Address:
Steven C. Beering Hall of
Liberal Arts and Education
100 N. University Street
West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2098
BRNG 4156

Links:

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Rebekah Hammack

Assistant Professor

Science Education,
Curriculum and Instruction

Email:
rhammack@purdue.edu

Phone:
765-496-6194

Address:
Steven C. Beering Hall of
Liberal Arts and Education
100 N. University Street
West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2098
BRNG 4156

Links:

Profile

+ Professional Affiliations/Memberships

Research & Publications

Dr. Hammack’s research focuses on the connection of local knowledge and context to STEM interest and identity development in youth, particularly rural youth in elementary and middle grades, as well as how elementary teachers develop teaching efficacy and identity as STEM educators. Through her research, Dr. Hammack aims to advance understanding of how to enhance STEM education in rural schools and communities, providing opportunities to meet the unique needs of rural students. She has served as a PI or co-PI on over $5 million dollars in both external and internal grants, including a grant from the National Institutes of Health and several grants from the National Science Foundation.

+ Selected Publications

Hammack, R., Vo, T., Lux, N. et al. A Comparative Case Study Investigating Indigenous and Rural Elementary Students’ Conceptions of Community Engineering. Res Sci Educ 55, 565–587 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-024-10206-0
Vo, T., Hammack, R., Gannon, P., Lux, N., Wiehe, B., Moonga, M., & LaMeres, B. (2024). A Case Study Comparison of Undergraduate Education and Engineering Majors’ Understanding of Community Engineering. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 35(8), 840–861. https://doi.org/10.1080/1046560X.2024.2355687
Hammack, R., Yeter, I., Pavlovich, C., & Boz, T. (2024). Pre-service elementary teachers’ science and engineering teaching self-efficacy and outcome expectancy: Exploring the impacts of efficacy source experiences through varying course modalities. International Journal of STEM Education, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-024-00464-9
Hammack, R., & Stanton, C. R., Boyle, J. (2023). “Step Outside”: A portrait of an exemplary rural K-8 science educator. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 60(3), 544-567 https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21809
Vo, T., & Hammack, R. (2022). The development and empirical grounding of the Draw-An-Engineering-Teacher-Test (DAETT). Journal of Science Teacher Education, 33 (3) 262-281. https://doi.org/10.1080/1046560X.2021.1912272
Hammack, R., & Vo, T. (2021). A mixed methods comparison of elementary preservice teachers’ conceptions of teaching engineering. Research in Science Education, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-021-10013-x
Hammack, R., Gannon, P., Foreman, C., & Meyer, E. (2020). Impacts of professional development focused on teaching engineering applications of mathematics and science. School Science and Mathematics, 120(7), 413-424. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ssm.12430
Hammack, R., Utley, J, Ivey, T. & High, K. (2020). Exploring elementary teachers’ mental images of engineers. Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research,10(2), 35-46. https://doi.org/10.7771/2157-9288.1255
Hammack, R., & Ivey, T. (2019). Elementary teachers’ perceptions of K-5 engineering education and perceived barriers. Journal of Engineering Education, 108(4), 503-522. https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20289
Hammack, R., & Ivey, T. (2017). Examining elementary teachers’ engineering self-efficacy and engineering teacher efficacy. School Science and Mathematics, 117(1-2), 52-62.

+ Current Grants & Funded Research

Understanding the Impact of Professional Learning Programs on Teacher Decision Making and Practice. The purpose of this research is to (1) better understand the factors that impact how teachers translate and adapt research-based principles that they learned in (PL) workshops into classroom practices, (2) investigate teachers’ intentional decisions and considerations as they shape and adapt knowledge from PL into personal knowledge and practice within their classroom contexts, and 3) suggest ways to modify existing knowledge mobilization models to include the role of the teacher t in the translation process.
- https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2530413&HistoricalAwards=false
Collaborative Research: RET Site: Energy and Engineering Education for Rural and Reservation Elementary Schools. This collaborative project between Montana State University and Purdue University provides elementary teachers with a six-week research experience in engineering research laboratories and professional development related to Indigenous Science Knowledge and engineering curriculum development. The goals of this multi-year project are (1) promote engineering identity formation among rural and reservation students, (2) increase elementary teacher self-efficacy in engineering education, and (3) establish a collaborative ecosystem among regional elementary schools, industry, and academia focused on energy research and diversifying the future engineering workforce.
- https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2501860&HistoricalAwards=false
Investigating how combining intensive professional development and modest support affects rural, elementary teachers’ science and engineering practice. This multi-institution collaborative study investigates the extent to which providing modest supports for science and engineering teaching after engaging in professional learning experiences, help sustain professional learning outcomes for 3rd-5th grade teachers in rural schools.
- https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2201249&HistoricalAwards=false
My Home, My Health: Place-Based Public Health Resources for Rural Educators. This multi-institution partnership brings together land-grant and tribal colleges to create hands-on, place-based activity kits focused on a broad definition of disease ecology with the goals of (1) engaging rural youth in bioscience activities, (2) increasing youth awareness of bioscience careers, and (3) enhancing the science teaching efficacy of informal educators.
- https://nihsepa.org/project/my-home-my-health-place-based-public-health-resources-for-rural-educators/

Courses Typically Taught

EDCI 36501 Teaching Science Through Design in K-2
EDCI 36502 Teaching Science Through Design in 3-6
EDCI 51700 Survey of Science Education
EDCI 62200 Place Based Teaching and Learning
EDCI 68400 Rural Community Education and Research - The Power of Place and Partnerships

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Rebekah Hammack

Profile

+ Education

+ Career Experience

+ Awards & Honors

+ Professional Appointments

+ Professional Affiliations/Memberships

Research & Publications

+ Selected Publications

+ Current Grants & Funded Research

Courses Typically Taught

Rebekah Hammack

Profile

+ Education

+ Career Experience

+ Awards & Honors

+ Professional Appointments

+ Professional Affiliations/Memberships

Research & Publications

+ Selected Publications

+ Current Grants & Funded Research

Courses Typically Taught

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