Exploring Turkish K-12 pre-service and in-service teachers’ STEM self-efficacy: A systematic review

Year 2026, Volume: 15 Issue: 1, 41 - 64, 31.01.2026

Selvet Ece Genek , Lin Ding

https://doi.org/10.19128/turje.1715589

Abstract

Teachers' self-efficacy in teaching STEM subjects is a crucial factor influencing the overall effectiveness of STEM education. Teachers have a major role in fostering students' interest and engagement in STEM disciplines. To address this importance, a systematic review of STEM self-efficacy with Turkish in-service and pre-service teachers at the K-12 level was conducted. This review included 25 empirical studies from ERIC, WoS, Scopus, and DergiPark databases. The analysis first focused on the descriptive characteristics of the studies, including their distribution over time, methodologies, and research designs. Subsequently, emerging themes categorized into key factors influencing STEM self-efficacy among pre-service and in-service K-12 teachers. We found that a high level of STEM attitudes, awareness, and comprehensive professional development programs significantly affected teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching STEM. Demographic variables, such as gender, area of specialty, pre-service teachers’ year of enrollment, in-service teachers’ experience, and graduate degrees also play an important role in their STEM self-efficacy. Challenges in implementation, such as classroom management, resource constraints, and student readiness are barriers to STEM self-efficacy. This study draws attention to the critical need for comprehensive professional development to improve STEM self-efficacy and to effectively integrate STEM education in K-12 settings.

Keywords

K-12 teacher education , STEM education , STEM self-efficacy

Ethical Statement

This study does not require ethics committee approval.

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