Science Talk: Preservice Teachers Facilitating Science Learning in Diverse Afterschool Environments

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact a community‐based service learning program might have on preservice teachers' science instruction during student teaching. Designed to promote science inquiry, preservice teachers learned how to offer students more opportunities to develop their own ways of thinking through utilization of an afterschool science program that provided them extended opportunities to practice their science teaching skills. Three preservice teachers were followed to examine and evaluate the transfer of this experience to their student teaching classroom. Investigation methods included field observations and semi‐structured, individual interviews. Findings indicate that preservice teachers expanded their ideas of science inquiry instruction to include multiple modes of formative assessment, while also struggling with the desire to give students the correct answer. While the participants' experiences are few in number, the potential of afterschool teaching experience serving as an effective learning experience in preservice teacher preparation is significant. With the constraints of high‐stakes testing, community‐based service learning teaching opportunities for elementary and middle‐school preservice teachers can support both the development and refinement of inquiry instruction skills.     

Beginning Secondary Science Teachers' Conceptualization and Enactment of Inquiry‐Based Instruction

This study investigates the conceptions and use of inquiry during classroom instruction among beginning secondary science teachers. The 44 participants were beginning secondary science teachers in their first year of teaching. In order to capture the participants' conceptions of inquiry, the teachers were interviewed and observed during the school year. The interviews consisted of questions about inquiry instruction, while the observations documented the teachers' use of inquiry. All of the interviews were transcribed or coded in order to understand the conceptions of inquiry held by the teachers, and all of the observations were analyzed in order to determine the presence of inquiry during the lesson. The standard for assessing inquiry came from the National Science Education Standards. A quantitative analysis of the data indicated that the teachers frequently talked about implementing “scientific questions” and giving “priority to evidence.” This study found a consistency between the way new teachers talked about inquiry and the way they practiced it in their classrooms. Overall, our observations and interviews revealed that the beginning secondary science teachers tended to enact teacher‐centered forms of inquiry, and could benefit from induction programs focused on inquiry instruction.     

Relationships Between Inquiry‐Based Teaching and Physical Science Standardized Test Scores

This exploratory case study investigates relationships between use of an inquiry‐based instructional style and student scores on standardized multiple‐choice tests. The study takes the form of a case study of physical science classes taught by one of the authors over a span of four school years. The first 2 years were taught using traditional instruction with low levels of inquiry (non‐inquiry group), and the last 2 years of classes were taught by inquiry methods. Students' physical science test scores, achievement data, and attendance data were examined and compared across both instructional styles. Results suggest that for this teacher the use of an inquiry‐based teaching style did not dramatically alter students' overall achievement, as measured by North Carolina's standardized test in physical science. However, inquiry‐based instruction had other positive effects, such as a dramatic improvement in student participation and higher classroom grades earned by students. In additional inquiry‐based instruction resulted in more uniform achievement than did traditional instruction, both in classroom measures and in more objective standardized test measures.     

Model‐Based Inquiry and School Science: Creating Connections

Much has been made in recent years of inquiry approaches to science education and the promise of such instruction to alleviate some of the ills of science education, yet in some ways this construct is still unclear to many in the field. In this paper we explore one view of inquiry in science that is based on the development, use, assessment, and revision of models and related explanations. Because modeling plays a central role in scientific inquiry it should be a prominent feature of students’ science education. We present a framework based on this view that can serve as a guide to curriculum development and instructional decision‐making with the goal of creating classroom environments that mirror important aspects of scientific practice. Specifically, the framework allows us to emphasize that scientists: engage in inquiry other than controlled experiments, use existing models in their inquiries, engage in inquiry that leads to revised models, use models to construct explanations, use models to unify their understanding, and engage in argumentation. Here, we discuss how these practices can be incorporated into science classrooms and illustrate that discussion with examples from our research classrooms.     

Reforming and Assessing Undergraduate Science Instruction Using Collaborative Action‐Based Research Teams

Faculty members at Purdue University in the departments of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Biological Sciences, and Chemistry conducted a reform effort for the undergraduate curriculum utilizing action‐based research teams. These action‐based research teams developed, implemented, and assessed constructivist approaches to teaching undergraduate science content in each department. This effort utilized a partnership of scientists, science educators, master teachers, graduate students, and undergraduate students. Results indicated that the project partners were able to (a) implement more inquiry‐based teaching that emphasized conceptual understanding, (b) provide opportunities for cooperative learning experiences, (c) use models as an ongoing theme, (d) link concepts and models to real‐world situations, e.g., field trips, (e) provide a more diverse range of assessment strategies, and (f) have students present their understandings in a variety of different forms. Further, we found that we were able to (a) involve graduate and undergraduate students, classroom teachers, scientists, and science educators together to work on the reform in a collaborative manner, (b) bring multiple perspectives for teaching and for science to support instruction and, (c) provide scientists and graduate science students (who will become university professors) with more effective teaching models. We also found that the collaborative action‐based research process was effective for contributing to the reform of undergraduate teaching.     

