This dissertation research attempts to answer the questions “What do early childhood teachers perceive as their original sources of self-efficacy for strategic leadership in STEM education?” and “How does their initial self-efficacy for strategic leadership mediate their eventual engagement as international leaders in STEM education?” This study aims to move beyond the mostly descriptive studies of teacher leadership, to understand why a particular group of teachers chose to lead. It attends to visionary leadership outside the school building or district that contributes beyond administrative or political boundaries, at the wider level of the STEM teaching profession. It explores literature across multiple disciplines to aid the adoption and contextualization of a theoretical framework for data collection and analysis of seven case studies of teacher leaders. The resulting theoretical framework is anchored in Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory for its emphasis on self-efficacy and is informed by prior work in leadership and STEM teacher leader development. This theoretical lens is aligned with themes that previously emerged from the results of preliminary interviews with teachers who attributed their leadership to significant increases in leadership self-efficacy.

Findings from this study suggest that the teachers acted upon their tendency toward impulsivity to accept new opportunities for strategic leadership in STEM education even when self-efficacy for STEM and teacher leadership was reported to be low, or non-existent due to the lack of familiarity with leadership or STEM (Finding #1). After accepting leadership opportunities, growing self-efficacy for leadership activities primarily derived from improvements in their STEM identity (Finding #2). Among Bandura’s sources of self-efficacy, these teachers frequently reported the importance of emotional and physiological states to engage opportunistically in strategic teacher leadership in STEM education, as well as the role of persuasion from friends and colleagues (Finding #3).

Implications from this research include recognizing the importance of supporting early childhood teachers’ STEM identity through the recognition of work they already do that falls within the domain of STEM content and processes. It also suggests the need for educational leaders to help early childhood teachers move toward and overcome a commonly expressed fear of STEM. Further, it calls for those who support teachers to identify and foster risk-taking mentalities concerning leadership, offering opportunities and support even (or perhaps especially) to those teachers who do not yet feel ready to lead others. This work aims to increase the awareness of early childhood teachers’ potential as reform agents in STEM education, as well as bring attention to more human, individualized elements of teacher personal wellness and professional growth that can be realized through leadership.