The implementation and evaluation of an in- service training program for STEM: Integrated teaching framework

In this study, the contribution of the in-service training program developed and implemented for "STEM: Integrated Teaching Framework" to the professional development of teachers, the evaluation of the in-service training and their reflections on in-school practices were investigated. The aim of this research is to develop and implement an in-service training program proposal related to STEM education, to determine the expectations of the teachers who are trained, to state the purposes of participation, to obtain what kind of gains from the education and to specify the suitability of the material selection to 5th and 6th grade student level. And also the aim of the study is to get the opinions of the teachers about the integration of STEM to the existing curriculum and dissemination of STEM education. In the study, one of the qualitative research methods; the Design-Based Research Model was used. During the research process an in-service training program was developed for "STEM: Integrated Teaching Framework" and the developed program was implemented by a BAP, which is a scientific research project. Within the scope of the project, a total of 23 teachers working in the public schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education, operating within the boundaries of Gaziantep, were provided with five-day STEM training. During the study, 11 data collection and evaluation tools were used. 10 of these tools have been developed by the researcher in consultation with STEM experts. During the trainings, the purposes and expectations of teachers to participate in the in-service STEM training were questioned and the opinions of the teachers regarding the integration of STEM training into the existing programs were included. After the training, it was investigated whether the participant teachers had STEM objectives and in-service training was evaluated by the teachers. In addition, 10 teachers were given STEM training Kit (K'nex, Arduino, etc.), which consists of innovative teaching materials used in the project, and teachers were asked to apply STEM training in their own classes during the 2017-2018 academic year. At the end of the academic year, STEM in-school application questionnaire was given to the teachers and opinions were taken from the teachers about in-school applications. The collected data were analyzed through qualitative data analyzing methods: content analysis, descriptive analysis, comparative data analysis and percentage-frequency analysis. The findings showed that the participant teachers had STEM objectives after the training. All of the teachers stated that they wanted to continue this kind of training and they stated that they wanted to be a part of the system. However, it is seen that there are some doubts about STEM education teachers who apply this model within the school. Most of these are teacher qualifications, lack of materials and cooperation. On the other hand, findings have shown that STEM training is partially possible to integrate into existing courses, some problems may be encountered in material procurement and follow-up, course hours are inadequate to apply STEM, and teachers may have difficulties in applying STEM in crowded classrooms. In the conclusion section, the contributions of in-service STEM trainings to the personal and professional development of teachers, the benefits they provide for forming a professional learning community and positive opinions regarding the dissemination of STEM on a national scale are also included. In the last part of the thesis, suggestions were given to researchers, practitioners and policy developers on topics such as implementation of STEM Education in schools, integration into programs, material supply and follow-up, dissemination, in-service STEM training.