Teaching with laboratory work: the presentation of beginning science teachers’ identity in school settings

Abstract

ABSTRACT This multiple case study used the lens of identity to investigate how three beginning science teachers deal with practical work during their first two years of teaching careers in high school. In-depth data were collected from multiple sources for the three participants and data analysis was focused on the interactions between personal, interpersonal and situational dimensions when they taught with practical work. The six spaces in which the identity of Li, Zheng, and Zhang as beginning physics teachers with regard to practical work was presented emerged from the data: (1) personal characteristics; (2) beliefs about physics teachers, physics teaching, and practical work; (3) interaction with colleagues; (4) interaction with students; (5) curriculum materials; and (6) high-stakes examinations. Based on a combination of empirical data and insights from the literature, a conceptual framework was established for the identity of beginning science teachers with regard to practical work, which includes five aspects: personal characteristics, interactions with others, interactions with institutions, beliefs, and agency. The implications of this suggested framework for science teacher education are discussed in the last part of this paper.