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Education Sciences
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STEM, Arts, and Special Education: Teacher Education Partnerships and Professional...
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STEM, Arts, and Special Education: Teacher Education Partnerships and Professional Development

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "Teacher Education".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 August 2025 | Viewed by 6167

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Andrea C. Burrows Borowczak

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Guest Editor
School of Teacher Education, College of Community Innovation and Education, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
Interests: science education; integrated STEM; engineering education; partnerships; teacher education
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Caroline Pratt Marrett

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Teacher Education, College of Community Innovation and Education, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
Interests: special education; collaboration; urban education

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, titled “STEM, Arts, and Special Education: Teacher Education Partnerships and Professional Development”, invites research articles that focus on all disciplinary areas as they relate to partnerships and professional development. Innovative partnerships and professional developments are key topics of the articles included in this Special Issue. Whether focusing on early childhood, elementary, secondary, or exceptional student (special) education (from birth to 18 years old), if there are partnerships or professional developments strengthening work in teacher education, then this Special Issue is a place to showcase that work. Generally, disciplines and age groups are siloed, and this Special Issue aims to open those spaces so that the work across contents and ages can be explored and highlighted for the impacts of partnering with academics, industries, schools, and multiple other organizations. Often these partnerships lead to professional developments, which, in this Special Issue, are broadly encompassing but focus on teacher education at some level. Perhaps the teacher education participants of the study presented are still in university, just beginning their careers, or perhaps they are expert teachers with many years in the field. This Special Issue is a place for authors to share how their work with partnerships and professional developments promote awareness and understanding of best practices that strengthen teacher education. Articles with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion or urban settings are especially welcome. Additionally, readers of this Special Issue can glean ideas to improve and implement in their own programs.

I/We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Andrea C. Burrows Borowczak
Dr. Caroline Pratt Marrett
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • teacher education
  • partnerships
  • professional development
  • STEM
  • arts
  • exceptional student education
  • special education
  • pre-service teachers
  • in-service teachers
  • educational research

