Investigation of Preservice Science Teachers’ STEM Lesson Plan Development and Implementation Process: A Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

This mixed methods study examined changes in preservice science teachers’ STEM attitudes, integrated STEM teaching intentions, computational thinking (CT) skills, and lesson plan quality across a 16-week STEM lesson planning and implementation process. Participants were 34 third-year preservice science teachers selected through criterion sampling. Over 16 weeks, they developed, revised, and implemented STEM lesson plans in teams, guided by iterative expert feedback. Using an embedded design, quantitative data were collected through the STEAM Attitude Scale, the Integrative STEM Teaching Intention Questionnaire, the CT Scale, and the STEM Integration Curriculum Assessment (STEM-ICA), and qualitative data were gathered through pre- and post-implementation focus group interviews. Findings revealed statistically significant increases in participants’ STEM attitudes, integrated STEM teaching intentions, and CT skills. Lesson plan scores increased across the nine STEM-ICA categories, with the clearest gains in context and engineering design. Focus group data showed a comparable pattern but also revealed a divergence in the assessment category, where changes in participants’ accounts were not fully reflected in their plans. These results suggest that structured STEM lesson planning and implementation processes can strengthen preservice teachers’ preparation for integrated STEM teaching.