- Year 2024
- NSF Noyce Award # 2243359
- First Name Tara
- Last Name Palomares
- Registration Faculty/Administrator/Other
- Discipline STEM Education (general)
- Role Other: Graduate Research Assistant
- Presenters
Tara Palomares and Dr. Deena Gould, University of New Mexico
Need
Over the years, research has demonstrated the potential of teacher leadership to effect positive change in teachers, schools, and student experiences (Katzenmeyer & Moller, 2009; Wenner & Campbell, 2017). Two fields in which teacher leadership is crucial are science and mathematics. Science and math education have often been under the microscope in our society. From the need to compete in technological advancements, increase standardized test scores, and support the development of a scientifically literate society as the prevalence of scientific skepticism and mistrust rise, science and math classrooms are often asked to be the solution that addresses these needs. One way to enact positive change in science and mathematics classrooms and educators is with strong teacher leadership (Amador et al., 2019; Borko et al., 2021; Green & Kent, 2016; Luft et al., 2016). This poster will report the results of a study that fills a gap in discipline-specific teacher leadership by focusing on STEM teacher leaders. The main purpose of this study was to understand the experiences that have impacted science and math educators in their roles and philosophies as teacher leaders. In doing so, we can gain a better understanding of the conditions that foster teacher leadership and the experiences that guide teacher leaders to their roles and beliefs about leadership. The themes found in this study can provide insight for districts, schools, universities, and professional development providers as they try to develop future STEM teacher leaders. References:Amador, J. M., Wallin, A., & Keehr, J. (2019). Action research through a collaborative structured teacher leader program to support mathematics instruction. Educational Action Research, 27(5), 691-708. Borko, H., Carlson, J., Deutscher, R., Boles, K. L., Delaney, V., Fong, A., Jarry-Shore, M., Malamut, J., Million, S., Mozenter, S., & Muro, A. (2021). Learning to lead: An approach to mathematics teacher leader development. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 10(1), S121-S143. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-021-10157-2 19/ Green, A., M., & Kent, A., M. (2016). Developing science and mathematics teacher leaders through a math, science & technology initiative. Professional Educator, 40(1), 1-9. Luft, J. A., Dubois, S. L., Kaufmann, J., & Plank, L. (2016). Science teacher leadership: Learning from a three-year leadership program. Science Educator, 25(1), 1-9. Katzenmeyer, M. & Moller, G. (2009). Awakening the sleeping giant: Helping teachers develop as leaders. Corwin Press. Wenner, J. A., & Campbell, T. (2017). The theoretical and empirical basis of teacher leadership: A review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 87(1), 134-171.
Research Questions
The research question for this study is: From the perspective of secondary science and mathematics teacher leaders, what experiences have led to leadership roles and what experiences have influenced their philosophy of leadership?
Approach
The methodology for this study was grounded theory. We aimed to gain an understanding of the experiences that led teachers into leadership roles and their development of a leadership philosophy through semi-structured interviews. There were two groups of secondary teachers participating in this study, science teachers and math teachers. First, the science educators are Noyce Master Teacher Fellows (MTFs) participating in the NSF funded program, Teachers Organizing Diverse Opportunities across a STEM Ecosystem (TODOS). Leadership across a STEM ecosystem is one focus for the TODOS program, and thus each Noyce fellow is continually developing their teacher leadership. The Noyce MTFs in the study have just begun the first six months of their five-year fellowship. The math educators are state finalists or awardees for the Presidential Award for Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). One dimension of the PAEMST application is leadership in education inside and outside of the classroom. Both the math and science educators are leaders in STEM education locally and/or globally. Constructivist leadership theory was used as the theoretical framework for this study. Due to the inherent high-stakes environment of STEM subjects, mandates and top-down approaches to effecting change can be commonplace. Constructivist leadership theory employs many elements that are incongruous to these approaches and can provide us with a different model of leadership that is more inclusive, relational, and reflective. Additionally, constructivist leadership provided a solid framework for this study due to the core belief that all teachers can (and should) be leaders regardless of their formal designation, aligning with the many roles that classroom-based teacher leaders hold. Hence, the data from this study was analyzed to illustrate how constructivist leadership plays into the self-reported philosophies of leadership from science and mathematics teacher leaders and the experiences that shaped the development of these philosophies.
Outcomes
We anticipate that the analysis of the data from this study will be completed in June. The poster will report common themes among the interviews to help us answer the question, “What experiences have led science and math teacher leaders to leadership roles and what experiences have influenced their philosophy of leadership?” Our analysis of a pilot study done in Summer 2023 suggested that these themes might be related to collaboration, relationships, mentorship, personal values, professional development, and classroom experiences. Additionally, our current study might report a consideration of the similarities and differences between the subject areas of science and mathematics and how, or if, science teachers’ participation in the TODOS program has impacted the MTFs leadership.
Broader Impacts
Implications of this study include adding to the limited research on STEM teacher leadership. Additionally, this study can provide insight on the experiences that foster the development of STEM teacher leaders in hopes of providing more of these opportunities and experiences for STEM teachers in the future. The results of this study may be of interest to districts, universities, and professional development providers seeking to increase STEM teacher leadership in their respective contexts.