Constructing Elementary Teachers' Beliefs,Attitudes, and Practical Knowledge Through an Inquiry‐Based Elementary Science Course

This study examines inservice elementary school teachers' beliefs, attitudes, and practical knowledge toward inquiry‐based science instruction and the influence of an inquiry‐based elementary science course on teachers' beliefs, attitudes, and practical knowledge regarding inquiry. Both surveys and a case study were administered to the 14 elementary school teachers before and after completing a three‐credit elementary science methods course that was inquiry‐based. The findings showed that the teachers' beliefs, attitudes, and practical knowledge about inquiry were clearly influenced by the course. Through this course, the teachers developed fairly positive beliefs and attitudes that promoted inquiry instruction. The majority of participants also improved their knowledge and skills of conducting inquiry as they successfully practiced inquiry‐instruction in their science teachings.     

Building Teacher‐Scientist Partnerships: Teaching About Energy Through Inquiry

This study evaluated the effectiveness of teacher‐scientist partnerships for increasing the use. of inquiry in precollege classrooms. It assessed the influence of the Teaching About Energy Through Inquiry Institutes for middle and high school teachers and energy scientists on participants' attitudes about science and science education, use of inquiry instructional techniques, and student attitudes about their classroom environments. Participant surveys, institute and classroom observations, lesson plans, and interviews indicated increased appreciation for inquiry, greater confidence in teaching using inquiry, and greater use of inquiry in the classroom. Student surveys and classroom observations pointed to higher levels of student satisfaction and less friction among classmates during inquiry‐based investigations implemented after the institutes. Moreover, scientist partners reported increased familiarity with principles of science education and best teaching practice, which are essential skills and knowledge for disseminating results of scientific research to nonscientific audiences, as well as their own students. These results suggest that collaborations between teachers and research scientists can positively affect the environment for learning science in precollege and college classes. Successful collaborations are most likely to occur when equal status for teachers and scientists in the partnership is stressed and partners have the opportunity to explore inquiry‐based curricula together.     

The Indiana Science Initiative: Lessons from a Classroom Observation Study

The Indiana Science Initiative (ISI) is a systemic effort to reform K–8 science education. The program provides teachers with professional development, reform‐oriented science modules, and materials support. To examine the impact of the initiative's professional development, a participant observation study was conducted in the program's pilot year. Five teachers in grades 3–6 were observed and interviewed as they implemented the ISI‐provided modules. Analysis of the observation data revealed that the teachers incorporated each of the features of inquiry science instruction. However, they did not consistently teach in a way that was aligned with the intent of the ISI. Examination of interview data provided insight into influences on teachers' use of inquiry with the ISI‐provided modules. These data revealed that teachers were aware of the intent of the ISI and attempted to align their instruction. However, teachers were influenced by their perceptions of students' behavior and abilities as well as timing and the appropriate level of teacher control needed to facilitate science instruction. The research suggests that professional development activities should prepare teachers to help learners evaluate explanations against alternatives, connect explanations to scientific knowledge, and provide strategies to address teachers' perceptions of students, timing, and teacher control.     

Urban Third Grade Teachers' Practices and Perceptions in Science Instruction with English Language Learners

The study examined relationships among key domains of science instruction with English language learning (ELL) students based on teachers' perceptions of their classroom practices (i.e., what they think they do) and actual classroom practices (i.e., what they are observed doing). The four domains under investigation included: (1) teachers' knowledge of science content; (2) teaching practices to support scientific understanding; (3) teaching practices to support scientific inquiry; and (4) teaching practices to support English language development during science instruction. The study involved 38 third‐grade teachers participating in the first‐year implementation of a professional development intervention aimed at improving science and literacy achievement of ELL students in urban elementary schools. Based on teachers' self‐reports, practices for understanding were related to practices for inquiry and practices for English language development. Based on classroom observations in the fall and spring, practices for understanding were related to practices for inquiry, practices for English language development, and teacher knowledge of science content. However, we found a weak to non‐existent relationship between teachers' self‐reports and observations of their practices.     

