The Role of Stem Awareness and 21st Century Skills Competence Perceptions on Pre-Service Primary School Teachers' Teacher Self-Efficacy for Stem Practices

Abstract

Implementation of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) practices in primary schools, especially in science classrooms, may depend on primary school teachers' teacher self-efficacy for STEM practices. Therefore, determining such practices in the pre-service period and the variables that play a role on this self-efficacy can be considered an important step for effective future STEM practices. This study sought to determine whether STEM awareness and twenty-first century skills competence perceptions (21 CSCP) are important factors regarding teacher self-efficacy for STEM practices. Unfortunately, there is little evidence in the literature about the role of STEM awareness and 21 CSCP on pre-service primary school teachers (PPST)'s teacher self-efficacy for STEM practices. This study has the potential to expand our limited knowledge of this subject. In this study, conducted with 233 PPST, data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA and hierarchical multiple regression. The results revealed that PPST's teacher self-efficacy for STEM practices was 3.61 scores. There was no significant differ between PPST's teacher self-efficacy for STEM practices by program year. Given these ramifications, it is advised that the teacher preparation programs be examined and that STEM-focused coursework and STEM practices be incorporated into the program in a way that promotes interdisciplinary connections. Finally, the study's main finding was that STEM awareness and 21 CSCP explained 31.5% of the variance accounted for teacher self-efficacy for STEM practices. The current regression value results theoretically explain how these two variables, among many others, contribute to the explanation of STEM, an area of study with a complicated structure. It may be recommended that the role of these factors be investigated through observation, interview, or intervention studies for future research in order to better understand the practical roles of these theoretically remarkable variables.