Exploration of factors related to the development of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graduate teaching assistants' teaching orientations

Abstract

Research indicates that modifying teachers' beliefs about learning and teaching (i.e. teaching orientation) may be a prerequisite to changing their teaching practices. This mixed methods study quantitized data from interviews with 65 graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields to assess the relationship of participants' teaching experiences and available teaching support systems with changes in their teaching orientation over time. These individuals represent an important but understudied link in the STEM pipeline, because they serve as primary instructors in large, introductory science laboratory classes for undergraduates at large research universities. Mentor involvement in teaching and departmental/university training and support for teaching were significantly related to change in teaching orientation toward more student-centered beliefs. Consideration of why other factors failed to evidence a relationship with teaching orientations and recommendations for how study findings can influence policy and practice are offered.

Keywords:

• graduate teaching assistant
• teaching orientation
• teacher beliefs
• graduate student education
• graduate student development
• graduate student mentoring

Acknowledgments

The work reported in this paper is supported in part by a NSF grant to David Feldon, Michelle Maher, Briana Timmerman, Jed Lyons, and Stephen Thompson under the REESE program. The views in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the supporting funding agency. Special thanks to Michelle Kelly, Cindy Steigelmeyer, Grant Morgan, study participants, and the University of South Carolina.

Notes

The GK-12 programs examined in this study used an immersion model in which a single graduate teaching fellow works directly with one or two classroom teachers and their students for a school year. Additionally, GK-12 provides opportunities for fellows to reflect on their teaching practices through required weekly meetings with other fellows.