Self-Efficacy and STEM Education: A Study of Family and Consumer Science Teachers in Pennsylvania

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education has become widely promoted. Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) uses science to improve home life while reinforcing technology, engineering, and mathematics principles. However, FCS is not usually recognized as a STEM subject. The purpose of this study was to determine what factors may affect FCS teachers’ level of self-efficacy in teaching STEM to provide supports that improve teaching practices. This quantitative study surveyed secondary FCS teachers in Pennsylvania using the T‐STEM Survey for Elementary Teachers . Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and simple linear regression analysis was performed to determine the predictive relationship between the independent variables and each of the teacher self-efficacy construct scores as the dependent variable. The first research question explored the level of self-efficacy of FCS teachers regarding teaching STEM concepts. The second research question explored how each of the teacher demographic variables respectively predicts the level of self-efficacy of FCS teachers when teaching STEM concepts. A regression analysis was used to test the differences among variables that had significant effects (significance level at p < 0.05). The five independent variables were participation in FCCLA, number of STEM courses taken, education level, number of years in teaching, and gender. Overall, FCS teachers scored highest in 21st-century learning attitudes and lowest in STEM instruction. Results indicated the independent variable, number of STEM courses taken, was a significant predictor of 21st-century learning attitudes (b = .02, SE = .01, p = .019).