ERIC Number: EJ1404694
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0332-3315
EISSN: EISSN-1747-4965
Hungry for More: Early Childhood Educators' Perspectives on STEM Education, Teaching and Professional Development
Irish Educational Studies, v42 n4 p971-993 2023
Increasingly, educational policies and curricula recommend that young children experience STEM learning opportunities within Early Childhood (EC) settings. Despite greater demands placed on EC educators, their opinions on STEM have seldom been sought. This study investigated EC educators': (1) interest in STEM education; (2) opinions about the appropriateness of EC STEM education; (3) ratings of their STEM self-efficacy; and (4) STEM professional development preferences. An anonymous online questionnaire was distributed in the Republic of Ireland, with 198 complete responses received. The respondents, many of whom were highly qualified and experienced educators, reported being interested in STEM and felt it was important, though notably, some believed only for older children. Two-thirds felt their preservice education, which included mathematics (43%); science (30%); technology (17%); and engineering (10%), had not prepared them to support STEM. Knowledge of STEM policy was also limited. Despite this, high levels of STEM confidence were reported. Challenges reported included a lack of resources, support and guidance, and STEM knowledge. 96% of respondents expressed interest in attending EC STEM professional development and a variety of approaches to learning were identified. Implications for policy and practice are suggested.
Descriptors: Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, STEM Education, Faculty Development, Interests, Self Efficacy, Foreign Countries, Preservice Teacher Education, Knowledge Base for Teaching, Educational Policy
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ireland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A