Developing a National Training Framework of STEM-based Competencies in Oman: Impact on Teachers ContentKnowledge (CK), Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), Students Achievement, and Motivation

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), as an interdisciplinary and applied approach for teaching natural sciences, technology, and mathematics, represents the most novel way to teach the 21st-century skills and to foster students engagement and motivation, self-efficacy, creativity, and skills related to experimental problem-solving and design of laboratory work. The current project aims to fill a research and development gap in Oman by designing and validating a national training framework of STEM-based competencies and to examine its impact on increasing teachers' Content Knowledge (CK) and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) on STEM topics and skills. The ultimate goals of the project are to improve students learning outcomes, increase their motivation in and engagement with STEM areas, topics, and activities. This training framework will be developed based on the Oman-vision 2040 for education, national curricula, and recent evidence-based research studies on STEM. Additionally, assessment strategies and instruments will be developed to evaluate teachers CK and PCK related to STEM. Besides, one instrument assessing students motivation for STEM-related specialties (M) will be developed and students science and mathematics achievement will be examined based on their scores at schools. The instruments will be grounded in and bound with the cultural, linguistic, and demographic variables and curricula in Oman and the Arab countries. A mixed research method that combines qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis will be used, including the exploratory sequential design. The instruments (Content Knowledge Test (CKT), Pedagogical Content Knowledge Test (PCKT), and Motivation with regard to STEM Areas Questionnaire (M)will be developed based on the topics represented in Cycle 2 (grades 5-10) in the schools curricula and will consider tests on the related subjects of MINT (Mathematics, Informatics, Natural sciences and Technology) as represented in Cycle 2 and recent studies. To use those items, aspects of validity and reliability of the instruments must be assessed by adequate methods of empirical research, including the expert rating. The instruments will be adapted/developed in Arabic and English. To check the quality measures of these instruments, a pilot study on a typical sample of teachers and students in Oman will be planned and conducted before conducting the main study. The quality of the instruments in both the pilot and the main studies will be analyzed according to classical and item response (Rasch) theories. Next, an intervention will be conducted for teachers. Selected teachers will be trained to teach STEM according to the developed STEM teaching program. The teacher training plan will include STEM-based teaching practices and assessments. Then, the impact of the training on teachers STEM-based CK and PCK will be investigated in an intervention-control study with a quasi-experimental design with pre-and post-assessment. Following the STEM training program, we will estimate teacher value added models to examine the magnitude of teacher-associated changes in cycle two school students mathematics and science achievement and these same students achievement goal orientations (mastery, performance-approach, and performance-avoidance goals) which represent motivation.