Training Master's‐Level Graduate Students to Use Inquiry Instruction to Teach Middle‐Level and High‐School Science Concepts

Through the GK‐12 program of the National Science Foundation, graduate student fellows in a coastal marine and wetland studies program were trained to present targeted science concepts to middle‐ and high‐school classes through their own research‐based lessons. Initially, they were taught to follow the 5‐E learning cycle in lesson plan development, but a streamlined approach targeting the three attributes of science concepts—macroscopic, model, and symbolic—was found to be a better approach, while still incorporating key facets of the 5‐E model. Evaluation of the level of inquiry in the classrooms was determined using an inquiry scale from 0 to 4, differentiated by the relative number of actions that are student‐centered. The graduate fellows consistently delivered lessons at the targeted levels 2 or 3, guided inquiry. In order to assess student learning, the GK‐12 fellows were trained to develop single‐item pre‐ and post‐assessments designed to probe middle‐level and high‐school students' understanding of the macroscopic, model, and symbolic attributes of targeted science concepts. For the lessons based on the research of the fellows, about 80% of the students showed statistically and practically significant learning gains. The GK‐12 fellows positively impact the classroom and are effective science ambassadors.     

The impact of integrated STEM modeling on elementary preservice teachers’ self‐efficacy for integrated STEM instruction: A co‐teaching approach

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the impact of co‐taught integrated STEM methods instruction on preservice elementary teachers’ self‐efficacy for teaching science and mathematics within an integrated STEM framework. Two instructional methods courses (Elementary Mathematics Methods and Elementary Science Methods) were redesigned to include STEM integration components, including STEM model lessons co‐taught by a mathematics and science educator, as well as a special education colleague. Quantitative data were gathered at three time points in the semester (beginning, middle, and end) from 55 preservice teachers examining teacher self‐efficacy for integrated STEM teaching. Qualitative data were gathered from a purposeful sample of seven preservice teachers to further understand preservice teachers’ perceptions on delivering integrated STEM instruction in an elementary setting. Quantitative results showed a significant increase in teacher self‐efficacy across all three time points. Item‐level analysis revealed that self‐efficacy for tasks involving engineering and assessment (both formative and summative) were low across time points, while self‐efficacy for tasks involving technology and flexibility were consistently high. Qualitative results revealed that the preservice teachers did not feel adequately prepared by university‐level science and mathematics courses, in terms of content knowledge and integration of science and mathematics for elementary students.     

Comparison of two alternative approaches to quality STEM teacher preparation: Fast‐track licensure and embedded residency programs

Alternative pathways to teaching licensure were developed to address teacher shortages. These programs differ widely, making it difficult to generalize the effects. This study compares the impact of two alternative licensure programs on the development of fundamental elements of science teacher preparation and persistence. The fast‐track programs include a 6‐month teacher preparation program and a one‐year residency teacher preparation program. The study concluded that licensure type was unassociated with the impact on teaching self‐efficacy, beliefs about teacher‐focused/student‐focused teaching, preferences for inquiry instructional practices, and experiences with student misbehavior. However, the study revealed that licensure type was associated with a number of other variables: residency students had more confidence in their ability to provide quality instruction; preferred inquiry‐based instruction more often; and may be better prepared for the high‐needs classroom. Those in the 6‐month program were more likely to score higher on practical versus theoretical approaches to teaching, and while they had a more realistic idea of how to measure success in the high‐needs classroom, the residency students had more knowledge of educational theory and how to apply it. Findings suggest that more traditionally licensed teachers may be more inclined to use inquiry‐based methods suggested in current reforms.     

Inquiry Learning of High School Students Through a Problem‐Based Environmental Health Science Curriculum

The purpose of this study was to examine the degree to which high school students improved their inquiry capabilities in relation to scientific literacy through their experience of a problem‐based environmental health science curriculum. The two inquiry capabilities studied were scientific questioning and approaches to inquiry into their own questions. A total of 129 high school students taught by two teachers in one school wrote responses to environmental health issues at the beginning and at the end of a 10‐week long inquiry curriculum. An additional group of 46 students of one of the two teachers learned an alternative curriculum and participated as a comparison group. The students using the inquiry curriculum performed significantly better than those using the alternative curriculum in posing active inquiry questions and generating hypothesis‐driven approaches to inquiry into their questions. The inquiry curriculum students also improved significantly from the pretest to the posttest in both measures of inquiry capacity. Among the students who were less prepared for inquiry in the beginning, 68% improved inquiry‐questioning capability, while among the students who were more prepared for inquiry, 36% improved in generating hypotheses‐driven approaches. Implications for curriculum design and implementation were provided along with further research suggestions.     

Achieving the Reforms Vision: The Effectiveness of a Specialists‐Led Elementary Science Program

This report describes an evaluation project that aimed to assess the potential of two elementary science specialists, as compared to elementary classroom teachers, to realize the reforms vision for science instruction in elementary classrooms. Participant science specialist background, views of elementary science teaching, and planning and assessment practices were compared to those of regular elementary classroom teachers in the specialist district, as well as in a comparable district not employing specialists. Specialists' views and practices were better aligned with those envisioned by current national reform documents in science education. Despite the constraints imposed by the nature of a program evaluation, the present report provides evidence to suggest that students taught by the science specialists (a) were engaged in open‐ended, inquiry‐oriented, science‐based activities of the kind often advocated, but mostly absent, in elementary school, and (b) demonstrated problem solving and higher order and critical thinking skills. This report is the first to provide empirical support for the advocated “effectiveness” of elementary science specialists in achieving the visions espoused by current reform efforts.     

