A Longitudinal Study of a New Science Teacher's Beliefs and Classroom Practices (original) (raw)
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International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 2018
The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine the relationship between teachers' beliefs about their teaching and their classroom practices based on interviews and classroom observations across eight elementary science teachers. A quantitative research analysis showed there was a statistically positive correlation between their beliefs and practices. However, only three teachers' belief categories were coherent with classroom practices. We argue that there is a complex understanding of tension between the two entities. Those teachers with traditional teaching profiles noted that centralized exams and a strict curriculum limited their classroom practices. Implications for this study about the practice of reform-based teaching are discussed.
To what extent can we believe teacher reports about their practice? The extent of influence of teacher beliefs on their practice is an important question for investigators and evaluators of educational innovations who use teacher surveys or interviews as their main method(s) of gauging teacher practice. This paper investigates what the literature has said about the relationship between teacher beliefs and their practice in the classroom. It aims to bring together the key findings from a review of the relevant literature, and to discuss its implications for educational evaluation and research in science education. Several studies have examined the relationship between teacher beliefs and practice. However, findings have not been consistent because it is complex. Some researchers have reported a high degree of agreement between teacher beliefs and the practice of teaching whereas others have identified some inconsistencies. Some believe direct observation of lessons and of teachers’ decision-making and goals is necessary to know their beliefs. Few studies were found about beliefs in relation to specific subject matter knowledge and beliefs yet science teaching reforms are not likely to succeed unless some teachers' deeply held beliefs about science teaching and learning change. The paper discusses this issue.
Beginning Teachers: Beliefs and Classroom Actions
Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 1999
The current national priority for systemic approaches to the reform of science and mathematics education has led to unprecedented interest in research on the efficacy of science and mathematics teacher preparation programs. In response to this priority, a focus on collaborative approaches to educational reform and to research on educational reform resulted in a national collaborative research consortium of insitutions of higher education. The consortium was formed to investigate the following question about secondary science teacher education: What are the perceptions, beliefs, and classroom performances of beginning secondary teachers as related to their philosophies of teaching and their content pedagogical skills? The research design and instrumentation yielded detailed descriptions that elicited knowledge and beliefs held by beginning teachers about science, the nature of teaching and learning, and their philosophy of teaching. An analysis of video portfolios of beginning teachers provided classroom-based evidence of their performance in both subject matter and pedagogical dimensions of teaching. Among the findings from this 3-year exploratory study were that teachers graduated from their teacher preparation programs with a range of knowledge and beliefs about: how teachers should interact with subject content and processes, what teachers should be doing in the classroom, what students should be doing in the classroom, philosophies of teaching, and how they perceived themselves as classroom teachers. Beginning teachers described their practices as very student-centered. Observations of these teaching practices contrasted starkly with teacher beliefs: While teachers professed student-centered beliefs, they behaved in teacher-centered ways. Undertaking intensive, collaborative studies such as the one described in this article, is the beginning of efforts through which the science and mathematics education communities can strive to address the needs of students, teachers, teacher educators, and other stakeholders working to establish a common vision for excellent instruction and systemic, long-lasting reform.
International Journal of Science Education, 2013
This study unveils the stories of 3 public school elementary teachers from the USA who reflected on their beliefs about science education reform, and implementation of the reform in their classroom teaching, in response to state recommendations for change in science education. The teachers' stories show how various factors assisted or impeded the implementations of reform in their teaching, the various challenges related to their grade-level teaching, and the teachers' personal struggles to make sense of reform recommendations. Within each case study, we describe 4 common themes from the teachers' interviews. These themes are related to teachers' science teaching strategies, their science teaching efficacy beliefs about adopting reform, the types of science learning outcomes teachers target, and the types of teaching resources available to them. Implications for teacher education and practice are discussed in relationship with study findings.
Teacher beliefs and practice in science education
2009
Teacher beliefs and practice have been widely debated by educators in order to understand the nature of the relationship between these concepts. Despite the ongoing discussion, there is still no clear definition of belief and it has been used interchangeably with knowledge. Therefore, the first purpose of the study was to clarify the definitions and nature of beliefs and knowledge in order to understand the relationship between teacher beliefs and practice. Moreover, many scholars believe that teachers have a crucial role in implementing change in schools. Therefore, many research studies have been conducted in science education on a variety of issues. However, the findings of the research indicate that the relationship between teacher beliefs and practice is controversial and has a complex nature. The second purpose of this paper is to critically analyze research studies in terms of their weakness and strengths with some recommendations for further research.
In a mixed-methods study, the authors investigate teacher typologies of elementary teachers (N D 132) in the United States based on their reformed science teaching beliefs. Additionally, the identified teacher typologies were compared with respect to their science content knowledge, self-efficacy and epistemic beliefs. Results revealed three clusters of teachers with different combinations of teaching beliefs and practices. Comparative analysis indicated significant differences among teacher typologies with respect to their epistemic beliefs and teaching efficacy beliefs. Additionally, interview results enhanced the depth of understanding of participants' views for reformed science teaching and further highlighted differences in the typologies. Study implications are considered with regard to improving teacher quality and preservice teacher training.
Reforming Elementary Science Teacher Preparation: What About Extant Teaching Beliefs?
School Science and Mathematics, 2003
The research described in this article is grounded in the theoretical perspectives ofteacher beliefs, episodic memory, and reform in teacher preparation. Teacher Beliefs Past experiences help preservice teachers build attitudes, personal theories, and beliefs regarding the teaching of science. These beliefs can be descrilbed as personal convictions, philosophies, tenets, or opinions aboutteaching andlearning (Czerniak,Lumpe, &IHaney, 1999). These attitudes, personal theories, and beliefs organize strongly held images of self as a teacher.
Science Education, 1998
Current literature reports that the reorganization of schools through national ef- forts is not closely paralleled to subsequent local classroom changes. The focus of this study concerns teachers’ beliefs and their interpretations of a 2-week summer institute intended to change their treatment of scientific knowledge and assessment strategies at the classroom level. Furthermore, this study suggests that major contextual barriers to change should be identified and support should be provided to help teachers interpret and rethink their practice in venues beyond institutes. Despite collaborative efforts, participants were found to maintain their entry level fundamental beliefs about the nature of scientific content knowledge, teach- ing, and assessment practices. Reaching beyond past research on reform and reports of change in teachers, this study attempts to explicate the struggle of making lasting and deeply rooted change in teacher beliefs that results in the transformation of traditional science teaching.
Science teachers' beliefs and practices: Issues, implications and research agenda
International Journal of Environmental & Science …, 2009
The study of teachers' beliefs forms part of the process of understanding how teachers conceptualize their work which in turn is important to the understanding of teachers' practices and their decisions in the classroom. A growing body of research argues that ...
Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education
This paper presents a pilot case study on developing a qualitative tool to evaluate science student teachers’ beliefs concerning science teaching and learning. The study is based on student teachers’ drawings of themselves in a typical classroom situation and four open questions. Data was collected from 104 freshman science student teachers, and evaluated based on the basic tenets of Grounded Theory. Applying Grounded Theory led to a framework of categorising the student teachers’ beliefs in three categories: (I) Beliefs about Classroom Organisation, (II) Beliefs about Teaching Objectives, and (III) Epistemological Beliefs. All three categories were expanded to a dimension between more traditional beliefs and beliefs in line with modern educational theory. The participants in the study were from different groups of student teachers in one of four domains of science teaching: secondary school Biology, Chemistry or Physics or Primary Science. The tool proved to be interesting for gain...