Document Type : Original Article
Researchers
1 دانشگاه علامه طباطبائی
2 Department of Early Childhood Education, University of New England, Australia
Ministerial Ethics Committee
Background: The research will explore Iranian early childhood educators and teachers’ knowledge and practice in relation to the promotion of gender equity in STEM education. Prior literature and research (Ba Akhlagh and Allahyani, 2023) has provided insights into early STEM education and its connection to teachers’ strong proclivity towards the promulgation of embedded gender stereotypes. Key findings revealed that these stereotypes negatively impact teachers’ perceptions and practices in STEM education. Additionally, researchers recognized the need for training in STEM teaching methods (p. 176).
Aims: To support early childhood educators and teachers to promote gender equity in STEM education by offering professional development workshops. Here we define educator and teacher professional development “as teachers’ learning: how they learn to learn and how they apply their knowledge in practice to support pupils’ learning” (Sutherland, 2023, p. 1).
Research questions:
RQ1. What is the impact of a targeted professional development program around gender equity on early childhood educators and teachers’ perception of gender equity in STEM education within the Iran education context?
RQ2. How do early childhood educators and teachers apply their knowledge derived from the professional development program into practice to promote gender equity when teaching STEM within the Iran education context?
Research design: This study will apply a mixed methods approach involving collecting, analyzing, and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data