STEM pre-service teachers’ experiences of implementation of the 5E instructional model: A meta-synthesis of literature

Although the 5E instructional model has long been observed as an essential part of lesson planning, including the lesson practice into classrooms is not a simple matter. In this dissertation I aimed to advance research on the 5E instructional model by addressing this issue. In particular, I explored the challenges and barriers faced by pre-service teachers in the classroom practice. I accomplished this in a series of two articles (organized as two chapters), which are previewed by an introductory chapter which focuses on the context of math and science preservice education research. In the second chapter I explore what the literature on meta-synthesis tells us about what role synthesizing might play in the promotion of education research. In this chapter I also compare various meta-synthesis and which is best for educational research synthesis. In the third chapter I looked at several qualitative research studies to explore pre-service teachers’ experiences after and during implementation of the 5E instructional model. In particular, my analyses led me to focus on identifying and reflecting on the pre-service teachers’ challenges and barriers when they used the 5E instructional model. The fourth chapter is an article for a practitioner journal and discusses implications for practice based on the first article presented in chapter three. The final chapter summarizes and reflects the results from the previous three chapters. In summarizing the three chapters, the study concludes with pre-service barriers/challenges in putting constructivism into practice that inform teacher educators and PD developers’ practices. Also, the final chapter offers a summary and synthesis of the two empirical studies and possibilities for moving forward into an Assistant Professor position.