In 2011, researchers in the Department of Elementary Education at North Carolina State University were awarded a $3.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to conduct a five-year study of the outcomes of a STEM-focused elementary teacher preparation program, initiating ATOMS, the Accomplished Elementary Teachers of Mathematics and Science Project. Over the five years of the project, the ATOMS research team is studying the development of teacher candidates as they progress through the elementary education program into their first years of teaching. Incorporating a mixed methods approach, the ATOMS research project is designed to examine pre-service teachers’ development in the areas of science and mathematics content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, self-efficacy beliefs, and teaching practices, and to later examine the relationship between these constructs and teacher effectiveness.
ABOUT NC STATE ELEMENTARY EDUCATION
North Carolina State University is a higher education institution with a strong focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)-related research and development, and the Department of Elementary Education at NC State (link to department site) was created to reflect this strong STEM focus. For more information about the Elementary Teacher Education program at NC State click HERE
OTHER NC STATE RESOURCES
FRIDAY INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION