Mapping Epistemic Orientation and Rigor of Classroom Instruction in Secondary Science Classrooms During Long-Term Professional Development

Abstract

ABSTRACT As part of a larger effort to understand the impact of professional development (PD) on teachers’ thinking and practice, this research explores changes in epistemic orientation (and associated practices) of one cohort of secondary science teachers as they were involved in a two-year longitudinal PD focused on supporting students in argumentation. Through a mixed methods approach (including survey data, teacher interviews, and classroom observations), we sought to document shifts in science teachers’ beliefs and classroom practices. The Epistemic Orientation toward Teaching Science surveys were administered at three-time points to measure teachers’ epistemic orientation. To measure classroom practices, we recorded teachers’ enactments of activities designed during the PD. The instructional rigor of their classroom practices was described using the Instructional Quality Assessment Science Observation Rubrics (IQA-SOR) across four stages of a task: task potential, task launch, task implementation, and student discussion at the task’s close. Findings suggest that changes in epistemic orientation occurred for teachers who engaged in 2 years of PD, and these beliefs were reflected in the rigor of their instructional practices. Further, our findings suggest that 1 year of professional development was insufficient to engender such changes in teachers’ epistemic orientation or instructional practices.