Browsing by Author "Ozturk, Nilay"

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A Closer Examination of Earth and Life Science Teachers' Science and Engineering Integration
(Springer, 2025) Aydin Gunbatar, Sevgi; Ozturk, Nilay; Roehrig, Gillian H.
This research investigated how middle school science teachers integrated engineering into their planned science instruction and the extent to which they conceptually linked science to engineering following participation in a professional development program. Video recordings of six teachers' classroom implementation of teacher-designed units were the main data sources (i.e., more than 3000 min). Additionally, the integrated STEM unit plans were used as a secondary source. A deductive analysis of the data showed that the extent and timing of engineering integration and the extent of conceptual connections between science and engineering varied in six teachers' classrooms. All teachers started the instruction with an engineering design challenge. However, only two teachers integrated engineering throughout the unit. Five out of six participants identified opportunities for students to redesign their engineering solutions both in the unit plan and their unit implementation, whereas one teacher gave students a chance to redesign but it was not stated in the unit plan. Regarding science and engineering integration during the unit implementations, two teachers made topical connections, and only one teacher established deep conceptual connections. The findings of the study reported the difficulty of engineering integration both in earth and life science content domains and showed an urgent need for further teacher professional development programs that explicitly focus on how engineering and science are conceptually linked.
Elementary Science Teachers' Engineering Integration After Long-Term In-Service Training Program With and Without Curriculum Material Support
(Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2025) Ozturk, Nilay; Aydın-Gunbatar, Sevgi; Roehrig, Gillian H.
Background and PurposeAs a response to the need for effective engineering integration in K-12 science classrooms, teachers should be supported with rich professional development (PD) with diverse components (e.g. curriculum material support). Grounded in the framework for quality K-12 engineering education, this study explores how elementary science teachers integrated engineering into science lessons after participating in PD and the nature of engineering integration with additional curriculum material support (CMS).Design/MethodIn this single-case study with multiple embedded units of analysis, three teachers' 79 classroom video recordings were analyzed using the Classroom Observation Protocol for Engineering Design with the engineering design process and engineering habits of mind components.FindingsAnalysis showed that teachers spent time on each design component in both PD Year and CMS Year, with an increase for at least half of the components in the CMS Year. Across all the observations in both years, the most common engineering design process component was researching possible solutions to the engineering challenge. Compared to the PD Year, teachers' engineering habits of mind integration improved greatly in the CMS Year. Regarding engineering design and science concepts integration, observations became more balanced, moving away from the independent ends of the continuum in the CMS Year.ConclusionsLong-term PD was effective in supporting teachers' integration of engineering design components. Providing CMS had the greatest impact on the integration of engineering habits of mind components. Along with PD, curriculum support with explicit indication of how and when to incorporate engineering with habits of mind components was beneficial for teachers.