Engineering science education: the impact of a paired peer approach on subject knowledge confidence and self-efficacy levels of student teachers

Abstract

Teacher performance has been linked with both self-efficacy and subject knowledge confidence suggesting that it is important to address these aspects within initial teacher training programmes. This study investigated the development of pre-service teacher’s science and engineering subject knowledge confidence and teaching self-efficacy following participation in a paired-peer, multidisciplinary STEM project and assesses which aspects of the work may have resulted in any changes observed. A group of 10 pre-service teachers were paired with undergraduate engineering students to develop science through engineering challenges and to enact these with children. Multimethod pre and post evaluation assessed the impact of participation on the subject knowledge confidence and teaching self-efficacy levels of the pre-service teachers, alongside qualitatively exploring possible reasons for any changes. Results indicated that significant increases in both subject knowledge confidence and teaching self-efficacy had occurred. In exploring which aspects of the work may have contributed to these changes, data suggested that the paired-peer aspect of the project may have been beneficial. Immersing pre-service teachers in similar collaborative projects early in their career may provide opportunities to shape positive dispositions towards STEM subjects for pre-service teachers and so evaluations of how this can be built into teacher training programmes are required.