Abstract

This collective case study examines secondary science teachers’ responses to a professional development program designed to assist in the transformation of inquiry belief structures and inquiry instructional practices. These teachers were participants in a year-long professional development institute that focused on increasing the quantity and quality of inquiry in secondary science classrooms. This multi-case design examines multiple data sources in order to answer the following research question: How do the beliefs and practices of teachers regarding inquiry-based instruction evolve over the year of intervention? Participants were selected using the data from an inquiry observational protocol to represent a variety of abilities and beliefs regarding inquiry instructional practice. The results provide insights into teachers’ belief structures and classroom structure related to inquiry instruction. Further, we detail the role of the professional development experience in facilitating transformation of classroom practice. Implications for how professional development programs are developed and led are provided.

Highlights

  • With years of counterexamples to guide their own learning, science teachers often find it difficult to transform their instruction to more inquiry-based practice

  • Our study focuses on teacher implementation of content-rich inquiry-based instruction where state and national science content standards are explicitly linked with inquiry-based practice

  • The challenge of raising the quality of inquiry in science classrooms has been at the forefront of discussions in science education since before the NSES was written

Read more

Summary

Introduction

With years of counterexamples to guide their own learning, science teachers often find it difficult to transform their instruction to more inquiry-based practice. More reformed ideas of PD provide personalized social networks for teachers to interact with others, peer coaching opportunities, and case studies These interactions and experiences need to be embedded in ways that are directly transferable to their classroom context and environment (Garet et al, 2001; Lumpe, Haney, & Czerniak, 2000). Numerous observational protocols (i.e., Inside the Classroom, RTOP, EQUIP) are available to measure various components of instructional practice (Horizon Research, 2002; Marshall, Smart, & Horton, 2010; Sawada et al, 2000) Common among these protocols is a focus on four key constructs associated with the facilitation of student learning: 1) instruction; 2) curriculum; 3) discourse; and 4) assessment. We sought to describe a spectrum of teachers’ responses at various points during the PD intervention We examined their belief structures and classroom practices associated with inquiry-based instruction as transformation progressed

Method
Participants
Findings
Conclusion and Implications
Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call