Stand out and speak up: exploring empowerment perspectives among advocacy activities of STEM teachers in the US

ABSTRACT

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers need sources of empowerment to effectively guide education policy and continue to participate in advocacy-based activities. This study surveyed 208 STEM teachers on their acts of advocacy to advance STEM education. The question that guided this research was as follows: What are the underlying factors that contribute to STEM teachers’ advocacy activities in effecting change to STEM education policies? An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to determine underlying factors contributing to STEM teachers’ engagement in advocacy activities via the theoretical lens of empowerment. The findings revealed four factors that empowered their advocacy work: critical confrontations, political awareness, communicative voice, and policymaker influence. The data suggest that as sampled STEM teachers developed a critical consciousness, they were empowered to engage in critical conversations on issues of social justice, such as galvanizing efforts to make STEM education accessible to all students and equitable for diverse learners.

KEYWORDS:

• Advocacy
• empowerment theory
• STEM education policy
• STEM teacher

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Dr Gina Childers for her assistance in verifying statistical analyses and specifically her guidance in the exploratory factor analysis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The authors did not receive support from any organization for the submitted work.

Notes on contributors

Richard Carlos L. Velasco

Richard Carlos L. Velasco is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education at the University of Oklahoma. He received his PhD in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in STEM education from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX, USA. His current research focuses on rehumanizing mathematics education, STEM teacher advocacy, and informal STEM learning.

Rebecca L. Hite

Rebecca L. Hite is an Associate Professor of STEM Education at Texas Tech University. She received her PhD in Science Education from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC, USA. Her current research foci relate to K–12 STEM master teacher leadership in policy-based advocacy activities and the use of extended reality technologies in formal and informal STEM learning spaces.

Jeffrey D. Milbourne

Jeffrey D. Milbourne is a STEM Coordinator at the Writing and Learning Center at California Polytechnic State University and an independent researcher in projects that explore the nexus of research, policy, and practice in STEM education. He received his PhD in Science Education from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC, USA.

Jessica J. Gottlieb

Jessica J. Gottlieb is an Assistant Professor of Educational Policy at Texas Tech University. She received her PhD in Policy Studies in Urban Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago and was a postdoctoral research associate at the Center for STEM Education at the University of Notre Dame. Her current research focuses on STEM education policy, teacher education policy, and the relationship between politics and policy design.