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STEM Education

2025, Volume 5, Issue 3: 425-447. doi: 10.3934/steme.2025021
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Professional development in STEM for science teachers: Examining improvements in lesson planning and implements†

  • 1.
    Samsun Science and Arts Center, Samsun/Türkiye; mahmud.irfan@gmail.com
  • 2.
    Department of Science and Mathematics Education/College of Education/Sinop University, Türkiye; esrabozkurt@sinop.edu.tr
  • † This research constitutes part of a master's thesis conducted by the first author under the supervision of the second author.
  • Published: 28 April 2025

  • In recent years, there has been an increasing emphasis on STEM education and the need for effective professional development (PD) programs to increase teachers' competencies in planning and implementing STEM activities. In this study, the aim was to investigate in depth the effect of a comprehensive STEM PD program on science teachers' competencies in STEM lesson plan preparation and classroom implements. The research design was a holistic single case. The study group consisted of 10 science teachers working in public secondary schools. The STEM PD program included an 80-hour training consisting of four stages in a 6-month period. During the PD program, the teachers prepared at least two STEM lesson plans and carried out STEM classroom implements. The data source of the study consisted of the lesson plans prepared by the teachers and the researchers' observations (observation form and field notes) of the teachers' classroom implements. The results show that the STEM PD program, developed within the scope of this research, contributed to the preparation of lesson plans and in-class implements by teachers. It is recommended that teachers engage in both theoretical learning and practical workshops, distributed across multiple sessions, to enable planning, execution, and experience sharing. The process of identifying deficiencies during implementation and receiving feedback from peers and experts is highlighted as a key strength of the program.

    Citation: İrfan Gümüş, Esra Bozkurt Altan. Professional development in STEM for science teachers: Examining improvements in lesson planning and implements†[J]. STEM Education, 2025, 5(3): 425-447. doi: 10.3934/steme.2025021

    Related Papers:

  • In recent years, there has been an increasing emphasis on STEM education and the need for effective professional development (PD) programs to increase teachers' competencies in planning and implementing STEM activities. In this study, the aim was to investigate in depth the effect of a comprehensive STEM PD program on science teachers' competencies in STEM lesson plan preparation and classroom implements. The research design was a holistic single case. The study group consisted of 10 science teachers working in public secondary schools. The STEM PD program included an 80-hour training consisting of four stages in a 6-month period. During the PD program, the teachers prepared at least two STEM lesson plans and carried out STEM classroom implements. The data source of the study consisted of the lesson plans prepared by the teachers and the researchers' observations (observation form and field notes) of the teachers' classroom implements. The results show that the STEM PD program, developed within the scope of this research, contributed to the preparation of lesson plans and in-class implements by teachers. It is recommended that teachers engage in both theoretical learning and practical workshops, distributed across multiple sessions, to enable planning, execution, and experience sharing. The process of identifying deficiencies during implementation and receiving feedback from peers and experts is highlighted as a key strength of the program.



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  • Author's biography İrfan Gümüş is a specialist science teacher at Samsun Science and Art Center, which provides education to gifted children. He completed his master's degree within the scope of a professional development program aimed at improving science teachers' skills in planning and implementing STEM activities. Focusing on the development of STEM-based teaching processes, Gümüş reinforced her theoretical knowledge in this field with applied studies. In addition, she continues her studies in this field by taking an active role in many projects for the implementation of STEM activities to primary and secondary school students; Dr. Esra Bozkurt Altan is an associate professor of science education at Sinop University. Her academic studies mainly focus on STEM education, engineering design-based learning, teacher education and interdisciplinary teaching approaches. She makes significant contributions to the field with her research on professional development and classroom practices of science teachers. She has participated in various national and international projects and published numerous articles and book chapters examining the effects of STEM-based teaching practices
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  • © 2025 the Author(s), licensee AIMS Press. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
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