices. The findings and conclusions drawn from the data analyses provided implications for T&E educators, science educators, educational researchers, pre-service programs, and in-service professional development efforts.