National reform documents all around the world issue an urgent need for the development of integrated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) curricula. With the emphasis on the development of STEM curricula, there is also a need for improving teachers' and future teachers' conceptions of the integrated STEM approach. This study…

This dissertation focuses on the nature of engineering (NOE) as an objective of engineering education efforts within the context of K-12 science education in the United States. The dissertation examines the NOE knowledge and teaching practices of participants in a research project aimed at supporting science and engineering instruction in grades…

There is limited research about teaching elementary students in the field of engineering. Few articles and research address engineering in kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms. The literature that does exist falls under broader topics and/or are encompassed by a larger umbrella such as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics…

The authors find justification for integrating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in the complex problems that today's students will face as tomorrow's STEM professionals. Teachers with individual subject-area specialties in the STEM content areas have limited experience in integrating STEM. In this study, the authors…

Science standards in the U.S. have shifted to emphasise science and engineering process skills (i.e. specific practices within inquiry) to a greater extent than previous standards' emphases on broad representations of inquiry. This study examined the alignment between second-career science teachers' personal histories with the latter and examined…