Regarding professional development and educator practice
outcomes, scholars in the respective STEM disciplines have begun
to demonstrate the intricate relationship between teacher’s PCK,
instructional practices, and teacher self-efficacy beliefs. In their
study of secondary mathematics teachers PCK, Baumert et al.
(2010) found that teacher PCK had a ‘‘. . .substantial positive
effect. . .on students’ learning gains,’’ but that the effects of PCK
were moderated by instructional practices, which indicates a
relationship between PCK and teacher instructional practices. A
similar and significant relationship was found in a study of high
school biology teachers when teacher PCK and reform-oriented
instructional strategies were found to have a significant positive
relationship (Park et al., 2011). There is also evidence of the link
between teacher beliefs and teacher practices (Tschannen-Moran
& Barr, 2004) and it is also reasonable to infer that teacher PCK may
impact efficacy beliefs. This body of literature, when taken
together, support the hypothesis that a focus on measuring the
three professional development outcomes may be key in helping
educators create effective learning environments in STEM.