Exploring STEM Attitudes among First-year Early Childhood and Primary Preservice Teachers: Gender and Regional Insights in Western Australia
Understanding how future educators approach STEM is crucial for developing effective teacher education programs. This study examined STEM attitudes among 146 first-year preservice teachers in Western Australia, comparing early childhood and primary education cohorts while considering gender and...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Infonomics Society
2024
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/96186 |
| _version_ | 1848766110596333568 |
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| author | Sims, Craig Walker, Rebecca Treagust, David |
| author_facet | Sims, Craig Walker, Rebecca Treagust, David |
| author_sort | Sims, Craig |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Understanding how future educators approach
STEM is crucial for developing effective teacher
education programs. This study examined STEM attitudes among 146 first-year preservice teachers in Western Australia, comparing early childhood and primary education cohorts while considering gender and geographical location. Using an adapted T-STEM survey), results revealed that primary preservice teachers demonstrated higher efficacy in science and technology (p < 0.01), while their early childhood counterparts showed stronger attitudes toward STEM leadership (p < 0.032). Male participants reported higher mathematics efficacy (p < 0.001) and technology confidence (p < 0.001), though female participants expressed notably positive attitudes toward leadership roles. Preservice teachers residing in regional areas demonstrated more optimistic views toward STEM instruction (p <0.007) compared to their urban peers. These findings suggest the need for differentiated approaches in teacher education programs, including targeted support for technical skills in early childhood education, gender-responsive strategies, and specialised resources for both urban and regional
contexts. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:45:56Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-96186 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:45:56Z |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publisher | Infonomics Society |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-961862024-12-16T02:06:24Z Exploring STEM Attitudes among First-year Early Childhood and Primary Preservice Teachers: Gender and Regional Insights in Western Australia Sims, Craig Walker, Rebecca Treagust, David Understanding how future educators approach STEM is crucial for developing effective teacher education programs. This study examined STEM attitudes among 146 first-year preservice teachers in Western Australia, comparing early childhood and primary education cohorts while considering gender and geographical location. Using an adapted T-STEM survey), results revealed that primary preservice teachers demonstrated higher efficacy in science and technology (p < 0.01), while their early childhood counterparts showed stronger attitudes toward STEM leadership (p < 0.032). Male participants reported higher mathematics efficacy (p < 0.001) and technology confidence (p < 0.001), though female participants expressed notably positive attitudes toward leadership roles. Preservice teachers residing in regional areas demonstrated more optimistic views toward STEM instruction (p <0.007) compared to their urban peers. These findings suggest the need for differentiated approaches in teacher education programs, including targeted support for technical skills in early childhood education, gender-responsive strategies, and specialised resources for both urban and regional contexts. 2024 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/96186 10.20533/ijcdse.2042.6364.2024.0606 English http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Infonomics Society fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Sims, Craig Walker, Rebecca Treagust, David Exploring STEM Attitudes among First-year Early Childhood and Primary Preservice Teachers: Gender and Regional Insights in Western Australia |
| title | Exploring STEM Attitudes among First-year Early Childhood and Primary Preservice Teachers: Gender and Regional Insights in Western Australia |
| title_full | Exploring STEM Attitudes among First-year Early Childhood and Primary Preservice Teachers: Gender and Regional Insights in Western Australia |
| title_fullStr | Exploring STEM Attitudes among First-year Early Childhood and Primary Preservice Teachers: Gender and Regional Insights in Western Australia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring STEM Attitudes among First-year Early Childhood and Primary Preservice Teachers: Gender and Regional Insights in Western Australia |
| title_short | Exploring STEM Attitudes among First-year Early Childhood and Primary Preservice Teachers: Gender and Regional Insights in Western Australia |
| title_sort | exploring stem attitudes among first-year early childhood and primary preservice teachers: gender and regional insights in western australia |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/96186 |