STEM education and critical consciousness

Culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) offers a framework for equity-driven teaching, yet its third tenet—critical consciousness—is often neglected in both research and practice. This study explored how STEM teacher educators (STEs) intentionally deepened their critical consciousness as part of their teaching and scholarship. Drawing on interviews with 10 STEs across STEM education disciplines, we used cross-case analysis to identify three key themes that highlight how STEs think about and work to deepen their critical consciousness: personal motivations rooted in lived experience, an awareness of power dynamics in education, and ongoing self-reflection. The findings provide strategies for teacher educators seeking to foster critical consciousness in both their practice and in the preparation of preservice teachers. This study contributes to the growing call for equity-centered faculty learning and offers practical implications for embedding CRP more fully into STEM teacher education.