Building Resilience in Rural STEM Teachers Through a Noyce Professional Learning Community
Addressing the critical STEM teachers’ shortage in the rural United States requires not only recruiting new teachers but also improving retention and teacher resiliency. This study explores contextual protective factors through the Early Career Teacher Resilience (ECTR) framework. The major objectiv...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Education Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/1/85 |
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| author | Sharon S. Vestal Robert S. Burke Larry M. Browning Laura Hasselquist Patrick D. Hales Matthew L. Miller Madhav P. Nepal P. Troy White |
| author_facet | Sharon S. Vestal Robert S. Burke Larry M. Browning Laura Hasselquist Patrick D. Hales Matthew L. Miller Madhav P. Nepal P. Troy White |
| author_sort | Sharon S. Vestal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Addressing the critical STEM teachers’ shortage in the rural United States requires not only recruiting new teachers but also improving retention and teacher resiliency. This study explores contextual protective factors through the Early Career Teacher Resilience (ECTR) framework. The major objective of this study was to evaluate the impacts of the NSF Noyce Professional Learning Community (PLC) on rural STEM teacher resilience. Key components of the Noyce PLC included scholarship support, pre-service mentoring, attendance at local and regional educational events, active engagement in the program’s annual summer conference, and participation in a closed Facebook group. We developed an ECTR framework-based online instrument with 28 questions and sent it to 311 university alumni, including 44 Noyce alumni. The results suggest that the Noyce PLC has excelled in fostering collaborative learning environments, providing resources that enhance teaching and learning, accommodating new and different ways of thinking, and supporting teachers’ professional growth beyond graduation. The findings underscore the importance of integrating theoretical and practical knowledge, supporting ongoing professional learning, and building strong professional relationships. Several aspects of the Noyce PLC could be replicated in other STEM teacher preparation programs to enhance teacher resilience, effectiveness, and career development. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5433b98b6fde467fac8f67e116ba7ccc |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2227-7102 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Education Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-5433b98b6fde467fac8f67e116ba7ccc2025-01-24T13:30:32ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022025-01-011518510.3390/educsci15010085Building Resilience in Rural STEM Teachers Through a Noyce Professional Learning CommunitySharon S. Vestal0Robert S. Burke1Larry M. Browning2Laura Hasselquist3Patrick D. Hales4Matthew L. Miller5Madhav P. Nepal6P. Troy White7Department of Mathematics & Statistics, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USABurke Consulting, Inc., Brookings, SD 57006, USADepartment of Chemistry, Biochemistry & Physics, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USASchool of Education, Counseling & Human Development, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USASchool of Education, Counseling & Human Development, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USADepartment of Chemistry, Biochemistry & Physics, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USADepartment of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USADepartment of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583, USAAddressing the critical STEM teachers’ shortage in the rural United States requires not only recruiting new teachers but also improving retention and teacher resiliency. This study explores contextual protective factors through the Early Career Teacher Resilience (ECTR) framework. The major objective of this study was to evaluate the impacts of the NSF Noyce Professional Learning Community (PLC) on rural STEM teacher resilience. Key components of the Noyce PLC included scholarship support, pre-service mentoring, attendance at local and regional educational events, active engagement in the program’s annual summer conference, and participation in a closed Facebook group. We developed an ECTR framework-based online instrument with 28 questions and sent it to 311 university alumni, including 44 Noyce alumni. The results suggest that the Noyce PLC has excelled in fostering collaborative learning environments, providing resources that enhance teaching and learning, accommodating new and different ways of thinking, and supporting teachers’ professional growth beyond graduation. The findings underscore the importance of integrating theoretical and practical knowledge, supporting ongoing professional learning, and building strong professional relationships. Several aspects of the Noyce PLC could be replicated in other STEM teacher preparation programs to enhance teacher resilience, effectiveness, and career development.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/1/85professional learning communityteacher resilienceteacher retentionNSF Noyceteacher preparationREMAST impacts |
| spellingShingle | Sharon S. Vestal Robert S. Burke Larry M. Browning Laura Hasselquist Patrick D. Hales Matthew L. Miller Madhav P. Nepal P. Troy White Building Resilience in Rural STEM Teachers Through a Noyce Professional Learning Community Education Sciences professional learning community teacher resilience teacher retention NSF Noyce teacher preparation REMAST impacts |
| title | Building Resilience in Rural STEM Teachers Through a Noyce Professional Learning Community |
| title_full | Building Resilience in Rural STEM Teachers Through a Noyce Professional Learning Community |
| title_fullStr | Building Resilience in Rural STEM Teachers Through a Noyce Professional Learning Community |
| title_full_unstemmed | Building Resilience in Rural STEM Teachers Through a Noyce Professional Learning Community |
| title_short | Building Resilience in Rural STEM Teachers Through a Noyce Professional Learning Community |
| title_sort | building resilience in rural stem teachers through a noyce professional learning community |
| topic | professional learning community teacher resilience teacher retention NSF Noyce teacher preparation REMAST impacts |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/1/85 |
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