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August 10, 2026Journal of Science Teacher Education

Understanding How Elementary Teachers Characterize Science and Engineering Lessons and Their Connection to Practice

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Authors

RHRebekah HammackJRJulie RobinsonJGJenna Gist

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Overview

Explores misconceptions in how elementary teachers connect science and engineering to classroom practice, indicating a need for improved teacher education.

Key Points

  • The aim is to understand how elementary teachers conceptualize and connect science and engineering lessons to their classroom practices.
  • Explored perspectives of 15 in-service elementary teachers participating in an online professional learning experience.
  • Analyzed discussions based on five vignettes of science and engineering activities and generated teaching materials.
  • Utilized teacher presentations and whole group discussions to gather qualitative data on their conceptualizations.
  • Teachers often equated engineering with problem-solving activities focused on building, while science was seen primarily as observation and content knowledge.
  • Terms like goal, problem, and purpose were used interchangeably when describing engineering activities, reflecting conceptual confusion.
  • Significant misconceptions were found regarding both science and engineering, indicating a gap between teachers' understanding and actual disciplinary practices.

Cite This Study

Hammack et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a797ce09c20a9bbd3183fb3https://doi.org/10.1080/1046560x.2026.2706373
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Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1What Makes this Lesson Engineering? What Makes it Science? Examining the Thought Processes of Pre-Service Elementary Teachers2024
  2. 2Learning Through Doing: Preservice Elementary Teacher Reflections on the Engineering Design Process (Fundamental)2024
  3. 3A Case Study Comparison of Undergraduate Education and Engineering Majors’ Understanding of Community Engineering2024 · 1 citations
  4. 4Attitudes toward engineering: investigating pre-service teachers’ perceptions of engineering in STEM education2026
  5. 5Characterizing engagement in the science practices: A study of preservice elementary teachers2024 · 10 citations