Elementary Teachers’ Science Content Preparation, Self-Efficacy, and NGSS-Aligned Instructional Practices

U.S. elementary teachers are responsible for instruction across the disciplines of biology, Earth science, chemistry, physics, and engineering, and they are expected to demonstrate competency in all five areas while implementing NGSS-aligned pedagogical practices. This nonexperimental correlational study examined elementary science education five years after the implementation of NGSS, with a focus on elementary teachers’ content knowledge, disciplinary self-efficacy, and their self-reported practices in teaching scientific phenomena, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts. The theoretical framework for this study was based upon Bandura’s social cognitive theory as it relates to personal agency, self-efficacy, and professional behavior regulation. Elementary teachers (N = 80) in grades K-5 from three school districts of varying socioeconomic status completed a survey measuring preparedness and confidence in science content knowledge and NGSS. Bivariate Spearman correlations revealed that science and engineering self-efficacy was a factor in the quality and quantity of NGSS-aligned instruction, and self-efficacy in teaching engineering had the strongest correlation with the frequency of three-dimensional learning and collaboration among students. Further inferential analyses indicated that incorporating science and engineering practices and student collaboration had the strongest correlation with elementary teachers’ engineering self-efficacy, while the amount of instructional time dedicated to science had insignificant correlations with all predictors, suggesting it is related to external factors independent of teacher confidence and preparation. These results suggest that preservice requirements for elementary education certification should include graduate-level science coursework grounded in NGSS and geared toward elementary teachers, and professional development for elementary teachers should focus on engineering skills and design.