Abstract
Teachers serve as drivers of educational excellence and mold tomorrow’s leaders. Science teachers can provide mentorship and promote interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). However, teachers must overcome significant obstacles to offer effective science instruction and grow as science education professionals. This research investigated the challenges and barriers science teachers face associated with teaching science and accessing professional development, and what resources they believe may help them overcome these constraints. This study recruited K-12 public school science teachers in the United States to be interviewed remotely over Zoom. Thirty-one educators participated in 1-hour interviews to discuss their experiences working in education. While this appeared to be a population of teachers who are engaged and experienced in science education, these participants identified that they still face constraints when it comes to teaching science and engaging in PD. Barriers to effective science instruction were categorized into five categories: 1) political (100%), 2) environmental (97%), 3) technical (87%), 4) financial (87%), and social/cultural (77%). Primary challenges associated with professional development included ineffective PD (81%) and a lack of collaboration/collegiality (68%). Teachers felt that having resources such as experiential opportunities for students (90%), more useful classroom resources (90%), useful PD (87%), and opportunities for collaboration (74%) would help to address the challenges they face.