Non-Formal Settings as Connecting Spaces: Enhancing Primary Teachers’ Appropriation and Embedding of IBSE and STEM

This study investigated the learning experiences of primary teachers participating in a professional development (PD) program emphasizing IBSE and STEM within a non-formal educational setting. Adopting a qualitative approach, we analyzed responses to the closed-ended questions in a questionnaire from 196 teachers participating in the program. Subsequently, we conducted a content analysis of the responses to the open-ended questions provided by a subset of 70 participants, as well as of the assignments produced by 11 teachers throughout the program. The findings reveal teachers’ positive perceptions about their learning in the non-formal environment created, characterized by both a supportive security network and high-quality resources, which facilitated a shift in professional identity. Results suggest teachers’ successful appropriation of IBSE and STEM approaches, with Space working as a conceptually rich “umbrella” for the primary curriculum. Beyond individual growth and the correction of long-standing misconceptions in science, the study highlights how non-formal settings function as “connecting spaces” that foster sustainable change. This sustainability is evidenced by the routine embedding of experimental activities by participating teachers and the emergence of collaborative ecosystems involving both peer networks and families. This research may contribute to the theoretical field by improving understanding of how non-formal settings promote the shift of innovative pedagogies from peripheral “add-ons” to central components of day-to-day primary teaching practice.