Preethi Titu
Dr. Preethi Titu is an Associate professor of Science Education in the Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education at the Bagwell College of Education.
She has a background in teaching at higher education settings as well as K-12 schools. Her work focuses on supporting both pre-service and in-service teachers in meaningfully integrating STEM pedagogy into classroom practice. Dr. Titu earned her PhD in STEM Education from the University of Minnesota where her dissertation titled, "Understanding Teacher Professional Identity Development", explored secondary science teacher beliefs and practices through reflective practice.
Her research interests have focused broadly on is
sues of understanding how teachers' beliefs impact their classroom practice, teachers'
conception of STEM, teachers' attitudes toward students and the retention of STEM
teachers.
Dr. Titu has worked on an IES grant project aimed at supporting reform based instruction of AP Chemistry teachers. Currently, she serves as a Co-PI on the NSF grant, " Hopscotch 4 Scientific Investigation: Promoting Elementary Preservice Teachers' Three-Dimensional Learning during Science Content Courses," where she is co-developing a toolkit for planning and conducting scientific investigations. She is also a Co-PI on the Lemelson Foundation’s grant, which involves the implementation of sustainability concepts using the EOP framework in undergraduate engineering classrooms.
Dr. Titu is also currently serving as one of the PIs on an NSF collaborative project aimed at advancing innovative, research-based approaches to undergraduate STEM teacher education through a multi-institutional collaboration. The project will reach 250 undergraduate STEM education students over four years. The objective is to provide experiential learning through VR and AI simulations alongside scaffolded peer teaching, focusing on scientifically-relevant, real-world problem-based instruction.
Selected Publications:
Lee, S. C., Arias, A. M., Titu, P., & Reaves, J. S. (2025). Effects of Integrated Science Content Course on Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Self-Efficacy in Teaching Science Across Three Different Modalities. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 36(7), 977–999. https://doi.org/10.1080/1046560X.2025.2472510
Konz, R. R., Titu., P., & Leammukda., D., F. (2024). Examining English Learners’ Perceptions of native Language Use in A Physical Science Classroom. Discover Education 3 (182). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-024-00256-x .
Ellis, J., Carro, N., Marichal, A, Titu, P., & Roehrig, G. (2022). How early-career science teachers negotiate their beliefs and practices during an online induction program. In L. Manier, T. York, & B. Calinger (Eds.), Research in practice: Preparing and retaining K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts (pp. 321-352). American Association for the Advancement of Science. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/aaas.add8024 .
Schrankler, J., Miller, C., Guzey, S., Titu, P., Douglas, K., Moore, J, T. (2022), "Greenhouse: An EngrTEAMS Curricular Unit," https://nanohub.org/resources/36130
Titu, P., Jiang, S., Perez, S. A., Gunes, B., Kulkarni, C., Zhu, W., Rushton, G. T., & Yaron, D. J. (2020). Making Lemonade out of Lemons: Supporting Adoption of Evidence-Based Practices in Response to Educational Disruptions. Journal of Chemical Education, 97 (9), 3306-3311. . https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00818
Ring, E. A., Dare, E. A., Roehrig, G. H., Titu, P., & Crotty, E. (2018). From Conception to Curricula: The Role of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in Integrated STEM Units. International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology (IJEMST), 6(4), 342-362. https://www.ijemst.net/index.php/ijemst/article/view/257/157
