Evaluation results of the MaSDiV teachers’ PD program

The main aim of the MaSDiV project was to support science and mathematics teachers in implementing instruction that attends to the needs of all students and promotes fundamental values. A rigorous pre-post-test evaluation design and an additional qualitative case studies approach were employed to ensure that the MaSDiV professional development (PD) program indeed has positive effects on participating teachers.

PD program strengthened teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and practices

The results of the evaluation show that participating teachers felt significantly more competent and secure to address achievement-related diversity through inquiry-based learning, to use contexts relevant for society during their lessons and attend to the cultural diversity in their classrooms. Furthermore, teachers reported to use investigative practice and contexts more frequently compared to their initial use. Overall, the evaluation results provide evidence that the MaSDiV professional development program had a positive impact on teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs, learning-related beliefs and their practices.

“It is absolutely possible to teach STEM in diverse classroom”

These results were also evident in the expressions from the case study teachers. Several teachers voiced that the experience in the professional development program was an eye-opener. For example, a teacher from Spain concluded:

“What was most impacting from the course was to realize that science education was no longer a field for the smartest or most capable. The first thing I got from the course is, as you demonstrated repeatedly with examples, that it is absolutely possible to teach STEM in a diverse classroom, achieving very good objectives for all”.

These promising results encourage to continue the process of professional development and developing of materials for teachers to ultimately help each student to reach his/her own potential in science and mathematics.

All photos: ©ICSE