Presentation Schedule
Investigating Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions of Interdisciplinary Pedagogies in an Innovative Elementary Teacher Preparation Program (107742)
Monday, 15 June 2026 16:30
Session: Poster Session
Room: Auditorium Foyer (B1F)
Presentation Type:Poster Presentation
Elementary teachers must teach across content areas to foster student interest, deepen understanding, and prepare learners for the world. Teacher education programs, therefore, should equip preservice teachers (PSTs) with the knowledge for implementing interdisciplinary instruction. This study examines PSTs’ reflections on interdisciplinary teaching in an innovative university teacher preparation program in New Jersey, U.S., focusing on their conceptions, confidence, and perceived challenges. PSTs in the program complete five courses in each of four content areas, along with pedagogy coursework. In their senior year, PSTs take a semester-long interdisciplinary capstone course, co-taught by two professors, where they learn interdisciplinary teaching strategies and design interdisciplinary units. Reflections were collected at the conclusion of the capstone course over a five-year period, focusing on participants’ understanding, conceptions, and confidence regarding interdisciplinary teaching. The data were analyzed using coding and thematic interpretation, with credibility supported through peer review and investigator triangulation. Thematic analysis of reflections showed that PSTs initially had limited understanding of interdisciplinary teaching and unit design. By the end of the capstone course, they reported increased confidence and readiness to implement interdisciplinary instruction, attributing growth to exploring connections across content areas and various social and global topics. These findings underscore the importance of teacher preparation in developing interdisciplinary teaching strategies. Nonetheless, PSTs identified challenges related to aligning standards across disciplines, instructional practicality, administrative and parental expectations, and assessment.
This study illustrates program-wide interdisciplinary teacher preparation and identifies ways to strengthen preservice teachers’ pedagogical and dispositional readiness.
Authors:
Jiwon Kim, Monmouth University, United States
Sandra Zak, Monmouth University, United States
Vecihi Serbay Zambak, Monmouth University, United States
Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jiwon-kim-b28511102/
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