Promoting Active Citizenship in Mathematics and Science Teaching
Katja Maass1, Stefan Sorge2, Marta Romero-Ariza3
1International Centre for STEM Education at University of Education Freiburg, Kunzenweg 21, 79117 Freiburg, Germany.
International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education
|June 28, 2021
Summary
Citizenship education integrated with math and science teaching improved teacher confidence and practices. The MaSDiV project successfully connected real-world issues to classroom learning, enhancing pedagogical approaches.
Area of Science:
- Education
- STEM Education
- Citizenship Education
Background:
- Global challenges necessitate integrating citizenship education into all subjects.
- Mathematics and science education can be powerful tools for fostering civic engagement.
- The MaSDiV project aimed to bridge the gap between STEM and citizenship education.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present the design of a professional development (PD) course connecting mathematics and science with citizenship education.
- To evaluate the impact of the MaSDiV PD course on teachers' experiences, beliefs, and practices.
- To identify factors influencing changes in teachers' self-efficacy and teaching methods.
Main Methods:
- A professional development course was designed and implemented across six European countries.
- A survey was administered to 311 mathematics and science teachers pre- and post-participation.
- Data analysis focused on teacher satisfaction, changes in self-efficacy, learning-related beliefs, and teaching practices.
Main Results:
- Teachers reported high overall satisfaction with the MaSDiV PD course across all participating countries.
- Significant positive changes were observed in teachers' self-efficacy beliefs regarding the use of relevant contexts.
- Teachers' learning-related beliefs about the benefits of contextualized learning and their teaching practices improved post-PD.
Conclusions:
- The MaSDiV PD course effectively supported teachers in connecting mathematics and science education with citizenship education.
- Integrating real-life problems into STEM teaching enhances pedagogical approaches and teacher confidence.
- The project demonstrated the value of international collaboration in improving STEM and citizenship education.
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