Year: 2019
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: With new national science education standards, we must understand how to prepare science teachers capable of advancing reform initiatives. In a 3-year longitudinal study we adopted a multi-method approach to investigate beginning science teachers’ instructional practices. We analyzed transcripts, administered a teaching self-efficacy survey, observed science lessons, and documented weeks of lessons. Using this large dataset, we posed research questions about the use of NGSS scientific practices in teachers’ science lessons (Paper #1) and teacher- and student-level characteristics as it relates to teachers’ use of inquiry in the classroom (Paper #2). In order to expand our coding capability of science teaching data for use in our structural equation modelling efforts (Paper #4) we also completed an initial validation of the DiISC instrument (Paper #3). Findings included: (a) differential use of scientific practices by physical and life science teachers in their lessons; (b) beginning teachers had lower levels of assessment use and there was little evidence to suggest that assessment varied greatly by classroom diversity; (c) evidence for the validity of the DiISC with factor analyses, correlations with the EQUIP instrument, and think-aloud and semi-structured interviews with DiISC raters; and (d) an SEM showed master’s level teachers exhibited greater initial use of inquiry-based instruction and growth over time than undergraduate certified teachers with many contributing factors.
Source: Lincoln (University of Nebraska)
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
Funder: National Science Foundation
OpenAlex ID: W2973181297