A study on the effectiveness of problem-based STEM implementations in science teacher education

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of PD-STEM implementations on pre-service teachers' cognitive structures, conceptual understandings, and views towards STEM education and to determine their experiences in STEM implementations. Mixed research method was applied in the study. The research study group consists of 27 pre-service science teachers who took the Science Teaching Laboratory Practices I course in the fall semester of the 2019-2020 academic year at a state university. The participants were selected through convenience sampling. The study's data were obtained through 'Word Association Test,' 'Conceptual Understanding Tests,' 'STEM Education Interview' and 'STEM Activity Evaluation Form.' The study's findings revealed that the Problem-Based STEM practices contributed positively to pre-service teachers' cognitive structures and conceptual understandings. In addition, it was also determined that pre-service teachers' views towards STEM education improved as a result of the implementation. Finally, based on the STEM education experiences of pre-service teachers, detailed information on Problem-Based STEM implementations was presented.