Preparing a STEM focused professional development program for science teachers and researching its effects

The aim of this study is to investigate the preparation and implementation of a professional development program for science teachers and the effects of the program on teachers' STEM focused lesson planning and application competencies The research was conducted according to case study, one of the qualitative research methods, in a holistic single case design. The study group of the research consists of 10 science teachers working in Samsun in the 2019-2020 academic year. The STEM-focused professional development program is an 80-hour education, consultancy and implementation process consisting of 4 stages. The teachers prepared STEM focused lesson plans during the professional development program, the lesson plans were examined by the field experts, and the final plans were implemented in the classrooms after the feedback. The classroom practices of the teachers were examined by the researcher. The data were collected with STEM Education Opinion Form, Implementation Process Opinion Form-1, Lesson Observation Form, Implementation Process Opinion Form-2, Application End Reflective Opinion Form, lesson plans developed by teachers, field notes and observation notes. Then, collected data were analyzed with the content analysis method. It was conclouded that the teachers developed all their plans in accordance with the engineering design process, there were various deficiencies in the first plans, they had difficulty in creating the problem situation, they eliminated their deficiencies in their next plans as a result of the feedback and sharing, and the quality of the lesson plans increased. It was founded that the teachers stated that they had difficulties in terms of process management, learning process and physical conditions while applying STEM activities, and they overcame the difficulties as they practiced with the contribution of expert opinion, consultant support and experience sharing with their colleagues. It was concluded that the STEM-focused professional development program increased teachers' ability to prepare and implement lesson plans. An important suggestion drawn from the results of this study is that long-term, extended and applied education programs should be applied instead of short-term education in STEM education. Key Words: STEM education, STEM-focused lesson planning, STEM-focused lesson implementation, professional development