Early Childhood Pre-service Teachers’ Belief, Understanding, Self–efficacy, Intention and Conceptions of STEM

Abstract

Early interest and appropriate experiences could foster interest in science, technology, engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) for young children. Pre-service teacher preparation was one of the keys to cultivate the interest in STEM for future generation. With this, the current study determined Early Childhood Education (ECE) pre-service teachers’ aspects regarding STEM such as their belief, understanding, self-efficacy, and intention. Also, the association or correlation of STEM aspects were measured. As a result of multiple analyses, it was found out that they had very high STEM aspects and there was a positive association or correlation of the aspects. New conceptions of STEM were also constructed by almost half of the pre-service teachers. There was no significant gender difference found in their aspects regarding STEM. This finding implied that the ECE pre-service teachers who were mostly female had no gender bias in regards to possible integration of STEM in their own future classroom.