“The Parents Were Brilliant!” Engaging Parents in STEM Learning: Insights from Preservice Teachers’ Field Experience

Sandra Ryan (), Eleanor Walsh and Maeve Liston
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Sandra Ryan: Department of Learning, Society and Religious Education, Mary Immaculate College, V94 VN26 Limerick, Ireland
Eleanor Walsh: Office of Enterprise & Community Engagement, Mary Immaculate College, V94 VN26 Limerick, Ireland
Maeve Liston: Department of STEM Education and Enterprise & Community Engagement, Mary Immaculate College, V94 VN26 Limerick, Ireland

Social Sciences, 2025, vol. 14, issue 4, 1-16

Abstract: This study describes a field-based experience in parent engagement with preservice teachers, children, parents, and teachers in three Irish elementary schools, focused on a STEM education program, Science for Fun. Preservice teachers were enrolled in a parent engagement college course. The Science for Fun program provided space and time for preservice teachers, parents and children to explore basic scientific concepts in a supportive and inclusive context and involved the co-delivery of two hands-on science workshops between preservice teachers and parents in the school environment. The science activities were designed to enhance children’s investigatory, problem solving, and critical thinking skills aligned with the curriculum for their age group. Participating schools had high levels of socioeconomic disadvantage and large numbers of families from the Irish Travelling community Therefore, the program aimed to inspire children and their parents to engage in science and to contribute, in some way, to the development of their science capital. Data were gathered from preservice teachers through structured reflective questionnaires after each Science for Fun workshop. They reported positive experiences in changing attitudes, overcoming fears, learning about challenges and developing communication skills for working with parents. They also reinforced their overall awareness and openness to their role as teachers of engaging parents in their future careers, as well as the central role that parents play in their children’s learning and valuable insights that parents contribute. Participants reported learning how to organize and structure parent engagement in the classroom and that parents are a diverse group who have varying strengths and fears about partnership with schools.

Keywords: preservice teacher education; school, family and community partnerships; family and community engagement for student success; parent engagement; field experiences in teacher education; STEM education; equality; diversity; inclusion and interculturalism (EDII) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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