Positioning teachers as active co-researchers examining PBL in STEM Education

This study brings together teachers and researchers to co-generate research-informed principles of practice for a Problem Based Learning (PBL) model of integrated STEM Education, and to embed these principles of practice into a coherent and sustainable pedagogical framework. The research is driven by a commitment to inquiry grounded in practice and to developing respectful and mutually trusting relationships between teachers and researchers. Teachers work as co-researchers, drawing from their expertise as they interrogate their practice to understand how key principles which define a PBL approach can be effectively translated into different school contexts. Actively positioning teachers as co-researchers challenges the expected roles of academic researchers and teachers and raises key considerations influencing choices at all stages of research design and knowledge production. When such considerations are effectively addressed, teachers think and work differently, clearly articulating the deep thinking driving their teaching, enabling the social construction of relevant and mutually valued professional knowledge. These findings create a new imperative for conceptualizing teachers as researchers producing collaborations which can enhance effective design and implementation of PBL in school-based integrated STEM education.