Secondary Science Teachers’ Beliefs and Persistence: A Longitudinal Mixed-Methods Study

Abstract

While many studies focus on why teachers leave the classroom, there remains a need to study why teachers persist in teaching. One area to study is the beliefs of teachers, which may impact persistence in the field. This 5-year mixed-methods study explored whether 35 beginning secondary science teachers’ beliefs were related to their persistence in teaching. Quantitative analysis of the teachers’ responses to annual semi-structured interviews revealed that teachers with more student-centered beliefs were more likely to persist at the end of the third year of teaching. Additionally, the teaching beliefs of teachers were more teacher-centered, while the learning beliefs of teachers were more student-centered. A case study of one persisting teacher and one non-persisting teacher revealed that personal experiences and knowledge impacted beliefs about teaching and learning. Bruce, who had extensive inquiry-based school experiences, believed in teaching via student-centered methods. Oscar, who underwent mostly direct instruction during his school experiences, believed in teacher-centered instruction and focused on classroom management. This longitudinal study contributes to the field of science education by examining beginning secondary science teacher persistence over time. Implications from this study call for challenging teacher beliefs during the induction period, proper placement of new teachers into their first teaching positions, and understanding the impact of prior experiences on teachers’ beliefs.