The research questions evolved through successive cycles of action research. Earlier cycles focused on understanding current instructional practice and student experiences. The current pilot builds on those findings by examining how faculty intentionally develop teamwork through the Belonging by Design framework.
How do undergraduate educator preparation faculty intentionally develop teamwork?
Supporting Questions
How do instructors use classroom assessment data to inform instructional decisions related to teamwork?
How do instructors select and adapt instructional strategies to support teamwork and belonging?
Which features of the Belonging by Design framework do instructors perceive as most useful?
What supports and challenges do instructors experience while using the Belonging by Design framework?
In what ways, if any, does using the Belonging by Design framework influence instructors' instructional practice?
How do teacher candidates experience explicit instruction in teamwork?
How do first-year teacher candidates experience explicit instruction in teamwork skills prior to engaging in group projects?
How, if at all, does participation in a teamwork lesson influence students' perceptions of collaboration and belonging within their teams?
Which elements of the teamwork intervention do students identify as most supportive of their ability to contribute, connect, and collaborate?
Student Experience
Students valued collaboration but often described previous group work as confusing, uneven, or unfair.
Students appreciated explicit instruction, particularly when expectations, roles, and reflection were included.
Connection and belonging emerged as the most meaningful aspects of the teamwork experience.
Students described teamwork as something that could be learned rather than simply expected.
Instructional Practices
Students identified several instructional practices that supported their teamwork experiences:
Clear expectations
Shared norms
Defined roles
Opportunities for reflection
Structured opportunities to build relationships
Opportunities
Teamwork appears to be most effective when intentionally designed rather than simply assigned.
Relational practices may be as important as skill instruction.
Small instructional decisions can significantly influence students' experiences of teamwork and belonging.
Influence on the Intervention
Cycle 1 shifted the focus of the intervention from students to instructors.
Rather than asking how students learn teamwork, the next phase asks how faculty can intentionally design learning experiences that cultivate teamwork and belonging. This shift led to the development of the Belonging by Design framework, which supports instructors in assessing classroom needs, selecting instructional resources, and reflecting on the impact of those decisions.
Questions That Emerged
How can faculty intentionally teach teamwork across different educator preparation courses?
What supports do instructors need to confidently teach teamwork?
Which instructional decisions have the greatest influence on students' experiences of belonging?
How can teamwork be intentionally developed while honoring faculty expertise and course autonomy?
How do undergraduate educator preparation instructors currently teach teamwork?
How do instructors define teamwork?
How do instructors currently teach teamwork?
What instructional strategies are already being used?
What challenges do instructors experience?
What supports would help instructors teach teamwork more intentionally?
Current Practice
Faculty value teamwork and recognize its importance in educator preparation.
Teamwork is frequently embedded within coursework through group projects and collaborative activities.
Instruction related to teamwork varies considerably across instructors and courses.
Many faculty intentionally build relationships and community but do not necessarily identify these practices as teaching teamwork.
Challenges
Teamwork is often assigned rather than explicitly taught.
Faculty have limited time to add additional content to existing courses.
Students enter courses with widely different experiences and abilities related to teamwork.
Faculty want flexibility rather than a prescribed curriculum.
Opportunities
Faculty expressed interest in practical resources that complement existing instruction.
Teamwork can be developed through small instructional decisions rather than major curricular changes.
Assessment may help instructors identify student needs before selecting instructional supports.
Existing institutional priorities (e.g., Next Education Workforce, Principled Innovation) provide a strong foundation for this work.
Influence on the Intervention
Cycle 0 shifted the intervention from creating a standalone teamwork curriculum to designing a flexible instructional framework that supports faculty decision-making. Rather than asking instructors to adopt new lessons, the framework provides assessment-informed resources that can be integrated into existing courses while honoring faculty expertise and instructional autonomy.
Questions That Emerged
What does "teaching teamwork" look like across different educator preparation courses?
Which instructional practices have the greatest influence on students' experiences?
How can teamwork be intentionally taught without increasing faculty workload?
How can the framework remain flexible while still providing meaningful instructional guidance?
Simply,
Cycle 0 asked: What are instructors already doing?
Cycle 1 asked: How do students experience those instructional decisions?
The pilot will ask: How can we support instructors in making those decisions more intentionally?