Impact of collaborative lesson designing on STEAM trainee teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching with educational robotics

Abstract

<p>Self-efficacy in teaching with educational robotics (SETER) plays a critical role in shaping STEAM teachers’ instructional behaviors and, consequently, in enriching students’ learning experiences. Despite its importance, research on effective strategies to enhance STEAM teachers’ SETER and how participants’ demographics affect SETER remains limited. This study employed a single-group mixed-method research design to examine and explain changes in SETER among 51 STEAM trainee teachers who participated in a three-week Collaborative Lesson Designing (CLD) training program incorporating educational robotics (ER). Data were collected through the SETER questionnaire, reflective writings, open-ended survey, and collaboratively developed lesson plans. Quantitative findings, derived from paired-sample t-tests and MANCOVA, revealed a statistically significant improvement in SETER following the CLD intervention, with female participants exhibiting notably greater gains than their male counterparts. Qualitative analysis further identified three areas through which CLD influenced SETER: enhanced capacity for authentic learning design, assessment planning, and outcome alignment; challenges in addressing students’ prior knowledge and learning disabilities; and the observed impact of CLD performance on self-efficacy development. These findings suggest that CLD serves as an effective pedagogical strategy for fostering SETER in STEAM teacher education. The study contributes to a growing body of literature on teacher professional development and offers implications for designing future programs that integrate CLD with differentiated instruction and practical implementation. Longitudinal research is recommended to examine sustained impacts on teaching practice.</p>