Secondary Teachers’ Experiences in International Professional Development for Convergence Research in STEM and Tradition

Convergence education promotes learning experiences that integrate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to address complex real-world problems. However, secondary teachers often report limited access to professional development (PD) and curricular resources that support transdisciplinary instruction. This exploratory case study examines how four secondary teachers (three chemistry; one engineering) made sense of a transdisciplinary PD model, Convergence Research in STEM and Tradition (CReST), that leverages cultural heritage artifacts (Renaissance frescoes) as boundary objects to connect chemistry, engineering, world history, and technology. Teachers participated in a four-day immersive PD experience in Firenze (Florence) and Pisa, Italy, that included site-based learning, interaction with conservation scientists, and structured reflection. Data included daily reflective journals during the PD and semi-structured interviews following the experience, focused on teachers’ reflections on CReST and its implications for their instructional thinking. Using inductive thematic analysis, we identified patterns in teachers’ meaning-making about convergence instruction and the pedagogical possibilities the artifact opened for their classrooms. Findings indicate that (a) the fresco and associated conservation practices functioned as shared reference points for cross-disciplinary connections; (b) teachers reported shifts toward problem-centered, artifact-anchored pedagogy; and (c) sustained collaboration and shared tools were viewed as necessary for extending learning beyond the immersive experience. These findings indicate early, self-reported shifts in instructional planning, including artifact-based entry tasks, problem-centered instruction, and integration of real-world conservation practices. Implications are offered for designing science teacher PD that uses boundary objects to support coherent, culturally grounded STEM integration.