School science culture: A case study of barriers to developing professional knowledge

Abstract

A detailed case study of classroom observations and interviews with Bess, a grade 9 science teacher, is used to explore how school science constrains the development of Bess's professional knowledge. The themes characterizing Bess's teaching, such as “science is fun and activity-oriented” and “science is fact,” appear more related to the ethos of school science than to demonstrating to students something of the practice of science. This study argues that the version of experiment and inquiry seemingly prescribed by the institutional science of school is antithetical to the sort of exploratory inquiry she uses when planning and changing her own teaching. Accordingly, Bess's authentic inquiries into her own teaching are quite different from the “scientific” inquiries she has her students undertake. Building on earlier cases, the article concludes that the nature of school science influences how teachers assess their own teaching and sets boundaries to the social-scientific inquiries teachers make of their teaching. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed84:193–211, 2000.