Exploring Graduate‐Level Scientists' Participation in a Sustained K‐12 Teaching Collaboration

To increase scientific literacy in America, the National Science Foundation has implemented the Graduate Teaching Fellows in K‐12 Initiative (GK‐12). In these programs graduate level scientists, known as Graduate Teaching Fellows (GTFs), act as resources for science teachers (Partner Teachers). This research examines the influence of participation in this program on the GTFs involved in one GK‐12 sustained collaboration that emphasizes the codevelopment and co‐implementation of hands‐on, inquiry‐based activities. Qualitative data in the form of interviews and observations were collected from a single cohort of Partner Teachers, GTFs, and the academic advisors of the GTFs for one academic year. The GTFs identified three benefits they received from working in the GK‐12 program: enhanced understanding of science content, fuller understanding of the complexities of teaching science, and understanding of inquiry‐based science teaching and its value. At the same time the GTFs experienced tensions related to differing views of science and science teaching held by the GTFs and the Partner Teachers. The GTFs also experienced professional risks in at least two ways due to their involvement in this program. One risk was the result of the time commitment required to be a GTF. The other was the result of what was termed competing foci. Illustrated in this case by the difficulties encountered as GTFs attempted to learn how to teach in a secondary science classroom while still learning to become research scientists.     

The Role of Teachers' Beliefs and Knowledge in the Adoption of a Reform‐Based Curriculum

Science as inquiry is a key content standard in the National Science Education Standards; however, few secondary science teachers successfully and consistently implement inquiry‐based instruction in their classrooms. This research examines the role of reform‐based curricular materials in influencing the classroom practices of 12 high school chemistry teachers and investigates the role of the teachers' knowledge and beliefs in their implementation of the reform‐based chemistry curriculum. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected in the form of beliefs interviews and classroom observations. The teachers' classroom practices were measured prior to and during the field test of the reform‐based chemistry curriculum. Analysis of the data revealed that teachers' classroom practice became more reform‐based in the presence of the new curriculum; however, the degree of change is related to the teachers' beliefs about teaching and learning, depth of chemistry knowledge, and years of teaching experience. Experienced, out‐of‐discipline teachers with transitional or student‐centered teaching beliefs demonstrated the most growth in reform‐based teaching practices. This study reinforces the need for reform‐based curriculum to assist teachers in implementing the intent of the National Science Education Standards.     

STEM Teachers' Planned and Enacted Attempts at Implementing Engineering Design‐Based Instruction

This study investigates grades 5 and 6 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers' planned and actualized engineering design‐based instruction, the instruments used to characterize their efforts, and the implications this work has for teachers' implementations of an integrated approach to STEM education. Participants included 23 STEM teachers from six schools (three rural, two suburban, and one urban). Data were gathered via lesson implementation plans and classroom observations. Teachers demonstrated strength in planning for standards‐ and engineering design‐based lessons, incorporating engineering practices within their respective implementation plans, and aligning their plans with content and design process standards. Missing from their plans was attention to science concepts and their placement, use, and application within a design task. Classroom observations indicated that the teacher participants gave priority to “front loading,” the design process by concentrating more of their instructional time on problem identification and planning and less time on testing designs, communicating performance results, and redesigning. Measures utilized in this study provided insight into the content of teachers' planning and subsequent instruction and suggest potential for capturing content planning in the context of classrooms in which teachers are attempting to integrate novel curriculum, such as the new standards for engineering practices.     

An Examination of Teacher Understanding of Project Based Science as a Result of Participating in an Extended Professional Development Program: Implications for Implementation

Project‐based science (PBS) aligns with national standards that assert children should learn science by actively engaging in the practices of science. Understanding and implementing PBS requires a shift in teaching practices away from one that covers primarily content to one that prompts children to conduct investigations. A common challenge to PBS implementation is a misunderstanding of the elements of PBS. Identification of these misunderstandings as well as implementation challenges could inform professional development. This case study examined 24 teachers’ understanding and implementation of PBS during participation in a consecutive three‐year, comprehensive professional development program. Results provide insight as to the process they followed in the transition to implementing PBS. Measures included classroom observations, reflective interviews, and attitudinal surveys. Results showed that teachers developed the knowledge, confidence, and understanding to implement PBS but in most cases it took at least two to three years for positive results to become evident. Teachers struggled to develop adequate driving questions that provided project‐focused lessons. Other obstacles included teacher resistance to student‐directed instruction, confusing inquiry‐based instruction with hands‐on activities, and inability to motivate students to work in collaborative teams. While challenging, over time the teachers developed the knowledge, desire, and skills to implement PBS.