Impact of digitalization-related STEM in-service teacher trainings in cooperation with out-of-school student labs on teachers’ professional knowledge, self-efficacy and technology commitment

TL;DR

This study examines how STEM teacher trainings with out-of-school labs affect teachers' knowledge, self-efficacy, and technology commitment.

Contribution

It evaluates the impact of in-service trainings involving out-of-school labs on teachers' professional development in digitalization-related STEM.

Findings

Trainings improved teachers' self-assessed professional knowledge significantly.

No significant changes were observed in self-efficacy or technology commitment.

Participants had high prior technology commitment, which remained unchanged.

Abstract

Increasing digitalization in school expands teachers’ options to design learning arrangements, but also creates demand to promote digitalization-related skills in STEM disciplines. Given this growing demand, universities are being asked to participate in the design and evaluation of evidence-based in-service teacher trainings. University-based out-of-school student labs have already demonstrated capacity to develop innovative offerings related to domain-specific digital technologies. Their incorporation into pre-service teacher trainings has yielded favorable outcomes. Consequently, there is potential to incorporate them into in-service teacher training as well. Research is needed regarding the impact of such trainings at different levels, particularly with respect to teachers’ professional knowledge and beliefs.

In this study, eight different in-service teacher trainings covering various STEM disciplines were designed in cooperation with out-of-school student labs to promote the use of subject-specific media in the classroom. We examined the overall effects of these trainings on teachers’ beliefs regarding their professional knowledge, self-efficacy, and technology commitment. One hundred and five STEM-teachers (Mage = 41.74 years, SDage = 9.45 years, 33% female) participated in eight distinct and discipline-specific in-service teacher trainings. Participants’ self-assessed professional knowledge, self-efficacy, and technology commitment were evaluated in a pre-posttest-design, using questionnaires with a 6-point Likert scale. Furthermore, outcomes and initial values of the intervention group of teachers were compared to those of a comparison group (n = 569; Mage = 40.92 years, SDage = 11.46 years, 67% female).

The results of the pre-post comparison indicate a positive effect on all analyzed dimensions of self-assessed professional knowledge. No significant differences were found regarding participants’ self-efficacy and technology commitment. Additionally, participants’ prior technology commitment was already high and remained consistently high after intervention. This is confirmed by the results observed in the comparison group. The pretest values of the intervention group were significantly higher than those of the comparison group in the dimensions of self-assessed professional knowledge, technology commitment, and self-efficacy. Similar results were observed when posttest data of the intervention group were compared with those of the comparison subgroup comprising participants who had previously participated in other digitalization-related teacher trainings.

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