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 1098 KiB  
Article
Addressing Humanities Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers’ Concerns in Integrating STEM Education—A Case Study of Geography Education
by Sung Ho Cheuk and Yun Fat Lam
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(4), 446; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15040446 - 1 Apr 2025
Viewed by 293
Abstract
STEAM education has become a global agenda to integrate humanities subjects with STEM elements. With a lack of science-related teacher training, promoting STEM education under humanities curriculums faces challenges. However, limited research has been conducted to understand the concerns of humanities teachers in [...] Read more.
STEAM education has become a global agenda to integrate humanities subjects with STEM elements. With a lack of science-related teacher training, promoting STEM education under humanities curriculums faces challenges. However, limited research has been conducted to understand the concerns of humanities teachers in applying STEM education in their classrooms. In this study, we examined the concerns of pre-service and in-service geography (GEOG) teachers (N = 49) in Hong Kong (HK) secondary schools and evaluated the effectiveness of trainer workshops in alleviating their concerns. We applied an in-depth questionnaire analysis based on a 5-point Likert scale under a “Stages of Concern” model. The ordinal regression and t-test results suggested that (1) the pre-service and in-service GEOG teachers were highly concerned in most of the stages of concerns (Mean = 4.06/5); (2) unique yet different concerns about GEOG STEM education were identified from the pre-service teachers and in-service teachers; (3) teacher training workshops that offer scientific and STEM training could be effective in addressing the concerns of in-service teachers. As such, this study supports the development of geography STEM education and promotes the education community’s ability to address teachers’ concerns in embracing STEM education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue STEM, Arts, and Special Education: Teacher Education Partnerships and Professional Development)
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36 pages, 2232 KiB  
Article
Designing Performance-Based Professional Development: Stakeholder Views on Essential Competencies and Approaches
by Heather Howell, Aakanksha Bhatia, Eowyn P. O’Dwyer, Marisol Kevelson, Jamie N. Mikeska and Dante Cisterna
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(2), 204; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020204 - 8 Feb 2025
Viewed by 756
Abstract
Research has consistently shown that the instructional skills, or competencies, that teachers bring to the table influence the opportunities students have to learn. Teachers build those competencies over time, often through professional development (PD); however, they often cite PD as insufficient, in part [...] Read more.
Research has consistently shown that the instructional skills, or competencies, that teachers bring to the table influence the opportunities students have to learn. Teachers build those competencies over time, often through professional development (PD); however, they often cite PD as insufficient, in part because it can focus on the wrong competencies. In a series of focus groups, we systematically examined which teaching competencies teachers, teacher leaders, school administrators, and professional learning leaders identified as most critical for future PD efforts supporting K-8 mathematics and science teachers. In addition, we explored their stated rationales and their vision for how digital performance-based PD might support development of those competencies. Participants identified four competencies as most critical: (1) collaborative problem-based learning; (2) differentiation; (3) promoting engagement; and (4) eliciting student ideas. Rationales included ways in which they are essential for students, difficult to implement, and have insufficient support at present. Participants preferred the idea of digital and interactive role-playing PD over more traditional approaches, also citing the need for some agency in controlling the PD parameters and for the availability of rich feedback. Implications include the need for future research to incorporate stakeholder voice to close the gap between what is needed and what is provided and for follow-up studies to target a larger and more representative sample. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue STEM, Arts, and Special Education: Teacher Education Partnerships and Professional Development)
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9 pages, 204 KiB  
Article
Creating School–University Partnerships in Urban Schools to Address Teacher Shortages
by Mary Little, Debbie L. Hahs-Vaughn, Christine Depies DeStefano, Oluwaseun Farotimi, Caroline Pratt Marrett and Andrea C. Burrows Borowczak
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(8), 918; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14080918 - 22 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1351
Abstract
Partnerships among professionals within collegiate teacher preparation programs and school districts are needed to address current teacher shortages, especially critical in urban, high-needs schools. This research study showcases a collaborative model of teacher recruitment, preparation, and support that envisions and co-constructs reconceptualized roles, [...] Read more.
Partnerships among professionals within collegiate teacher preparation programs and school districts are needed to address current teacher shortages, especially critical in urban, high-needs schools. This research study showcases a collaborative model of teacher recruitment, preparation, and support that envisions and co-constructs reconceptualized roles, opportunities, and responsibilities for university faculties, supervising teachers, and teacher candidates. The concept is supported through a continuum of professional learning and reflection. The enhanced partnership model (EPM) for internship requires a partnership between faculties in teacher preparation programs and school districts to develop, engage, and evaluate an EPM for urban-school teacher preparation in multiple urban school sites in the southeastern United States. The goals of this innovative EPM revolve around recruiting diverse teacher candidates, collaboratively preparing them to focus on rigorous academic coursework as well as practical, classroom-based experiences, and retaining the new teachers. Employment data were accessed via administrative sources. A chi-square test of association was used to examine the relationship between participation in the EPM and employment (n = 158). The findings highlight that pre-service teachers participating in the EPM are 4.5 times as likely to be employed in a high-needs school, and 75% of those employed are still employed three years later. The implications of these results are shared. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue STEM, Arts, and Special Education: Teacher Education Partnerships and Professional Development)
22 pages, 604 KiB  
Article
Creating Cohesion and Collaboration in Mathematics Classrooms: Implementing Interdepartmental Professional Learning Communities to Support Students with Disabilities
by Dawn M. Pilotti, Kristin E. Harbour, Bridget T. Miller and Emma K. Larkin
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(1), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14010050 - 31 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2605
Abstract
Professional learning communities (PLCs) support the growth of educators to improve learning outcomes for all students. Guided by social constructivist and social cognitive theories, this longitudinal participatory action research study explored the implementation of an interdepartmental PLC across Hord’s five dimensions of a [...] Read more.
Professional learning communities (PLCs) support the growth of educators to improve learning outcomes for all students. Guided by social constructivist and social cognitive theories, this longitudinal participatory action research study explored the implementation of an interdepartmental PLC across Hord’s five dimensions of a successful PLC—supportive and shared leadership, shared beliefs values and vision, collective learning and its application, shared personal practice, and supportive conditions. Additionally, this study explored how engaging with an interdepartmental PLC influenced participants’ collective efficacy. During the PLC, the collective expertise of mathematics teachers, administrators, and additional educational specialists (such as occupational therapists and speech and language pathologists) (n = 13) were leveraged to develop strategies for the improvement of mathematical problem solving among elementary and middle school students with disabilities. Our findings indicate statistically significant increases in the five dimensions of the PLC over time, with qualitative evidence supporting the PLC’s effectiveness. However, our findings revealed no significant increase in participants’ overall collective efficacy, a group’s shared belief that together they can achieve a desired result. Implications for practice and research are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue STEM, Arts, and Special Education: Teacher Education Partnerships and Professional Development)
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